My current opinion on the state of 4K UHD

[LettuceJUMP]

Sorry for the massive post but I've decided to take it upon myself to individually rate/review all of the 75+ 4K UHD Blu-rays I have. Some of them were not even reviewed by Blu-ray.com yet. I was the OP so I thought this was a good spot to drop this, and if you enjoy I'll continue to do more.

My though process was - A lot of people are skeptical about rebuying movies they have on Blu-ray, and others are skeptical about the format. I wanted to keep my review process simple. Which movies are worth of the 4K HDR format, and which movies are worth owning. Now I have always been all about the video, so this system will not be about the 5.1/7.1 Atmos on the discs, but the visuals and the movie itself.

I thought a 20 point system, that is 1-10 based on visuals, and 1-10 based on how good the movie is itself. I'm using a 65" LG OLED with an Xbox S.

This could be a fun open dialogue where people can put in their own input and even join in.

I have only viewed 50 of them so far, and have taken notes during. I started today with the first 25 I have written up. I will write up another 25 this weekend. Maybe this is me for myself, but maybe interesting to others.

Keep in mind that even the worst scores, and worst looking 4K films look like top notch 1080p upscaled blu-rays.
Here goes! -

Fantastic Four - 4K/HDR - 6.25 Movie - 4 - Total - 10.25/20 -
It's a dark dreary film to begin with but I did not see the detail and clarity I was looking for. Finished in 2K Digital Intermediate does not always result this way, but this looked no better than a top notch upscaled 1080p Blu-ray. Not to mention a mess of a film.

Smurfs 2 - 4K/HDR - 8.5 Movie - 3 - Total - 11.5/20 -
One of the rare films to be shot in a fuller frame, Smurfs 2 fills up your whole screen. Since it was not originally shot with wider shots, the colors and detail spread from top to bottom. I found clarity and colors to be vibrant and detailed, and if the movie was not so painful, this could be considered near reference quality. This is one of the 10-15 4K discs that make the format necessary.

Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon - 4k/HDR - 8.75 Movie - 8 Total - 16.75/20 -
There are some that prefer films shot natively in 4K or higher. Some have found impressive pictures from the occasional 2K remasters. Here we have an example of a movie shot on film. And from a guy that loves the movie theatre experience, this movie brings the grain. I have yet to see a 4K transfer before this one that made me feel like I was at my local theatre. Beautiful picture. Detail, grain, but the film did show it's age at times. The movie itself I feel did not age as well as remembered. It's a solid film, but some of the special effects that were impressive at the time, seem less impressive now.

San Andreas - 4K/HDR - 7.5 Movie - 6.5 Total - 14/20 -
Sharper than an upscaled Blu-ray, and detail looks good at times, but never jaw dropping or impressive enough to justify 4K/HDR. The movie itself is entertaining with some popcorn.

DaVinci Code - 4K/HDR - 7.5 Movie - 7.25 Total - 14.75/20 -
This 4K transfer of a catalogue release is commendable. You can tell the effort was put in, and it was not just an upscale. Detail and grain is decent, and the movie itself is fun. The film and the transfer never reach the peaks you want them to. Solid catalogue release.

Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates - 4K/HDR - 6.75 Movie - 5.5 Total - 12.25/20
Being a recent release, the transfer looks about as good as you expect. It never blew me away, and if someone told me it was a Blu-ray, I also would have said it looked good. Bright vibrant colors in Hawaii were nice, but nothing about the transfer spoke to me.

Angry Birds - 4K/HDR - 8.75 Movie - 4.5 Total - 13.25/20
Beautiful animation. Absolutely stunning. Colors, detail where intended. It's all there. The movie itself had a few chuckles, but was more miss than hit. This one shows what 4K can do for animation.

Ice Age Collision Course - 4K/HDR - 8.25 Movie - 4.75 Total - 13/20
I would probably just copy and paste most of what I wrote for Angry Birds. I rated the transfer a hair lower, as it did not make my jaw drop as much, but this is nothing to spit at. The movie itself is not the best, even in this franchise.

Hancock - 4K/HDR - 7 Movie - 6.5 Total - 13.5/20
Another welcomed catalogue release that sees an overall above average transfer. Certain scenes were impressive, but overall it was not a stunner. The movie is not the worst Will Smith, but certainly not the best.

Legend of Tarzan - 4K/HDR - 7.5 Movie - 6 Total - 13.5/20
The story did nothing to blow me away, but the transfer had some really nice moments. Not reference quality, but better than most.

