What was the first movie you watched after your major upgrades?

[Kevin P]

If you can remember, what was the first movie you watched after upgrading your systems? Entire movie, not demoing scenes.

For me, they were:

On my first DVD player: Top Gun

After getting my Platinum speakers: Darn, I think it was Top Gun again

After getting my Mits HDTV: The Fifth Element

After getting the Outlaw 1050: An older Bond flick I borrowed, forget which one, but it had 5.1 sound. Oh wait, I think it was Licence to Kill.

After getting my SVS Sub: Terminator 2 Ultimate Edition

After getting my Sony DVP-S9000ES DVD player: Gladiator

After having my TV ISF calibrated: Charlie's Angels

After upgrading my component video cable from a Monster to a CatCables Tigress: Shrek

After upgrading the driver in my SVS: Cliffhanger




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[Sonnie Parker]

I got my new DVD player and SUB in at the same time and watched JP3.

I had to see if the slab would actually move.






SONNIE

Cedar Creek Cinema

DVD Collection

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[Markj]

My last upgrade was Casablanca to Casablanca II and I can not remember what I watched. I think to was a DVD with DTS because I added DTS with this upgrade.

[George Bellefontaine]

I've had so many upgrades over the years that I really can't recall what movies I watched first.One thing I do know, everytime I upgraded I would go back to favorite titles in my collection to see how they looked on my new proj, or sounded on my new speakers, or sounded on my new Receiver, etc.




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[Andrew Pratt]

boy this would be a long list for some of us 8O I usually dive into old favorites so Jurassic Park likely would rank near the top for myself

[Kevin P]

Oh come on Andrew, surely you remember the first movie you watched on the Rotel, or the Energy speakers, or the Sony 7700, or the Sony pre-pro you sold when you got the Rotel! 8O Heck, for you it would be the first movie you watched in your new dedicated HT!

KJP




Official Computer Geek and Techno-Wiz Guru of HTGuide - Visit Tower of Power
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[Andrew Pratt]

hmm well I think the first one we watched in the new HT room was a rental of some kind but I honeslty don't remember which it was...I *think* it was twister for the 7700 though

[Lex]

The answer is fairly easy:

My reference discs are:

5th Element
The Matrix
Terminator 2

as to remembering after specific upgrade, that's a tough one!

Lex

[P-Dub]

Well after I got my 2 new subs, I watched:

Independence Day - sub levels were a bit low
Phantom Menace - adjusted the sub levels a bit, now were talking.




Paul

There are three kinds of people in this world; those that can count, and those that can't.

[Clive]

The answer is fairly easy:

My reference discs are:

5th Element
The Matrix
Terminator 2

as to remembering after specific upgrade, that's a tough one!

Lex

Kevin my answer would be same as Dougs' but to add to the list would be U-571, those depth charges just does something for your system whatever the test/s would be.




CLIVE




HEY!! Why buy movie tickets when you can own a Theater?

[Burke Strickland]

In the days of tape, when I first went to Beta Hifi, and then VHS Hifi, I first put on Raiders of the Lost Ark. Ditto on laser disc -- it wasn't the first one I BOUGHT, but is WAS the first one I played (just to maintain the tradition). :>)

Needless to say, if I had waited on "Raiders..." being available on DVD to inaugurate my first and subsequent DVD players, I'd still be watching laser discs every night! :>) So for my first DVD, for comparison between the "old" and "new" video media, I bought a movie that I already had seen many times on LD that had a superb video image and a stunning soundtrack -- Twister. However, in subsequent upgrade cycles (front projector, newest DVD player, etcetera) I started using The Fifth Element which is probably the most watched movie in my collection due to its demo quality and use. (That is also why I selected the Fifth Element as my first Super Bit DVD -- I had the video practically memorized frame-by-frame from repeated viewings so it didn't take a whole lot of study to notice the differences.) :>)

However, the first DVD I played over my Magnepan MG 3.6 speakers as front mains in the surround system (as opposed to their original purpose as music-only speakers) was Shakespeare In Love (SIL) which I had enjoyed while still using Def Tech BP-2000s in the role of front mains for HT. (Since then I've only hooked up the Def Techs for comparison demos. Other wise they now make very nice expensive plant stands) :>) SIL is a fairly "musical" soundtrack, too, so it was a nice first test for the Maggies crossing over from music to movie duty -- but they also acquit themselves quite nicely on the more slam-bang soundtracks, too, since they are augmented in the deepest bass by a Velodyne FSR-18 sub.

As an interesting aside, (to me anyway), of the 700 + DVDs I've collected in the past four years, fewer than 10% duplicate titles I had on LD (I still have all 500) and almost all of those were purchased due to the film finally being released in its original aspect ratio, or with significant restoration, etcetera. Laser disc still looks good enough to me to be enjoyable -- the best are about like a non-anamorphic widescreen DVD.

Burke

[Burke Strickland]

Laser disc still looks good enough to me to be enjoyable -- the best are about like a non-anamorphic widescreen DVD.

