Not another newbie thread...

[Let's Go Tech]

...I'm afraid so. I have recently purchased myself a Blu Ray player, and now I am confronted with the daunting task of selecting one or two (or possibly three...we'll have to see how the budget wears out) movies to play in it. I'm a big fan of sci-fi, so that would be something I'd be interested in, but what I'm really looking for is that Blu Ray Disc (total newbie question: obviously you don't call it a DVD anymore...BRD? BD? What'sthe appropriate acronym?) that, when I put it in and press "play", I will sit back, let out a low whistle and say, "THIS is why I spent x hundred dollars on the player..."

So, bearing ALL of that in mind, any suggestions? Basically, I'm looking for a BRD (it's what I'm going with for now, until someone tells me differently...) that I can use to "show off" my setup.

Thanks in advance for your help, and again, I apologize for littering the landscape with yet another newbie thread.

LGT

[iNCREDiPiNOY]

Welcome to the forum. Go to search and look for your favorite Sci-Fi genre or go to Movies tab to see if it available.

[crackinhedz]

My personal PQ fav's to show off:

Apocalypto

CARS

Wild Hogs

CRANK

[JasonR]

Cars, Apocalypto, Ratatouille, Casino Royale, Crank, Pirates, Disney

Sci-Fi = 2001 & Blade Runner

[crackinhedz]

do you have a sound system?

[Blu Titan]

Originally Posted by Let's Go Tech

...I'm afraid so. I have recently purchased myself a Blu Ray player, and now I am confronted with the daunting task of selecting one or two (or possibly three...we'll have to see how the budget wears out) movies to play in it. I'm a big fan of sci-fi, so that would be something I'd be interested in, but what I'm really looking for is that Blu Ray Disc (total newbie question: obviously you don't call it a DVD anymore...BRD? BD? What'sthe appropriate acronym?) that, when I put it in and press "play", I will sit back, let out a low whistle and say, "THIS is why I spent x hundred dollars on the player..."

So, bearing ALL of that in mind, any suggestions? Basically, I'm looking for a BRD (it's what I'm going with for now, until someone tells me differently...) that I can use to "show off" my setup.

Thanks in advance for your help, and again, I apologize for littering the landscape with yet another newbie thread.

LGT

The abreviation for Blu-ray disk is: BD Older Sci Fi that look really nice: Blade Runner Ultimate Collector's Edition. New Sci Fi: Fantastic Four Rise of the Silver Surfer (flawless PQ and AQ). Hope that helps.

[Let's Go Tech]

Originally Posted by crackinhedz

do you have a sound system?

No, I don't...my next bonus check at work is "earmarked" for that.

Thanks to everyone for the quick responses, by the way! Blade Runner and 2001 are all-time favorites of mine, so those ought to make my list!

I also appreciate the way some of you are going out of your way to point out some sci-fi for me!

One other newb question and I promise I'll leave you alone for a while...or at least until I think of another one!: How do they take a film like, for example 2001, which was filmed some 20 years PRIOR to Blue Ray / HD DVD, and make it into a BD? (Thanks for setting me straight, Blue Neon!)

LGT

[crackinhedz]

Originally Posted by Let's Go Tech

Blade Runner and 2001 are all-time favorites of mine, so those ought to make my list!

Blade runner looked pristine, but not my cup of tee. 2001 Looked razor sharp and was a very interesting movie. They both make good show off material.

[iNCREDiPiNOY]

Apocalypto (Action, Adventure, Drama, Romance)
Blade Runner: Complete Collector's Edition (Drama, Sci-Fi, Thriller)
Gattaca (Drama, Sci-Fi, Thriller)
I Am Legend (Drama, Horror, Sci-Fi, Thriller)
I, Robot (Action, Sci-Fi, Thriller)
Man on Fire (Action, Crime, Drama, Thriller)
The Matrix Trilogy (Action, Sci-Fi, Thriller)
The Assassination of Jesse James (Biography, Crime, Drama, Western)
Pan's Labyrinth (Drama, Fanstasy, Thriller, War)
Planet Earth: The Complete Collection (Documentary, Television)
Pirate of the Caribbeans: 1, 2 & 3 (Action, Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy)
Ratatouille (Animation, Comedy, Family)
Rambo: First Blood (Action, Drama, Thriller)
The Rock (Action, Adventure, Thriller)
Saw I , II, III, IV (Crime, Horror, Mystery, Thriller)
Sunshine (Adventure, Sci-Fi, Thriller)
X-Men: The Last Stand (Action, Adventure, Sci-Fi, Thriller)

[WickyWoo]

One other newb question and I promise I'll leave you alone for a while...or at least until I think of another one!: How do they take a film like, for example 2001, which was filmed some 20 years PRIOR to Blue Ray / HD DVD, and make it into a BD? (Thanks for setting me straight, Blue Neon!)

