I fear for 4k Disks...

[BLindsay]

Originally Posted by Dylan34

I highly doubt there will ever be 8K discs. I'm really surprised that they're going to do 4K discs to be honest. This will be it as far as physical media goes.

are you suggesting we are all going to be streaming 8k because good luck with that.

[cbb223]

Originally Posted by BLindsay

are you suggesting we are all going to be streaming 8k because good luck with that.

This. I don't expect physical media to die until the U.S. catches up with the rest of the world in terms of broadband availability that can support HD/UHD/8k streaming. There's a lot of people in the country who don't even have broadband at all.

http://www.broadbandmap.gov/speed

[dubious]

Originally Posted by PSTrooper

Can't wait to see what they do with 8k disks.

Unless everyone is going to have 30 foot projection screens in their home, it's rather pointless. Even 4K is borderline pointless for the home consumer, given the required screen size to see a difference. Threads like the 40" 4K TV are a good laugh though, just buy a 1080p 60" for the price difference, and enjoy it.

[bailey1987]

Originally Posted by dubious

Unless everyone is going to have 30 foot projection screens in their home, it's rather pointless. Even 4K is borderline pointless for the home consumer, given the required screen size to see a difference. Threads like the 40" 4K TV are a good laugh though, just buy a 1080p 60" for the price difference, and enjoy it.

But all of you that say that are not taking into account every aspect of the Ultra HD specification, things like Rec 2020 are noticeable on 2" screens never mind 50 foot screens.

[dubious]

Sure, and they could just as easily replace UHD with a 500GB disc format with better gamut and full chroma and still be 4K.

[spazzman90]

Things to keep in mind regarding 4k releases.

First off the majority of catalog titles that have been released on blu that were not block busters have about a 720p level of detail. Not sure if its the machine they put them through or what, but unless the movie gets a complete remaster (usually saved only for blockbusters) then currently the video is already falling short of what bluray can provide.

Fewer and fewer catalog titles are being released. Olive and companies like that are keeping the flame going, but I gotta wonder how profitable this is proving for them and is it sustainable.....

Therefore I really question the how large of a roll 4k will play in any 'recollecting' we as a group do. Sure, there will be titles from this side of 2010 that were mastered 4k and will look outstanding and offer improvement. Anything before that is really going to be questionable unless they are willing to put in a lot of work. What I see here is a lot of 'cashing in' (obviously wont be a ton) with old favorites in a shiny new box.

In summary, I would love to own new and newer titles on 4k format. But I have little hope for any improvement in catalog titles even though I think they will be released to cash in if many get released at all.

[spectre08]

Originally Posted by spazzman90

Things to keep in mind regarding 4k releases.

First off the majority of catalog titles that have been released on blu that were not block busters have about a 720p level of detail. Not sure if its the machine they put them through or what, but unless the movie gets a complete remaster (usually saved only for blockbusters) then currently the video is already falling short of what bluray can provide.

Fewer and fewer catalog titles are being released. Olive and companies like that are keeping the flame going, but I gotta wonder how profitable this is proving for them and is it sustainable.....

Therefore I really question the how large of a roll 4k will play in any 'recollecting' we as a group do. Sure, there will be titles from this side of 2010 that were mastered 4k and will look outstanding and offer improvement. Anything before that is really going to be questionable unless they are willing to put in a lot of work. What I see here is a lot of 'cashing in' (obviously wont be a ton) with old favorites in a shiny new box.

In summary, I would love to own new and newer titles on 4k format. But I have little hope for any improvement in catalog titles even though I think they will be released to cash in if many get released at all.

I think it's highly likely that blu-ray continues to be the main format for films for as long as physical media holds out, with UltraHD Blu-Ray as a premium value-add feature.

IF physical media holds out for another 20 years, and 4K or better televisions have the same household saturation as 1080p tvs have today, AND there is still a strong demand for physical media, 4K blu-ray may become the default. But there are a LOT of ifs involved in that.

Either way, I already have a 4K tv, I adore the format, and I'll be snapping up a lot of UltraHD titles.

[Dylan34]

Originally Posted by BLindsay

are you suggesting we are all going to be streaming 8k because good luck with that.

yep, I'm saying that an 8K disc format will never happen, that's right!!! a 4K disc format almost didn't happen, and who know how long we'll have it when it's launched. You're dreaming if you think 8K blu-ray will ever exist. We are beyond diminishing returns as it is.

[bruceames]

Originally Posted by spectre08

I think it's highly likely that blu-ray continues to be the main format for films for as long as physical media holds out, with UltraHD Blu-Ray as a premium value-add feature.

Continues to be the main format? It's not the main format now, not by a long shot. DVD still owns 70% of the pie. Not only that, Blu-ray has not gained any market share on DVD for over a year now. So given the small market share and stalled growth, I don't foresee it ever becoming the main format.

[spectre08]

Originally Posted by bruceames.

Continues to be the main format? It's not the main format now, not by a long shot. DVD still owns 70% of the pie. Not only that, Blu-ray has not gained any market share on DVD for over a year now. So given the small market share and stalled growth, I don't foresee it ever becoming the main format.

I tried to choose my words carefully, I may have failed.

By "main" format I meant the format that studios consider their "primary" for releases.