Now that I have an HDTV tuner that will also accept inputs from other components and upscale the video to 720p/1080i, my laser disc collection has just taken a new lease on life. I tried it first with a title I have on both (DVD and LD) so I could compare and be sure I was really getting a benefit from this setup.

It works magnificently. For instance, "Men in Black" on laser disc (LD) has a stunning sound track, but, due to limitations of the medium. the video was a bit soft compared to the DVD. The picture gets "clarified" and difference is far less apparent when the LD is played back via the HDTV tuner. Now I'm motivated to move my LDs from boxes in another room to shelves in the HT!

Burke

[Snap]

Gladiator. Just love that movie any ways. Any time I get something new I watch that movie.

[DrJRapp]

Just did a custom crossover upgrade today to My RF7s and RC7 (LCR). First movie watched was Aladin (cause the kids are home and Mom's at work). Actually it was pretty good in all it's Disney special mix for HT, THX glory.

[Patt]

DVD player cheapie to Denon 2900....Star Wars...huge difference in detail & color.

First 125 watt amp instead of 100 watt reciever....Annie....absoloutely without a doubt beter and & still evaluating.

Thats about all I can remember. :rofl:

[Chris D]

Holy Crap, Burke, that's a thread from the past!

My last upgrade was Casablanca to Casablanca II

Wow, they made a sequel to the old Bogart movie?

For me, I remember two distinct upgrades. Back in '99-2000 I bought my Yamaha receiver, set of Klipsch Legend speakers, JVC DVD player, and 36" Sony Wega TV. The first movie I watched (and first DVD ever) was the Matrix.

I just finished in the last few weeks my massive private movie theater construction, with Parasound Halo equipment, projector, 119" screen, etc. First full movie I watched was the Lord of the Rings.

[mtodde]

The 5th Element & Underworld...both Superbit.

[Fishy]

Master and Commander. Works every time.

Fish

[Preacherman]

Wrath of Khan :B

[jwakaruk]

For my first DVD player it was Gladiator
For the main speaker upgrades its been LOTR - EE for the mains and then a year latter Two Towers - EE for the centre channel
Future ugrade of finally getting a sub when my house is finished and I no longer have apartment dwelling neighbours to worry about will be Master and Commander

[fordster]

Gladiator every time for me. I've lost count of how many times I've watched this film. Even my wife knows the dialogue off by heart!

[JonMarsh]

Wow, have to reach back into the archives....

For my second CRT projector, back in 1989, I think it was Top Gun, on my Laser Disk player.


For my first DVD player (Sony DVP S7000, which ThomasW still uses), it was "Twister".

For my first HTPC, using a dedicated video decode board from Digital Connection, it was "Robo Cop". That was my first experience with DVD in progressive format scaled to higher resolution, on a 22" CRT display.

For my Sony VPL-W400W projector, it was "The Fifth Element", running off a new top of the line Toshiba player, which my daughter still has and uses.

For my second HTPC with Matrox card and Extron sync processor capable of driving the 400Q on the HD GsBR inputs, it was Kevin Costner's "Water World". That is a very under rated movie as regards video quality; it almost runs at a solid 10 MBits per second, and was the equivalent (or more) of "Superbit" long before Sony brought that concept to market. The cinematography on that movie is VERY good, from a clarity, resolution, and color vibrancy viewpoint, which may be why it is scheduled to be one of the first HD DVD releases.

Third HTPC and NEC 29" presentation monitor, it was "Desperado" in Superbit, followed by "Fifth Element" in Superbit.

Initial install of NEC 9PG+ with Zenith DVB318 scaling DVD player, it was some selected episodes from "Smallville", which is a TV show with exceptional production values, followed by "Alias" - same reason. The flagging on these video and film sourced disks is such that anything besides a Faroudja de-interlacing usually sports lots of combing artifacts. First movie, though, was "Starship Troopers" Superbit, followed by scenes from "Hollowman" Superbit.


Upgrade of Zenith DVD player + KD transcoder to Oppo DV971H scaling DVD player with DVI output, and Dtronics DVI to RGBHV converter I used the "Attack of the Clones" disk first, becuase of wanting to evaluate the color dynamic range (lots of blacks needed here) and the SPDIF output (much better than the Zenith), second was Van Helsen (color purity re black and white opening scenes), third was the "Butterfly Effect".

So, I'm wondering what I should use next, when I have the new 10PG installed and setup in a month or so? Maybe I'll go full circle and pull out that copy of "Waterworld" again. Or if I can find a copy of Spiderman 2 Superbit (hard to locate at retail around here), I'll try that.

Nominations?

[aud19]

Oh good god! No way I can remember!!! 8O

Got the HD Hitachi and I believe we watched some Shrek, Toy Story etc to check out the picture.

Then finally hooked up the Rotel kit to my C's and went on a barrage... Can't remember specifically but 5th Element, Gladiator, Matrix, Jurassic Park, LOTR , Fantasia 2000 etc all got played as loud as Jazz would let me :lol: (Until she went out! :twisted: )

[eddiem67]

Star Wars Episode I-Pod Race, tend to always go back to this on any changes, upgrades...