VIDEO COLLECTION DVD's with true 5.1 mixes!

QuadraphonicQuad

Help Support QuadraphonicQuad:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.

The Bright Side

1K Club - QQ Shooting Star
QQ Supporter
Joined
Jun 10, 2010
Messages
1,616
Location
Montreal, CA
This is my list of video collections that have true 5.1 mixes, derived from the great work the quaddies did over in the "Some VIDEO COLLECTION you may not know are true 5.1 mixes!" thread. You can click on the links in the list below to find the discs on Amazon. All annotations in red reflect my current knowledge about the titles.

I will keep this list up to date as new additions and information come in.

[LAST UPDATED DEC 3, 2017]​

So now we have the following real or very good 5.1 (alphabetical, with my notes in red):

  1. Alien Ant Farm - BUSted (Dolby 5.1) (Several videos in great sound, good mixes. Plus a live performance, also in 5.1! Thanks to Bob for pointing this out.)
  2. Big Country - The Ultimate Collection (DTS 5.1) (Very good DVD according to depeche76, discrete surround)
  3. Billy Joel - The Essential Video Collection (Dolby 5.1, LPCM stereo) (I used to be unimpressed with this. I have since changed to better playback software on my PC and bought a new sound system. Now, I quite like this disc. Beware: there are two editions of this. Worldwide, it's out as "The Ultimate Collection" (click for track list), which has a slightly different track list than the US version, "The Essential Video Collection" (click for track list). The tracks that are not on the US version, though, are bad upmixes. So stick with "The Essential Video Collection" from the US. Here's a post from ThomC, the guy who did the 5.1 mixes, giving some nice details about the disc and its history. Here's a post listing the tracks that are absent from either the US or international version.)
  4. Cher - The Very Best of Cher - The Video Hits Collection (Dolby Digital 5.1, 2004) (as mentioned in this thread, true 5.1 and overall pretty well done! The late-90s songs have better mixes, the 80s/early 90s stuff is a bit hit-and-miss. It's incomplete (e.g. "I got you Babe" and "Love and Understanding" are missing) but a great companion to her 1999 "If I Could Turn Back Time" Greatest Hits CD.
  5. Dru Hill - Hits - The Videos (DTS 5.1) (true 5.1 mixes according to keenly, but rears are very low. Not a lot of bass, either. Sounds good after adjustments.)
  6. Freddie Mercury - The Video Collection (Dolby 5.1) (Dolby Digital 5.1, most if not all are true 5.1 mixes of varying quality. "Time" is the standout mix, it's nothing short of fantastic. All other mixes are quite enjoyable as well. Sound is very good throughout and all the music is, well, it's Freddie Mercury. You gotta love it.)
  7. Helloween - Hellish Videos - The Complete Video Collection (looks like it's DD 5.1) (True 5.1 according to keenly, but varying sound quality. Worth a shot.)
  8. INXS - I'm Only Looking - The Essential INXS (Dolby 2.0, 5.1; DTS) (great one. Get the 2-disc version - every last bit on here is in discrete DTS and it's all cool.)
  9. Janet Jackson - From Janet. to Damita Jo - The Videos (Dolby Digital 5.1, 2004) (excellent mixes and sound. Real keeper!)
  10. Jennifer Lopez - The Reel Me (Dolby Digital 5.1, 2003) (Definitely real 5.1 and good mixes, if I remember correctly. I just can't bring myself to like her music.)