Pride and Prejudice and Zombies - 4K/HDR - 7.25 Movie - 6 Total - 13.25/20
If you're into Zombie flicks, and a rare one that takes place some time ago, the movie is enjoyable. The transfer was nice. Above average detail, but not why you bought a 4K setup.

Now You See Me 2 - 4K/HDR - 7.5 Movie - 5.5 Total - 13/20
The picture was nice, though I was never floored. Nothing about it jumped like I'd want from a 4K UHD. If you enjoyed the first, it's not as good. If you didn't like the first, like I didn't, stay away.

Concussion - 4K/HDR - 9.0 Movie - 6.5 Total - 15.5/20
Smooth smooth smooth. That's all I could think as I watched this one. Rich detail and a super silky smooth transfer. This one was like butter and I loved it. If you do not love the grain of Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, and want to see a nice 4K picture, this is the other side of the spectrum. To each their own, but this one is pretty.

Bourne Identity 4K/HDR - 4 Movie 7 Total 11/20
Bourne Supremacy 4K/HDR - 5.5 Movie 7 Total 12.5/20
Bourne Ultimatum 4K/HDR - 6 Movie 7.25 Total 13.25/20
Bourne Legacy 4K/HDR - 7 Movie 5.5 Total 12.5/20
Jason Bourne 4K/HDR - 8.5 Movie 6 Total 14.5/20
I thought I'd grab this collection together. Most people have read about these releases. My opinion was not much different. Bourne Identity could have been a Blu-ray. Maybe it is a Blu-ray with a 4K sticker. Supremacy and Ultimatum look like solid Blu-rays but still not what we expect from 4K. Legacy looks like a decent 4K release, but Jason Bourne is worth it. Reference detail that truly impresses. It was a hair down from Concussion, but still very impressive. This is what we want. The movies themselves are worth a viewing, but are mostly forgettable.

Labyrinth - 4K/HDR - 7.0 Movie - 7.0 Total - 14/20
Refreshing to see a film from before 2005. While the grain and detail never reach the heights of Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, this is a nice upgrade from the 1080p Blu-ray. I appreciated the transfer, but never felt the disc was reference at any point. Fans should buy.

Secret Life of Pets - 4K/HDR - 7.75 - Movie - 6.5 Total 14.25/20
Cute film for pet lovers, and the animation does not disappoint. I did not feel it was the most impressive when you compared against some of the other 4K films with animation, but it is no slouch. Animation definitely has a home on 4K.

Angels and Demons - 4K/HDR - 7.75 - Movie - 8 Total - 15.75/20
Similarly to DaVinci Code, this catalogue release has been treated properly in 4K. As one of my favorite books to film, I was excited for this one. Many online reviews had this as reference, but as good as the transfer was, I did not feel it could contend with the best transfers I have seen. That is not a knock on the disc, this is a good one.

Divergent 4K/HDR - 6 Movie - 6.5 Total 12.5/20
Insurgent 4K/HDR - 7.5 Movie - 7 Total 14.5/20
Allegiant 4K/HDR - 7.5 Movie - 6.75 Total 14.25/20
I lumped this series together and for the most part they are decent. Divergent's picture could have been a nice upscaled Blu-ray. The other two were shot differently and the transfer shows an upgrade in detail and wow factor. The films are fun sci-fi which will most likely never get their final film.

Salt - 4K/HDR - 7 Movie - 7.25 Total - 14.25/20
Solid movie that received a pretty decent 4K release. It never hit the ceilings but never hit the pits. Welcomed catalogue release.

[BMM]

Thanks for the info. Feel free to go ahead and rate your other 50+ titles.

[LettuceJUMP]

Here is the next batch -

Independence Day - 4K/HDR - 7.75 Movie 7 Total - 14.75/20
I was told good things about this transfer. It seems they worked hard with this catalogue release. The movie has never looked better. The detail impressed at times, and would say it is a solid purchase for fans. Never truly wow'd me personally though.

Expendables 3 - 4K/HDR - 6.75 Movie 5.5 Total 12.25/20
When I know a film is not 2K natively, and is actually shot in or close to 4K, I seem to set higher standards. This one disappointed in that regard. It looked good if it were a 1080p Blu-ray, but disappointed me from expectations. The movie itself is a drag. First two were better.

