Is 4K a game changer? - Blu-ray Forum

JayEmm · 01-01-2016, 06:21 PM

This is the problem we have in production. We are being told to "shoot it in 4K" with no real thought as to what that means, and the joke is no cinema has ever rejected a film for being in 2K (which the vast majority are) - but Netflix, a STREAMING CHANNEL, are demanding higher quality than a hollywood studio. It's madness.

There is so much to the picture quality debate beyond simple resolution but basically without something new the TV makers would have a hard time shifting new TVs.

I have seen reference quality 2K and 4K compared in a reference-quality cinema and there is a noticeable difference. HOWEVER I do not think this difference will be visible except on the most extreme of home setups.

Grading to HDR from existing cameras is not difficult, most of the cinema cameras can be easily adapted to the Rec2020 standard. They've been exceeding the capability of Rec709 for nearly 20 years. You can't just make a camera higher res though - not in software anyway, and not in post.

Where it gets really tricky is when you have many different cameras all claiming to be "4K" - as others pointed out it's like having a 40MP sensor in your phone. A 6MP DSLR will wipe the floor with it, PQ wise.

For what it's worth, Kodak once estimated the resolution in their release prints to be around 1.4K - a more accurate measurement being around 1.2K. Great 1080P in my mind suits nearly any cinema except IMAX/special venues.

01-01-2016, 06:21 PM	#11
JayEmm Active Member Member since:Dec 2015	This is the problem we have in production. We are being told to "shoot it in 4K" with no real thought as to what that means, and the joke is no cinema has ever rejected a film for being in 2K (which the vast majority are) - but Netflix, a STREAMING CHANNEL, are demanding higher quality than a hollywood studio. It's madness. There is so much to the picture quality debate beyond simple resolution but basically without something new the TV makers would have a hard time shifting new TVs. I have seen reference quality 2K and 4K compared in a reference-quality cinema and there is a noticeable difference. HOWEVER I do not think this difference will be visible except on the most extreme of home setups. Grading to HDR from existing cameras is not difficult, most of the cinema cameras can be easily adapted to the Rec2020 standard. They've been exceeding the capability of Rec709 for nearly 20 years. You can't just make a camera higher res though - not in software anyway, and not in post. Where it gets really tricky is when you have many different cameras all claiming to be "4K" - as others pointed out it's like having a 40MP sensor in your phone. A 6MP DSLR will wipe the floor with it, PQ wise. For what it's worth, Kodak once estimated the resolution in their release prints to be around 1.4K - a more accurate measurement being around 1.2K. Great 1080P in my mind suits nearly any cinema except IMAX/special venues.

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