  11. John Lennon - Lennon Legend - the very best of John Lennon (LPCM stereo, dts 5.1, dolby 5.1) (great one)
  12. Metallica - The Videos 1989-2004 (Dolby 5.1, PCM stereo) (pretty good mixes, but thin sound)
  13. Moby - Play - The DVD and 18 DVD + B-Sides (Dolby Digital 5.1, 2001 and 2003) (Both sound great, contain lots of videos, long megamixes, audio-only b-sides, live performances and more. I think they add up to 7-8 hours of music in 5.1 Surround. Mixes range from okay to pretty good. The styles range from trancey (especially the megamixes) to mellow-acoustic (the b-sides on the "18" DVD). Highly recommended, especially at 1 cent used on Amazon.
  14. Mötley Crüe - Greatest Video Hits (2003, Dolby Digital 5.1) (as mentioned in this thread, true 5.1. Sound quality is on the thin side, but the mixes are really good and it's a very well-compiled set, with lots of rarities thrown in.)
  15. Michael Jackson - History Vol. I (DD or DTS?) (always on the fence about this, cos his videos are short movies so you can't really put them into the player, turn off the screen and just enjoy the 5.1 music. Plus, like you guys said, not everything here is 5.1)
  16. Paul McCartney - The McCartney Years (DTS 5.1) (great one)
  17. Paul Weller - Modern Classics on Film (90-01) (Dolby Digital 5.1) (2 discs with over 4 hours of footage: live concerts as well as all his solo promo clips. Good mixing, but could have been better.)
  18. Peter Gabriel - "Play The Videos" (DTS 96/24, 2004) (nothing short of fantastic. the first pressing has a bug on the DTS track that causes it to play at incredibly low volume. Fixed version first released in Europe. It's also out there as a torrent and now available bundled with the "Live in Athens" Blu Ray)
  19. Queen's Greatest Video Hits 1 and 2 (DTS 96/24, 2002 and 2003) (amazing discs)
  20. R.E.M. - In View (The Best of R.E.M 1988-2003) (DTS, Dolby 5.1 & 2.0) (All songs also available on the "In Time" DVD-A. The surround mix is really good, nothing spectacular, but very listenable.)
  21. Robert Plant - Nine Lives (Box Set) (Bonus dvd, dolby 2.0, 5.1, dts: documentary and 20 promo clips in stereo & 5.1) (apparently pretty cool mixes, but not sure)
  22. Sade - Life Promise Pride Love (Dolby 5.1, PCM stereo) (thought at first the music was just very nicely upmixed from 2.0. I now think it's all real 5.1 (see also keenly's post here). Either way, I love the disc. Great sound and music, and very nicely mixed.)
  23. Shawn Colvin - Polaroids - Video Collection (Dolby Digital 5.1) (recommended disc according to uffeolby, especially for the unplugged portion! All discrete 5.1.)
  24. Tea Party - Illuminations - The Tea Party Collection (DTS, Dolby 5.1 & 2.0) (this is the TITS. No really. Fantastic rock music, excellent mixes, great sound.)
  25. The Flaming Lips - VOID (Video Overview in Deceleration) (Dolby Digital 5.1) (Fun but brittle in DD)
  26. Tom Cochrane & Red Rider - Trapeze - The Collection on DVD (DTS 5.1, also available as DVD-A) (since the DVD-A version of this is very rare and contains the exact same tracks with the exact same mixes, this is worth buying. Still available cheap, great sound, lots of content, great music (somewhere between Bon Jovi and Bruce Springsteen) and very good 5.1 mixes.)

