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New 4K releases - but are they any good? — Page 3

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Yeah, the reviews have been positive (then again, the BD releases were crap), but I’m always wanting to here what people here have to say. 😃 This place has more purist view of things.

And in the time of greatest despair, there shall come a savior, and he shall be known as the Son of the Suns.

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John_ said:

After months of waiting and several delays, I finally received the 4K Blu-ray of 2001: A Space Odyssey. The set and transfer are absolutely beautiful. Highly recommend for fans of the film and movie lovers in general.

I’m still keeping the original Blu-ray disc because it has PCM audio.

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TiddySprinklesPimpBillion said:

John_ said:

After months of waiting and several delays, I finally received the 4K Blu-ray of 2001: A Space Odyssey. The set and transfer are absolutely beautiful. Highly recommend for fans of the film and movie lovers in general.

I’m still keeping the original Blu-ray disc because it has PCM audio.

But the UHD has that same mix (and the 1968 six-track mix) in lossless DTS-HD, so there’s no difference…? 🤔

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ChainsawAsh said:

TiddySprinklesPimpBillion said:

John_ said:

After months of waiting and several delays, I finally received the 4K Blu-ray of 2001: A Space Odyssey. The set and transfer are absolutely beautiful. Highly recommend for fans of the film and movie lovers in general.

I’m still keeping the original Blu-ray disc because it has PCM audio.

But the UHD has that same mix (and the 1968 six-track mix) in lossless DTS-HD, so there’s no difference…? 🤔

PCM is uncompressed (bitrate really high) and DTS-HD MA is lossless. Yeah the UHD and the Blu-ray disc with it are better.

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Lossless is mathematically identical to uncompressed. That’s why it’s called lossless. There’s zero difference except in file size.

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Burning question I’ve had about 4K BD, in particular, film transfers to the format:

Does HDR better represent the colors in the source material? Or does the HDR process add information that is not in the original film? I.e., is the innovation that the full range of color projected in theaters years ago can finally be captured and presented digitally? Or are we adding information to older films that wasn’t there?

If the latter, I’m inclined to think there is something unsavory, revisionist about the format.

TV’s Frink said:

I would put this in my sig if I weren’t so lazy.

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TiddySprinklesPimpBillion said:

ChainsawAsh said:

Lossless is mathematically identical to uncompressed. That’s why it’s called lossless. There’s zero difference except in file size.

Okay.

So…why keep an old disc around solely for an audio track that’s also included on the new disc in exactly the same level of quality?

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CHEWBAKAspelledwrong said:

Burning question I’ve had about 4K BD, in particular, film transfers to the format:

Does HDR better represent the colors in the source material? Or does the HDR process add information that is not in the original film? I.e., is the innovation that the full range of color projected in theaters years ago can finally be captured and presented digitally? Or are we adding information to older films that wasn’t there?

If the latter, I’m inclined to think there is something unsavory, revisionist about the format.

Very good question that I’ve heard conflicting answers for. I’d be very interested in hearing a knowledgeable individual chime in on this.

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 (Edited)

This quote from Harris suggests it’s the latter:

There seems to be a misunderstanding, at least in online discussions, as to what HDR (High Dynamic Range) actually is… and might not be.

It is NOT an inherent part of the 4K UHD package.

It is in no way necessary toward the enjoyment of 4K, either in the home, or elsewhere.

HDR is an option, much like ordering a different kind of leather of fabric for your new car’s interior.

It’s nothing new – been around for years.

If generally NOT a part of the design of a film, with most HDR entering the picture, no pun intended, during post., e.g. “Wouldn’t it look neat if those flames were really bright orange…”

It’s added the same way that 3D is added in post, to the majority of 3D productions.

It has no relevance to production photography.

It should not be included as a function for classic films, unless the filmmakers have a desire to re-visit, and create a new version, a re-imagining.

It will not work well with most classic films, and can be problematic to those that have needed restoration based upon fade.

Want to see 2001, or Lawrence, Ben-Hur, The Godfather, The Magnificent Seven, or Elvira Madigan in 4K?

No problem.

