Ghostbusters 4K UHD (1984)

[Geoff D]

Thanks for your thoughts singhcr, but bear in mind that Dredd isn't a showcase for any of the major aspects of what 4K UHD can do for a movie. The more you watch quality software, including virtually anything that has the Sony name on it, the more you'll understand why we dribble on about it the way we do. The improved detail and rendition of grain alone would've been enough for me to rebuy many, many titles all over again, never mind what HDR brings to the table. As you say, the Mi4K of Ghostbusters - which I thought was incredible at the time - now looks downright smudgy in comparison.

[ROSS.T.G.]

Still one of my favourites of the format. Watching 1&2 tomorrow.

[Lt_Cobretti]

Originally Posted by singhcr

Ghostbusters, to me, feels like watching a pristine 35mm showprint in my own house.

Pretty much exactly what my first impressions were. This disc is pretty much the moment I realised what 4K HDR is to me, as pretentious as that may sound.

[singhcr]

Thanks, everyone. I hope my ramblings were of some use or at least cheap entertainment to you. Looking at what I wrote now I realized that I wasn't being very coherent.

"Do I want coffee?"
"Yes, have some!"

I think that my initial UHD titles for viewing haven't been the ideal ones. The second disc I watched was Expendables 2 which barely qualified as UHD at all. Westworld sometimes looks amazing but then 5 seconds later it's flat and smudgey.

So in-between the Expendables and Dredd flicks and the occasional Westworld episode I got to watch MiB and now this. MiB had almost no grain which was a bit concerning sometimes (it's there but nearly invisible most of the time even in opticals) but over time the transfer grew on me when I realized how much depth and detail I was seeing from the combination of HDR and the 4K scan.

I have also realized that my TV is much too far away from my couch. With my furniture arrangement I can't get it to the ideal distance but just getting a foot closer made a big difference in seeing grain retention. I hope to squeeze another 6 inches out of the gap as well.

These UHD titles are really starting to grow on me and as I am getting to the cream of the crop of what I own (Sony Sony Sony) I am seeing the difference and it's not subtle.

Frankly with all the things going on in my life right now, when my confidence is down I tend to gaslight myself and try and minimize any pleasure I get from my passions in life that I have largely avoided due to depression.

Was GB really that much better than the BD? Nobody else cares and just watches the stream so I must be seeing something that isn't there. But as the movie went on, I kept telling myself that this really was an improvement and that the happy feeling I was getting was genuine and something I deserved.

I really do love movies. I imagine we all do otherwise we wouldn't be here and wouldn't spend thousands of dollars on gear to eek out as much fidelity as we can out of what we watch.

I am in the process of rediscovering my passions in life that have been on the shelf for these last few years and UHD is really helping me do that. I just saw Back to the Future in 35mm for the first time last month. I bought my ticket 6 months ago because I didn't want to miss it. I had a big smile on my face the entire time watching this. The BD looked terribly processed and this print made me very happy indeed. It looked so natural and there was a suprising amount of grain to it as well as detail compared to the BD. Now I imagine most people there probably didn't notice what I did and just wanted to watch a great movie.

But that presentation really did add such a level of enjoyment to one of my favorite films. I just kept gushing to my boyfriend and father about how good it looked afterwards and how much it really did heighten my enjoyment of the story. I felt that way after watching GB in 4K too. I strongly feel that a high quality presentation that is authentic to the source is a way of paying respect to the filmmakers, historical preservation, and a way of showing respect to the characters too. I want BTTF to look as it should so when newcomers go see it they get the best experience possible for generations to come. Same with GB and damn does this UHD do that in spades.

I guess what I am trying to say is that UHD is reigniting a passion for movies, historical/artistic preservation and high fidelity that has been lost for a while, and I am very happy to see that part of my life come back to me because I've missed it. I can't wait to watch some more!

[guachi]

Ghostbusters was one of the early 4k movies I bought (13th, to be exact) and I was worried about the grain that some commenters/reviewers had mentioned. But the grain the grain is never offputting. It's very noticeable in some shots but that's largely a consequence of the film stock used.