DVD may have a larger market share, but it is still a secondary format. It's used for cheap catalog titles and blu-ray bundles.

When was the last time a new release (not a catalog title) was exclusively on DVD?

What format receives the vast majority of marketing?

On the whole DVD still has the largest market share, but an enormous portion of that are discount bin, junk, and classic titles.

One place you can really see that is in the weekly "average sale price" numbers. Average sale price for a blu-ray is about $20, or the price of most new or recent releases. The average sale price for DVDs is less than $10, far less than even the DVD version of new releases sells for.

[Rocklandsboy]

Originally Posted by spectre08

Either way, I already have a 4K tv, I adore the format, and I'll be snapping up a lot of UltraHD titles.

As a matter of interest, how does upscaled DVD look on your 4K TV? Baring in mind a lot of us still have mid-sized DVD collections, particularly TV titles, that will never be available in HD.

[Geoff D]

A well-mastered DVD on a correctly calibrated 4K display is still exceedingly watchable IMO, but I've even had old non-anamorphic DVDs up on it and they were surprisingly tolerable.

I draw the line at laserdisc though, there's just not enough resolution there when zoomed in and the chroma noise and other artefacts make viewing a chore rather than a pleasure.

[dubious]

Originally Posted by Geoff D

A well-mastered DVD on a correctly calibrated 4K display is still exceedingly watchable IMO, but I've even had old non-anamorphic DVDs up on it and they were surprisingly tolerable.

I draw the line at laserdisc though, there's just not enough resolution there when zoomed in and the chroma noise and other artefacts make viewing a chore rather than a pleasure.

Laserdisc can look alright depending on how well it was mastered, condition of the disc, and video processors in your playback chain.

Also, ripping them, deinterlacing, and scaling down the resolution a touch can help eliminate visual artifacts. It'll never look as good as newer dvds, but can look better than some SD DTV streams.

[harpolini]

The only thing I fear for 4K disc is that there will be no standards.

Will we see the same mixed bag we see now with dated transfers, horrid digital tweaking, poor encoding, etc?

If this format wants to take off they must deliver an excellent product day one until the end of format.

[dubious]

Originally Posted by harpolini

The only thing I fear for 4K disc is that there will be no standards.

Will we see the same mixed bag we see now with dated transfers, horrid digital tweaking, poor encoding, etc?

If this format wants to take off they must deliver an excellent product day one until the end of format.

Release an inferior transfer on 4K, who'd dare do such a thing.

That said, properly mastered 2K films can still benefit from UHD, but it should be clearly labeled if they do.

[Geoff D]

Originally Posted by dubious

Laserdisc can look alright depending on how well it was mastered, condition of the disc, and video processors in your playback chain.

Also, ripping them, deinterlacing, and scaling down the resolution a touch can help eliminate visual artifacts. It'll never look as good as newer dvds, but can look better than some SD DTV streams.

I was getting tired of watching LD on a 1080p set never mind 2160p. As much as I love my LD collection it keeps me more than I keep it, and at this stage I'm not gonna spunk hundreds/thousands of pounds on a high-end processor just to tidy it up a bit, and I sooooo can't be bothered to do the ripping thing.

[BLindsay]

Originally Posted by Dylan34

yep, I'm saying that an 8K disc format will never happen, that's right!!! a 4K disc format almost didn't happen, and who know how long we'll have it when it's launched. You're dreaming if you think 8K blu-ray will ever exist. We are beyond diminishing returns as it is.

I am not saying we need 8k at all but you are dreaming if you think we are going to be streaming it anytime in the near future. if 8k does happen there will be a physical disc to go with it

[Anthony P]

Originally Posted by gkolb

My point is, what is the need to bundle a BD in with a UHD BD release ?? If you have a UHD player, it will down-scale the output to your 2k tv. And if VUDU or some other digital play option is included (well, isn't it all digital anyway? just combo's of 0's and 1's, but I digress), do you want your VUDU in 1080 or 2160? (hhhmmm, seems to be a first world problem here.)

well the point would be that not everyone will run out and buy a UHD BD player for every TV or display they might have. Honestly my perfect combo would be UHD +BD (+ maybe 3D BD). I don't remember the last time I watched a DVD (so don't need that by now every place I want to watch a film there is a BD player) and even if for some it is all 1's and 0's (and I am not disputing that) if someone were to give me the choice between getting $1,000,000.00 or $1.00 I will pick the $1M even if the both numbers are just 1's and 0's Vudu HDx is under 4.5 mbps BD is 48 mbps, that means there are a lot more 1's and 0's in the BD then the Vudu stream and it shows.

[dubious]

Originally Posted by BLindsay

I am not saying we need 8k at all but you are dreaming if you think we are going to be streaming it anytime in the near future. if 8k does happen there will be a physical disc to go with it

The US govt would first have to force service providers to drop data caps to even make 8K streaming feasible. Im sure as hell not going to pay Comcast $10 per 50GB (not including cost of stream service, digital copy) when I can just better version on disc.

[Dylan34]

Originally Posted by BLindsay

I am not saying we need 8k at all but you are dreaming if you think we are going to be streaming it anytime in the near future. if 8k does happen there will be a physical disc to go with it

I never said 1 time, anything about streaming.