4K Blu-ray Confirmed, Coming in

[bailey1987]

I wouldn't begrudge there being a region code for every country on earth, I mean why not? They can scrap the foreign language tracks and subtitles as well. Also in how many languages do I need to be told not to pirate of view the film in public? Answer once English!

[bruceames]

Originally Posted by PeterTHX

Well, that and the fact that you're buying the 21st Century version of Blood Diamonds...


http://www.truth-out.org/news/item/2...s-supply-chain

I'm fairly recent Apple buyer (I now use both Apple and non-Apple platforms, to be more flexible), so I've really never defended them. But please, they are far from alone in labor and environmental abuses. If I boycotted every company that was accused of either, then I probably wouldn't even have a cell phone.

Originally Posted by Geoff D

Nothing too earth-shattering - and no questions about online authentication - but there are a couple of bits in there that I hadn't seen mentioned previously: the current ABC region coding will be maintained (it's up to the content providers to lock or not, natch) and that the digital export version will be 1080p, not 4K as one might've thought (though they are looking at that aspect of it). Oh, and it's basically confirmed that Christmas is out for the launch, they're gonna go balls out at CES instead, which I've been saying for ages.

It did seem ridiculous to export a bit for bit copy to a smartphone.

ABC region coding should be a non-issue since it's already that way with Blu-ray. Unless online authentication is on board as well (but in that case they wouldn't seem to need region coding, so just having region coding may be a good sign that it's not coming, that it's something Sony was pining for and it didn't work out).

[FilmFreakosaurus]

Originally Posted by bruceames.

I'm fairly recent Apple buyer (I now use both Apple and non-Apple platforms, to be more flexible), so I've really never defended them. But please, they are far from alone in labor and environmental abuses.

But that does not automatically excuse them either or anyone else with the same horrid practices.

[Geoff D]

Originally Posted by dvdmike

John Wick ismout Monday in the UK from Warner Bros.
This is why region codes exist, licencing deals and staggered dates.

I still haven't watched my region A version of John Wick. Even though the UK one is from Warners, the US disc is from the one company who puts out even more bit-starved encodes than they do: good old Lionsgate. I wonder if they'll ever get a handle on their banding problem with UHD BD coming up, as that'll give them even more reason to ignore the problem on regular BD.

[bruceames]

Originally Posted by FilmFreakosaurus

But that does not automatically excuse them either or anyone else with the same horrid practices.

True, and I'm not excusing them.

[Geoff D]

Originally Posted by dvdmike

That just sounds like they were in by defult,or by accident

Indeed, even though Sony are still major players in the BDA they really, really don't give a shit about disc any more. With regards to UHD BD's development I get the feeling they were like that one guy always who has to be coerced into going to meetings and when he gets there he just sits in the corner staring into space or plays on his phone not listening to a word that's said.

[spectre08]

Originally Posted by mrr1

I think businesses just use region codes as a way to make up for their laziness.

lazy how? it would be much easier and require less effort to simply produce a single region free disk and sell it all over the world.

Region coding disks introduces MORE work into the system.

The entire reason they exist to to prevent disks from being purchased cheap in a country where prices are lower and exported to a country where they're expensive.

This is why the blu-ray regions are the way they are. Movies are more expensive generally in Europe than they are in the US, where they are more expensive than they are in India and the Middle East. East Asia and North America are similar though, so they can share a region.

Literally everything I just said above was previously explained in 2 words. "Grey market"

[PeterTHX]

Originally Posted by bruceames.

I'm fairly recent Apple buyer (I now use both Apple and non-Apple platforms, to be more flexible), so I've really never defended them. But please, they are far from alone in labor and environmental abuses. If I boycotted every company that was accused of either, then I probably wouldn't even have a cell phone.

The article specifically mentions the labor violations skyrocket because they are struggling with Apple's production demands for the new iPhone 6.

[Anthony P]

Originally Posted by PeterTHX

I think it's more because the authoring packages that use Dolby TrueHD & DTS-HD MA became standard.


