Is 4K a game changer?

[franken_psycho1990]

Originally Posted by AgentOrange

I love this binary argument.

-You have one side saying it will be a "game changer".
-Other's saying it will be almost nonexistant, or a gimmick like 3D.

Reality seems like it will be somewhere in the middle. It won't be as big as blu-ray sure. Many, many titles will never make the leap to 4K, but it also won't just be relegated to "new releases".

Keep in mind there's already lots stuff that is 4K ready, studios are already building their libraries for 4K, and they will continue to archive and restore their films in 4K where it suits them. It's not just going to be limited to Wizard of Oz and Lawrence of Arabia. If the major studios don't put them out, it wouldn't be surprising for an outfit like Criterion to carry the flag a little bit for some "reference" quality catalog titles as well. Maybe a special order group like Twilight Time might want a piece of the action.

Of course it should also be obvious that the market isn't there for it to be completely mainstream. Look at how much Best Buy has shrunk their media space. Do we think they are going to ramp it back up for 4K? Most likely not. I think a fair amount of catalogue titles will be made available, it's just a matter of through what channels they are sold, at what volumes, and at what price. My guess is the big box stores will stick with mostly the new releases, and only the biggest catalogue titles. Obviously we already see them skipping over many blu-ray releases from store shelves - so it's sort of delusional to think the trend will go in the opposite direction for 4K.

Exactly. Hell, I even heard Warner Bros are scanning the 1966 Batman TV series in 4k... People act like old movies and shows cannot be 4k. If it is on film, Most likely it can be 4k.