Convince Me

[javy]

(I hope it's ok to post this here.)

It's almost 10 years into the 4K format, and I still haven't adopted it. I haven't cared much about it. However, recently, some of my favorite films are being restored and only being made available on UHD. I want to see these new restorations.

So, I've seriously considered getting a 4K setup. Nothing elaborate. I'm on a budget. I've considered the LG OLED48C4PUA as my monitor and the Panasonic UB820 as my player. However, I've read countless complaints of discs freezing due to all sorts of reasons, from fingerprints, disc size, or just reasons unknown.

Watching cinema is supposed to be joyous, but if 4K is going to be a tedious chore, then I'll pass.

So, I'm hoping someone can tell me what these complaints are all about, really. Is 4K a pain in the ass, just as it seems? Or do these complaints only make up like .01% of the people who have setups, or something like that?

I do want to adopt the format, but I certainly have some reservations.

[danny24]

Buy the player and the TV you want with at least an 18GBPS HDMI cable a 4K title or two and try it out for a few days. If you get any of those annoyances reported return the stuff and switch back to your old setup. Only you can convince yourself we all have gone 4K and took the plunge and it was always for a better entertainment experience. If you don't take the plunge you will never be convinced.

[Jay Mammoth]

Both great choices, i have had zero problems with my Panasonic 820.

[bhampton]

Buying the Panasonic player and looking at the discs before you play them should keep you away from those problems people seem to have.

Some discs have a film of I actually don't know what. So just give them a look at some point. Or get in the habit of cleaning all of them.

I've had almost no problems which is why I am nearing 1000 UHD BD titles. I had one simply defective disc that I replaced and one known defective disc that was part of a recall from the studio.

edit - also just curious but why does your collection have 100 UHD titles ?

[lgans316]

What plays now may not play later. This is the hard lesson I learned. YMMV.

After a few years just pull an old 4K disc and check if it plays flawlessly. If it then you are good. If it doesn't then suck it up and rebuy or rely on the backup.

[tong_shelf]

I have a UB9000, which shares the same hardware as the 820, and it's never had any playback issues.

It's worth noting that I clean all of my discs before playing them for the first time.

[javy]

Just ordered a TV and player on Amazon should be here by the end of the week. I opted for the LG OLED55C4PUA instead of the 48. I also went with the Highwings 8K HDMI 48Gbps cable. I'm not sure if that's overkill but it was only $7.

A couple questions, which I'm sure have asked and answered over and over again. Can HDR be turned off? And how do DVDs look on a 4K TV?

[alchav21]

Originally Posted by javy

Just ordered a TV and player on Amazon should be here by the end of the week. I opted for the LG OLED55C4PUA instead of the 48. I also went with the Highwings 8K HDMI 48Gbps cable. I'm not sure if that's overkill but it was only $7.

A couple questions, which I'm sure have asked and answered over and over again. Can HDR be turned off? And how do DVDs look on a 4K TV?

Well I'm glad you got the 55", because bigger is better a Sony 65UHD TV would have been a lot better. Also with the Sony you get the Android Apps and you can check out the Streaming. With good Bandwidth like Fiber the Quality is right up there with Disc. The Streaming Providers that will give you the best are Amazon Prime, AppleTV, Hulu, and Netflix. I say Streaming is The Future, Discs and BD Players are Obsolete!

[Necril]

Originally Posted by javy

Just ordered a TV and player on Amazon should be here by the end of the week. I opted for the LG OLED55C4PUA instead of the 48. I also went with the Highwings 8K HDMI 48Gbps cable. I'm not sure if that's overkill but it was only $7.

A couple questions, which I'm sure have asked and answered over and over again. Can HDR be turned off? And how do DVDs look on a 4K TV?

LG C4 should be an excellent choice. I have a C3 myself, have previously had a C1 and CX, and I have nothing but good things to say for the LG C series. OLED was a huge game changer for me, so if this is your first OLED, I'm pretty sure you'll be amazed.

Your TV will auto detect HDR signal, and by default only display HDR on 4k discs. HDR signal from 4k player is typically set to 'auto', so its only active on 4k discs that support HDR. On most if not all players you can turn HDR off if you really want to.

DVDs will be upscaled but still look pretty bad in my opinion, and the only time I find myself picking up a dvd these days is when I want to watch some concert footage not found on blu-ray. Standard blu-rays will look great, though, so you are definitely not limiting yourself to 4k content only.

[HomerJay]

Get yourself a Netflix 4K subscription and watch a few of their 4K restored movies. (Netflix has the highest streaming bit rate). The C4 does a great job!

DVDs upscaled long good too, but don’t expect anything like UHD quality.

