The Top Ten Action DVD and Blu-Ray list for 2008 is all about explosions, gunfire, car chases and superheroes. This top ten list of action movies on DVD and Blu-Ray for 2008 isn’t about plot or story line, it is about sitting down in your home theater and grinning from ear to ear that you spent the time to get your system right. This is your payoff, this is what all of the hard work was for and I suggest you invite your friends, pop in these discs and rattle their fillings loose.

The Dark Knight: The blockbuster smash of the year offers a pristine picture and amazing sound on both DVD and Blu-Ray, obviously, as with all of these movies, the Blu-Ray experience really takes things up a notch. The Dolby TrueHD soundtrack envelops you fully, making you a part of the action. The car/truck/Batpod scene is especially impressive.   DVD   Blu-Ray

Iron Man: Robert Downey Jr. brought Iron Man to life but the creators of the DVD and Blu-Ray did a fantastic job of bringing the movie experience to home media. Every time the metal clad hero appears on screen brings the promise of detailed sound and room shaking bass.    DVD   Blu-Ray

Rambo: Before you hit the home button on your browser, hear me out. Rambo has absolutely no theatrical merit whatsoever but damn does it deliver the goods when it comes to bombastic sound, buckets of gore and flying body parts. The rail gun scene may make you cover your eyes but your ears will beg for more, this movie delivers the good and then some when it comes to showing off your systems capabilities.    DVD   Blu-Ray

Wanted: I really expected to be disappointed by this movie, but I liked it, a lot, and the sound quality in either format is excellent with plenty of gunfire, explosions and action moving from speaker to speaker. The inclusion of a lossless mix on the Blu-Ray takes things up a notch but you won’t be disappointed by the sound on the DVD, this puppy rocks!   DVD   Blu-Ray

The Incredible Hulk: I walked in expecting the worst but this movie was damn good and the endless pounding of bass will have you begging for mercy. Every time Hulk appears on screen, you had best brace yourself for every footstep, explosion and beastly roar.   DVD   Blu-Ray

Hellboy II: The Golden Army: I loved the first Hellboy movie and was not disappointed by the sequel. I know many critics gave this movie a hard time but I enjoyed it from beginning to end. The sound on this release hits you in the chest and turns your internal organs to jelly, what more could you ask for? How about an amazing DTS-HD Master Audio track on the Blu-Ray version, this track delivers detail and thunder equally well.   DVD   Blu-Ray

The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian: Disney deserves a medal for this release, not only for a stellar sound track, which is one of the most detailed and well produced I have ever had the privilege of hearing. The extras, video quality and Blu-Ray interactivity are all reference, this disc pushes both the DVD and Blu-Ray technologies to their limit.   DVD   Blu-Ray

Hancock: I really wanted to place Hancock higher on the list, I even liked this movie, but from a blow you mind sound experience perspective, there is too much lull between action scenes. When the action does come, prepare yourself, it is in you face and all around you. This soundtrack makes the most of your subwoofer and surround speakers.   DVD   Blu-Ray

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull: Whether you liked the movie or not, the fourth installment of the Indiana Jones story is nonstop action and that takes you right back to the original. The audio track is solid and detailed while packing a punch.   DVD   Blu-Ray

Wall-E: If not for the fact that Wall-E is not in any real sense an action movie it would have been in the top 5. The soundtrack for Wall-E is exceptional in every way, with clear dialog, chest thumping bass and lots of action in all 6 speakers. This is not only a great movie but a great reference soundtrack that is easy on visitors who are prone to disapprove of more traditional action fare.   DVD   Blu-Ray

These movies are my personal choices for showing off a home theater, if you feel I have left anything off, let me know, I am always open to suggestions and user input.

I was given the challenge of building a good home theater for under $1,000. In addition, the premise was that I had received a $1,000 gift card from Amazon and needed to build a complete, 5.1 home theater system that met my previous definition for what a home theater is and offered some kick ass quality.

Building a home theater for under $1,000 while making it a solid performer, is indeed a challenge that requires a considerable amount of thought, bargain hunting and a little compromise. The compromise comes in the form of a smaller display and a lack of Blu-Ray. For many this won’t be seen as a compromise however.

I started by locating an acceptable display that met my requirements for being a real home theater, that meant a screen size of at least 36 inches. In order for the system to be future proof, it needed to be HD and have HDMI capability. This is a pretty tall order if I wanted to spend $1,000 on the TV alone and have a quality display.