How much is because of a 4k scan and how much is because of a 55" screen compared to the last time I saw it on a 20" CRT TV I can't say, but there is so much more detail. After watching it dozens of times you can easily see that Dana buys Stay Puft marshmallows in the famous possessed refrigerator scene. Usually our focus is on the eggs but everything is so clear you can see the other food she buys.

Ghostbusters isn't a riot of highlights and specular detail. But it is a wonderful combination of an updated scan, respect for the original grain, and great 10-bit color and restrained HDR breathing life into a now 34 year-old movie.

At the time of my purchase, my catalog titles consisted of the sci-fi September releases of ET, Close Encounters, and Blade Runner. Each shows off 4k HDR in different ways, but Ghostbusters is probably the best of the four for showing off the richness of reality since so many scenes are set in daytime or in normal indoor environments.

[Geoff D]

MiB had almost no grain? Wut?

[DJR662]

Originally Posted by singhcr

Thanks, everyone. I hope my ramblings were of some use or at least cheap entertainment to you. Looking at what I wrote now I realized that I wasn't being very coherent.

"Do I want coffee?"
"Yes, have some!"

I think that my initial UHD titles for viewing haven't been the ideal ones. The second disc I watched was Expendables 2 which barely qualified as UHD at all. Westworld sometimes looks amazing but then 5 seconds later it's flat and smudgey.

So in-between the Expendables and Dredd flicks and the occasional Westworld episode I got to watch MiB and now this. MiB had almost no grain which was a bit concerning sometimes (it's there but nearly invisible most of the time even in opticals) but over time the transfer grew on me when I realized how much depth and detail I was seeing from the combination of HDR and the 4K scan.

I have also realized that my TV is much too far away from my couch. With my furniture arrangement I can't get it to the ideal distance but just getting a foot closer made a big difference in seeing grain retention. I hope to squeeze another 6 inches out of the gap as well.

These UHD titles are really starting to grow on me and as I am getting to the cream of the crop of what I own (Sony Sony Sony) I am seeing the difference and it's not subtle.

Frankly with all the things going on in my life right now, when my confidence is down I tend to gaslight myself and try and minimize any pleasure I get from my passions in life that I have largely avoided due to depression.

Was GB really that much better than the BD? Nobody else cares and just watches the stream so I must be seeing something that isn't there. But as the movie went on, I kept telling myself that this really was an improvement and that the happy feeling I was getting was genuine and something I deserved.

I really do love movies. I imagine we all do otherwise we wouldn't be here and wouldn't spend thousands of dollars on gear to eek out as much fidelity as we can out of what we watch.

I am in the process of rediscovering my passions in life that have been on the shelf for these last few years and UHD is really helping me do that. I just saw Back to the Future in 35mm for the first time last month. I bought my ticket 6 months ago because I didn't want to miss it. I had a big smile on my face the entire time watching this. The BD looked terribly processed and this print made me very happy indeed. It looked so natural and there was a suprising amount of grain to it as well as detail compared to the BD. Now I imagine most people there probably didn't notice what I did and just wanted to watch a great movie.

But that presentation really did add such a level of enjoyment to one of my favorite films. I just kept gushing to my boyfriend and father about how good it looked afterwards and how much it really did heighten my enjoyment of the story. I felt that way after watching GB in 4K too. I strongly feel that a high quality presentation that is authentic to the source is a way of paying respect to the filmmakers, historical preservation, and a way of showing respect to the characters too. I want BTTF to look as it should so when newcomers go see it they get the best experience possible for generations to come. Same with GB and damn does this UHD do that in spades.

I guess what I am trying to say is that UHD is reigniting a passion for movies, historical/artistic preservation and high fidelity that has been lost for a while, and I am very happy to see that part of my life come back to me because I've missed it. I can't wait to watch some more!

Ex 2 isn't exactly a good way to start off with UHD.

Originally Posted by Geoff D

MiB had almost no grain? Wut?

Yeah, that was my thought also.

[singhcr]

Originally Posted by Geoff D

MiB had almost no grain? Wut?

