The Matrix 4K UHD (1999)

[GenPion]

Originally Posted by bbwiscfan

That media supervisor, that’s just sad.....should be a crime . My brother in law is in our boat with quality, he won’t even touch a DVD. Flat out won’t watch it unless it’s HD. I applaud him.

That’s silly though. Tons of movies on DVD are not even available in HD on Blu-ray. As far as recent releases though, if multiple options exist, I do get that aspect. HD is the way to go.

[Dark Levy]

Just walked into my best buy and found one hidden in the back with the 4k releases. I lucked out!

[IXOYE1989]

Bestbuy.com appears to have removed the listing for this, as the only way to access it is to search for "The Matrix 4K blu-ray best buy" on google which states is "out of stock." But now, both Target.com and Walmart.com have this available for $24.99. Strange that when Bestbuy.com had this, neither Target.com or Walmart.com were showing a listing for it, but once it goes down on BB, the two retailers have their own.

[LordoftheRings]

The Lord Works in Mysterious Ways - YouTube

[VonMagnum]

Originally Posted by LordoftheRings

The Lord Works in Mysterious Ways - YouTube

I think those two are precursors to Agent Smith and company....

Are people getting the UHD version on Vudu now that Vudu has the UHD version available? Mine is still showing as HDX and they want $$$ to upgrade to UHD. I would have thought this was a 4K code for all (shows as 4K on iTunes digital copy).

[LordoftheRings]

Yes, they are the granddaddy of agent Smith's agency.

Then they brought in this young fellow, who is actually agent Smith, when he was a kid.

Blues Brothers (2000): Don't say s*** kid - YouTube

[bbwiscfan]

Originally Posted by GenPion

That’s silly though. Tons of movies on DVD are not even available in HD on Blu-ray. As far as recent releases though, if multiple options exist, I do get that aspect. HD is the way to go.

Lol he’s patient. Not too many he’s waiting for for HD anyway, but it is what it is.

[jh901]

Originally Posted by tyrok

Oh they will make more. It just takes time for them to get and distribute them. The same thing happened with Blade Runner and you can probably bet on it happening again with 2001: A Space Odyssey.

Wish. List.

If 2001 is ever legit on release schedule, then I will order day 1 and just return if it's a hack job.

As for this release, well, I just love the experience of seeing and hearing it in my theater. I wondered, many times, as I went down the front projection/dedicated room rabbit hole if it would worth the investment of time and money. It all feels well worth it and perhaps even essential when screening 4K The Matrix.

[Geoff D]

Originally Posted by chip75

I think it's also a case of studios wanting a physical presence in stores, to the point of promotion, obviously they're not going to make media that doesn't sell, but in a franchise world you can push people in the right direction with catalogue releases (which has always been a staple of home media - re-issue sets and movies to promote new releases). I'm sure there are also consumers that see UHD BDs in stores and then go on-line to purchase them on iTunes or whatever streaming service they roll with.

So we're left with a balancing act where studios will make more from streaming and digital sales than they will with UHD BDs, but they need that presence and they want their DVDs, BDs and UHD BDs topping sales charts.

So while their not making a bundle on UHD BD sales, they're getting their rewards from the new masters by future proofing their libraries for other forms of distrbution.

And yet the indies are still going to the trouble of doing 4K remasters here, there and everywhere at the moment, despite those resulting masters often being exclusive to their own releases and not having any exposure on other platforms, at least not for X amount of years depending on the duration of their licence. They're not releasing them on 4K disc either, true enough, only regular BD but even so: is [insert indie here]'s remastered release of [insert name of cheapy schlock here] really selling the hundreds of thousands of units that people seem to think they're shifting? I'd say no, and yet the indies appear to be doing a roaring trade nonetheless as you can hardly move for all the genre stuff that's being churned out at the moment.

In a roundabout way we're seeing how others are using the TT model to entice people into buying and fronting up enough money first time to make the label's expenditure worthwhile, not by making them limited outright but by putting together a special limited run with a price premium including a booklet, a slip or other added tat, and UHD isn't all that dissimilar, except that UHD itself is the USP rather than the added tat.

[VonMagnum]

4K remastering isn't just for UHD Blu-Rays. Streaming 4K (and later 8K) is the future. There's no getting around the fact that physical media is dying no matter how much people want it to stay. Personally, I hate physical discs except for the fact they can't just be deleted and they generally have higher bit-rates than the streaming versions. I rip/store all 1080p material and lower. I imagine I'd do the same with 4K once it's a simple process and I get more storage (big files). Searching bookshelves of discs when you can just look on a menu screen and watch it anywhere in the house...well the experience is night and day. Discs are so 1983.

[FilmFreakosaurus]

Originally Posted by VonMagnum

4K remastering isn't just for UHD Blu-Rays. Streaming 4K (and later 8K) is the future. There's no getting around the fact that physical media is dying no matter how much people want it to stay. Personally, I hate physical discs except for the fact they can't just be deleted and they generally have higher bit-rates than the streaming versions. I rip/store all 1080p material and lower. I imagine I'd do the same with 4K once it's a simple process and I get more storage (big files). Searching bookshelves of discs when you can just look on a menu screen and watch it anywhere in the house...well the experience is night and day. Discs are so 1983.