[Geoff D]

Originally Posted by javy

Just ordered a TV and player on Amazon should be here by the end of the week. I opted for the LG OLED55C4PUA instead of the 48. I also went with the Highwings 8K HDMI 48Gbps cable. I'm not sure if that's overkill but it was only $7.

A couple questions, which I'm sure have asked and answered over and over again. Can HDR be turned off? And how do DVDs look on a 4K TV?

If you 'turn off' HDR you're not getting a properly optimised SDR image by default, as that's not how it works. The HDR grade is forcibly compressed into SDR - a process which is entirely dependent on how x company have decided to do it, as all manufacturers are different - and can have issues with colour, brightness etc.

[javy]

Originally Posted by Geoff D

If you 'turn off' HDR you're not getting a properly optimised SDR image by default, as that's not how it works. The HDR grade is forcibly compressed into SDR - a process which is entirely dependent on how x company have decided to do it, as all manufacturers are different - and can have issues with colour, brightness etc.

Good to know. Thanks. My only concern was what if I didn't like it.

Do you think HDR is revisionism? I'm sure you've been asked that enough already.

[Geoff D]

Originally Posted by javy

Good to know. Thanks. My only concern was what if I didn't like it.

Do you think HDR is revisionism? I'm sure you've been asked that enough already.

I do, but in the context of all home video transfers being inherently revisionist. HDR provides more scope above and beyond SDR in terms of how those visual revisions are applied, true, but usage of it has matured to the point where you'd hardly notice it on some movies.

But at the end of the day your taste is your own. Can't call whether you'll like it or not. But the funny thing is that HDR is rarely the kind of eye-searing brightness-popping experience that the marketing says it is, and your viewing habits will make a massive difference to how it's perceived. If you watch in the daytime with the curtains open in mid afternoon then it's not for you!

[javy]

Originally Posted by Geoff D

I do, but in the context of all home video transfers being inherently revisionist. HDR provides more scope above and beyond SDR in terms of how those visual revisions are applied, true, but usage of it has matured to the point where you'd hardly notice it on some movies.

But at the end of the day your taste is your own. Can't call whether you'll like it or not. But the funny thing is that HDR is rarely the kind of eye-searing brightness-popping experience that the marketing says it is, and your viewing habits will make a massive difference to how it's perceived. If you watch in the daytime with the curtains open in mid afternoon then it's not for you!

Would you prefer no HDR?

I can't honestly say I've read any complaints about HDR, not from anyone I perceive as credible, anyway.

I watch in a darkened room. The only light is from the TV.

[Geoff D]

I really like HDR and what it's brought to my movie watching experience. I just don't like it pumped to extremes for the sake of it.

[mikeainslie]

i feel hdr (dolby vision especially) if done right can have a film looking as close to how they would look in the theaters colour-wise. there are also benefits to hdr on black and white films.

[crutzulee]

Like all new tech (increased colour gammet, object based audio etc.) there is a learning curve and a tendency to dial the new tools to 11 or pressure from the marketing people on the engineers to apply it without concern for the actual outcome..

Hopefully, with time, the engineers get a grip and figure out how to use the tool judiciously to actually improve things. For me, the move to UHD has been more about authors having a chance to remaster old titles with newer tools that were shovelled onto Bluray with DVD era masters...

[Streamingsux]

I have so many discs that I can't really count them all. Hundreds. Maybe over a thousand. Only one that wouldn't play was Alien 4K. I bought another one and it worked fine..

[mkozlows]

The problem with Panasonic players isn't actually bad discs, it's that some players are bad. With my 820, I had intermittent troubles with discs -- some of them would break up around the layer change, a few wouldn't load at all, I'd have to be scrupulous about cleaning off the slightest hint of a fingerprint etc. Eventually I got sick of it and replaced it, and the new one works perfectly fine on every disc.

The people who are complaining about their 820s just have bad players. If you get one that has trouble with discs, don't hold onto it because you think it's a disc problem, return it immediately as defective.

[BaronVH]

4K is not a tedious chore. I have had multiple setups over the years. While it is not plug and play, it can be an easier set up than past systems. Honestly, most of my issues recently have been streaming problems; i.e., and app glitching preventing rewinding, not connecting great, having to change routers, etc. The think with 4K (and really any electronic device today) is that it is made so anyone can set it up which causes problems. The TV has a god awful smoothing effect ruining film frame rates, or the player and the TV are both processing the image causing glitches. These are easy fixes, but not automatic. You have to change the settings. Also, the discs are very sensitive, so a wipe down with a microfiber cloth is helpful.

All that being said, it is a far cry from the original blu-ray players that took several minutes to load. Once you get it all set up, you are typically good, and the image and sound are better than streaming. Again, I have had much more difficulty with streaming. I can pull a disc out, relax and enjoy. Streaming not always.