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Thread: 4K UHD, Blu-ray or streaming

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    4K UHD, Blu-ray or streaming

    I bought my first 4K TV last month and am really enjoying it. I've watched several classic and recent movies in the higher format recently and gained some new visual perspective on some of them. I have 2001: A Space Odyssey, Blade Runner among others in the UHD Blu-ray format. Those were the first discs I watched and recommend them highly as reference discs if you've updated.

    Thought I'd start this thread to consolidate all the talk of 4K and even beyond, since the upcoming (maybe?) Tokyo Olympics were set to be the first filmed in 8K, and 2001 has already premiered in that format in Japan.

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    2001 is incredible in 4k!

    Unfortunately streaming 4k is still pretty crappy. But a great UHD disc is insane. Most of Nolan's work is really good to watch in that format.

    Oddly enough so is Schindler's List. You literally won't believe the difference with the cinematogrpahy in that film in 4k

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    I've got to say that my experience so far streaming in 4K hasn't been very bad at all. My connection is very fast too, so that helps perhaps. I still prefer physical media for the availability, and the flexibility of the format. I bought Arrow Video's 4K Blu of David Cronenberg's Crash, and it has all of the special features which probably last over 3 hours.

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    I have a fast conenction too. But even though I can get about 30megabytes a sec download speed. Netflix tops out at around 17. Which is low even for 1080p let alone 2160.

    It's passable to look at. But just not great

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    Yup, 4K UHD discs (and the supporting hardware) is where its at. Streaming is hit or miss for me to be honest. Best discs IMHO:

    - Bladerunner 2049 (best combo of sound and video quality- perfect for demoing an AV system)
    - The Revenant (bar none, best picture quality- although it seems to have some fast motion distortion issues during some scenes)
    - Animal Planet II (looks great, with a larger aspect ratio to fill out the screen)
    - Actually the Mad Max FR BRD does a great job of upscaling, best I’ve seen from a BRD. Bought the 4K UHD off Amazon recently and it was a mess, twice (damaged packaging, etc.) Looked slightly better but returned it twice since I didn’t trust where it came from.

    Tenet and Joker seem slightly overrated IMO. The last Star Wars one is great as well. Got a bunch of them and plan on adding a few in the coming months (Soul with TR). Hoping to upgrade the audio this summer, kind of a dork/audiophile for this stuff.

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    SYNOPSIS
    Young Danny Madigan (Austin O'Brien) is a lonely 11-year-old boy who escapes from his bleak reality by watching the action adventure movies of his favorite film character, Jack Slater (Arnold Schwarzenegger). When his best friend, Nick the projectionist, gives him a special ticket to the new Slater film, Danny is magically transported into Jack's world, where the good guys always win. Danny becomes his helper as Jack battles a trio of nefarious bad guys, Benedict (Charles Dance), Vivaldi (Anthony Quinn) and The Ripper (Tom Noonan). But things get out of hand when Benedict steals Danny's magic ticket stub and transports himself into the real world, where crime can, and often does, pay. Jack and Danny must leave fictional Los Angeles for real-life New York and battle the villains without the aid of movie magic or stuntmen.


    DISC DETAILS & BONUS MATERIAL
    4K ULTRA HD DISC
    Newly remastered in 4K resolution from the original camera negative, with HDR10
    All-new Dolby Atmos audio + the original theatrical SDDS mix presented as 5.1 + original theatrical stereo audio
    Audio Commentary with Director John McTiernan
    Deleted & Alternate Scenes (presented in 4K with HDR10)
    Alternate Ending (presented in 4K with HDR10)
    “Big Gun” Music Video by AC/DC
    Original Behind-the-Scenes Featurette
    Theatrical Teaser


    SET ALSO INCLUDES BLU-RAY & DIGITAL


    *From a 2019 SPHE fan poll and over 30,000 responses, LAST ACTION HERO was the most selected movie when participants were asked to choose from a list of possible 4K UHD disc releases.


    CAST AND CREW
    Directed By: John McTiernan
    Story By: Zak Penn & Adam Leff
    Screenplay By: Shane Black & David Arnott
    Producers: Steve Roth and John McTiernan
    Executive Producer: Arnold Schwarzenegger
    Cast: Arnold Schwarzenegger, F. Murray Abraham, Art Carney, Charles Dance, Frank McRae, Tom Noonan, Robert Prosky, Anthony Quinn, Mercedes Ruehl, Austin O’Brien


    SPECS
    Release date: May 18th, 2021
    Run Time: Approx. 131 minutes
    Rating: PG-13 for strong action sequences
    Feature Picture: 2160p Ultra High Definition, 2.39:1
    Feature Audio: English Dolby Atmos (Dolby TrueHD 7.1 Compatible) | English 5.1 DTS-HD MA | English Stereo Surround DTS-HD MA | French (PAR), Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital

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    I should have done this quite a long time ago, but today I decided to redeem the digital copies for all of my Ultraman series/sets that I had purchased throughout the last 3 years.

