The Best Home Theater Demo Scenes

I’ve created stand-alone clips for demos in my home theater.  Instead of switching discs and skipping chapters, I’ve created/edited video files that are stored on my media server and played-back using a Home Theater Personal Computer.

I think the ideal demo scene is comprised of the following:

  • lots of action
  • some setup before the action so viewer isn’t lost or thrown-into the action too abruptly
  • some humor
  • and of course, great audio and video

Here are some of my favorite demo scenes. Most are edited clips taken from my Blu-ray disc backups, but some are (still) standard-def versions from DVD backups.

Serenity: Firefly takes on the fleet with help from the Reavers (but stop immediately after Wash says “I am a leaf on the wind. Watch me soar.” for the last time.)

Air Force One: The dogfight scene (MiG-29s attack Air Force One, F-15 counter-attack)

Iron Man: Suits up and flies to the desert, frees hostages, blows-up tank, attacked by F22s

Spider-man 2: Abduction of Mary Jane from coffee shop, fight with Doc Oc on the train, stops the train

Superman Returns: Superman saves the crashing plane.

The Matrix: Neo/Trinity gunfight in the lobby, infiltrate building and save Morpheus, helicopter crash.

Kill Bill: The final sword fight between Uma Thurman and Lucy Liu, starting where Uma steps out on to the snow and the music starts playing.

Casino Royal: Opening chase scene.

Quantum of Solace: Opening chase scene.

Transformers: Scorpion fight in the desert; also the opening scene.

The Dark Knight: Joker/armored truck chase scene in the tunnel; also the opening scene.

Star Wars Episode 3: General Kenobi vs. General Grievous (unfortunately, there is a cut to another scene half-way through the fight. I created a demo version and edited the other scene out.)

Star Wars Episode 2: Jedi battle at the Geonosian execution arena; Yoda vs. Dooku light saber fight.

Toy Store 2: The opening sequence of Buzz Lightyear vs. Zurg.

2014-05-27

11 Comments

  1. A very good action list, but to get everyone’s attention from the start, I would add the deep see explosions of the movie U-571 🙂

  2. The launch scene from Contact with Jodie Foster has always been one of my favorites.

    1. Author

      I haven’t watched that movie in a while. I have it on DVD and haven’t make the upgrade to Blu-ray. I need to check it out again.

      Tangent: As I remember it, Jodie Foster’s character keeps saying “Everything is 5 by 5” in that scene. I’ve heard that in other movies as well (Apollo 13?), and I know it means “all is well”, but I’ve never figured out the derivation of the term why it’s used. It must be somehow related to an aviation checklist.

      1. Stumbled across this while link chasing. In case you hadn’t found the actual answer, “5 by 5” is a subjective radio quality measure, where each number is an indicator of signal strength and clarity on a 1 – 5 scale. 5 by 5 is as good as a radio signal gets. 4 by 2 would indicate a relatively strong signal but garbled voice, etc. Kinda similar to a MOS score for telecom voice maybe?

  4. HULK: Scene where big guy escapes bunker and is first attacked by tanks, takes a nap, then gets chased by helicopters. Ends with him taking a nap. (From what I can remember.)

  5. Two of my favourites:

    1. The opening narration and Sauron’s death from LOTR: FOTR. The “shockwave” at Sauron’s death is sub-sonic and will test your Sub quite nicely. You will feel the sound before you hear it!

    2. For working out the surround speakers, one of the initial fight scenes where beans are thrown on drums and the woman is pretending to be blind from House of Flying Daggers

  7. Very nice collection of scenes!
    Is it possible to upload it some of those files, so we can have it when we demo projectors/tvs?
    cheers

  8. I would add the first battle from Master and Commander. Amazing sound and tense lead up.

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