The Firm 4K UHD (1993)

[Fjodor2000]

blu-ray.com site review is up:

https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/The-F...335493/#Review

This time it seems to be rougly aligned with the opinions in this thread w.r.t. video quality.

[blueman_Richie]

Has anyone directly compared the 4K blu to the 4K stream on itunes etc.? I saw it on itunes a month or so ago when they automatically upgraded it, I thought it looked very good there. I'm curious if the disc compression is at fault here or if I need my eyes checking for thinking the itunes stream looked good?

[rocknblues81]

No slip, blu or bonus stuff.

I'm glad they went all out with this release.

[Doc Samson]

Originally Posted by rocknblues81

No slip, blu or bonus stuff.

I'm glad they went all out with this release.

This has a slip.

But I agree, they really didn't seem to care about this release. No digital code in the Canadian version.

[samlop10]

Originally Posted by Fjodor2000

blu-ray.com site review is up:

https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/The-F...335493/#Review

This time it seems to be rougly aligned with the opinions in this thread w.r.t. video quality.

3.5 for the picture is very generous. The restoration itself looks great, but it’s underneath all those compression errors. The film grain just looks poo poo in Dolby Vision, worse in HDR10.

[Rich86]

I am a huge fan of this movie, have this title on blu-ray, and have this 4k release sitting in my Amazon "wish list". However, having read the review and many of the posts in the forum, the only chance of my purchasing this great title with mediocre 4k video, no included blu-ray and no extras is if it becomes incredibly cheap somewhere (think $10 maybe).

[James Luckard]

Originally Posted by Rich86

I am a huge fan of this movie, have this title on blu-ray, and have this 4k release sitting in my Amazon "wish list". However, having read the review and many of the posts in the forum, the only chance of my purchasing this great title with mediocre 4k video, no included blu-ray and no extras is if it becomes incredibly cheap somewhere (think $10 maybe).

Yep, because of the appalling compression mostly obscuring the new transfer, it's really only a modest upgrade from the BD at best, depending on the scene, and at worst it's actually inferior to the BD, like the scene in the woods that I've mentioned.

[sa5150]

Just got another delay for the Firm 4k from Target , Now july 11 . I was at best buy and they had a stack of them all with perfect slips . I'm annoyed why such a back up for Target and there gonna send a smashed one I all ready know it . 90% of my orders from the Target sale have been all crushed and I spent well over $200.

[iaragorn1]

I've had the 4k Itunes Stream for a while now after buying it on sale; I am tempted to save my money.

[Fjodor2000]

Originally Posted by samlop10

3.5 for the picture is very generous. The restoration itself looks great, but it’s underneath all those compression errors. The film grain just looks poo poo in Dolby Vision, worse in HDR10.

3.5 is a low rating for this site. Most movies get between 4 and 5 rating for the video quality. It’s not like the full range of 1-5 is used in practice, so 3 is not the average, more like 4.5.

The review also mentions the compression issues, the uneven quality, etc, as also discussed in this thread, so that’s taken into consideration. In addition it mentions the good aspects, and that large parts of the movie look better. So a very mixed bag it seems.

[Fjodor2000]

Originally Posted by blueman_Richie

Has anyone directly compared the 4K blu to the 4K stream on itunes etc.? I saw it on itunes a month or so ago when they automatically upgraded it, I thought it looked very good there. I'm curious if the disc compression is at fault here or if I need my eyes checking for thinking the itunes stream looked good?

This I’d like to know too.

How do we know the new 4K master really is a good one to start with? Is there any other distribution such as streaming which uses the same 4K master as base, where the issues mentioned in this thread are not seen?

[iaragorn1]

Originally Posted by Fjodor2000

This I’d like to know too.

How do we know the new 4K master really is a good one to start with? Is there any other distribution such as streaming which uses the same 4K master as base, where the issues mentioned in this thread are not seen?

I don't have the disc but I can say that the ITunes stream has the Gillette seal of approval for that close shave of grain and nice waxy appearance.

[vector72]

Originally Posted by Fjodor2000

This I’d like to know too.

How do we know the new 4K master really is a good one to start with? Is there any other distribution such as streaming which uses the same 4K master as base, where the issues mentioned in this thread are not seen?

It looks decent at times, meaning the master is promising. The digital stream is no different than the disc however. Same Paramount mess, with fluctuating quality. If anything, the disc is marginally better.

[TheDean]

Originally Posted by Doc Samson

This has a slip.

But I agree, they really didn't seem to care about this release. No digital code in the Canadian version.

That is weak of Paramount. Seems to be a way to save some money. By going with Vudu only on catalog 4K releases they only have to do US digital. Unfortunately for them. I buy every Paramount release that comes with an iTunes code. This is now the 7th 4K title I've skipped because of this.

I skipped
The Core 4K
Red Eye 4K
Flashdance 4K
Deep Impact 4K
The Italian Job 4K
The Nutty Professor 4K
The Firm 4K
The Truman Show 4K

I assume it will continue with
Hustle & Flow 4K
Sleepy Hollow 4K

Unless Paramount joins Movies Anywhere, I'll be waiting for a lot of sales.

[lgans316]

To be fair loads of Paramount films have been available for super cheap on various iTunes stores. I never paid pay more than £2.99 / £3.99 / $4.99 for any Paramount digital on iTunes till date and they got auto upgraded to 4K DV.

With Paramount, it is all about quantity over quality these days. Close to half a dozen of them turned 4K DV this month.

[RageATL]

Been waiting on the sidelines with this title still sealed and after reading all the opinions here and seeing the "official" review on BR.com, I think I'm gonna send it back to Amazon and get my money back (I own the previous Blu-ray). I may pick it up again in the future if it goes on sale.

[KobeKittyMeow]

I just received my copy yesterday and all these comments/reviews are quite disappointing but I will be keeping it for the simple fact I don’t have an older version of this movie to fall back on and despite its reviewed shortcomings does seems to be the best that is available. I am sure that it will be better than watching it on cable tv but it’s a shame because when a 4K transfer is done really well, these older movies can look quite stunning.

[Member-222782]

No regrets whatsoever for me with this purchase. I agree with the review where they say the good far outweighs the bad. I can't let inconsistency and unevenness dictate what I add or don't add to the collection. I take the overall experience as a whole and I thoroughly enjoyed revisiting the film via this disc.

[RageATL]

Originally Posted by KobeKittyMeow

I just received my copy yesterday and all these comments/reviews are quite disappointing but I will be keeping it for the simple fact I don’t have an older version of this movie to fall back on and despite its reviewed shortcomings does seems to be the best that is available. I am sure that it will be better than watching it on cable tv but it’s a shame because when a 4K transfer is done really well, these older movies can look quite stunning.

Originally Posted by Cinema84

No regrets whatsoever for me with this purchase. I agree with the review where they say the good far outweighs the bad. I can't let inconsistency and unevenness dictate what I add or don't add to the collection. I take the overall experience as a whole and I thoroughly enjoyed revisiting the film via this disc.

I get it, and while I'm certain this new UHD disc blows away the previous Blu, I already own that disc hence why I'll wait for a sale.

[Pi905]

For those who are interested in getting this, I figured I'd share a little deal I snagged:

Right now, DeepDiscount has this for $19.99, and if you use their current 10% off coupon "DEEDEE", it brings the price to 18 bucks.