Sony "Mastered in 4K" Blu-ray Titles May 14 and July 16

[YodasFootPowder]

Originally Posted by I KEEL YOU

I've double dipped many times in order to get better quality. But those were with picture qualities that were 3, maybe even 4 out of 5. The point of upgrading something that is already 5 out of 5 is beyond me.

It's hard for me to believe that there are people out there who can watch the first releases of Taxi Driver and LoA and say "You know, this just doesn't look quite good enough". It blows my mind.

+1

Originally Posted by Geoff D

I could be wrong, but I don't think that anyone said that Taxi Driver or Lawrence "just doesn't look quite good enough". The point is, if Sony can squeeze another 1 or 2 percent out of something that's already great then some people are inclined to have a look see, such is the curse of the videophile.

This is the case of being a PQ snob. The only problem is, I'd wager that all of the people who upgrade their titles because of that extra 1% improvement can't even detect that 1% improvement. They've simply convinced themselves they can see a difference or because Sony says it's a better transfer, remaster or whatever, that it must be worth it.

It's kind of like people who pay $300 dollars for speaker cables because it gives them better imaging and improved sound stage. Copper is copper and so long as you use a large enough gauge wire for the length you are running, you're not going to hear any difference. But, people who buy them will swear they hear a difference but it's simply because they've convinced themselves it sounds better. So many people like this have failed in double blind tests and cannot tell a difference. I'd imagine if you double blind tested people with these new 4k remasters, they wouldn't be able to tell which disc they were watching, assuming you were comparing discs that both had good transfers.

[Geoff D]

Originally Posted by YodasFootPowder

This is the case of being a PQ snob. The only problem is, I'd wager that all of the people who upgrade their titles because of that extra 1% improvement can't even detect that 1% improvement. They've simply convinced themselves they can see a difference or because Sony says it's a better transfer, remaster or whatever, that it must be worth it.

I am a PQ snob, guilty as charged. Getting the best possible presentations of my favourite movies has been a passion of mine for the last 20+ years.

BUT the only thing that convinces me is my eyes, not marketing sizzle, and if I see an improvement then I damned well say so. If I don't, then I say that too. I sold the Mi4K versions of The Amazing Spider-Man, Total Recall and Taxi Driver because I couldn't detect any worthwhile improvements when watching/comparing them to the regular Blu-rays; I'd say TAS actually looked slightly worse because of the slight edge ringing.

I'd imagine it'd be a similar story with the Mi4K version of Lawrence because that one looks so good to begin with, but I still wanna see it for myself, just in case.

[Tech-UK]

Originally Posted by YodasFootPowder

This is the case of being a PQ snob. The only problem is, I'd wager that all of the people who upgrade their titles because of that extra 1% improvement can't even detect that 1% improvement. They've simply convinced themselves they can see a difference or because Sony says it's a better transfer, remaster or whatever, that it must be worth it.

It's kind of like people who pay $300 dollars for speaker cables because it gives them better imaging and improved sound stage. Copper is copper and so long as you use a large enough gauge wire for the length you are running, you're not going to hear any difference. But, people who buy them will swear they hear a difference but it's simply because they've convinced themselves it sounds better. So many people like this have failed in double blind tests and cannot tell a difference. I'd imagine if you double blind tested people with these new 4k remasters, they wouldn't be able to tell which disc they were watching, assuming you were comparing discs that both had good transfers.

Do you own any of the Mi4K titles? Most offer way more than 1% benefit over the original release.

I posted a list of the ones I would recommend and links to comparisons here:

https://forum.blu-ray.com/showpost.p...postcount=2546

[GenPion]

Originally Posted by I KEEL YOU

I've double dipped many times in order to get better quality. But those were with picture qualities that were 3, maybe even 4 out of 5. The point of upgrading something that is already 5 out of 5 is beyond me.

It's hard for me to believe that there are people out there who can watch the first releases of Taxi Driver and LoA and say "You know, this just doesn't look quite good enough". It blows my mind.

FWIW...

I started watching Lawrence of Arabia with my sister on a smaller HDTV and the transfer was stunning. We finished on a larger one and while the transfer was still very good I felt it looked less impressive, and this is pretty much just because of the bit-rates.

