4K Blu-ray Confirmed, Coming in

[halon]

My Sony 65x900a is ready!

[HD_Aficionado]

I think this is very interesting for future movie releases. But by now I have no interest in rebuying any movies I already own. Stuff like 'Wizard of Oz', 'Zhivago', 'Ten Commandments' - restaurated movies in general - already look as good as it gets imho. And I cant imagine they will release small movies like Capser e.g. (which just got a blu-ray release) in 4k again.

[ZoetMB]

Originally Posted by Tekka

The Dark Knight was shot on 35mm and IMAX 15/70mm film, save for a few scenes shot on digital hand helds (The Joker kidnapping of the fake batman for example). When properly scanned, IMAX 15/70mm film has a resolution higher than 8k. It is something like 16-20+k. Which is... 250 million pixels or something. In other words just totally insane considering 1080p is 2 million and 4k is 8ish million pixels.

People keep on saying that we don't need higher resolutions and while I agree that it's hard to detect the difference at typical seating distances, one thing to keep in mind is that even at 3840 pixels wide, a 55" screen (47.9" wide image) results in a pixel density of only 80 pixels per inch. Double that screen size and it's only 40 pixels per inch.

A retina display on an iPad mini is 326 pixels per inch. While it's true that an iPad is frequently used to read text in small fonts, which is generally not necessary on a TV screen, we're going to see higher and higher pixel densities over time (although I'll be lucky to be around when we get to 8K displays).

And if one doesn't like it or think it's necessary or think it's the industry trying to sell us something we don't need, that's fine - stick with what you have. There are always going to be manufacturers who sell the low end.

Having said that, I was in a retail store over the weekend that was displaying one of the Sony 4K displays displaying a demo of Spiderman playing off the Sony 4K media player. I have to admit it looked quite spectacular and quite sharp. However, that additional sharpness and clarity actually took away from the suspension of disbelief.

[sarah_wentworth]

Originally Posted by Dvd Aficionado

Let's consider 4K this way:

It'd be superb for those who are planning to purchase a 60" or bigger-sized tv or those watching films on 100" or bigger screen.

To the majority who only watch films on a less than 50" tv, watching 4K blu-rays will give little or no difference at all

i have a 70 inch tv in my living room and plan on buying no less than 70 inch in the future so 4k is for me.

tv's are becoming so affordable that a lot of people will have 60 inch or bigger tv's

Originally Posted by philochs

Yes, but the thing is, they are doing it the right way, just slowly. I own the 4k remasters of the Rambo trilogy, those are not released in US yet, just overseas. I also have 4k remasters of terminator, and robo-cop, Rocky, and taxi driver, and just picked up Rain Man. It is happening. The point is, sure some bad 4k jobs may get done, but the important thing is, they have a ton of classics in the vault that already have good 4k-8k transfers done. When I watch a bad blu-ray, I still notice a big improvement in sound and picture over a dvd. The Beatles Hard Day's Night for another instance will make a very quik port to 4k blu ray format. People who are not importing blu ray, or downloading MKV, but bought the old us versions of Rambo on Blu ray. no, this will cause a lot more 4k remasters! Sorry, there is no way around that fact. Why be so stubborn, and carry such a grudge about it? Indiana Jones, Jurassic Park. Heck, Mrs. Doubtfire. I'll be getting as much 4k blu-rays as I can collect! Double-dipping? No? Dipping for life. The benefits of not being married, my friends!

many people think 1080p blu ray is the best possible video quality. i'm sure they thought that about dvd. 1080p blu ray is better than dvd but 4k blu ray will be better. 8-10 years from now something will be better than 4k.

why anyone would not want technology to evolve is beyond me. improved color gamut, higher dynamic range, 4K video at 60 frames per second are all advancements and we will be one step closer to seeing "true" film like quality movies at home, the same as they were in the theater or better.

it comes down to people looking at their 500 plus blu ray collection and realising how much money they spent thinking they have the best possible product lol. i buy only what i really want to watch, maybe 2 or 3 times. i keep the movies for a few years then give them away or sell them. the movies that i don't care as much about i just stream.

i'm really not into collecting movies lol. i see no reason to collect an item that in a few years reduces 80-90 percent in monetary value and becomes obsolete when better technology is released.

soon blu rays will join vhs, laser disc and dvd in tech heaven.

