Sony "Mastered in 4K" Blu-ray Titles May 14 and July 16

[HeavyHitter]

This is a positive sign that perhaps we'll see more catalog titles from Sony Mi4K next year here in the U.S.

[Dylan34]

Originally Posted by Mansinthe

i doubt you would want to pay the japanese price one boxset is around 215 USD

Yeah, to hell with that!! Ridiculous!

[AgentOrange]

Originally Posted by HeavyHitter

This is a positive sign that perhaps we'll see more catalog titles from Sony Mi4K next year here in the U.S.

4K is supposed to be coming "for real" next year anyway though.

But maybe we'll see a final flush of "mastered in 4K" blu-rays in the 1st half of the year - at least the ones they have just sitting in the pipeline (such as those 3 Japan titles). One would hope once the actual format hits, they won't want to confuse people by continuing the "Mastered in 4K" branding on regular blu-rays.

[Filmmaker]

Originally Posted by HeavyHitter

This is a positive sign that perhaps we'll see more catalog titles from Sony Mi4K next year here in the U.S.

I desperately wish they'd offer one for CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND, which I just showed to my ten year-old son for the first time last weekend. The current transfer has many, many virtues but I'm not a fan of the boosted contrast, which causes the UFO lights to bloom and, thereby, squashes their finer details and causes them to look "pasted" into the real world footage in a way they never did before.

[HeavyHitter]

Originally Posted by Filmmaker

I desperately wish they'd offer one for CLOSE ENCOUNTERS OF THE THIRD KIND, which I just showed to my ten year-old son for the first time last weekend. The current transfer has many, many virtues but I'm not a fan of the boosted contrast, which causes the UFO lights to bloom and, thereby, squashes their finer details and causes them to look "pasted" into the real world footage in a way they never did before.

The last time I recall watching this disc was several years ago and have thought about watching it on my relatively new front projection set-up. I am also curious how well it holds up for an older scan. Contrast boosting was an issue with some of Sony's earlier non-4K titles (as well as other studios to be fair).

[HeavyHitter]

Originally Posted by AgentOrange

4K is supposed to be coming "for real" next year anyway though.

But maybe we'll see a final flush of "mastered in 4K" blu-rays in the 1st half of the year - at least the ones they have just sitting in the pipeline (such as those 3 Japan titles). One would hope once the actual format hits, they won't want to confuse people by continuing the "Mastered in 4K" branding on regular blu-rays.

That's what they say and we'll see. I am not touching anything 4K until the specs are final for the entire 4K chain. I suspect a lot of people are in the same boat. I'm guessing I am two years away from a 4K projector.

I could still see some kind of dual release to capitalize on both fronts with the new 4K format along with a new Blu-ray release for these titles - much in the same way DVDs got new transfers when they were done for Blu-ray. Maybe they even get rid of the branding name of "Mi4K" which still exists but is more silent.

[Geoff D]

Originally Posted by HeavyHitter

The last time I recall watching this disc was several years ago and have thought about watching it on my relatively new front projection set-up. I am also curious how well it holds up for an older scan. Contrast boosting was an issue with some of Sony's earlier non-4K titles (as well as other studios to be fair).

Why not have a look at a few scenes when you get a minute? I'd be interested to know what you think. Filmmaker's right, it's still good but it's not perfect as the contrast runs very hot and it's got a lil' dab of sharpening which makes it look more overtly 'digital' to me, for want of a better word.

[Falaskan]

It seems 4K is being pushed more than 3D. Is 3D being phased out?

[Geoff D]

In terms of broadcast it's dead and TV content providers are switching over to 4K as their next big thing, but for cinema 3D is still very much alive. Shame that Disney are trying to strangle the home 3D market prematurely by not releasing stuff like Maleficent and Frozen on 3D in the US.

[Falaskan]

I may get a 4K tv one day, but I don't wan to give up some of my 3D movies. I only got some of them because they were in 3D. I noticed 4k/3D tvs are much more rare and expensive. We'll see where we're at in a few years.

[StingingVelvet]

Originally Posted by AgentOrange

4K is supposed to be coming "for real" next year anyway though.

But maybe we'll see a final flush of "mastered in 4K" blu-rays in the 1st half of the year - at least the ones they have just sitting in the pipeline (such as those 3 Japan titles). One would hope once the actual format hits, they won't want to confuse people by continuing the "Mastered in 4K" branding on regular blu-rays.

Even if 4k BD is successful it will take years before it's anything but a super niche product. They might as well release Mi4K discs during that time.

[GenPion]

Yeah, a smaller percentage of the 4K HDTV market will include 3D specs. Whenever I can upgrade to 4K, this is a priority consideration for me though. I want one that can do both and at least some good options exist in the market.

[McCrutchy]

Originally Posted by McCrutchy

Japan is getting Hancock, Jerry Maguire and The Tourist on December 24th, 2014, as part of two large collector's boxes. All the other titles (save Lawrence of Arabia) have been released worldwide already:

[Show spoiler]

The newly upgraded titles will be released separately in Japan on January 28th, 2015:

[HD Goofnut]

Originally Posted by McCrutchy

The newly upgraded titles will be released separately in Japan on January 28th, 2015:

[Show spoiler]

The Tourist was already given a 4K DI for the U.S. BD release in 2011.

[Dylan34]

Originally Posted by HD Goofnut

The Tourist was already given a 4K DI for the U.S. BD release in 2011.

Yeah, it sure was but you know this MI4K disc will have a bitrate considerably higher than the 2011 edition. I have the 2011 disc and it looks good enough to me so I won't be getting this MI4K edition I don't think.

[reanimator]

While I think this is good news, we're getting close enough to 4KBD that I can't double-dip on any of these titles.

[tylergfoster]

Still hoping to see Groundhog Day. Funny how one of the first titles I heard had been given a 4K remaster by Sony is still MIA.

[jordanwalkert]

The Tourist? Gosh, they could not have picked a worse title. What. Waste of 4k!

[Geoff D]

Originally Posted by jordanwalkert

The Tourist? Gosh, they could not have picked a worse title. What. Waste of 4k!

The Tourist is rightly regarded as a flop here but it took $210m in foreign ticket sales, and guess which territory provided the biggest slice of that haul? The one that's getting an Mi4K Blu-ray release.

[dvdmike]

Originally Posted by tylergfoster

Still hoping to see Groundhog Day. Funny how one of the first titles I heard had been given a 4K remaster by Sony is still MIA.

Charlies angles full throttle was the first bluray ever struck and no sign of that, Soony