    And... what do you know? MoveSpree no longer exists! There is apparently a way to access your old digital copies that have already been redeemed, but no matter what I try I get a "your password has expired" message. Of course, there is never a follow-up e-mail with instructions telling me "what to do next" (depsite the website assuring me that I will be receiving something "shortly").

    4K, Blu-ray, DVD, LaserDisc, whatever the case may be, physical will ALWAYS be the way to go. I don't have access to somewhere between 500–1000 episodes and 12–15 movies (digitally) that I had purchased (Ultraman-only).
    Last edited by Jon; 12-06-2022 at 09:33 PM. Reason: TokuSHOUTsu! exists, but it is a standard television channel with no individual control over choice of epsiode, series, etc.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Jon View Post
    4K, Blu-ray, DVD, LaserDisc, whatever the case may be, physical will ALWAYS be the way to go. I don't have access to somewhere between 500–1000 episodes and 12–15 movies (digitally) that I had purchased (Ultraman-only).
    I agree physical is the safest bet. But I think there are pros and cons to all of it. A DVD, 4K, or Blu-ray can break. Someone steps on a disc and it's over for that copy. That can't happen with digital.

    I also love the convivence of digital. Anywhere I go that has a smart tv and I can log into my account and all my movies are there. This is useful for when you are at a friends house or go on vacation. The whole collection goes with you. I'm also much more likely to just pop on a digital movie when I'm doing stuff around the house and I'm not really giving it my full attention but just want to check out a few scenes.

    I think going with a combination of both is best long term. Don't break the bank but, if you can, get a copy on both. A lot of blu-rays come with a digital code now anyways. And some of the ones that don't can be scanned on disc to digital. And MoviesAnywhere has a lot of movies they make available on all platforms so there is less risk of losing a digital copy if one of the companies packs it in.

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    4K UHD is the best

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    Quote Originally Posted by chuckrh View Post
    4K UHD is the best
    Only if you have a fancy 4k TV lol

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    Quote Originally Posted by burnmotherfucker! View Post
    Only if you have a fancy 4k TV lol
    Guilty as charged

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    The new 4K remasters of Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction are fucking fantastic!
    I highly recommend picking them up if you're a fan of those films.
    Seriously, it is a night and day difference, they blow the old Blu-ray transfers out of the water with pristine clarity.

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    I bought a region free Sony bdp-s1700 from 220 electronics on eBay. Feels great now to have an even bigger catalog of releases to choose from. A tip is they sell them on eBay under the account region*free*dvd. Put whatever model you want on the watchlist (I recommend buying a refurbished because everyone I have read posts from say they all look brand new), then wait. Eventually they'll offer you a 20% discount. Got mine for $100. I also don't recommend getting a region free 4k player. It's pointless because most 4k releases are region free, besides a handful. Plus they're pretty expensive and if it dies, you're out a bit of money.

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    Quote Originally Posted by ziltoid View Post
    The new 4K remasters of Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction are fucking fantastic!
    I highly recommend picking them up if you're a fan of those films.
    Seriously, it is a night and day difference, they blow the old Blu-ray transfers out of the water with pristine clarity.
    This would be the third time I've purchased those films. I hate that! I may do it but not highest priority right now. Jackie Brown will probably be the push over the cliff.

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    Quote Originally Posted by burnmotherfucker! View Post
    Only if you have a fancy 4k TV lol
    They have 50–55" TCL (Roku) Smart TVs for under $300. It has just about any app you can think of (including The Criterion Channel). We'll be replacing our 4K Samsung TV because the colors are all wonky (even calibrated), and the app section is severely lacking. We bought the TCL for my son, and I was a little skeptical, but it's turned out to be great!

    EDIT: Also, as long as you have a 4K player, it is possible to play your 4K discs in SDR through your old 1080p TV. The bitrates average out to more than double those of a standard Blu-ray disc.
    Last edited by Jon; 12-08-2022 at 08:59 AM. Reason: Our main TV is a Sony

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    Quote Originally Posted by chuckrh View Post
    This would be the third time I've purchased those films. I hate that! I may do it but not highest priority right now. Jackie Brown will probably be the push over the cliff.
    In my opinion, they are worth triple dipping.
    I haven't checked, but I think all the previous special features are on the 4k release for both. If that's the case, you can always sell your old copies to soften the blow for the new 4k's. Although I do love the DVD case for PF and I kinda want to buy myself a copy to replace the one that I lost years ago.