Amazing Spider-Man 2 4K/HDR - 7.5 Movie 6.5 Total 14/20
Probably an easy release for Sony, being that it was already "Mastered in 4K" on Blu-ray. It was an enjoyable transfer. Detail on his suit was impressive, and the HDR/colors were well done. Not quite reference quality though. The movie on the other hand is possibly the weakest of the Spider-Man films, that is if you forget Spider-Man 3.

TMNT Out of the Shadows - 4K/HDR - 7.5 Movie 6.75 Total - 14.25/20
Maybe I judged this one a little harsh, but I wanted more from this film. I saw it in theatres and thought visually the potential was there for a top of the line UHD. I feel it is somewhere in the middle. The detail on the turtles and CGI is great, but overall it never hit reference. If someone told me it was a really good upscale 1080p Blu-ray, in 2017 it's believable. When you've seen how good they can look, you get disappointed when new releases don't reach potential. The movie is silly and fun if it's your thing.

Kingsman Secret Service - 4K/HDR - 8 Movie - 7.25 Total - 15.25/20
This is what I'm talking about. Solid transfer with detail which improved upon the Blu-ray in every way. I would say it is still just a hair shy of reference, but this did not disappoint. There are moments in the film where you go, now this is 4K. Specifically the colors looked great. The film is also a lot of fun, although it also just misses being a superb film.

Creed - 4K/HDR - 8 Movie - 6.75 Total - 14.75/20
Great looking transfer. Nice detail, and smooth overall UHD. Decent movie if you enjoy the Rocky saga, but overall a forgettable boxing film.

Maze Runner Scorch Trials - 4K/HDR - 7 Movie - 5 Total - 12/20
The transfer did not look bad, not nearly as bad as the movie is. The first film wasn't terrible but this one was a big step back. The picture had some really nice moments but was a bit inconsistent.

Underworld - 4K/HDR - 7.25 Movie - 5.5 Total - 12.75/20
An underwhelming catalogue film gets a pretty decent 4K release. What could have been a cash grab for the release of the new film, it seems they put some effort into this transfer. The whole movie is dark, and when light is used, it is used very effectively. Probably the best dark film I've seen/reviewed on my OLED yet. But still a pretty bad movie. This is the best this film will look, although it is not a memorable release and will be forgotten in no time.

Hunger Games 4K/HDR - 6.5 Movie - 6.75 Total 13.25/20
Hunger Games Catching Fire 4K/HDR - 6.75 Movie - 7 Total - 13.75/20
Hunger Games Mockingjay Part 1 4K/HDR - 7 Movie - 7 Total - 14/20
Hunger Games Mockingjay Part 2 4K/HDR - 7 Movie - 6.5 Total - 13.5/20
The four Hunger Games films arrived with slight improvements over their Blu-ray counterparts. I would say the middle two releases are the best films, while the two final releases are the best transfers. The first of the four was the least impressive disc, showing very little in upgrade from Blu-ray. The final two showed some nice moments of detail and HDR use, but wildly inconsistent and mostly average.

Oblivion - 4K/HDR - 8 Movie - 7 Total - 15/20
Let's end this group on a high. Oblivion was the best looking film from this group. I scored it the same as Creed and Kingsman, but it probably rate it ever so slightly higher. I would still not categorize it as reference, but it is a fine looking upgrade. Lots of detail, and although the color palette is pretty plain, there are enough moments that make up for it. This is a worthy 4K release that leaves the 1080p Blu-ray in the dust.

Ghostbusters (1984) 4K/HDR - 8 Movie - 7.5 Total - 15.5/20
Ghostbusters II - 4K/HDR - 7.25 Movie - 5.5 Total - 12.75/20
Borrowing the transfers used for the "Mastered in 4K" 1080p Blu-rays, these UHD's look very nice. The original in particular was very impressive. The detail and grain were noticed throughout, and closeups specifically look good. I would still not categorize this as reference quality, but it shows that older films can still look better with proper care on 4K. The sequel is a weaker film, and therefore probably lost a tiny bit of score on its visual. A bad movie needs to be really attractive to cover up it's ugly side. Still a decent transfer, but good luck making it through the movie.

That makes 40 reviewed so far. I've only seen another 20 of the 75 or so I own, and will get to the rest over the next week. Hope you guys enjoy my opinions!

[LettuceJUMP]

Next up will be suicide squad, martian, sicario, revenent, man of steel, watchmen, 3 x-men films, ghostbusters 2016, and mad max fury road.
This will be a fun batch!

