which DVD movie has the best surround sound in your opinion?

[freakerdude]

I have been told that U-571 is supposed to be one of the best but Fast And The Furious has to be one of the tops that I have in my small library. I do own U-571 but don't find it as amazing as F&TF. I always use DTS instead of Digital Dolby and both have the option.

So what is the best one you have heard on just your 5.1 surround sound system?........that makes it only fair.

[NEON MERCURY]

well ..since my "system" mainly consists of the tv speakers.. In order to get the upmost surround sound out of my system with the most sourround soundish dvd in my library..I would have to watch Attack of the clones standing up and then running aroung in a small circle as fast as i can to fully "optimize" my souround sound sytem :yabbse-lamp:

[freakerdude]

LMAO....good one!

[***beady***]

I thought 'last of the mohicans' had quite good surround sound on it. Had horsies running off in every direction!

[Weak2ndAct]

I don't how much it maximizes the surround features, but Saving Private Ryan is pretty darned cool if you have a big, loud system (the key being a massive subwoofer of course).  Everytime a grenade went off, it literally sounded as if it went off in the next room.  The walls shook.  The neighbors weren't too happy, but eff them, I couldn't stand their tribal drum sessions (this bit is from my college years obviously).  Other faves are The Matrix, and any Lynch film that he mastered the 5.1 for.

[MacGuffin]

Other faves are The Matrix.

That's my favorite to calibrate speakers too, especially Chapter 29 - Lobby Shootout.

Right after Neo and Trinity go through the metal detectors and shoot the first set of guards, Trinity throws down her gun and it's the coolest thing hearing it land on the floor in the front speaker and slide to the left speaker. Then, from the rear speakers, you can hear the soldiers marching in from behind you before you see them. The rest of scene is just an outstanding sound mix; the music loud, but not enough to overpower the sound effects of the empty shells clinking, the guns shooting in front of you and the bullets landing in the wall behind you. In fact, it's like you're caught in the crossfire.

Terminator 2, Jurassic Park and the Nine Inch Nails: And All That Could Have Been concert are also great sounding DVDs.

[MacGuffin]

The Noisy Dozen - The 12 Best-Sounding DVDs
IGN.DVD pick 12 discs to rock your world. And your neighbors.
 
So you got sick of watching movies on an Xbox and 25-inch TV and dropped a few grand on a pimp home theater. Welcome to my world. Now that you've blown all that cash, you may find yourself having to justify just why you spent enough money for a down payment on a Beemer to watch movies.

Remember to tune your system with Digital Video Essentials or Avia to properly balance your speakers. Nothing ruins a movie worse than a center channel that's too quiet and a subwoofer that's too loud. Once you've done that, it's time to add a few titles to your library that will show off your system in all its decibel glory.

But what to pick? We've come up with 12 recommendations sure to frighten small animals, irritate the neighbors and make your buddies do a Neo and say "Whoa…" Sure, there are others that could quality, but we liked these 12 the best.

Master & Commander: The Far Side of the World
Just the fact that DTS uses M&C as a demo disc speaks volumes (sorry) about the quality of this movie's outstanding audio. There's a good reason DTS chose this DVD to show off its audio format. The realism of the waves and wind and cannon fire puts you on board a mighty sailing ship in 1805 and will have you convinced Russell Crowe is bellowing orders right from your living room. The first cannon shot taken by the Surprise is one of the best examples of positional audio you'll ever hear, while the horrendous wind as the ship rounds Cape Horn is downright scary.

Return of the King: SEE
The DTS mix for the extended edition was a big improvement over the heavily compressed theatrical cut. New Line did some impressive mastering, getting that three hour flick onto one disc and making it enjoyable, but RotK SEE, spread over two discs, is so much better for the extra capacity. The separation across all channels is much more pronounced and the back channels are much more active. There's also tremendous positional audio. Listen during Faramir's ill-fated attack on Osgiliath, with the arrows shooting across the speakers as the orcs fire. Also, Howard Shore's Oscar-winning score is much better balanced than in the original DVD release.

Lion King
The Lion King was the first film to sport Disney's "Enhanced Home Theater Mix," which was basically a very amped-up Dolby Digital 5.1 mix. The difference between it and the standard 5.1 mix was increased volume across the board, especially in the low-end of the audio spectrum. It's really notable when the animals are gathering to celebrate the birth of Simba, and you feel the rumble of an elephant's footsteps. The wildebeest stampede will rattle your teeth, it's so rough, and the surround is such that you will feel like you are in the middle of the stampede. Disney has done other Enhanced mixes, but this one is still their best.

Terminator 3
Arnold Schwarzenegger's last starring role wasn't the best. It certainly didn't live up to the first two Terminator flicks, but it sure was loud. Very loud. This was a rare non-DTS disc in this collection, but it still packed a lot of punch as the Governator and the Valkyrie destroyed multiple buildings in their brawls. In between the gunfire there were some crazy chases/crashes, including one involving a heavy crane that tore a building to shreds. T3 sports some awesome positional audio, really putting you in the middle of the carnage.

