Samsung Quits 4K Blu-ray Player Market

[StingingVelvet]

Originally Posted by cgpublic

You make a number of good points specific to film/movies, but to me it's going to come down to which services offer the best-looking content for 8K TVs, and how do we get there?

...

The future is going to less focused on movies, and far greater focus will be placed on original flagship programming from the respective players, Apple, Amazon, Disney, Netflix and Warner Media, along with the major sports entities.

I doubt TV shows are gonna have the budget or time to master in 8k either. Maybe some rare ones if Apple wants to make a point of it, but meh. I would love to see some 8k demo content like say Planet Earth 3 though, sure. However even Planet Earth 2 is a mix of 4k and much lower quality. I just think we're many years away from 8k being a "thing" outside of demo reels.

Also I really only care about movies, so Apple could make a bunch of serialized TV shows in 16k and I wouldn't care, honestly.

Originally Posted by Canada

Digital Bits: This isn't anything to do with Samsung. But it is streaming/downloads. This is both good news and bad news: Sony has recently made Sir David Lean’s Lawrence of Arabia available in 4K... as a digital exclusive (on iTunes, Amazon Prime, and elsewhere). To which we reply: WHAT THE HELL?! The download reportedly doesn’t have HDR, but so what? Sony... what the hell are you waiting for?!

From what I've read the 4k Lawrence on streaming is not only SDR but also 8-bit color, so it's basically the BD master but less downscaled. I'd imagine that limitation is one thing keeping it off disc. Reminds me of when I watched Heat in 4k HDR during my time with the AppleTV... it basically looked identical to the Blu-ray, the HDR grade was almost non-existant.

There's some 4k HDR stuff that's only on streaming because the movie bombed or whatever, they don't see sales potential, but I think there are others that are only on streaming because they're not worthy of being on disc yet. Could say that about the Bond remasters too, which lack HDR.

[Geoff D]

Originally Posted by DJR662

4K doesn't need DV in particular to look spectacular.

4K doesn't even need 4K rez to look spectacular which is what makes the whole 8K thing so pointless. HDR is the thing that sets UHD apart and there are ZERO advancements in that field which 8K as an actual technology will bring. We will see 8K TVs in the next few years that have higher peak brightness, fuller gamut coverage and thus wider colour volume than what we have now, but that would be happening with 4K TVs too - the '8K' part is purely coincidental simply because that's what large panel manufacturing will be focused on by default in a few year's time.

I've said it before and will say it again that there will be 8K content over streaming, those services are in a position to demand 4K finishes for their in-house work (some 6K stuff has already been done) and I can envision that outlook being scaled up (but not upscaled ) to 8K finishing in due course. But I couldn't really GAF about TV shows any more, movies are waaaaaay behind that curve and will be for many years yet. Even 8K remasters of older movies would be beyond pointless for 99% of them, not having been shot on large format.

Sports, on the other hand, I'd love to see in 8K HDR HFR 120p, but seeing as all the broadcasters in the West just want to use that increasing bandwidth to push ever increasing amounts of poorly compressed regular quality channels then we're getting nowhere fast. 8K? Meh.

[frank_t]

Originally Posted by kcgr

maybe I'm an outlier:
main room: C6 OLED with phillips 7503
bedroom: c7 with sammy k8500

that C6 OLED is excellent! i have two of the 65” models - bought the second last week (barely used, pristine condition). the 3D is stellar on that set

my Oppo bdp-203 rarely sees use. that’s because i rip all my physical media to my NAS (in excess of 60TB) and stream it to any display/device i use, and globally when i travel.

don’t need the players. want the physical media becuase it is the only current vehicle to deliver the highest quality A/V, and once rip’d to the NAS, is freed from constraints.

[McGarnigal]

this is depressing

[IdeaOfEvil]

So, if I'm still needing to buy my first 4k player, should I be scrambling to get a Samsung player while they're available (and not end up having to pay Oppo prices on the secondary market in the future), or were they crappy to begin with and I should get another brand?

[Brian81]

I would not say 4K is pushing. There was plenty to gain there. I would argue 8K would have some amount of gain as well (not anywhere as much, though) depending on the film + if you are doing projection. Would it be enough to justify an industry tech changeover? That is a better question.

[Brian81]

Originally Posted by IdeaOfEvil

So, if I'm still needing to buy my first 4k player, should I be scrambling to get a Samsung player while they're available (and not end up having to pay Oppo prices on the secondary market in the future), or were they crappy to begin with and I should get another brand?

Oppo and Panasonic are/were the popular brands

[JoeDeM]

Originally Posted by IdeaOfEvil

So, if I'm still needing to buy my first 4k player, should I be scrambling to get a Samsung player while they're available (and not end up having to pay Oppo prices on the secondary market in the future), or were they crappy to begin with and I should get another brand?

I wouldn't scramble to get a samsung, you could end up with a player that doesn't get any updates, and they will never command OPPO prices, more like garage sale prices

[bruceames]

I don't know, I've read some impressive reviews of the 8K sets out there. I think it's a little presumptuous to assume you won't see a difference unless your nose is 3 feet from the display. Many people were skeptical about 4K too.