Some labels still use PCM occasionally, overseas too.

plus PCM uses a lot more space while not really offering anything over a lossless codec. PCM was used early on because it was without loss and DTHD and DTS-MA were not ready. Same reason that MPEG2 was used early on but now it is all AVC

[Anthony P]

Originally Posted by PeterTHX

Yes, which is why other companies had to come up with all sorts of volume normalizing things, because DTS' never realized some people just can't listen to everything at theatrical levels. Or maybe they don't have a surround system and just TV speakers. Or laptop speakers. Or something

I don't get that, what TV, receiver..... does not have volume control.

No one is forced to listen to anything at theatrical levels.

I will never understand the excuses for normalization.

[Anthony P]

Originally Posted by mrr1

I think businesses just use region codes as a way to make up for their laziness.

that makes no sense where do you see laziness?

[dvdmike]

Originally Posted by Geoff D

I still haven't watched my region A version of John Wick. Even though the UK one is from Warners, the US disc is from the one company who puts out even more bit-starved encodes than they do: good old Lionsgate. I wonder if they'll ever get a handle on their banding problem with UHD BD coming up, as that'll give them even more reason to ignore the problem on regular BD.

Yeah I skipped the region A for some reason, Warner are not great but I like them better in an A/B with a Lionsgate disc.

Originally Posted by Geoff D

Indeed, even though Sony are still major players in the BDA they really, really don't give a shit about disc any more. With regards to UHD BD's development I get the feeling they were like that one guy always who has to be coerced into going to meetings and when he gets there he just sits in the corner staring into space or plays on his phone not listening to a word that's said.

They will go disc, I feel they have too many peeps that are focused on quality.
Plus its not like you can actually buy their media players in the uk

[PeterTHX]

Originally Posted by Anthony P

I don't get that, what TV, receiver..... does not have volume control.

No one is forced to listen to anything at theatrical levels.

I will never understand the excuses for normalization.

How about the uncountable complaints of people "I can't hear the dialog over the sound effects"..."I'm constantly having to turn it up and down", "Too loud for the kids", etc.


You know, actual consumers and not the HT minority.


And we're talking DRC, not DialNorm.

[dvdmike]

Originally Posted by Anthony P

I don't get that, what TV, receiver..... does not have volume control.

No one is forced to listen to anything at theatrical levels.

I will never understand the excuses for normalization.

This and near field mixes wind me up.
I now have access to plenty of theatrical DTS discs that are now synced to BD video and they sound just fine at home.
Or in most cases better.

[Geoff D]

Originally Posted by dvdmike

They will go disc, I feel they have too many peeps that are focused on quality.
Plus its not like you can actually buy their media players in the uk

I'm not saying they won't go UHD BD, it's that they're mightily unimpressed with the financial returns from existing Blu-ray so I get a kind of begrudging "oh well, if you must" feeling from them re: the creation of UHD BD in the face of the burgeoning OTT sector. And you're right, we don't have 4K Unlimited in the UK (nor in anywhere else but the US IIRC) so getting that stuff out there on disc might be a higher priority in the rest of the world than in America. But they're still not gonna be happy about it.

[bailey1987]

Originally Posted by Geoff D

Indeed, even though Sony are still major players in the BDA they really, really don't give a shit about disc any more. With regards to UHD BD's development I get the feeling they were like that one guy always who has to be coerced into going to meetings and when he gets there he just sits in the corner staring into space or plays on his phone not listening to a word that's said.

Which is strange considering that they swapped out their own music streaming service and video streaming platform with Spotify and Netflix on PS4

[Dreamliner330]

Originally Posted by Geoff D

I'm not saying they won't go UHD BD, it's that they're mightily unimpressed with the financial returns from existing Blu-ray so I get a kind of begrudging "oh well, if you must" feeling from them re: the creation of UHD BD in the face of the burgeoning OTT sector. And you're right, we don't have 4K Unlimited in the UK (nor in anywhere else but the US IIRC) so getting that stuff out there on disc might be a higher priority in the rest of the world than in America. But they're still not gonna be happy about it.

Perhaps it has to do with charging more for Blu-ray than any other studio and never filling it with extras. Disney charges an arm and a leg too but at least they have the decency of usually including a nice slipcover, digital copy, DMR points which can be accrued to get free movies and the DVD disc. (not that I care about DVD, but it makes it feel like you're buying a fuller package).

