4K UHDs that look worse than their BD counterparts?

[StingingVelvet]

Originally Posted by CineSicko

I just hope that if the studios start pumping out good older titles on UHD they'll sell as successfully as the junk that's getting bought up on the format now. It'll be a sad day indeed if a few intelligent dramas hit the shelves on UHD and are the only ones no one buys. It wouldn't surprise me much, though.

Genre stuff sells better because it's more re-watchable and thus collectible. 'Twas ever thus.

[CineSicko]

Originally Posted by StingingVelvet

Genre stuff sells better because it's more re-watchable and thus collectible. 'Twas ever thus.

That's true, but it's painfully obvious that UHD is far slower at getting reality-based, character-motivated non-genre titles out than any other format that preceded it. Those who can re-watch such films time and again are probably going to be left out in the cold in regard to UHD.

What's more is that most of those types of films were recently transferred in 2K, and I think we all know how the majority of UHD fans would respond to releases of films sourced from 2K masters. It's hard to imagine that companies like Criterion would go back to the drawing board by doing newer 4K masters of older, smaller films when they have freshly struck 2K masters lying around.

[Fendergopher]

There are still many "intelligent dramas" and classics that have yet to even appear on BD, so I'm not really sure what point you're trying to make except that you wish the movies that you like would get a UHD release? Did you make the same complaint back when HD-DVD and Blu-ray was a new thing?

[Dailyan]

Originally Posted by Fendergopher

There are still many "intelligent dramas" and classics that have yet to even appear on BD, so I'm not really sure what point you're trying to make except that you wish the movies that you like would get a UHD release? Did you make the same complaint back when HD-DVD and Blu-ray was a new thing?

It's like that one guy that made that "we had more catalog on Blu in 2008 than on UHD" thread. Honestly I’d ignore this guy he likes to instigate controversy.

[CineSicko]

Originally Posted by Fendergopher

There are still many "intelligent dramas" and classics that have yet to even appear on BD, so I'm not really sure what point you're trying to make except that you wish the movies that you like would get a UHD release? Did you make the same complaint back when HD-DVD and Blu-ray was a new thing?

BD was far quicker at getting such films out. You probably didn't notice since you don't watch such content. Great post, though, I really enjoyed it.

[StingingVelvet]

Originally Posted by CineSicko

That's true, but it's painfully obvious that UHD is far slower at getting reality-based, character-motivated non-genre titles out than any other format that preceded it. Those who can re-watch such films time and again are probably going to be left out in the cold in regard to UHD.

I'll go one step further and say that the physical disc market for dramas and such will probably dry up ten times faster than it will for action/fantasy/etc. movies. That's already happening with TV, with stuff like X-Files and Doctor Who still getting BD releases while This is Us or whatever goes DVD only and likely soon no discs at all.

UHD will never see the kind of support DVD and BD had for catalog titles. That's just the way of the world right now. We're still getting a lot of stuff though. Mostly genre stuff, but still lots of stuff. I'd expect that to continue and even maybe increase once labels jump in, but will stuff like Bridges of Madison County ever be on the UHD shortlist? Most likely no.

[Arch Stanton]

Originally Posted by CineSicko

This might be off-topic, but having recently combed through a list of all the UHD titles available in the world, I was struggling to find ten titles that I would consider buying. The bulk of the content available for the format is what I could call bad, high concept junk. It boggles my mind that the bulk of UHD enthusiasts on here own more than 100 titles.

I work with UHD every day for my job and it's a very impressive format, but I have yet to find a justification for getting it in my home, largely because of the amount of quality films available. I'm convinced that the bulk of you who are buying all the UHD titles you can get your hands on are sorely lacking in taste. Enjoying JUPITER ASCENDING and ASSASSIN'S CREED in 4K, are you?

I'm with you on this. I've only actually moved into 4K world this month and tbh there are probably actually less than ten titles I'd want to own, maybe four or five on tops. But now seemed a good time, just on the basis of 2001 coming out imminently and the (projected) escalation of film releases on the format in 2019 and beyond. (And also my own personal TV upgrading, lol)

Seems like quite a lot of UHD releases have been geared to cater for the home theatre enthusiast crowd - the people actively buying all the 4K gear before everyone else - who generally seem to gravitate toward the big special effect spectacle movies.

Just a disclaimer before someone jumps to offense on this, I have no problem with these releases happening and they are/were the most profitable. My feeling is that we'll see more interesting titles start coming out in the next couple of years (interesting from the perspective of non contemporary Hollywood!) More of the large format pre 70s films, etc.

[TheSweetieMan]

Originally Posted by CineSicko

This might be off-topic, but having recently combed through a list of all the UHD titles available in the world, I was struggling to find ten titles that I would consider buying. The bulk of the content available for the format is what I could call bad, high concept junk. It boggles my mind that the bulk of UHD enthusiasts on here own more than 100 titles.