And we have identified the following as fake 5.1:

  1. Cinderella - Rocked, Wired & Bluesed - The Greatest Video Hits (DTS 5.1) (Upmixes/fake 5.1, but pretty good sound. Thanks to Haikubass!)
  2. Enya - The Very Best Of (PCM stereo, Dolby 5.1, DTS) (incomplete collection, upmixes according to Mike The Fish, good sound. Don't bother if you ask me)
  3. B-52s - Time Capsule (CD+DVD Edition) (Dolby Digital?) (lousy echo-in-the-rears 5.1)
  4. Bruce Springsteen - The Complete Video Anthology 1978-2000 (Dolby Digital 5.1) (lousy echo-in-the-rears 5.1)
  5. Cyndi Lauper - 12 Deadly Cyns... And Then Some (Dolby Digital 5.1) (This is very likely an upmix, sounds a bit thin too. But they did what they could with it and you do get a 5.1 experience, albeit a flawed one if you ask me. Might be worth a spin. More info here.)
  6. Lighthouse Family - Greatest Hits (Dolby 5.1) (fake fake fake, almost nothing in the rears)
  7. Lionel Richie - The Lionel Richie Collection (Dolby Digital 5.1, 2003) (See here)
  8. Mariah Carey - #1's (Dolby Digital 5.1) (double stereo according to inquadwetrust)
  9. Meat Loaf - Hits out of Hell (Dolby Digital 5.1, 2000)
  10. New Order - A Collection (Dolby 5.1, LPCM stereo) (another fake 5.1 disc to stay away from.)
  11. Jennifer Lopez - Feelin' So Good (Dolby 5.1) (Lame duck. See in-depth review here (thanks buddbravo!))
  12. Run D.M.C. - Together Forever: Run-D.M.C. Greatest Hits 1983 - 2000 (Dolby 5.1) (ambiance according to inquadwetrust)
  13. Squeeze - Essential Squeeze (Dolby 5.1) (ambiance according to inquadwetrust)
  14. Sugababes - Overloaded - The Singles Collection (DTS 5.1!) (most likely upmix. Adam will confirm.)
  15. Take That - Never Forget - The Ultimate Collection (Dolby Digital 5.1, 2006) (gave it a spin. Stereo with reverb.)
  16. The Cure - Greatest Hits (Dolby 5.1 & 2.0) (Unwrapped from 2.0. Bad.)
  17. Tina Turner - The Best of Tina Turner - Celebrate! (DTS 5.1) (ambiance according to inquadwetrust)
  18. TLC - Now & Forever - The Video Hits (Dolby 5.1) (ambiance according to inquadwetrust)
  19. Tori Amos - Video Collection: Fade to Red (DTS 5.1) (fake, sounds bad.)
  20. Twisted Sister - The Video Years (Dolby 5.1) (It's almost like center-channel mono. Nothing in the rears during my spot-check, and sound quality is comparable to a transistor radio that somebody forgot inside their sofa)
  21. Various Artists - Love Songs Vol. 1 and Love Songs Vol. 2 (Dolby 5.1) (processed stereo. Learn more here, thanks to buddbravo)
  22. Whitney Houston - The Greatest Hits (2000) (Dolby Digital 5.1) (Forget it. Stereo with reverb. Shame. More here.)
  23. Will Smith - The Will Smith Music Video Collection (Dolby 5.1) (true 5.1 according to this thread, however the sound quality isn't too awesome. Fake according to Keenly, who I trust. :))

And other titles mentioned, though not really "promo clip collections" in the classic MTV sense:

  1. Grateful Dead - Sunshine Daydream (Veneta, OR, 8/27/72) (DVD, Blu Ray) (a live set that Fourplay warmly recommends.)
  2. Jimmy Page and Robert Plant - No Quarter - Unledded (DTS, live) (apparently a very good mix for this live set)
  3. Lemon Jelly - '64-'95 (DTS 5.1) (Like the Superfurry Animals discs, this is an actual album accompanied by animations. Discrete 5.1, and downtempo electronica. Neil Palfreyman recommends it.)
  4. Richard Clapton - Up and Down the Glory Road (Live DVD, DTS) (Recommended by HomerJAU for its mix)
  5. Super Furry Animals - "Phantom Power" and "Rings around the World" (2003 and 2002, DTS) (These are albums accompanied by video/animation content. Very good, discrete 5.1 mixes. As Elmer wrote, "Welsh, psych/power/pop".)
  6. The Offspring - Greatest Hits (Dolby 5.1, PCM stereo) (This was actually only available on audio 5.1 DualDisc. Some people say it sucks. Personally, I quite like it.)

As for Björk, which DVDs are available, and how do they differ from her 5.1 album releases? (I haven't dug into her catalog at all, but am aware that some or all of her albums are available in 5.1).
 
Last edited:
This thread is now a Sticky, as it should have been a few months ago.