[jblank]

Originally Posted by Yojimbo68

So to sum up, which are the MI4K discs worth picking up? From what I've read, it seems that Ghostbusters and Spider-Man are the ones that have a very noticeable improvement. The others are marginal at best. True?

Glory is the best example in my opinion. Moneyball, Taxi Driver, and Battle Los Angeles can be ignored, no improvement or marginal at best.

[HD Goofnut]

Originally Posted by jblank

Glory is the best example in my opinion. Moneyball, Taxi Driver, and Battle Los Angeles can be ignored, no improvement or marginal at best.

So can Total Recall, The Other Guys, Pineapple Express, and The Karate Kid. Angels & Demons is a tossup in my opinion. Some shots look noticeably better while some look virtually identical.

[Iamspartacus]

When on earth are we getting a new line? Dr. Strangelove please.

[L'armée des ombres]

Originally Posted by Iamspartacus

When on earth are we getting a new line? Dr. Strangelove please.

The current release is based on a 4K scan

[Geoff D]

But it's not Mastered in....oh, never mind.

[Iamspartacus]

I have a phobia against digibooks--it's a sickness and I have to have it in a standard case.

[L'armée des ombres]

Originally Posted by geoff d

but it's not mastered in....oh, never mind. :d

[eriaur]

edit wrong thread

[Agent Zero]

Some say 4K is dead in the water.
http:// www.techradar.com/news/video...-water-1246497

[YodasFootPowder]

Originally Posted by Tech-UK

Do you own any of the Mi4K titles? Most offer way more than 1% benefit over the original release.

I posted a list of the ones I would recommend and links to comparisons here:

https://forum.blu-ray.com/showpost.p...postcount=2546

I own a few. The most notable upgrade for me was Ghostbusters, but I'd attribute that to the blown out contrast in the first release and not necessarily the new one being 4k. The other few I own, do they look better? Eh, I can't definitively say one way or the other. A couple of them, maybe. But, I don't know if the improvement is enough to warrant re-purchasing every new 4k title that comes out.

I mean, I own over 300 Blu-rays right now. I'd say 90% of them look good to excellent, with the remaining 10% being below average. To me, a little bump in clarity is certainly not going to be worth spending, what would probably, equate to a few thousand dollars to re-purchase every title I own.

[HeavyHitter]

I think a lot of it depends on your eyes, calibration, and screen size whether you see a difference or not.

[bookcase]

Originally Posted by Agent Zero

Some say 4K is dead in the water.
http:// www.techradar.com/news/video...-water-1246497

Then there's this: http://time.com/83648/sony-best-buy/

[HeavyHitter]

Originally Posted by Agent Zero

Some say 4K is dead in the water.
http:// www.techradar.com/news/video...-water-1246497

There's no stopping 4K. Prices will come down quite a bit on the displays over the next 2-3 years and content will emerge but slowly. Once 4K Blu is released, I think you'll see Sony at the forefront.

[Geoff D]

I do worry that the longer 4K BD development takes, the more that people just won't give a shit, even the folks who've bought 4K displays thus far. If 4K netflix really starts to take off, other providers will jump on the bandwagon and we might see a cluster**** of competing streaming services which will kill 4K BD while it's still in the cradle.

I think the best we can possibly hope for is for 4K BD to become the new Laserdisc. The alternative (streaming, streaming and more streaming) doesn't bear thinking about.

[kidglov3s]

Originally Posted by Geoff D

I do worry that the longer 4K BD development takes, the more that people just won't give a shit, even the folks who've bought 4K displays thus far. If 4K netflix really starts to take off, other providers will jump on the bandwagon and we might see a cluster**** of competing streaming services which will kill 4K BD while it's still in the cradle.

I think the best we can possibly hope for is for 4K BD to become the new Laserdisc. The alternative (streaming, streaming and more streaming) doesn't bear thinking about.

I feel like the way things are going Blu-ray is becoming Laserdisc and 4K BD would be like DVHS or MUSE Hi-Vision.

[HeavyHitter]

I think you'll eventually see all displays about 55"+ become 4K much the same way all (or almost) 720p 55"+ displays became 1080p over time.

I am fine with 4K Blu taking longer so long as they get it right with the proper specs. It will probably become more of a niche product regardless of timing, but I think it will be larger than laser disc.