[JoeDeM]

Originally Posted by bruceames

I don't know, I've read some impressive reviews of the 8K sets out there. I think it's a little presumptuous to assume you won't see a difference unless your nose is 3 feet from the display. Many people were skeptical about 4K too.

I've seen them in person, and they do look impressive, but they were running 8k material on them, and again they were in larger sizes, not your typical home size. There's no doubt that they will have a trickle down effect as production switches to 8k just like 4k has.

[bruceames]

Originally Posted by JoeDeM

I've seen them in person, and they do look impressive, but they were running 8k material on them, and again they were in larger sizes, not your typical home size. There's no doubt that they will have a trickle down effect as production switches to 8k just like 4k has.

Really looking forward to getting one. My update cycle has me getting one in about 2 years, which hopefully will see prices fall enough to afford a 75" (or larger) size. Curious to see the improvements in upscaling, color, brightness, HDR, and especially depth perception. Of course and 8K content too when it's available. And maybe a manufacturer will even throw in 3D just for shits and giggles and I would be soo all over it. I mean someone would have to be aware of the sales potential for such pent-up demand (3D).

[ROSS.T.G.]

I’m a bit surprised Samsung’s pulling out this soon but when I see how many stores support physical media in Canada it was bound to happen. Even Amazon.ca seems to be pulling back a little. More and more 4K’s don’t get a release at all or don’t arrive for months. I don’t know anyone who still buys discs. It’s too bad.

[Geoff D]

Originally Posted by bruceames

I don't know, I've read some impressive reviews of the 8K sets out there. I think it's a little presumptuous to assume you won't see a difference unless your nose is 3 feet from the display. Many people were skeptical about 4K too.

Again: I'm not saying that the sets themselves won't be good. I'm saying that TV tech regarding everything else AS WELL as spatial resolution is advancing at a pace, so it follows that a high end 8K set will look bloody good just as a high end 4K set with all the same tech will look bloody good. If people want to dribble over specially shot showroom content as far as 8K itself being some amazing breakthrough then that's fine, that's the time honoured practice of how TVs are sold. And yes, I KNOW people said the same thing about 4K but seeing as some people still regard 4K as snake oil then I fail to see how they're going to be convinced that 8K is anything better.

[David M]

Originally Posted by Canada

Digital Bits: This isn't anything to do with Samsung. But it is streaming/downloads. This is both good news and bad news: Sony has recently made Sir David Lean’s Lawrence of Arabia available in 4K... as a digital exclusive (on iTunes, Amazon Prime, and elsewhere). To which we reply: WHAT THE HELL?! The download reportedly doesn’t have HDR, but so what? Sony... what the hell are you waiting for?!

The answer is right there in Bill's text. The download version doesn't have HDR. Can you imagine the response to them releasing a premium version on disc in Rec.709?

Online, they can replace the stream with the HDR version - once it's ready. For disc, it makes sense for them to wait and release the best version.

[Agent Kay]

LoA was on the Sony service years ago.....
Bill with the scoop that proves his click bait again

[littlepooch21]

Originally Posted by bruceames

Really looking forward to getting one. My update cycle has me getting one in about 2 years, which hopefully will see prices fall enough to afford a 75" (or larger) size. Curious to see the improvements in upscaling, color, brightness, HDR, and especially depth perception. Of course and 8K content too when it's available. And maybe a manufacturer will even throw in 3D just for shits and giggles and I would be soo all over it. I mean someone would have to be aware of the sales potential for such pent-up demand (3D).

how often do you normally upgrade you tv's?

[Fendergopher]

Having seen one of those Samsung 8K displays in person, I have to say the upscaling artifacts were incredibly noticeable. Areas with more uniform color looked terrible, like a bad streaming signal with macroblocking-like artifacts. I know it's still early years for 8K displays and maybe it was improperly set up or something, but color me unimpressed so far.

[Bourne1886]

I think 8k is pointless at this stage. I think manufacturers and studios need to concentrate on 4k and make that the best it can be in regards to tv’s, players and discs. There are still so many issues at the mo. Samsung can’t get tv’s right or Blu-ray players. I’ve got a Samsung 4k tv but it’s not perfect.

I don’t think running before they can walk will help anything. Look at the jump in quality from dvd to Blu Ray, that was big, Blu-ray to 4k not so much. The HDR and WCG is the biggest improvement in my book. 4k to 8k I personally don’t think will be as big a jump in sharpness and quality. I could be wrong though! Lol.

[trevrox]

Oh well... I still have my K8500 that I got on release day. Until I get a TV that has Dolby Vision it's perfect for me.

[HDTV1080P]

QUOTE


"Samsung is stopping production of 1080p and 4K Blu-ray Disc players for the United States market – leaving Sony and Panasonic as the lone CE manufacturers supporting the next-generation packaged media format."


https://www.mediaplaynews.com/samsun...er-production/