Tell yourself that when streaming is all there is and the quality still isn't very good and the prices are through the roof with DRM out the arse.

[chip75]

Physical media might diminish, but it's not going anywhere for the foreseeable future. There are people who just aren't interested (or don't have access to) in using on-line services, they want books, CDs, and their home video products in their hands.

And if you're ripping your media to HDDs then you've still go to store the servers and discs somewhere!

[Vilya]

Originally Posted by VonMagnum

4K remastering isn't just for UHD Blu-Rays. Streaming 4K (and later 8K) is the future. There's no getting around the fact that physical media is dying no matter how much people want it to stay. Personally, I hate physical discs except for the fact they can't just be deleted and they generally have higher bit-rates than the streaming versions. I rip/store all 1080p material and lower. I imagine I'd do the same with 4K once it's a simple process and I get more storage (big files). Searching bookshelves of discs when you can just look on a menu screen and watch it anywhere in the house...well the experience is night and day. Discs are so 1983.

A decline in disc sales does not automatically equate to "physical media is dying". Many products exist quite happily in niche markets.

Disc bitrate averages pretty much always exceed that of a comparable streaming source, nothing "general" about it.

My collection is arranged alphabetically by title. So long as I can remember my ABC's, I can find any title just as quick as I ever could navigating an onscreen menu. Of all the criticisms of owning a disc library, this is the silliest one I have ever encountered.

[VonMagnum]

Originally Posted by FilmFreakosaurus

Tell yourself that when streaming is all there is and the quality still isn't very good and the prices are through the roof with DRM out the arse.

You act like I'm the executive making the decision. Chill out. I buy physical media, but I HATE actually using them. I buy them to rip and keep the disc as a backup (up to 2K at least). Using discs sucks. Period. Garbage menus. Forced previews. Slow loading. FBI warnings up the arse. Blech. Rip, store. Play the movie. No issues. Just waiting for a usable 4K rip setup.

DRM is transparent if you own it. Movies Anywhere has greatly simplified things. I've always had a program to remove DRM from iTunes files. DRM is on physical discs too. The fact it's been broken on 2K...same thing. DRM is DRM.

Look how many BDs have disappeared from Best Buy already. CDs are 99% GONE. You have to order them online. Best Buy told me they're shrinking the BD section big time in the next 6 months so get ready for that "it's not dead" mantra to play in your head at the next seance.

The problem is large companies don't care about small markets. They want BIG money not small sales. Under the current US administration they're going to allow even more larger mergers until Disney pretty much owns every farking thing on Earth. No deals, then! No anything except high prices up the arse. 4K is already a niche market. If you can't get the masses on board, don't count on large quantities at the local markets much longer. Look at laserdisc. Yeah, there were a lot of titles. There weren't a lot of places selling them locally, though.

[Vilya]

I buy virtually all of my discs online and I find plenty of new releases each and every single week. I do not care what Best Buy stocks in their stores; I seldom step foot in one- there's just no reason to do so from my POV.

[LoSouL]

By the time physical media will be truly extinct, so will everything I'm interested in.

I'll be enjoying dementia and rations, with little to no material possessions. In the meantime, I have what I want, how I want.

[cynatnite]

Originally Posted by VonMagnum

4K remastering isn't just for UHD Blu-Rays. Streaming 4K (and later 8K) is the future. There's no getting around the fact that physical media is dying no matter how much people want it to stay. Personally, I hate physical discs except for the fact they can't just be deleted and they generally have higher bit-rates than the streaming versions. I rip/store all 1080p material and lower. I imagine I'd do the same with 4K once it's a simple process and I get more storage (big files). Searching bookshelves of discs when you can just look on a menu screen and watch it anywhere in the house...well the experience is night and day. Discs are so 1983.

If DVD hasn't died by now, physical media won't be going anywhere for some time, if ever.

These "physical media is dying" declarations are ridiculous sometimes.

My cousin ripped all his DVDs and BDs, stored them on his server so he could stream them. He then sold all his physical media. The hard drives and server all crashed a couple of weeks ago. He's still working on trying to get it back up and running.

We do stream and I have ripped some of my physical media, but I will never give up my DVD's and BD's.

[partridge]

There's a view that suggests the real reason for the PS4 Pro not having UHD was to ensure they didn't cannabalise sales of their 4k players. They are not made by the same part of Sony that makes the playstation. In-house competition!

8k, 16k, nope, I don't see either being mainstream in the home in the next decade, if ever. Just my view. It took HD years to become the norm and that was mostly down to a shift in the way TV is broadcas. 4k is niche and will be for a while yet.

I certainly hope digital only isn't around the corner, if it is then there's no point in consumers investing in decent home cinema. Why bother if you're feeding it second best media.

