I was too late to BD. Am I too early to 4K? (Number of releases)

[Chordata]

I just got a player yesterday and picked up Planet Earth 2 which is incredible. I can here next and saw a disappointingly low number of upcoming releases. For those of you that are into this more than me -- is that because we're early to 4K and expect increased releases in the future, or is this a device that will have a low number of releases?

Thanks for your respectful insight.

[Canada]

I have not gone 4K yet, but yes we will see more new and catalogue titles at later dates.

[joenostalgia23]

I would say it's both. Studios probably won't release everything in their catalog to UHD since even BD (or buying movies on any physical format) is considered niche.

But the amount of releases will rise over time. Disney more likely than not will put some of their titles out UHD. The biggest franchises have yet to be released on here, besides Harry Potter.

[rschiks]

Maybe a strange reason, but one of the reasons I think more will come, is due to the fact the 4K blu-ray encryption hasn't been cracked (so far). It's in their interest to push people towards 4K and the only way you can do that is to have more titles.

[SPIDERone]

New releases (at least major ones) seem to be making their way to 4K, but I think we're still in a weird transition phase where most movies are still being mastered in 2K and studios are still trying to figure out HDR, so we're not seeing the best content that we could be getting. I'm a bit thankful for the lower amount of releases so far (I remember with Blu-Ray there were a lot of great titles up front, but the quality was quite lacking (crouching tiger, house of flying daggers, fifth element, silent hill)). We saw a bit of this on 4K with titles like Salt, a number of WB titles like Watchmen (very similar to the BD) and even some recent titles like Suicide Squad).

I think the titles should be coming out day-and-date now for at least major releases, but the smaller ones will likely be Blu-Ray only.

We'll likely see some older catalog titles finally getting released now, which should hopefully be a nice improvement (the fifth element being one I'm really waiting on)

[comicgeek]

Originally Posted by joenostalgia23

I would say it's both. Studios probably won't release everything in their catalog to UHD since even BD (or buying movies on any physical format) is considered niche.

But the amount of releases will rise over time. Disney more likely than not will put some of their titles out UHD. The biggest franchises have yet to be released on here, besides Harry Potter.

I would hardly consider blu niche anymore. Mind you, it probably varies based on demographics, but where I live, my store gets about 2 copies on Blu-Ray for every one DVD. We always sell out of the blu week one but rarely do we sell out of the DVD. 4k has already gotten very popular at my store.

[ernestocolon30]

Guardians of galaxy 2, ghost in the shell and alien convenant all in 4k now

[bailey1987]

It's a pedestrian roll out at best and a disabled one at that. The specifications are still behind finalised, ATSC 3 has only just got it's audio sorted out as for DVB it's in the same boat, granted that's for television but in untill I know I am fully compatible I won't be buying an Ultra HD TV.

[joenostalgia23]

Originally Posted by comicgeek

I would hardly consider blu niche anymore. Mind you, it probably varies based on demographics, but where I live, my store gets about 2 copies on Blu-Ray for every one DVD. We always sell out of the blu week one but rarely do we sell out of the DVD. 4k has already gotten very popular at my store.

I'm just saying that physical media is also on the decline. As far as my demographic goes, most people I know only stream or download movies now. The ones who buy physical media are collectors, and Blu-ray is the choice of collectors. I think the catalog titles that have a more casual appeal won't end up on UHD, if Universal ever remasters The Jerk, it'll be on streaming and BD but not something that requires an HDR grade.

[EbonDragon]

The real reason you're seeing a low number is because most movies coming out in 4K this year aren't announced because they're new releases and they don't get announced until they're in theaters and already heading for home release. Catalog titles also don't usually get announced this far in advance, you find out about them a month or two before they're out unless they're high profile classics. Last year saw 100+ releases but we only had confirmation of some 30+ at the beginning of the year. Expect this year to have more releases than that. It's just a case of being patient and looking out for releases as they get announced.

[Frank@Chicago]

I just bought the new Sony 4K player for $299 to go along with my 2016 3D OLED.

I have to say I'm very impressed with unit's PQ just with regular BDs and 3D discs.

I have a number of Sony 4K/3D combos to compare although I still generally prefer 3D.

I own exactly one 2D-only 4K release, which only cost $15 (John Wick 4K).

When I get the chance, I'm going to compare John Wick SDR BD to the HDR 4K version.

I'm definitely taking it easy, but I needed a good movie player and the Sony fit the bill.

[imsounoriginal]

Originally Posted by ernestocolon30

Guardians of galaxy 2, ghost in the shell and alien convenant all in 4k now

Still just speculation.

[StingingVelvet]

I don't think catalog releases are ever going to be much of a thing on UHD. Some big titles will come out over time, and when they do a remaster they might release a UHD if the movie is popular, but for the most part I think this is a format that will mostly exist for new release films and recent ones.

This is basically what BD was for the average collector. Catalog BDs are a super niche market. Catalog UHDs would be like Bob's burger stand.

[Poya]

Wait til Dolby Vision wins the war.

[PS3_Kiwi]

Originally Posted by Poya

Wait til Dolby Vision wins the war.

Even if it does (unlikely IMO) they will also have an HDR-10 track available for we early adopters.

[trekky76]

Originally Posted by Poya

Wait til Dolby Vision wins the war.

Hopefully not. We need an open format, not more license fees! With HDR10+ coming I think they'll manage to keep DV away from physical releases at the least.

[MrMahn]

Originally Posted by trekky76

Hopefully not. We need an open format, not more license fees! With HDR10+ coming I think they'll manage to keep DV away from physical releases at the least.

I'd rather have the technically superior format.

[Zhorik]

Originally Posted by MrMahn

I'd rather have the technically superior format.

Other than Dolby Vision on UHD having 12 bits, how is it superior to HDR-10+?

[gkolb]

Originally Posted by trekky76

Hopefully not. We need an open format, not more license fees! With HDR10+ coming I think they'll manage to keep DV away from physical releases at the least.

You've got it backwards!

HDR10+ will only be streaming via Amazon, per Samsung's announcement. There are no industry standards for a physical HDR10+ disc currently. I'm sure Samsung wants to try for a disc version, but we'll see... And that will be after DV discs are in the wild.

Dolby Vision discs are coming this June from Universal (about 45 days), and it is mentioned in another thread here that Uni plans to use DV for 4K going forward whenever possible. Added: Warner's and Lionsgate have also announced support for DV disc releases. No titles are announced from them yet (any reference to Harry Potter in April were mistaken/ or mis-direction by unknowns).

[trekky76]

Couple of years ago there was no UHD on the market. Just saying. And HDR10, unlike DV, is open source. Samsung does not hold a license. DV may be releasing all they want but I can't see many consumers buying that stuff no matter how technically superior it may be. The price will matter and UHD already is overpriced. I for one will not pay even a cent more for any DV stuff! Now I'm sure some people are holding out for 16K with $100 a disc but hey, it's your prerogative.

Originally Posted by gkolb

You've got it backwards!

HDR10+ will only be streaming via Amazon, per Samsung's announcement. There are no industry standards for a physical HDR10+ disc currently. I'm sure Samsung wants to try for a disc version, but we'll see... And that will be after DV discs are in the wild.

Dolby Vision discs are coming this June from Universal (about 45 days), and it is mentioned in another thread here that Uni plans to use DV for 4K going forward whenever possible.