Big Thanks to "The Bright Side" and all who contributed. Please add more findings to this thread.
 
I'd like to clarify that the Enya disc (no. 5 in the first list) is an upmix.
 
2014.02.06: added to the list:

Together Forever: Run-D.M.C. Greatest Hits 1983 - 2000
Squeeze - Essential Squeeze
TLC - Now and Forever
Tina Turner - The Best of Tina Turner - Celebrate!
Mariah Carey - #1's
Tom Cochrane and Red Rider - Trapeze - The Video Collection
Grateful Dead - Sunshine Daydream
Moby - "Play - the DVD" and "18 DVD + B-Sides"

Updated:

Helloween - Hellish Videos - The Complete Video Collection
Lemon Jelly - '64-'95
Dru Hill - Hits - The Videos
 
The videos might be, not too sure myself. But the megamix clearly has discrete elements in the rears - e.g. synth accompaniment, and so does the live mix for sure (vocals).
 
inquadwetrust wrote in the other thread:

"In addition, TLC Now and Then is ambience (with the LFE info wrongly in rear right for some reason), Mariah is double stereo more or less, Tina Turner The Best is also ambience. "

I went ahead and assumed he was talking about the #1's DVD, because the only other video collection by her is "The First Vision" which was originally a VHS in 1991.
 
Here are a few more that you may want to add to the list;

Barenaked Ladies - Barelaked Nadies - 5.1 Dolby - 16 videos, discrete mix plus live concert in 5.1
George Michael - Twentyfive - 5.1 Dolby - some are great discrete mixes others not so much.
Def Leppard - Rock of Ages - 5.1 DTS & Dolby - there are a few discrete touches but mostly double stereo
Cornelius - 5.1 DTS - demo quality mixes. Cool poptronica and a visual treat.
Cornelius - Sensurround - same as the above.
Paul Van Dyk - Global - "live" films in 5.1 Dolby. Studio mix in 5.1 DTS - good not great but discrete. Trance/House
BT - This Binary Universe - 5.1 DTS - ambient electronica with animated films - excellent discrete mix.



Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 
Can someone give more detail on the Squeeze Dvd. I had read somewhere this was a bad upmix.

Based on this forum I picked up the Big Country, Janet Jackson, and Barenaked Ladies. I have examined the Big Country. It is a weird one. Not true discrete, not double stereo, some kind of assisted upmix. You get ambience, some drum fills and rhythm guitar in the rears, Stuart's vocals are never isolated in the center. I would love to get other impressions of this.
 
Can someone give more detail on the Squeeze Dvd. I had read somewhere this was a bad upmix.

Based on this forum I picked up the Big Country, Janet Jackson, and Barenaked Ladies. I have examined the Big Country. It is a weird one. Not true discrete, not double stereo, some kind of assisted upmix. You get ambience, some drum fills and rhythm guitar in the rears, Stuart's vocals are never isolated in the center. I would love to get other impressions of this.

Hopefully in a week or 2 I can add something on the Big Country as I did order the PAL version from amazon.uk.

peter
 
Can someone give more detail on the Squeeze Dvd. I had read somewhere this was a bad upmix.

Based on this forum I picked up the Big Country, Janet Jackson, and Barenaked Ladies. I have examined the Big Country. It is a weird one. Not true discrete, not double stereo, some kind of assisted upmix. You get ambience, some drum fills and rhythm guitar in the rears, Stuart's vocals are never isolated in the center. I would love to get other impressions of this.

I tend to think that Big Country is an upmix....
 
I tend to think that Big Country is an upmix....

Shame that it would be a upmix, oh well, some upmixes are not so bad as we have seen with how some of the experts have had to upmix some songs when the master tapes could not be found.
As well some people from this site have done some very good upmixes as well.
To bad that the music industry aren't held accountable, they should really have to put on a title if it was a upmix or true discreet 5.1 from original master tapes.
What am I smoking, music industry held accountable, next thing we will find out that most artists that dance and sing at same time live are actually lip synching, now thats never happened has it Millli Vanilli?

peter
 
Here are some video collection DVDs that claim to be 5.1. The surround mixes range from average to terrible.

