4K Digital Exclusives VS Standard Blu-Ray releases

[TheSweetieMan]

So a while back I had made a thread in regard to UHD digital exclusives, which are a problem to potential UHD disc releases down the road. You can read about that here.

However, I'm curious to know how many people here will at least opt for a digital UHD release over a standard blu-ray counterpart, despite being a collector of physical media.

I'm asking this question as recently, I decided to purchase 'Richard Jewell' and 'Promising Young Woman' on the Apple TV, as there are currently no plans for UHD disc releases for titles like these.

Me, I'll go with the UHD release, even if it is digital, as I've found the Apple TV to adequately play quality 4K streams, HDR, Atmos support and all that jazz, even if the bitrate doesn't match that of UHD discs. I mean, I will always opt for UHD disc (425+ discs and counting so far) but ever since seeing how good HDR can be even on minimal upgrades as far as resolution goes, there's no way I could opt for a standard Blu over the UHD version, even if the latter ends up being just a digital release.

[cheez avenger]

Depends on what's available. For example, Event Horizon has had a 4K digital with DV for about a year now. That's the version I bought. The BD from Scream Factory arrives next month. I usually get the 4K UHD as a filler copy until the 4K disc version gets released. Doesn't always work out. I also have Chinatown on 4K digital with DV and there's no word on the 4K disc. The same with genre films like Underwater and Escape from L.A..

[Jay Mammoth]

Yep I too get the 4K versions through Apple TV if they dont release it on disc.

[WBMakeVMarsMovieNOW]

disc all the way
no way would I got for streaming 4k over a blu-ray (although when the movie has a 4k finish and gets only a blu-ray, especially if it's a new release, I tend to not get anything, no way I will go for streaming and don't want to reward a blu-ray only for a 4k finish for a new title!!!! and hope for quite a long time for the UHD to eventually get a release). Streaming and downloads also have worse audio quality and for streaming it can be impossible to even feed them into certain high quality music hardware which makes it even worse still.

also the whole thing with referring to downloads or streaming as digital is VERY confusing since UHD discs and blu-rays are just as digital as downloads or streaming, once and for all ALL of these, streaming, download, blu-ray, UHD are ALL DIGITAL RELEASES

[geomon]

Physical, always. Not against digital, just not my first choice.

[brainofj72]

It’s really a case-by-case basis for me. I try to go physical as much as possible but I have opted for digital UHD over physical HD a few times (Richard Jewell, Dragged Across Concrete).

[Hellboy]

Physical. I have no interest in Digital.

[TheDarkBlueNight]

Case-by-case basis here too. Some films deserve being part of a physical media collection. On the other hand, it can often be much, much cheaper to get digital UHD on sale even against a regular Blu Ray. So for films that aren't a priority, I would go for digital. Sometimes as a placeholder until the 4K disc arrives (or not...).

No question a 4K UHD Blu Ray is the best option and the go-to for must-have films/TV shows, but the iTunes digital 4K copies are pretty good too. Still, t's always a shame when the 4K HDR version is a digital exclusive.

[Staying Salty]

They will have to pry my discs, from my cold dead hands.

[plissken99]

I go where the quality is. Got Escape from LA and Event Horizon in UHD, but would gladly buy the discs when they come out.

[Streetlight]

4K Digital for video, standard Blu-ray for lossless audio.

[bhampton]

Ive recently been buying blu rays of things I only had in iTunes. Some of them I have in iTunes 4K but the best physical is 1080p Blu.

I always prefer to get a copy I can own outright rather then depend on the ability to watch someone else's copy.

[tjritter79]

Digital exclusively since 2018.
I've had to unload all my physical copies of discs to create space for needed medical equipment. Had I not had this condition maybe not so drastic a change? But I find the ease, convenience and multitudes of devices digital is good for outweighs the immediate quality factor. The truth is discs you own will never improve without a format change, and the leaps and bounds in digital delivery quality have blurred the lines between disc + digital. The video quality is already there, the audio has to catch-up.

[JayTL]

digital. Especially in the context of the thread. UHD over Blu Ray