[Geoff D]

Some good assessments there Lettuce

[vincentric]

I'd really like to see the studios start using triple layer 100GB discs more often particularly for movies over 2 hours long. Although Sony have shown with ASM2 that it's possible to properly compress a long movie (a grainy one at that) onto a 66GB disc, other studios seem to be struggling a bit at doing the same with their algorithm. In Miss Peregrine for example there's a scene where massive, and I mean really massive and obvious macroblocks can be seen in the open sky. Had to pause and check my settings. The problem seemed to lay with the disc, the bitrate during that time would drop down to 6 freakin Mbps creep up to 12 then drop back down. I'll try going into more detail in the Peregrine thread when I get a chance. I've seen compression issues such as that in many other titles, early format growing pains I reckon.

[Opips3]

LettuceJUMP,

No The Revenant UHD 4K ???

[Geoff D]

Miss Peregrine's is a Fox title I see. Those guys also had some serious compression trouble on ID4 where the bitrate similarly drops as low as 6 Mb/s, IIRC. Have Fox even released a triple decker yet though?

[LettuceJUMP]

Thank you Geoff.
Opips3, revenent is special. That's on my next group I'm workin on.

[Seilerbird2]

Originally Posted by StingingVelvet

I agree with you guys. Upscaled BDs on my new Samsung look so amazing it's hard to be wowed by 4k discs, and I say that as someone who tried them!

I agree. I am sitting here watching an OTA broadcast of a football playoff game on a cheap antenna on last years 4k TV and the picture just looks delicious. My Vizio upscales 1080 just fabulous.

[ncraft]

Originally Posted by LettuceJUMP

Next up will be suicide squad, martian, sicario, revenent, man of steel, watchmen, 3 x-men films, ghostbusters 2016, and mad max fury road.
This will be a fun batch!

Great reviews! I like how you rate the quality of the transfer vs the quality of the movie and give a total combined score. Man, I thought I was big time by having 38 UHD discs, but my collection is minor league compared to yours! Keep up the great work!

[ncraft]

I love the UHD format when it's done right : The Revenant,Sicario,Life of Pi, Pacific Rim etc. But I hate when titles are rushed into the format and there's little reason to buy it because it is nearly indistinguishable from the BD, or just bad transfers : San Andreas, Goodfellas, Salt etc.. But transfer quality, or lack thereof, is still an issue with Blu Ray as well because some companies just don't want to spend the money to do a quality transfer, especially when the average consumer will buy it regardless. This format is still in its infancy, and I think that as more time goes by the transfers will be of better and more consistent quality.

[Boristhespie]

Film companies are going to kill of 4k before it gets started if they don't make sure their discs impress. I for one am thinking bluray at around a quarter of the price in a lot of cases is just as good. So why bother with some discs in 4k.

Sent from my SM-T810 using Tapatalk

[Geoff D]

Originally Posted by StingingVelvet

I agree with you guys. Upscaled BDs on my new Samsung look so amazing it's hard to be wowed by 4k discs, and I say that as someone who tried them! There is definitely a crispness and smoothness on 4k discs not there for normal BD, but the detail levels pretty much look exactly the same. It's funny too because reviews point out specific moments like when Apocalypse runs his hand over the wooden wall in X-Men: Apocalypse and the detail in that scene looks identical on upscaled BD.

I'm sure a lot of it comes down to how well your TV or player upscale, but at the end of the day I think we all know the main reason to buy into 4k discs is HDR, and how rabid you are about 4k discs depends on how much you enjoy and desire HDR.

I see more detail on some of the upscaled titles UHD vs the Blu, never mind the true 4K finished ones! I fear that UHD is driving a wedge between us, Velvet old bean.

[Geoff D]

Originally Posted by ncraft

I love the UHD format when it's done right : The Revenant,Sicario,Life of Pi, Pacific Rim etc. But I hate when titles are rushed into the format and there's little reason to buy it because it is nearly indistinguishable from the BD, or just bad transfers : San Andreas, Goodfellas, Salt etc.. But transfer quality, or lack thereof, is still an issue with Blu Ray as well because some companies just don't want to spend the money to do a quality transfer, especially when the average consumer will buy it regardless. This format is still in its infancy, and I think that as more time goes by the transfers will be of better and more consistent quality.

I think San Andreas looks great on UHD, it's not THE go-to demo title but there's so much more range and colour (the blacks on the Blu are completely flat and featureless) and even a touch more detail, even though it's an upscale. Salt looks gorgeously organic and film-like, the Blu is noticeably softer and smudgier in comparison. Are these improvements worth paying three or four times as much as the regular Blu? For me, yes. But for people who want their eyeballs melted every single time as per the hype, then no.