[benji888578]

Originally Posted by IXOYE1989

Bestbuy.com appears to have removed the listing for this, as the only way to access it is to search for "The Matrix 4K blu-ray best buy" on google which states is "out of stock." But now, both Target.com and Walmart.com have this available for $24.99. Strange that when Bestbuy.com had this, neither Target.com or Walmart.com were showing a listing for it, but once it goes down on BB, the two retailers have their own.

Target shows it as out of stock, last week it said it was a "pre-order", but, now it asks to notify when it comes back in stock. If they did get some in, they're gone now.

Originally Posted by Nothing371

The 4K UHD section at my Best Buy just keeps getting bigger and bigger. Also, most of it is on sale this week too. There are four large sectionals on the main wall, more UHDs mixed in with the inner sections of the feature wall, and they are also scattered across the endcaps, the sales shippers, the front boat, and then there is a small display in the television area as well. It's great to see UHDs expanding at this rate. It felt stagnant for most of last year but now its finally hitting its stride.

The smaller Best Buy stores with the smaller media sections consisting of just a couple of aisles still have the same amount of sectionals for 4K UHD which is also a good thing to see. Other media is getting phased out in favor of niche 4K UHD. I mean someone has to give people a little push, right?

Unfortunately when you go to lesser, more casual and mainstream electronics retailers like Target and Walmart, the bourgeoisie is still buying incredible amounts of DVDs, and some blu rays. The BDs have even been scaled back in order to accommodate more DVDs for these peasants. It's a crying shame. Just because Joe Blow hasn't wanted to spend fifty dollars on a blu ray player for the last ten years. People are so resistant to change it's sickening. Even the media supervisor at my flagship Best Buy still buys several DVDs every month. He's so obstinate and stuck in his ways. I'll never understand how someone can be that big of a fan of movies, and the Oscars, and not give a crap about the quality of a visual presentation even in the slightest. These people are everywhere, and they need a push. I don't know why the retailers are being so accommodating to them instead of stocking newer products. The obvious answer is that profit margins must be larger for them on DVDs.

I noticed this about Target, that, soon after you finally see them stocking more blu-rays than DVDs, it slowly has gone back the other way. Sure they have the new releases in blu or UHD blu, but, once those initial supplies are gone, many titles are not restocked or can only find DVD.

...People still don't understand that blu-ray players also play DVDs, and, (something I noticed recently in Target), some brands of the players themselves, with all those symbols on the box for what they play, don't have the DVD symbols on them, not helping.

Some people think upscaled DVDs look just fine.
The general public, many cannot tell the difference between 720p & 1080p, it's all HD, and better than SD, so, .

Broadcast/cable/sat boxes still showing 720p/1080i with 1080p being used only at times, or on-demand. Also, much of the content on broadcast/cable make things worse by fitting everything to the 16x9 aspect ratio, not only cropping, but, reducing PQ by zooming the image to fit, however, people don't notice this, are actually happy the screen is filled, (also, some prefer the wide setting for 4:3 content so it fills the screen, I can't stand to look at stretched people, it really bugs me, I don't get how they're ok with it. Then, even worse, you might have broadcast channels coming through cable/sat box windowboxed, that is, 4:3, but, the content is letterboxed widescreen, it's just left on the wide setting, when they could at least put it on zoom ).

Maybe education would help, show people what happens to PQ when you do this new crop/zoom thing, and what the difference is between 720p/1080i and true 1080p at it's full potential. Even then, though, some people won't care, just want it cheap.

Personally, I wish they would all stop making DVD only players, can't believe you can still buy them, such a waste. No one bothered to market blu-ray players in such a way as to sell it for some of the improvements people might care about: scratch resistant coating not found on DVDs, families would surely love this, and that they play their old DVDs and CDs, and homemade DVD-r CD-r and BD-r discs, they may be smaller points, but, seems like many don't know this, (I would add upscaling, but, most DVD players w/HDMI already have this).

[Geoff D]

Originally Posted by VonMagnum

[snip]

The problem is large companies don't care about small markets.

Which is why, as I keep saying over and over and over and over again, the sales of all these fancy remasters from indie distributors are buoyant while some studios seem to have given up on physical media altogether (*cough* MGM). If you can target that small market and make the numbers work then the opportunity is still there to have physical media be a viable concern, in some ways that's why there's such a glut of this niche stuff (4K, collectables, etc) right now: the margins are so tight that you've got to move on to the next one pretty quick to keep the ball rolling. Jesus, even Paramount looked like they were going to pull the plug as they've been hawking their catalogue distribution rights around for years but now it seems like they're back on track. I mean, Cheech and Chong?!?

For these kinds of niche releases there may be more of a move to buying them on the interwebs rather than picking them up in a store (that's pretty much how this works in the UK now anyway, I'm amazed how many of y'all in the US buy your discs from actual, like, stores), no argument there, but seeing as the interwebs isn't going anywhere and everyone up in here appears to be on it anyway (unless they're posting their thoughts directly via brainwaves!) then it won't be some great hardship to adjust to.

There's still a future there for physical media, it'll just be in a different sales model. Enjoy your vacation from the boards, I hope it's for a few weeks at least to give us some respite.