Die Hard 4K UHD (1988)

[ROSS.T.G.]

These people that look a few caps and declair it’s not an upgrade always make me laugh. Have fun with your 11 year old BD.

[RustinCohle]

I’m buying this just to look at the spine of the slipcover on my shelf. Maybe I’ll watch it once or twice down the road..

[MooneyRara]

Originally Posted by ROSS.T.G.

These people that look a few caps and declair it’s not an upgrade always make me laugh. Have fun with your 11 year old BD.

Live Free or Die Hard??

[ROSS.T.G.]

Originally Posted by MooneyRara

Live Free or Die Hard??

Ha, exactly.

[MooneyRara]

Originally Posted by ROSS.T.G.

Ha, exactly.

The math and logic both applied.

[Geoff D]

Originally Posted by deckard82

eeeeeeevery single one, yup.

Aaaaaaand of course I'm kidding. This is in fact the first or possibly the second time I personally made any kind of comment on any 4K release. I just saw the caps on caps-a-holic and then stated my opinion on here, since I do like this movie quite a bit and was hoping it would look better because sooner or later I will indeed switch to 4K I'm sure. Or not. Who knows.

I just thought it's kinda cute that some people are so surprisd that a brand new 4K transfer looks better than a pretty old Blu-ray transfer, is all. I'm German. You're not gonna discriminate me for my bad sense of humor now, are ya? It's a genetic thing.

That's the thing though dude, for those of us who've been using 4K Blu for a good couple of years already (well before these newfangled 'screen caps' were invented, 4K being harder to cap than BD, or at least it was ) we've seen hundreds of discs with our own eyes, with improvements ranging from minor to major and everything in-between, plus the occasional outright clunker.

If people sound surprised that Die Hard looks better than the creaky old Blu-ray it's that some folks weren't expecting some amazing Sony-style slam dunk from it, myself included, but that the caps show some VERY nice retention of HDR highlights (again: it's not all about resolution on this format which you'll get the gist of as you delve deeper into what UHD has to offer) along with beautifully robust colour is cause enough for some people to breathe a sigh of relief, along with what looks like a lovely dusting of grain and a healthy improvement in high-frequency spatial detail. Sony good? Not quite. Better than some of us dared hope? You betcha. Now get outta here with your zany humour, ya Teutonic tearaway!

[ROSS.T.G.]

What’s got me excited about the release aside from the grain is the color. There is some really nice moments with splashes of warmth that older formats couldn’t translate properly.

[Croweyes1121]

Originally Posted by deckard82

aaaah, so you're THAT dude on here. OK, good to know. You know....THAT dude who always has to correct everyone he doesn't agree with.

I’d rather be that dude than the guy who pigeonholes everyone with a dissenting opinion as “that dude”. You’re on a forum. People see things differently. That back and forth is...kind of the whole point of being here.

[Croweyes1121]

Originally Posted by nick4amber

They don't. But equally the "this is amazing" crowd are using every little minute detail from ridiculously zoomed portions and using colours viewed on who knows what displays to justify how much more "accurate" or "natural" it is.

To be fair, I’ve never said this looked “amazing”, but I am strongly encouraged by the new color palette and the contrast. Let’s say my display is completely wrong. Even then, a comparison between how the blu looked and how the UHD looks remains relevant, so long as I’m comparing apples to apples on the same equipment. Once blown out highlights have become visible because of improved contrast. Minute details (in some, albeit not all) shots are seen which could not be seen before. Overall, the new grading is far more nuanced and pleasing, at least to me. I’m not making those things up. Just calling it like I see it. Clearly YMMV.

[deckard82]

Originally Posted by Croweyes1121

I’d rather be that dude than the guy who pigeonholes everyone with a dissenting opinion as “that dude”. You’re on a forum. People see things differently. That back and forth is...kind of the whole point of being here.

relax, dude

[UpsetSmiley]

The UHD is a very nice upgrade, but even still I don't think the 2007 BD is terrible, in the caps alone it holds up quite well. Then again, controversially I feel the same regarding quite a few older blus.

If the BD is how you prefer to watch Die Hard, then so be it. It still looks cool, softer and not nearly as rich or detailed sure, but not bad at all considering its age. I mean, we have more recent films like Boyhood (Universal release) and Baby Driver out on blu which PQ wise, aren't really all that.

I'm deliberating about getting this or waiting for a possible 1-4 boxset. There is no fifth movie, but for some reason I read they're making a sixth? Wha?

[jh901]

Originally Posted by UpsetSmiley

The UHD is a very nice upgrade, but even still I don't think the 2007 BD is terrible, in the caps alone it holds up quite well. Then again, controversially I feel the same regarding quite a few older blus.