We’re ready for it, and there’s no reason why those films can’t be released, except those which don’t fit on the current sized discs.

And NONE of them should be released with HDR.

Every UHD release does NOT need HDR, nor should they have it.

If we can clear the airwaves of mis and dis-information regarding HDR, things would be easier.

From https://www.avforums.com/article/forum-topic-should-old-movies-get-hdr-releases.13707

TV’s Frink said:

I would put this in my sig if I weren’t so lazy.

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Interesting. I was very much under the impression that HDR for film-based sources was as you said - capturing a wider spectrum of color than older standards were able, thus replicating a film experience more closely.

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Dumb question, can HDR be turned off?

Forum Moderator

Where were you in '77?

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 (Edited)

Read the last page of the thread. A little depressing.

At least my pocket book is now safer. There were a couple titles that I was considering upgrading for HDR. But knowing this, and firmly believing that 1080p resolution is plenty for home viewing, I’m less inclined to upgrade anything.

I plan to upgrade my hardware in a couple years. OLED and a quality 4K player for proper upscaling. Replacing my LED backlit LCD and entry level BDP with that will do a lot to improve my viewing experience even for regular blu rays.

TV’s Frink said:

I would put this in my sig if I weren’t so lazy.

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It seems that they have ruined the new Bat-releases with new sound effects and teal colors. Damn, that seems to be the biggest blow so far for new 4K releases as those got worse release than the BDs.

And in the time of greatest despair, there shall come a savior, and he shall be known as the Son of the Suns.

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LexX said:

It seems that they have ruined the new Bat-releases with new sound effects and teal colors. Damn, that seems to be the biggest blow so far for new 4K releases as those got worse release than the BDs.

From what I’ve read:

Batman 89 - Incredible transfer for the video. Audio is massively revisionist. Most of the sound effects replaced.

Returns - Great transfer. Some scenes have bluer grading, but it’s not a blanket change. Most people will be happy with it, but obviously this website will not. A couple of effects changes made to the Atmos audio.

Forever (if anyone even cares) - fine transfer, mild HDR improvement . And Robin (if anyone even cares) - fine transfer with fantastic, reference quality HDR .

I’ll probably pick it after a price drop, and maybe seek out a fan edit of 89 with the proper audio. I’ll likely be just fine with it aside from that blunder.

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The Schumacher films got a better result for sure, but what I saw from screenshots of Returns, they were all teal. Yeah, I’ll be upgrading my BD set as well at some point since they will include the BDs anyways, but for a bigger studio movies, the first two got way too much revisionism compared to other 4K releases.

And in the time of greatest despair, there shall come a savior, and he shall be known as the Son of the Suns.

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In case anyone cares about voicing complaints about that Batman 1989 audio to WB:

I appreciate everyone that has sent an email to WB at whv@wb.com and requesting a replacement disc with the original audio mix as an option. Myself and Paul from Batman-Online.com collaborated on article he published yesterday and we’re hoping to at least make some traction. Even if they don’t cave in, at least we’ll let them know for future releases to not overlook mistakes like this. Who knows, maybe they’ll change their minds for the steelbooks or the boxset.

https://www.batman-online.com/features/2019/6/9/batman-89-on-4k-deserves-better

Worth a quick email. It’s unlikely that they’ll do anything, but replacement discs do happen in some cases.

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That’s nice. LOL, I read the email "why@wb.com".

And in the time of greatest despair, there shall come a savior, and he shall be known as the Son of the Suns.

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 (Edited)

Anyone here seen the new LOTR discs? I can’t believe they still couldn’t put the EEs on one disc. Anyways, I watched comparison videos on Youtube and they seem to have been completely recolored. In some scenes it’s not that drastic, but most were very apparent. One color shot was even converted to black and white! Luckily I didn’t put my BDs on sale. If I understood correctly, TE and EE have now same coloring? If so, then that’s your first mistake since they’ve always been colored differently. Very disappointed, excluding the FOTR SEE BD they have had always great and faithful releases until this.

And in the time of greatest despair, there shall come a savior, and he shall be known as the Son of the Suns.