I work with UHD every day for my job and it's a very impressive format, but I have yet to find a justification for getting it in my home, largely because of the amount of quality films available. I'm convinced that the bulk of you who are buying all the UHD titles you can get your hands on are sorely lacking in taste. Enjoying JUPITER ASCENDING and ASSASSIN'S CREED in 4K, are you?

Sicario
Blade Runner 2049
Arrival
Batman Begins
The Dark Knight
The Dark Knight Rises
Inception
The Prestige
The Bridge on the River Kwai
Ghostbusters
Halloween
American Psycho
Mission Impossible
Mission Impossible III
Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol
Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation
Jack Reacher
Annihilation
Ex Machina
Logan
The Predator
Die Hard
The Hunt for Red October
Hostiles
The Fifth Element
Leon: The Professional
Coco
The Incredibles
Starship Troopers
Baby Driver
Atomic Blonde
John Wick
John Wick 2
Blade Runner
The Evil Dead
Christine
Hereditary
Ready Player One
A Quiet Place
Ghost in the Shell
Darkest Hour
The Matrix
Gladiator
Braveheart
Jumanji
Phantom Thread
Star Trek
Star Trek Into Darkness
Star Trek Beyond
Saving Private Ryan
Grease
Watchmen
The Bourne Identity
The Bourne Supremacy
The Bourne Ultimatum
The Shape of Water
The Dark Crystal
Labyrinth
Hell or High Water
Cloverfield
10 Cloverfield Lane
Groundhog Day
Unforgiven
IT
The Martian
Brawl in Cell Block 99
The Revenant
Creed
Patriots Day
Lone Survivor
The Cabin in the Woods
Kingsman: The Secret Service
Mad Max: Fury Road
Zero Dark Thirty
La La Land
Dredd
Terminator 2: Judgment Day
Goodfellas
Stranger Things
Kick-Ass
mother!
3:10 to Yuma
Get Out
Serenity
Split
ET
Close Encounters of the Third Kind
The Post
Bram Stoker's Dracula
Planet of the Apes Trilogy
Dunkirk

Can't find 10 titles, eh?

[Blu-21]

PeterTHX & Bates Motel. That was a fun set of posts to read. You guys are so similar that its funny when you both clash. If only dvdmike was still around as well!

[Geoff D]

With physical media on the wane - or to put it more charitably, becoming more specialised - then it's only natural that a new disc format in this day and age will mostly concentrate on the newest Hollywood toss. Mostly. By all means get indignant about it and basically start labelling people as mouth-breathers who wouldn't know a good story if it slapped them in the face with a wet haddock, it means I can just easily label other people as pretentious a-holes who can't stand to watch anything unless it's some sort of obscure Polish arthouse film about someone painting a fence with human faeces.

But the facts of the matter are these: An expensive format that's already a niche of a niche (and which has streaming breathing down its neck) doesn't need buyers that are themselves a niche of niche if it's going to actually survive past its early years. It needs high-profile big-budget Hollywood gloss to drive sales volume, and with that volume will come increasing confidence that a market is there, one that could possibly begin to support a release of the sort of critically-adored but commercially-inert film that we take for granted on catalogue Blu-ray, to say nothing of the antics of Mr Shit Fence.

Heck, even Criterion didn't get into Blu-ray a full two years after the format launched, and look how long it's taken for the likes of Shout and Arrow to grow as companies and be able to deliver the sort of schlock that they do without bankrupting themselves. That we're 2½ years into UHD's life and no indie has yet taken the plunge isn't surprising, given how the home media landscape has inexorably shifted (though one would think that 4K's own inherent "specificity" would be part of the indie appeal). To that end, several of the major studios are playing it VERY safe when it comes to releasing any more catalogue product on Blu-ray so that in itself is a reason why we're not seeing more stuff on UHD: things have changed and the studios are prioritising sure-fire sales of new movies on UHD over mediocre returns on such renowned classics as Ernest Saves Christmas.

TL;DR

We're not in Kansas any more. Catalogue releasing directly from the major studios, i.e. not licensed stuff, has slowed to a crawl on regular Blu-ray (WAC aside) and so it's not reasonable to expect them to suddenly throw open the floodgates on UHD. Indies will get into the game when they feel it's economically viable. If it helps any, then look upon us poor uncultured easy-to-please eejits as being the ones who are laying the groundwork for the format's horizons to expand in the coming years.

PS

I sold Jupiter Ascending. Haven't watched Assassin's Creed yet tho

[brainofj72]

Assassin’s Creed is one of the biggest leaps in quality over its BD counterpart of any movie on the format. It’s a radically different visual experience; the SDR BD is clearly incapable of properly reproducing Kurzel’s vision.

On top of that, it’s a really good (and very misunderstood) movie.

[ROSS.T.G.]