[Steedeel]

Originally Posted by sarah_wentworth

i have a 70 inch tv in my living room and plan on buying no less than 70 inch in the future so 4k is for me.

tv's are becoming so affordable that a lot of people will have 60 inch or bigger tv's

many people think 1080p blu ray is the best possible video quality. i'm sure they thought that about dvd. 1080p blu ray is better than dvd but 4k blu ray will be better. 8-10 years from now something will be better than 4k.

why anyone would not want technology to evolve is beyond me. improved color gamut, higher dynamic range, 4K video at 60 frames per second are all advancements and we will be one step closer to seeing "true" film like quality movies at home, the same as they were in the theater or better.

it comes down to people looking at their 500 plus blu ray collection and realising how much money they spent thinking they have the best possible product lol. i buy only what i really want to watch, maybe 2 or 3 times. i keep the movies for a few years then give them away or sell them. the movies that i don't care as much about i just stream.

i'm really not into collecting movies lol. i see no reason to collect an item that in a few years reduces 80-90 percent in monetary value and becomes obsolete when better technology is released.

soon blu rays will join vhs, laser disc and dvd in tech heaven.

Yawn.

[octagon]

Originally Posted by sarah_wentworth

why anyone would not want technology to evolve is beyond me. improved color gamut, higher dynamic range, 4K video at 60 frames per second are all advancements and we will be one step closer to seeing "true" film like quality movies at home, the same as they were in the theater or better.

Who doesn't want technology to evolve?

Sure, there are people who shrug at this or that evolutionary step but that's not entirely unreasonable. In the early days of personal computing each new generation of processors represented a significant increase in power that was readily apparent to even casual users. But eventually consumers started looking at the new numbers and thinking - quite reasonably - 'well, okay, that's cool and all but what's that really mean to me'.

It's fair to say that each evolutionary step is one step closer to a better world but is it reasonable to expect consumers (or even fairly enthusiastic hobbyists) to pop champagne corks each and every time one of those steps is taken?

[KRW1]

Of course technology is going to evolve. What is odder is that some people think that the TV industry is going to stop evolving, after 100 years, at the exact same point at which they themselves have decided not to buy any more gear.

In ten years time, we'll be discussing 120"+ smartscreens and the potential for 8k discs.

(and there'll be a few people saying 4k is enough for them, streaming is the future etc)

[Penton-Man]

Originally Posted by Dvd Aficionado

Let's consider 4K this way:

It'd be superb for those who are planning to purchase a 60" or bigger-sized tv or those watching films on 100" or bigger screen.

To the majority who only watch films on a less than 50" tv, watching 4K blu-rays will give little or no difference at all

A 4KBD wider color gamut and greater dynamic range are both independent of viewing distance. You can watch your < 50" tv from the other room if you care to and still appreciate the benefit they bring.

[Penton-Man]

Originally Posted by Brightstar

so films that are finished in 2k will never come out in 4k right?

Not really, for with some content providers, it’s apparently already in the works…https://forum.blu-ray.com/showthread...pi#post8724061

[Penton-Man]

Vargo, you around? Any guess as to what the HEVC average bitrate will be for the movie (24p) content on the 4KBDs come 2016?

[David M]

Originally Posted by Geoff D

They thought they could get away with crapping out their back catalogue onto Blu-ray by fiddling with them a bit more, so why will 4K be any different?

They'd have to take old stuff and upscale it. Not beyond the industry of course, but much harder to get away with.

(What did you transfer 'Burbs from, by the way? The negative or an IP? I presume your new transfer is still technically the property of Universal, they should take a look and see what can be done with a handful of talented individuals.)

AFAIK, Universal did the scan themselves (on their Arriscan). I believe it was the IP (it wasn't the neg). Then the scans were shipped on hard disk to London where James White and his team at Deluxe took over the cleanup and color grading.

[singhcr]

One thing I was confused about with the 4KBD spec news is what the difference was between bit depth, color space, and dynamic range.

Dynamic range vs. bit depth
Bit depth vs. color space

Long story short, 10-bit color with B.T.2020 color space and HDR means that movies will have a greater range of colors, as well as a greater intensity and more subtle graduations of colors.