The same way they do it with a film from today, put the film on an HD telecine, scan it, use resulting tape as the source

[SamInNorthCakalakey]

While you're at it you should put what you have in terms of hardware and the model numbers. "Help me help you"

[Goodguy818]

Close Encounters of the 3rd Kind looked very good to me

[Spike68]

Originally Posted by Goodguy818

Close Encounters of the 3rd Kind looked very good to me

I Agree with that choice. BTW Goodguy818 nice avatar, I need a drink holder like that.

[Lord_Phan]

The remastered Fifth Element is top quality.


As for how they make things HD, Film is extremely HIGH RES. Higher than the best t.v.'s out right now. They just go back to the film and scan it at a higher rez then for standard def. Then encode it for Blu.

[rebfandan]

Originally Posted by Lord_Phan

The remastered Fifth Element is top quality.


As for how they make things HD, Film is extremely HIGH RES. Higher than the best t.v.'s out right now. They just go back to the film and scan it at a higher rez then for standard def. Then encode it for Blu.

I fully agree. The newly remastered Fifth Element looks incredible. I'm a fan of the movie and did not expect much when I bought the BD, but boy...I was VERY surprised. Welcome!

[Blu-Raider]

Originally Posted by Let's Go Tech

No, I don't...my next bonus check at work is "earmarked" for that.
One other newb question and I promise I'll leave you alone for a while...or at least until I think of another one!: How do they take a film like, for example 2001, which was filmed some 20 years PRIOR to Blue Ray / HD DVD, and make it into a BD? (Thanks for setting me straight, Blue Neon!)

LGT

Try almost forty. It's an amazing film.

[owa]

These 4 sci-fi movies are great:

Sunshine
Blade Runner
2001
The Fifth Element (remastered)

There are some others but personally, I'd start with one of those 4. Also, Sunshine is pretty much my favorite movie now so even if you don't start out with that one, I'd check it out at some point.

[whippersnapper]

Originally Posted by Let's Go Tech

...I'm afraid so. I have recently purchased myself a Blu Ray player, and now I am confronted with the daunting task of selecting one or two (or possibly three...we'll have to see how the budget wears out) movies to play in it. I'm a big fan of sci-fi, so that would be something I'd be interested in, but what I'm really looking for is that Blu Ray Disc (total newbie question: obviously you don't call it a DVD anymore...BRD? BD? What'sthe appropriate acronym?) that, when I put it in and press "play", I will sit back, let out a low whistle and say, "THIS is why I spent x hundred dollars on the player..."

So, bearing ALL of that in mind, any suggestions? Basically, I'm looking for a BRD (it's what I'm going with for now, until someone tells me differently...) that I can use to "show off" my setup.

Thanks in advance for your help, and again, I apologize for littering the landscape with yet another newbie thread.

LGT

(total newbie question: obviously you don't call it a DVD anymore...BRD? BD? What'sthe appropriate acronym?)

Yes, its acronym is BD; however, at least around my house, we just say things like "want to watch a Blu-ray?". So in conversation I don't think I've ever actually said BD. By the way, in the above post OWA is showing great taste in Sci-Fi films. Those four are great selections on Blu-ray. Welcome to Blu-ray.com.

[UlicBelouve]

Took a while for anyone to mention Fifth Element (remastered). A side note, the "remastered" is put there because initially, they released Fifth Element on Blu, and it was not a good transfer. This past summer (about august 2007) they released a "remastered" version, where they actually did a good transfer, it is top notch.

Basically, if you look for a Fifth Element in the store, it should be the remastered version. If in doubt, ask here and we can tell you what specifically to look for to ensure it is the remastered (I have it at home).

Another good PQ film (but the story is lacking, depending on who you ask) is Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within. It is Sci-Fi, fantasy, and is among the best CG I have seen, and it makes the transfer to Blu-ray very well. I'd recommend it as a rental, if you really like it, buy it. Most Blockbusters are moving to having some Blu-rays in stock (the one by me does).

[nu2blu2]

Close Encounter of the 3rd Kind and of course Ratatouille