10,000 Maniacs - Time Capsule: Filmed 1982-1993
Beastie Boys - Video Anthology: The Criterion Collection
Billy Joel - Greatest Hits Volume III: The Videos
Bob Marley - Legend: The Very Best Of Bob Marley & The Wailers
Brandy - The Videos
Britney Spears - Britney: The Videos
Britney Spears - Time Out With Britney Spears
Celine Dion - All The Way: A Decade Of Song & Video
Destiny's Child - The Platinum's On The Wall
Enigma - Love, Sensuality, Devotion: The Greatest Hits
Extreme - Videograffitti: The Definitive DVD
Green Day - 21st Century Breakdown (Special 2010 Asian Tour Edition Bonus DVD)
Justin Timberlake: Justified: The Videos
New Kids On The Block - Greatest Hits: The Videos
R. Kelly - The R. In R&B: The Video Collection
Ricky Martin - The Ricky Martin Video Collection
Stone Temple Pilots - Thank You (Special Edition Bonus DVD)
The Police - Every Breath You Take: The DVD
Will Smith - The Will Smith Music Video Collection
ZZ Top - Greatest Hits: The Video Collection
 
Here's two more:

Michael Jackson - Dangerous: The Short Films
Michael Jackson - HIStory On Film: Volume II

By the way, does anyone know if "Thriller" and "Beat It" on Volume II have the same mixes as on Video Greatest Hits: HIStory?
 
I'd like to add Anastacia: The Video Collection as having what sounds like upmixed 5.1
 
Here are some video collection DVDs that claim to be 5.1. The surround mixes range from average to terrible.

10,000 Maniacs - Time Capsule: Filmed 1982-1993
Beastie Boys - Video Anthology: The Criterion Collection
Billy Joel - Greatest Hits Volume III: The Videos
Bob Marley - Legend: The Very Best Of Bob Marley & The Wailers
Brandy - The Videos
Britney Spears - Britney: The Videos
Britney Spears - Time Out With Britney Spears
Celine Dion - All The Way: A Decade Of Song & Video
Destiny's Child - The Platinum's On The Wall
Enigma - Love, Sensuality, Devotion: The Greatest Hits
Extreme - Videograffitti: The Definitive DVD
Green Day - 21st Century Breakdown (Special 2010 Asian Tour Edition Bonus DVD)
Justin Timberlake: Justified: The Videos
New Kids On The Block - Greatest Hits: The Videos
R. Kelly - The R. In R&B: The Video Collection
Ricky Martin - The Ricky Martin Video Collection
Stone Temple Pilots - Thank You (Special Edition Bonus DVD)
The Police - Every Breath You Take: The DVD
Will Smith - The Will Smith Music Video Collection
ZZ Top - Greatest Hits: The Video Collection

Some very interesting titles in this list. Can you comment on the mix quality of these? Especially Billy Joel, Extreme, Green Day and ZZ Top?

I listened to the Beastie Boys DVD and I seem to remember that it was pretty much stereo.
 
Some very interesting titles in this list. Can you comment on the mix quality of these? Especially Billy Joel, Extreme, Green Day and ZZ Top?

I listened to the Beastie Boys DVD and I seem to remember that it was pretty much stereo.
The Billy Joel DVD is one to avoid as the mixes aren't good and many of the songs have commentary that cuts into the start of the performance. The Extreme DVD doesn't have much going on with the rear channels (if I recall correctly). ZZ Top has a pretty good mix all things considered.

The Green Day bonus DVD has only 3 studio tracks (21 Guns, Know Your Enemy, and 21st Century Breakdown). I haven't listened to this DVD yet, but I have heard 21 Guns that is on a recent DTS Blu-ray Demo Disc and it is a great mix. I suspect this mix on this DVD is the same, and hope the other 2 songs sound just as good.
 
Back
Top