Originally Posted by Blu-21

PeterTHX & Bates Motel. That was a fun set of posts to read. You guys are so similar that its funny when you both clash. If only dvdmike was still around as well!

Mike is still around

[CineSicko]

Originally Posted by TheSweetieMan

[Show spoiler][B]Sicario
Blade Runner 2049
Arrival
Batman Begins
The Dark Knight
The Dark Knight Rises
Inception
The Prestige
The Bridge on the River Kwai
Ghostbusters
Halloween
American Psycho
Mission Impossible
Mission Impossible III
Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol
Mission Impossible: Rogue Nation
Jack Reacher
Annihilation
Ex Machina
Logan
Predator (not The Predator)
Die Hard
The Hunt for Red October
Hostiles
The Fifth Element
Leon: The Professional
Coco
The Incredibles
Starship Troopers
Baby Driver
Atomic Blonde
John Wick
John Wick 2
Blade Runner
The Evil Dead
Christine
Hereditary
Ready Player One
A Quiet Place
Ghost in the Shell
Darkest Hour
The Matrix
Gladiator
Braveheart
Jumanji
Phantom Thread
Star Trek
Star Trek Into Darkness
Star Trek Beyond
Saving Private Ryan
Grease
Watchmen
The Bourne Identity
The Bourne Supremacy
The Bourne Ultimatum
The Shape of Water
The Dark Crystal
Labyrinth
Hell or High Water
Cloverfield
10 Cloverfield Lane
Groundhog Day
Unforgiven
IT
The Martian
Brawl in Cell Block 99
The Revenant
Creed
Patriots Day
Lone Survivor
The Cabin in the Woods
Kingsman: The Secret Service
Mad Max: Fury Road
Zero Dark Thirty
La La Land
Dredd
Terminator 2: Judgment Day
Goodfellas
Stranger Things
Kick-Ass
mother!
3:10 to Yuma
Get Out
Serenity
Split
ET
Close Encounters of the Third Kind
The Post
Bram Stoker's Dracula
Planet of the Apes Trilogy
Dunkirk

Can't find 10 titles, eh?

I've seen all of those films, mostly because of my job (the bulk of those I'd never bother watching otherwise). The ones in bold type are films I'd never own on UHD, and most of the ones that aren't in bold would have to be drunken buys (except for GOODFELLAS, RIVER KWAI, CLOSE ENCOUNTERS and a few others, all of which I already cited as being titles I'd buy on UHD). So yeah, the vast majority of your favorite movies don't do anything for me... at all. It must be nice to be so outrageously easy to please. If I were as easily amused as that I could buy half my movies at the nearest 7-11.

Originally Posted by brainofj72

Assassin’s Creed is one of the biggest leaps in quality over its BD counterpart of any movie on the format. It’s a radically different visual experience; the SDR BD is clearly incapable of properly reproducing Kurzel’s vision.

On top of that, it’s a really good (and very misunderstood) movie.

[brainofj72]

Movie elitists are unbearable. The idea that one can’t see artistry in films ranging from Assassin’s Creed to Anthropophagus to The Color of Pomegranates to Dumb and Dumber to Pierrot le fou to The Fast and the Furious is so close-minded and stupid.

[CineSicko]

Originally Posted by brainofj72

Movie elitists are unbearable. The idea that one can’t see artistry in films ranging from Assassin’s Creed to Anthropophagus to The Color of Pomegranates to Dumb and Dumber to Pierrot le fou to The Fast and the Furious is so close-minded and stupid.

I'm no elitist, but I don't get off on every movie that comes my way. You want to talk about stupid...

Oh, and THE FAST AND THE FURIOUS is utterly worthless to the thinking filmgoer. Employ some scrutiny, if possible.

[brainofj72]

Originally Posted by CineSicko

I'm no elitist, but I don't get off on every movie that comes my way. You want to talk about stupid...

Neither do I. Not even close. But you’re making an awful lot of judgmental assumptions about people who like different things than you.

[CineSicko]

Originally Posted by brainofj72

Neither do I. Not even close. But you’re making an awful lot of judgmental assumptions about people who like different things than you.

No, you like everything.

[brainofj72]

Originally Posted by CineSicko

No, you like everything.

You know nothing about me or what I like.

[oildude]

Guys, please discuss without name calling and posting insult images. If someone has an opinion different from you, discuss it civilly or simply ignore it. Having a different opinion isn't trolling and should not lead to thread meltdowns.

[Ernest Rister]

Originally Posted by CineSicko

I'm no elitist, but I don't get off on every movie that comes my way. You want to talk about stupid...

Oh, and THE FAST AND THE FURIOUS is utterly worthless to the thinking filmgoer. Employ some scrutiny, if possible.

"Sometimes I think statements like this are pretentious in and of themselves, because someone is trying to tell you what art can and can't be. Who says art can't be E.T. flying over the Moon?"
-- Steven Spielberg