[Stanton]

The trend seems to be: the newer the film, the better the UHD release (like The Martian). This isn't really a surprise (and there are probably lots of reasons), but it confirms/validates a UHD upgrade strategy of "new" releases only. Yes, there are (and will be) catalog titles that deserve an upgrade (like ID4), but for the most part I'm sticking with BD on older releases (like the Bourne movies).

[ncraft]

Originally Posted by Geoff D

I think San Andreas looks great on UHD, it's not THE go-to demo title but there's so much more range and colour (the blacks on the Blu are completely flat and featureless) and even a touch more detail, even though it's an upscale. Salt looks gorgeously organic and film-like, the Blu is noticeably softer and smudgier in comparison. Are these improvements worth paying three or four times as much as the regular Blu? For me, yes. But for people who want their eyeballs melted every single time as per the hype, then no.

I guess on San Andreas, and especially Salt, I was expecting more. With San Andreas I just felt like the difference between the BD and UHD was minimal. I was expecting more of Salt due to there being a 4K DI. I'm definitely one of those consumers who prefers a more natural, less eye popping use of HDR. The Revenant, Sicario, Lone Survivor, and The Magnificent Seven all are proof that sometimes less, or more realistic use, is more. It's worth it to me to pay more than the BD because the quality is better and I get the BD in the package anyway. I sometimes do not think it's worth it when I double dip and I hear it from the wife, but that's par for the course.

[StingingVelvet]

Originally Posted by Geoff D

I see more detail on some of the upscaled titles UHD vs the Blu, never mind the true 4K finished ones! I fear that UHD is driving a wedge between us, Velvet old bean.

Well you're a passionate follower of a new religion and I'm just kind of like "eh, it looks good."

To be clear though there is definitely a detail increase in most titles, and absolutely most definitely an increase in crispness and smoothness. 100% absolutely. It just don't blow me away, knock my socks off, rev my motor or get my blood pumping. It looks nice. There's a reason I bought one player already and will get another one in the coming days. I want to experience it.

Revolutionary awesomeness though? Nah.

[LettuceJUMP]

I am a huge fan and have spent probably $1,000 on my 4K UHD's, but the more that I watch, I realize that 50% look marginally better than an upscaled 1080p Blu-ray. There are very few jaw dropping UHD's that is worth spending the extra money on. The extra 5-10% is very hard to pick up on. I love that extra 5-10% detail, don't get me wrong, but as I prepare my next 15 and have now watched over 50 UHD's, my opinion is that the format is early, and very few UHD's really take true advantage of capabilities. I've seen some excellent looking blu-rays that look as good as some UHD's. Should have my next batch ready for tonight.

[Geoff D]

Originally Posted by StingingVelvet

Well you're a passionate follower of a new religion and I'm just kind of like "eh, it looks good."

To be clear though there is definitely a detail increase in most titles, and absolutely most definitely an increase in crispness and smoothness. 100% absolutely. It just don't blow me away, knock my socks off, rev my motor or get my blood pumping. It looks nice. There's a reason I bought one player already and will get another one in the coming days. I want to experience it.

Revolutionary awesomeness though? Nah.

I've not blindly sipped from the cup though. My faith has been sorely tested at times but it hath emerged even stronger from the other side of purgatory. Yea, the Lord works in mysterious ways...especially when frickin' UHD is involved! I hope that you can join us true believers in time, brother.

Heh. I guess we've all got our own things we prioritize about PQ when watching a movie at home, and, much like the discussion in the Precinct 13 thread about taking out of a movie what you bring to it, I think UHD is much the same. If people expect crystal-clear amazingness every single time then they'll be disappointed, just as will the hardcore 35mm crowd who've had precious little to get excited about on UHD as most of it is digitally sourced, and even when they do get something it's had the voodoo magic of HDR inflicted upon it anyway.

Then there's the VAST amount of different 4K displays that are out there, all reacting to UHD with their own particular kinks and hang-ups and shortcomings. As always with religion, even people who are under the same banner are divided into separate sects who believe that they worship the one true god in the most appropriate way and that everyone else is a dirty heathen. Me, I love all my Blu-ray brothers, and even folks who want to zoom in widescreen movies and scrub away all that lovely grain are perfectly entitled to practice their perversions, as long as it's not spoken about in polite society.