    I'm hoping Jackie Brown gets the 4k remaster treatment for next year if RD and PF sell well. I also want Django and a better remaster of Inglorious Basterds in 4k.
    IB was mastered using a digital intermediate at 2k even though they could have mastered it in 4K.
    It's a pipe dream but I also hope that Kill Bill The Whole Bloody Affair gets released in 4K.
    Hell, I want all of his films to be released in properly mastered 4K with the optional extended cuts included for the few that has the material for it.

    On another note I hope that eventually Dogma has some sort of rerelease, but with that POS Harvey Wienstien holding the distribution rights we might never get any kind of release for Dogma. Not even digital is available, and rightfully so, because Kevin Smith said he would never pay HW any amount of money to get it released.
    If anyone has a copy, hold on to it dearly because eBay prices for the Blu-ray are f'n ridiculous since it's been out of print for the longest time.

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    Quote Originally Posted by ziltoid View Post
    The new 4K remasters of Reservoir Dogs and Pulp Fiction are fucking fantastic!
    I highly recommend picking them up if you're a fan of those films.
    Seriously, it is a night and day difference, they blow the old Blu-ray transfers out of the water with pristine clarity.
    Seconded! Just got those as well- never had a copy of Reservoir Dogs. Plus the slip cover is cool, heh.

    On a seperate note I think my barely one-year-old Panasonic 4K player may have taken a shit. Switched over after MNF last night and video wouldn’t output. Don’t have time to mess with it until probably Thursday or Friday- could be the player, HDMI cable, or the input of the receiver. FUCK.

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    Quote Originally Posted by ziltoid View Post
    If anyone has a copy, hold on to it dearly because eBay prices for the Blu-ray are f'n ridiculous since it's been out of print for the longest time.
    I have a VHS copy!
    Does that count...?

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    Quote Originally Posted by Krazy View Post
    Seconded! Just got those as well- never had a copy of Reservoir Dogs. Plus the slip cover is cool, heh.

    On a seperate note I think my barely one-year-old Panasonic 4K player may have taken a shit. Switched over after MNF last night and video wouldn’t output. Don’t have time to mess with it until probably Thursday or Friday- could be the player, HDMI cable, or the input of the receiver. FUCK.
    I've had bad luck with Panasonic & Samsung stuff. Stuff died right after the warranty expired. I try to stick with Sony as their stuff lasts a long time. A friend did give me a LG 4K player that has worked well for quite awhile.

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    Quote Originally Posted by chuckrh View Post
    I've had bad luck with Panasonic & Samsung stuff. Stuff died right after the warranty expired. I try to stick with Sony as their stuff lasts a long time. A friend did give me a LG 4K player that has worked well for quite awhile.
    Those are the brands I stick with as well. Had a Sony blu ray player and gave it to a family member then I got an LG. My TV is also LG and is about 13 years old and still looks so good I don't want to bother yet with getting a 4k because of how good streaming content looks on mine. When I do upgrade I'll hopefully have time to save up and I'll probably get an LG OLED. If it ain't broke, don't fix it I say.

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    Quote Originally Posted by burnmotherfucker! View Post
    Those are the brands I stick with as well. Had a Sony blu ray player and gave it to a family member then I got an LG. My TV is also LG and is about 13 years old and still looks so good I don't want to bother yet with getting a 4k because of how good streaming content looks on mine. When I do upgrade I'll hopefully have time to save up and I'll probably get an LG OLED. If it ain't broke, don't fix it I say.
    That's what I say, too. The exception was when I got a bunch of gift cards for Best Buy from my employer & it was enough to upgrade to a somewhat bigger Sony Bravia UHD tv with no cost to me. Went from 40" to 50". Bigger than that would tend to overwhelm the room.

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    Quote Originally Posted by chuckrh View Post
    I've had bad luck with Panasonic & Samsung stuff. Stuff died right after the warranty expired. I try to stick with Sony as their stuff lasts a long time. A friend did give me a LG 4K player that has worked well for quite awhile.
    On a work trip, and had my wife check it last night and… all was well!

    I agree with what @burnmotherfucker! above. Physical stuff is the- but shit breaks, things get scratched, etc. Stuff like this is an expensive hobby so enjoy it while you can.

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