The Matrix (Ultimate Matrix Collection)
The original DVD release of The Matrix was a reference-quality audio disc, an impressive feat considering its age. With the 10-disc box set The Ultimate Matrix Collection, The Wachowskis and cinematographer did a bang-up job, giving the original film a fantastic new transfer. The audio was also sweetened, improving frequency response and positional audio. The two best examples are when Neo awakens in his jello pod and the rooftop battle. Both are fantastic. The sound quality is strong and clear, the soundtrack has a loud, brassy sound and the action comes at you from all sides.

The Haunting
A haunted house movie is only as effective as the surround sound, to immerse you and make you jump as the spooky sounds come from all directions. The Haunting works because it's so good at using position audio to scare the hell out of you. This little gem of a movie was overlooked during the Blair Witch hoopla but it's really not bad. The performances are good overall, and you can't beat the eye candy that is Catherine Zeta-Jones. The DVD is incredibly effective. The creaking beams of the old house, not to mention the disembodied voices and sound, seem to attack you from all sides. Watch it and try to sleep that night.

Hero
Hero is the definition of "epic." One of the most beautifully-shot films ever seen, it's also a sonic monster. Miramax may have fouled up the transfer, but they kept the original DTS soundtrack intact. The audio is remarkable from the get-go, with the charge of horses through the desert as Nameless is brought to the King. But it really gets going when the Qin army rains arrows on a Zhao city and when Moon fights Flying Snow. The film also sports a memorable soundtrack, which is as rich as the battle effects.

Saving Private Ryan
From the opening salvo of machine gun fire on Omaha Beach, Saving Private Ryan is one of the most overwhelming DVDs you will ever experience. There's a reason World War II veterans were melting down after seeing this movie: it's frighteningly real. The hell surrounds you and puts you on Omaha Beach. But it's not just the machine gun fire. There is great subtlety, such as when Tom Hanks and Tom Sizemore talk quietly in the church and the faint background sounds when Hanks and Matt Damon chat. Saving Private Ryan is a great movie and a great sonic experience.

Collateral
Collateral isn't the best overall disc, as much of the first half is all talk between Jamie Foxx and Tom Cruise. The film picks up in the final act, but unfortunately, it goes generic on us. What makes Collateral so memorable is its gunshots. Live ammo was used in as many scenes as possible, and the end result is downright scary. There are some decent scenes, such as in the disco, that also show off the film's awesome sound, although you will find it dialogue-heavy.

Honorable mention should go to another Michael Mann film, Heat. Like Collateral, there's a lot of dialogue and one mean gunfight. This one is the legendary heist and shootout, where the M16 fire echoed so powerfully around the L.A. downtown.

Led Zeppelin DVD
The benchmark for pretty much all music DVDs, made all the more amazing because the source material is so old. Jimmy Page went through the old mono, analog recordings and produced a worthy example of what DTS audio is all about. The audio is clean as a whistle, free of any hiss or distortion that you would expect from a 33-year-old live recording. At the same time there is remarkable clarity and separation through the channels. For those of us too young to have seen Led Zeppelin in their glory, this is a perfect time machine.

Phantom Menace
The other non-DTS film on this list besides T3. Although The Phantom Menace suffers from one of the worst video transfers for a major motion picture, it makes great use of its Dolby Digital 5.1 EX soundtrack. The DVD does a fantastic job with fly-bys, wipes, pans, and phaser shots. But the most impressive audio comes during the Pod race. Even though the scene is entirely CG, the engines sound realistic, and the whole race is nothing short of a demo of positional audio. Justry to resist the urge to throw things at your TV when Jar-Jar comes on.

Desperado
An oldie but a goodie, Desperado was one of the first DVDs to truly make the most of surround sound and positional audio. The shining moment is the final gunfight between El Mariachi and his friends vs. Bucho's gang. The gungshots have a decent punch and the ricochet action really puts you in the middle of the mayhem, which is really impressive for a DVD made in 1998. Salma Hayek's beauty is on display thanks to a very nice transfer.

[Ravi]

I don't have a 5.1 system, but The Incredibles rocked on my friend's surround sound setup.

[Alexandro]

the one that really surprised me and stills surprise me is Punch Drunk Love...

The Incredibles and Finding Nemo were awesome too...

[jonas]

Fight Club
Boogie Nights
Led Zeppelin DVD

[aurora]

A good one for the sub is U-571 (R1 DTS)

[Myxo]

Gladiator
The Matrix
Heat (Particularly the bank robbery shootout)
Saving Private Ryan (Already posted but it's incredible in DTS. It's among the best ever for sound.)
War of the Worlds
Hero
Lord of the Rings (Any of them)

Mac is right on about the Matrix lobby scene. We used that frequently for in store demos at the home electronics store I worked at years ago.

[Kal]

Twister is great for surround... also Jurassic Park