Braveheart 4K UHD (1995)

[singhcr]

Originally Posted by Geoff D

Interesting that there's not scads and scads of newly resolved spatial detail there though, much like Die Hard. Peter opined that we were seeing the limits of Super 35 on UHDs like Gladiator but I think we're also seeing 4-perf anamorphic hit a brick wall on some discs. Yes, Sony have smashed it on titles like A Few Good Men but let's be honest: would that wow us as much as it does if it actually had a decently-mastered Blu-ray to go with it all these years, rather than some creaky MPEG-2 relic? The better the Blu-ray then the greater the diminishing returns in terms of sheer spatial resolution that a 4K transfer can offer, though it's ironic that some of the absolute biggest gains seen on recent 35mm remasters compared to decent enough Blu-rays were for 1.85 shows like Starship Troopers and Saving Private Ryan. What that's about I don't know.

I'm not saying that this means the Braveheart UHD is worthless, just look at my Die Hard review: https://forum.blu-ray.com/showthread...w#post15059132, for despite not having a huge advance in resolution these 4K versions bring a tighter, more organic texture with newly-balanced colour and surprisingly impactful HDR and that alone makes them worthwhile for a serial upgrader like myself - but it just goes to show that not all movies are created equal when it comes to worshipping at the altar of the almighty K, the one true home video god! And to think people still say that 8K would be worth it for 4/35, to which I say: Pfffffffffffffffffft.

8K would only be worth it for 8/35 (if 4/35=4K, wouldn't 8/35=8K?), 70mm, and IMAX 15/70. I never thought we'd see the day that you'd start to hit the resolving limits of 35mm negatives, but that appears to be the case.

It is indeed strange that a 1.85:1 film with a smaller negative size than anamorphic 2.40 seems to give bigger gains. I guess it all depends on how the film was shot (film stock, lenses, etc) and how good the existing BD is. With SPR I'm quite shocked that there's as much of a jump up as there is, as the existing disc is already stellar.

I keep reading these posts from Geoffy and others who gush about HDR and wonderful looking grain and I keep kicking myself for not being on the UHD train yet. It calls me..sweetly...I try and resist yet I cannot look away...