Westworld: Season One 4K UHD (2016)

[trippledx3]

Originally Posted by ROSS.T.G.

Not a good movie but The Dark Tower has perhaps the best PQ & HDR I’ve seen yet.

Better than transformers and planet earth 2?

[ray0414]

Originally Posted by trippledx3

Better than transformers and planet earth 2?

I don't think its on par color wise with those movies. Dark tower is purposely drab through like 90% of the movie. the other 10% though is fantastic color wise.

[ncraft]

Originally Posted by madfloyd

Thank you very much! I look forward to your observations.

I compared some scenes from episode 1 & 2. With regard to the HDR,I didn't see a huge difference in the "Pop" but it was there. The first scene in episode 1 where Delores is being debrifed in that dark room is a good example. A little more pop with the lights but not a huge difference.
Colors/color saturation is a bit better on the 4K. The scene in episode 2 where the two guys are arriving at Westworld is an example. Color just seems more true and vibrant, but not overly so.
Where I see a big difference is with detail /resolution. Everything seems clearer and sharper on the 4K. That's not to say the Blu-ray is not clear or sharp but the 4K is clearly better. Skin detail is more visible on Thandie Newton and Evan Rachel Wood in most of the close-ups.

All in all the 4K is an upgrade over the Blu-ray IMO. Just not a major, night and day one.

[BrownianMotion]

Originally Posted by ncraft

Where I see a big difference is with detail /resolution. Everything seems clearer and sharper on the 4K. That's not to say the Blu-ray is not clear or sharp but the 4K is clearly better.

Surprising, as several people have been saying that both the 4K and the standard blu ray are fairly soft.

[ncraft]

Originally Posted by mhp68

Is this confirmed? Will sell off the Blu ray discs if this is the case-

These are the extras on 4K disc 1:

About the Series: 2:11
An Invitation to the Set: 2:14
The Big Moment: Dive Deep into pivotal scenes of intrigue, drama, and revelation.
Welcome to Westworld: 7:41
Realizing the Dream: First Week on the set of Westworld : 11:20
Imagining the Main Title: 14:06

[TM2-Megatron]

I'm thankful there's a regular Elite UHD case inside the tin, which was what I'd hoped for from the start. I'd still have preferred a simple slipcover to this weird tin business, though. I suppose I can throw this thing in storage with my old Disney Treasures DVD tins, although unlike those I'm not 100% I consider this tin as something worth saving yet.

[ncraft]

Originally Posted by BrownianMotion

Surprising, as several people have been saying that both the 4K and the standard blu ray are fairly soft.

I don't think it's soft. It's not the Revenant or The Dark Tower, by any means. But I felt the 4K was sharper than the Blu-ray. I've seen much softer discs.

[madfloyd]

Thanks for your thoughts, ncraft.

[TheSweetieMan]

Originally Posted by Geoff D

I watched some of Sicario again last night, holy cow that looks so good in HDR. Not dayglo multicoloured pop "good" but it looks so sharp and clean and adds such dynamism to the lighting. Wonderful stuff.

I'm glad I ended up digging deeper into Deakins' thoughts when it comes to HDR.

'Sicario' is definitely a reference-worthy disc--and a large part of that reason is due to the natural lighting, and the lack of reliance on making any of the colors feel oversaturated or overly bright.

It also reaffirmed, for me, and what I'm personally looking for from the format, that the idea of super bright, maxed out panels, is completely unnecessary.

This is why I have a good feeling that I will love the PQ of 'Westworld.' I'm not looking for some excessively colorful or bright picture, like the third act of the new 'Ghostbusters.' I want to see this format being utilized for the correct reason; which is actually utilizing the extended dynamic range, to make everything actually feel genuinely more 'lifelike.'

[Optimus]

I'm gonna go pick up my copy soon

EDIT:

Picked it up

[HeatEquation]

This review covers the DV version, and the reviewer wasn't blown by it:

Westworld Season 1 was shot on Arricam LT, Arricam ST, and Arriflex 235 cameras utilizing Cooke S4, Canon K35, Fujinon Premier and Angenieux Optimo lenses and various slow, mid, and fast speed Kodak Vision3 250D 5207, Vision3 500T 5219, and Eastman EXR 50D 5245 film stocks in Super 35 (3-perf) format. A 2K DI was used in post processing. This Ultra HD release arrives in a 2160p (4K) HEVC encodement with Dolby Vision HDR (High Dynamic Range) framed in its original 1.78:1 broadcast aspect ratio. I expected to be blown away by this sci-fi series’ imagery in 4K, but I wasn’t really. The 2K source looked okay and filmic, but there were also some spots where I saw some clear softening of features in facial characteristics, almost like over-eager DNR going on. That would be odd considering that the image looks somewhat gritty, as one would expect this Super 35-sourced series to look on 4K, especially compared to the Blu-ray, where the grain is a little less upfront. Don’t get the impression that I’m a grain hater, because I’m not, but I do think this is one that may have looked better if a 4K DI had been used. Now, on to the Dolby Vision – it definitely adds a bit more ‘pop’ to some highlights, but it is subtle in some places and in some places, perhaps because of the visual effects and the upscaled resolution on top of it, it looks a little gimmicky. Fires certainly look wonderful in most spots, but there were some places where they looked a little unnatural. The colors in the park control center really standout, especially the red-lit background. The Westworld outdoor scenes look just a little more natural, but I don’t see as many additional gradations in coloring I normally see with the wider color gamut. I also see a lot of black crush in the darkest scenes — Man in Black and Dr. Ford suffer the most. The Blu-ray, which is a very fine presentation seems to be the more even presentation than the 4K release here.