If we are thinking about a black and white image, you get much brighter whites and darker blacks (color space + dynamic range?) , as well as many subtle variations of gray in between pure black and pure white (bit depth).

I must say I'm still a bit confused, but the combination of all three things in addition to 4K resolution makes for a very happy singhcr.

Kudos to the 4KBD consortium for taking the time to do it right. We were thinking that they might go with 8-bit 4:2:0 Rec 709 but they showed us!

[gregmasciola]

Originally Posted by sarah_wentworth

...soon blu rays will join vhs, laser disc and dvd in tech heaven.

I doubt that. DVD hasn't even become obsolete yet.
I'll admit, I'm not nearly as excited about this as some people, but I'll probably get a 4k TV/Player when prices become affordable and when the equipment I have at the time stops working. I have no interest, however, in upgrading any Blu-Rays I already have to 4k (unless it's one that was released with a bad transfer). Still, though, this kind of helps prove that physical media isn't going away anytime soon.

[bhampton]

Hey,

(Sorry I haven't read the whole thread)

I read an article suggesting 4K Blu Ray is a stand against or to fight the popularity of streaming.

Which must be incorrect but it certainly wouldn't work at any rate. Blu Ray has always provided higher quality than streaming but people who like the streaming don't care about that.

no one will ask me but I think it would have been better to let the existing form of blu ray grow and become more of a standard. They give great quality already even with projection screen based home theaters.

If I could buy a blu ray without the DVD and without the digital copies and even sometimes without the 2D copy (and without slipcovers or other silly packaging) it should be a bit cheaper to make and distribute thus should be cheaper to buy.

Oh well... like I said... no one is going to ask me.

-Brian

[Geoff D]

Originally Posted by Lyris

They'd have to take old stuff and upscale it. Not beyond them of course, but much harder to get away with.


AFAIK, Universal did the scan themselves (on their Arriscan). I believe it was the IP (it wasn't the neg). Then the scans were shipped on hard disk to London where James White and his team at Deluxe took over the cleanup and color grading.

So they DO actually know what those funny scanning things are that turns film into ones and zeros? Interesting. It makes their refusal to update their catalogue even more mystifying. And you're right, it will be harder for them to get away with it in 4K but given how below par their BD catalogue is, I wouldn't put anything past them.

Still, I'd be first in line for Apollo 13 in 4K if they ever get around to redoing it.

[atlantajoseph]

Here’s hoping someone creates a more catchy, descriptive name for this format. Almost a decade into BD, I am always amazed when I see “Blu-ray” spelled correctly in the wild. Not even considering the technical merits of the formats, “HD DVD” at least described the product exactly.

[KRW1]

Originally Posted by bhampton

Hey,

(Sorry I haven't read the whole thread)

I read an article suggesting 4K Blu Ray is a stand against or to fight the popularity of streaming.

Which must be incorrect but it certainly wouldn't work at any rate. Blu Ray has always provided higher quality than streaming but people who like the streaming don't care about that.



-Brian

I saw that article, it was nonsense. Streaming and bluray compliment each other nicely. It's a faux format war, if you like.

For an example of how they compliment each other, look at Criterion and Hulu - Criterion aren't competing with themselves when they stick their films on there before the disc comes out. They're advertising it. Also, just the other day, my Twitter feed had a fair amount of complaints because Netflix took down some Twilight movie - so people were buying the disc version.

[David M]

Originally Posted by atlantajoseph

Here’s hoping someone creates a more catchy, descriptive name for this format. Almost a decade into BD, I am always amazed when I see “Blu-ray” spelled correctly in the wild. Not even considering the technical merits of the formats, “HD DVD” at least described the product exactly.

That's a pet peeve of mine.

Blu-Ray
Blu Ray
Bluray
Blueray

[AudioWarrior]

Originally Posted by Geoff D

Still, I'd be first in line for Apollo 13 in 4K if they ever get around to redoing it.

Tom Hanks fan, eh? Yeah I would love for them to make a 4k master of Forrest Gump, Green mile, Cast Away...

[blurayjunkie]

Originally Posted by tok

if history has taught us anything it is that the studios are not going to do things the right way. They are going to go the cheap route. Bad transfers will occur on 4k just like they did on dvd and bd. Universal is not going to suddenly turn off the dnr switch.

+1