[PenguinMaster]

Originally Posted by Dreamliner330

Perhaps it has to do with charging more for Blu-ray than any other studio and never filling it with extras. Disney charges an arm and a leg too but at least they have the decency of usually including a nice slipcover, digital copy, DMR points which can be accrued to get free movies and the DVD disc. (not that I care about DVD, but it makes it feel like you're buying a fuller package).

Are we talking about Sony here? Most of their releases drop down to $10 pretty fast and it doesn't take much longer after that for them to have a buy one, get one free sale (effectively making them $5 each).

[Geoff D]

Originally Posted by Dreamliner330

Perhaps it has to do with charging more for Blu-ray than any other studio and never filling it with extras. Disney charges an arm and a leg too but at least they have the decency of usually including a nice slipcover, digital copy, DMR points which can be accrued to get free movies and the DVD disc. (not that I care about DVD, but it makes it feel like you're buying a fuller package).

I could be wrong but by 'Blu-ray' that article doesn't simply mean Sony's own software releases but their stake in the format in general as one of its creators, which hasn't provided anything like the income that they'd hoped (from licensing fees, pressing plants etc). Perhaps the plan was for it to have become the default home video standard by now, which would bring with it a larger chunk of the profits, but it's merely occupying its own little nook while DVD still reigns supreme over the physical media market and OTT quietly continues to eat into that overall market share.

[Anthony P]

Originally Posted by PeterTHX

How about the uncountable complaints of people "I can't hear the dialog over the sound effects"..."I'm constantly having to turn it up and down", "Too loud for the kids", etc.


You know, actual consumers and not the HT minority.


And we're talking DRC, not DialNorm.

not sure what this has to do with the discussion.

you said (and I had quoted)

Yes, which is why other companies had to come up with all sorts of volume normalizing things, because DTS' never realized some people just can't listen to everything at theatrical levels. Or maybe they don't have a surround system and just TV speakers. Or laptop speakers. Or something.

you talked about theatrical levels and not range, which is why I pointed out that
"what TV, receiver..... does not have volume control.

No one is forced to listen to anything at theatrical levels. "

and you were the one that talked about Normalization with DRC.


As to your new points, I did not say dialnorm, but DRC is normalization ( screwing everything up to be at the same audio level) so the term worked which is why I continued with what you said in the first place, both dialnorm and DRC "normalize" audio

as for your first point, I agree there are stupid people out there. But there is also a reason why the expression the blind leading the blind exists. If you listen to stupid people and let them lead you then that makes you (even more) stupid as well.

It has nothing to do with being a consumer or an HT nut. It has to do with caring about artistic integrity or not and having at least two cents of common sense.

what I mean is this, let's say the people making the film decided to have a scene where people are mumbling in a restaurant (to continue the example I just gave in the "blurry" scenes thread)because what is being said is not that important but they want it to look normal or get you to focus your hearing on what is being said just in time for the loud bomb to go off and make you jump. Now with DRC the useless mumbling is easier to hear and the bomb blast loses its impact and you ruined the experience you were supposed to get from the scene.

Maybe for you it makes sense (and is a good thing) for someone to waste two hours watching a film with screwed up audio so that at the end they feel "that film sucked because it did not have the impact I expected it to have" makes sense. But personally if waking up the kids is a legit concern (and it might be) I feel there are better workarounds then DRC or anything else that ruins the audio and the film, a simple one is watching a different film while the kids are sleeping (not all films have loud explosions and such a wide audio range) and watching that loud film at a different time when it makes sense. An other one would be to add some simple soundproofing and then maybe the loud boom might not wake up the kids. and a third one (that might be applicable or not depending on the scope) would be to teach your kids to live with a bit of noise (not kidding, but I have a friend that lives it Toronto and he has a friend that has a daughter, when she was a baby the house had to be dead silent, if we were visiting it was "time to go because she needs silence to sleep", last year she enrolled in McGill and went into residence because her whole life her parents where "it need to be quiet when she is sleeping" she only lasted a two weeks before dropping out of university because "there is too much noise in the dorm at night and I can't sleep", sometimes over protecting our kids can harm them even more.)