https://www.theaterbyte.com/bluray-u...ay-review.html

While this one reviews the HDR10 version, and says it's demo worthy:

Oh wow, just wow. I didn’t expect this. Westworld: Season One was shot on 35mm film, but the master was limited to 2K (most likely due to the cost of rendering the effects in a higher resolution) so I was expecting this to be a moderate upgrade over the Blu-ray, but I wasn’t expecting it to be basically demo worthy. Comparing between the Blu-ray and the 4K there is no real comparison here. The 4K EASILY outshines the Blu-ray with room to spare. Basically, take what I said about the Blu-ray and just amp it up to even higher levels. The grain levels are organic looking and never obtrusive (a few grain spikes in open field shots but nothing that causes a problem), and detail levels are stunning. The 4K UHD disc allows you to just see so much more, with visceral textures at the finger tips in the grimy old west town. Things are so photo realistic that you feel like you could just reach through the screen and touch it. Warner didn’t advertise this much, but Westworld comes with not only HDR but Dolby Vision as well, and while the Dolby Vision isn’t view-able just yet, the HDR is absolutely incredible, bringing out all the colors in a way that I didn’t think was possible. The red blood stands out against the dust and sand, while the pale blue of Dolores’s frock and bodice seamlessly blends in with the backgrounds, while looking amazingly warm and comfortable. I didn’t think I’d say this, but Westworld marks as one of the top 5 UHD discs I’ve seen to date on the format.

https://www.avnirvana.com/threads/we...y-review.1695/

[zmarty]

Originally Posted by HeatEquation

This review covers the DV version, and the reviewer wasn't blown by it:



https://www.theaterbyte.com/bluray-u...ay-review.html

While this one reviews the HDR10 version, and says it's demo worthy:



https://www.avnirvana.com/threads/we...y-review.1695/

This is very confusing. The first review sounds like I would have written it. The second one is much more glowing. How can there be such a huge difference in perception? "Westworld marks as one of the top 5 UHD discs I’ve seen to date on the format." Sorry but ... NO. Maybe if they only watched 5 UHD disks in total or something.

I agree with the observation about faces. They either remove skin marks (especially of Dolores) during color grading, or the focus puller did not do a good job.

[HeatEquation]

Originally Posted by zmarty

This is very confusing. The first review sounds like I would have written it. The second one is much more glowing. How can there be such a huge difference in perception? "Westworld marks as one of the top 5 UHD discs I’ve seen to date on the format." Sorry but ... NO. Maybe if they only watched 5 UHD disks in total or something.

I agree with the observation about faces. They either remove skin marks (especially of Dolores) during color grading, or the focus puller did not do a good job.

From my observation, people who viewed this in HDR10 were pleased, while those who viewed it in DV were more critical of it. I think even the people in that hometheater forum thread viewed it in HDR10, and they had nothing but good things to say about it.

[TheSweetieMan]

Originally Posted by ncraft

It's definitely more subdued, like a Sicario or Apollo 13.

That's rad.

Another good example I'd use is 'Logan.' A lot of people probably wouldn't use it as their reference disc, but I would. You get the 4K-DI, along with HDR that helps enhance more detail in both lighting and color--but not to the point that it feels blinding or overproduced.

Content accuracy has always been, and will always be, my preferred method of viewing films, shows, games etc.

I'm pretty excited to see what lies in store for 'Westworld.' It sounds like, from the interviews posted, that the show creators went for a more complimentary approach with the HDR.

[PeterTHX]

Originally Posted by HeatEquation

This review covers the DV version, and the reviewer wasn't blown by it:

While this one reviews the HDR10 version, and says it's demo worthy:

Really digging around for some anti-DV FUD now are we? (Imagines him spending hours and hours searching any review he can find)

[HeatEquation]

Originally Posted by PeterTHX

Really digging around for some anti-DV FUD now are we? (Imagines him spending hours and hours searching any review he can find)

I was simply searching for more reviews, because I didn't like what I was hearing, so I could make a decision about whether or not to purchase this.

Not my fault that no one has been impressed with the DV on this release. No need to be salty. Since your TV doesn't support DV, you'll luckily be viewing this in HDR10.

[legends of beyond]

Oh no, this thread has derailed, hasn't it?

Brace Yourselves!

[oildude]

Knock it off. Any attempts to derail any more movie threads by a handful of members trying to engage in endless HDR vs DV fanboy arguments will be dealt with by the moderators.

I realize there is a desire to discuss the relative merits or perceived differences if a movie release has both, and that is okay. But do not derail. Some of you can't understand the difference. If you want to cheerlead or argue, please take it to the general discussion threads dedicated to HDR and DV.

And it should not have to be said, but as a reminder......please no personal attacks or insults directed at other members. Just report inappropriate posts to the mods and we will look into the situation. At this point, any catfighting will be dealt with by suspensions of all involved.

[theace69]

Anyone redeem their UV code? Does it give you the UHD copy?

[StingingVelvet]

Originally Posted by TheSweetieMan

That's rad.

Another good example I'd use is 'Logan.' A lot of people probably wouldn't use it as their reference disc, but I would. You get the 4K-DI, along with HDR that helps enhance more detail in both lighting and color--but not to the point that it feels blinding or overproduced.

Content accuracy has always been, and will always be, my preferred method of viewing films, shows, games etc.

Indeed, but many will always feel differently. Many will want Pacific Rim every time or the disc is a disappointment. I remember saying Logan looked somewhat soft and restrained and people acted like I was bashing the disc, but I was just saying how it's supposed to look and that it succeeded.