There could be any number of reasons why you, or any other member here, aren't willing or able to constructively criticize mediocrity when faced with something much closer to the limits of what is possible. Many of us are enthusiasts who find ourselves on an upgrade path. It's a passion and a pursuit. It's fun and rewarding.

If I think back to how I enjoyed home video 25 or 15 or even 10 or merely 5 years ago, then it's obvious that the experience I enjoy now is simply at a level I couldn't have imagined back then. Importantly, this inconvenient truth doesn't make me feel that the time I spent back then is somehow invalid.

It's ok to be an enthusiast. It's ok to learn from enthusiasts. It's also ok to find SHD unnecessary since DVD was "just fine" (And yes, there are those who believe they care deeply about A/V who feel this way). What isn't ok is to be fooled that DVD is "just fine" for everyone. Same can be said for early era Blu. Or even excellent Blu versus excellent UHD.

[buckeye1]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=12Dtjpt43aQ

[UpsetSmiley]

Originally Posted by jh901

There could be any number of reasons why you, or any other member here, aren't willing or able to constructively criticize mediocrity when faced with something much closer to the limits of what is possible. Many of us are enthusiasts who find ourselves on an upgrade path. It's a passion and a pursuit. It's fun and rewarding.

If I think back to how I enjoyed home video 25 or 15 or even 10 or merely 5 years ago, then it's obvious that the experience I enjoy now is simply at a level I couldn't have imagined back then. Importantly, this inconvenient truth doesn't make me feel that the time I spent back then is somehow invalid.

It's ok to be an enthusiast. It's ok to learn from enthusiasts. It's also ok to find SHD unnecessary since DVD was "just fine" (And yes, there are those who believe they care deeply about A/V who feel this way). What isn't ok is to be fooled that DVD is "just fine" for everyone. Same can be said for early era Blu. Or even excellent Blu versus excellent UHD.

I hear you man, every now and again I think to myself "but it's not quite as good as it could be, is it?" about pretty much anything I do. I'm not celebrating mediocrity, I just want Die Hard to look as good and as authentic to its initial and intended presentation as possible.

I'm just glad and I'm sure you are too, that the UHD is an upgrade rather than the complete opposite. I want and like you expect modern day technology to be utilised as far as it possibly can be. But not to the point where it starts to ignore the source of reference.

On the upside here there appears to be next to no DNR, filtering or revisionism to the picture. I'm not all that good with words but I suppose what I'm trying to say is that it looks pure and better than what we currently have, which is satisfying to me.

[guachi]

Fifteen screen caps on capsaholic and none of them are of Hans Gruber falling off of Nakatomi Plaza?

HOW DO I KNOW IF THIS IS REALLY AN UPGRADE IF I CAN'T SEE THE UHD TERROR ON GRUBER'S FACE AS HE FALLS OFF OF NAKATOMI PLAZA?!?!?

Sure, the color is better. The contrast doesn't blow out the highlights in every scene. But the highlight scene is HANS GRUBER FALLING OFF OF NAKATOMI PLAZA!!!

[rocknblues81]

Originally Posted by buckeye1

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=12Dtjpt43aQ

Since I don't own a 4k anyway, and the streaming will probably not look much better than the blu ray, I'll probably wait until it gets a bit cheaper. So I'll probably cancel my pre-order for now.

[flyry]

I get what some people are saying. Some of us spent thousands of dollars upgrading and want a bit more than "you can read the officer's nametag now!"

[dmollenauer]

I'll be buying every incremental upgrade of this movie. Considering the last purchase was 10 years ago for sub $10, the color improvements alone have sold me. But I see more detail and the blown out highlights on the old disc look terrible.

[Phil92]

Originally Posted by dmollenauer

I'll be buying every incremental upgrade of this movie.

My first upgrade of this movie was the VHS to the Widescreen VHS (oh, that original advert ) and I’ve double dipped on every release ever since. They could rerelease Die Hard and tell me you get 1 extra second of footage and I’d buy it.

[KcMsterpce]

Originally Posted by guachi

Fifteen screen caps on capsaholic and none of them are of Hans Gruber falling off of Nakatomi Plaza?

HOW DO I KNOW IF THIS IS REALLY AN UPGRADE IF I CAN'T SEE THE UHD TERROR ON GRUBER'S FACE AS HE FALLS OFF OF NAKATOMI PLAZA?!?!?

Sure, the color is better. The contrast doesn't blow out the highlights in every scene. But the highlight scene is HANS GRUBER FALLING OFF OF NAKATOMI PLAZA!!!

He DIDN'T GET OUT OF THE KAKADOODY CAR!!!