That is what the site review said too. Perhaps the forced DV played with the gamma a bit, but I certainly didn't see much of it and when it was there it was extremely fine. Both my DV and HDR10 modes use the BT1886 gamma setting, although when I was sampling Goodfellas I noticed that while the forced DV was noticably brighter, the grain was less apparent as compared to viewing in HDR10.

I can try watching it in HDR10 and see if that does anything

[Geoff D]

I trust this site's reviews and those of pretty much any other "pro" outfit as far as I can throw them. MiB has grain and plenty of it. Forced DV is fine and all but I'd never use it for critical evaluation of a HDR10 disc.

[StingingVelvet]

Originally Posted by singhcr

I guess what I am trying to say is that UHD is reigniting a passion for movies, historical/artistic preservation and high fidelity that has been lost for a while, and I am very happy to see that part of my life come back to me because I've missed it. I can't wait to watch some more!

I've got a lot of health problems I try to never talk about, but wanted to say your post was a good one. It's hard sometimes to stay focused on what we care about and take joy in things. Flashy new upgrades can definitely flame the spark sometimes.

[ROSS.T.G.]

I had a health scare last Spring and being able to focus on this hobby definitely helped quite a bit. It’s one of the reasons I bought my current panel, life’s too short.

[singhcr]

Originally Posted by StingingVelvet

I've got a lot of health problems I try to never talk about, but wanted to say your post was a good one. It's hard sometimes to stay focused on what we care about and take joy in things. Flashy new upgrades can definitely flame the spark sometimes.

Thanks! I appreciate it. It sure can.

I hope you get some comfort/enjoyment from watching movies too

[singhcr]

Originally Posted by ROSS.T.G.

I had a health scare last Spring and being able to focus on this hobby definitely helped quite a bit. It’s one of the reasons I bought my current panel, life’s too short.

I'm glad you got some help from your hobby. I totally agree- take advantage of what you've been blessed with and enjoy life as much as you can, while you can.

[ROSS.T.G.]

Yeah spun this again today. First time on my OLED, first viewing was on my old VIZIO M. My lady had never seen it since she hates Mr. Murray. She actually liked it which is nice since now I can keep her. Grain was definitely more apparent than my first viewing, added to the experience. Colours also looked much better this go looking more dense. I think this is one of the best releases to show off contrast. Easily still in my top 10. Sony has found that perfect balance of showcasing HDR but not completely reinventing the look.

[Brightstar]

This is going for £10 at amazon uk

[singhcr]

Originally Posted by Geoff D

I trust this site's reviews and those of pretty much any other "pro" outfit as far as I can throw them. MiB has grain and plenty of it. Forced DV is fine and all but I'd never use it for critical evaluation of a HDR10 disc.

After doing some A/B tests, while forced DV made HDR10 titles a tad brighter, it definitely rolled off the grain. Switching to HDR10 brought the grain back in MiB. I don't use forced DV anymore after that incident. I watch my titles in their native HDR format.

[bradnoyes]

Originally Posted by singhcr

After doing some A/B tests, while forced DV made HDR10 titles a tad brighter, it definitely rolled off the grain. Switching to HDR10 brought the grain back in MiB. I don't use forced DV anymore after that incident. I watch my titles in their native HDR format.

Whoa, that's weird. I've never had anything even remotely like that happen when forcing DV. The only effect I've seen on grain is that it makes it more prevalent on regular BDs.

[TheBoss062]

So with the announcement of a 3rd Ghostbusters film, it seems highly unlikely now that the 2016 remake will ever continue as a franchise, not surprising though.

[johnnyknoxsvill]

Originally Posted by TheBoss062

So with the announcement of a 3rd Ghostbusters film, it seems highly unlikely now that the 2016 remake will ever continue as a franchise, not surprising though.

Thats a good thing, because that movie was dogshit

[Matt89]

I thought Chris Hemsworth was the only charming (and funny) thing about the Ghostbusters remake.

Otherwise it just felt forced. I'm all for remaking the film with all-female cast but the movie just didn't hold up. It was mostly unfunny and just didn't come together well. It felt disappointing in the end and made me want to immediately re-watch the original.

~Matt