I found the Sharp Aquos LC37D44U 37-Inch 720p LCD HDTV that has 2 HDMI ports and a brilliant picture. At 37 inches, the lack of 1080P is unnoticeable and this TV is a bargain at the moment. Cost: $570.99

Now I needed the heart of the sound system and it was clear this years models were out, I needed a refurbished unit from last year. I found a number of Sherwood and Sony receivers that fit my budget but I wanted good sound I could build on, not a system that would be stretched right out of the box. I decided on the Yamaha HTR-5840 XM-Ready 6.1-Channel A/V Surround Receiver. This receiver claims 100 watts per channel, a mark I find extremely suspect and would guess the real specification if tested would be closer to 60 watts, but that is more than enough to drive a well thought out home theater system. It decodes all of the standard Dolby and DTS formats currently available on DVD.

The compromise here is a lack of HDMI switching and no HD audio support but that can be remedied using the 6 channel analog inputs when it is time to upgrade to Blu-Ray. Cost: $129.12

To make the most of the Yamaha receiver I knew it would be best to stick with bookshelf style speakers and I wanted a package that included the sub so that the entire system would remain consistent wherever the sound panned during a movie. I expected this to be a tough search but to my amazement, the Polk Audio RM10 Speaker System fit my budget thanks to a great sale. These speakers offer a considerable upgrade from your home theater in a box speakers or your budget brands. Cost: $211.36

The DVD was going to be easy as the prices for very good upscaling players have dropped substantially. I did want HDMI and 1080i support at the minimum, 1080p wasn’t a consideration since the display is 720p. What I found is the Samsung DVD-1080P8 1080p Upconverting DVD Player, a solid performer at a great price. Cost: $35

Now I just needed my cables and speaker wire. As I have mentioned before, you don’t have to spend much for a good HDMI cable and to prove my point I selected the Premium HDMI - HDMI Male to Male Gold Plated v1.3 Certified Category 2 - 6 ft / 2M for PS3 HDTV LCD TV Blue-Ray cable. Despite the lengthy name and PS3, Blu-Ray claim, it is a simple HDMI cable that is 1080p capable and it more than enough to provide a perfect picture. Cost: $1

Since the Yamaha receiver doesn’t support HDMI I need a optical, digital cable, again, I don’t need anything fancy, an optical cable is an optical cable and any one will do. The 2 pc 6' Digital Audio Optical Optic Fiber Toslink Cable was the perfect answer. Cost: $4.15

Now I just needed speaker wire and following my own advice, it had to be 12 gauge, oxygen free. The product I chose is the Acoustic Research PR221 Speaker Wire 12 AWG Oxy Free Copper, 50 ft spool. Acoustic Research makes good speaker wire without breaking the bank and 50 feet of wire will easily cover most home systems. Cost: $30.53

The final cost of my home theater came to $982.15 and gives me a solid performing home theater for under $1,000. The products and prices on Amazon change often but I am confident that you can go there any day of the week and build a similar system for under $1,000.

One consideration I didn’t address is the value of a projector if you have the right room. A projector system is the bargain way to get a big image for a low price and should be considered if it can work for you.

My next challenge will be to see what kind of system I would put together if money were no object. I am looking forward to this one.

I was deeply saddened to see that Samsung is discontinuing production of DLP televisions, a format I found superior dollar for dollar over both plasma and LCD. DLP televisions have a fantastic, life like picture in a lightweight, slim line form. You can’t mount it on a wall but studies indicate the vast majority of flat panels are sitting on a stand which is where a DLP set shines.

In researching the demise of DLP I found very little up to date information, the articles were all terribly outdated and in no way reflected today’s reality. This is truly sad, as there was no better bang for the buck, dollar per inch rival to the DLP technology. Can you imagine walking into your local mega store and telling them you wanted a 73-inch LCD or plasma for under $2000, they would laugh you out of the store.

Based on my experience in these same stores they would also fail to mention that a DLP would give you what you want. The DLP sets, especially Samsungs newer LCD, DLP sets have a breathtaking picture and in my opinion, a much more film like recreation for movies. The DLP sets however were left out of the way and unless you specifically ask, don’t seem to exist in the salesperson’s memory.

The rainbow effect was a problem for a small percentage of the public when watching inexpensive, older model DLP projectors but is not an issue with today’s DLP sets. DLP sets last a very long time as the moving parts and lamp are easily replaced by the owner at very reasonable prices. There is no down side to a DLP set unless you absolutely must hang the set on a wall.

I am hoping Mitsubishi will continue its production of the DLP sets and keep moving the technology forward. I have serious doubts they will continue much longer however. My grieving is the budget minded consumers gain. Take advantage of the lower prices while you can and get that big, beautiful picture you always wanted at a reasonable price.