4K BluRay: Which film will you buy first?

[varsas]

So I got to thinking about how I would manage the 4K BluRay launch. I think an important factor is that killer film, that film that just seems to belong on that format. DVD had The Matrix, CD had Brothers in Arms, VHS had...porn (so I'm told)...BluRay had...ermmm...Casino Royale I guess?

Anyway, I wonder what it'll be on 4k BluRay? What are you excited to see, what do you think will be your first 4k film? Avengers 2? Jurassic World? Abyss?

I expect my first purchase will be Spectre, and the only film I plan to upgrade from BluRay is Intersellar.

[varsas]

Lord of the Rings and the new Star Wars films is a good shout. No one has done a 4k scan of Terminator 2, in fact the current 2k scan isn't great (the current BluRay's could be improved) so you'd need to do that again, but I believe 4k scans of the others do exist (it's where the BluRay's came from). How much better they'd look than the BluRay would be interesting to see.

I'm a fan of physical media...I still buy most of my music on CD's!

I like the dependability (what if I want to watch...I don't know, Existenz and it's not on amazon prime when I want it?), reliability and quality. Correct me if I'm wrong, but you still can't get lossless audio over the internet, and the video bit rate is way down on what BluRay gives you...streaming can adapt to new video formats faster than digital though, as you say the only way to get 4k at the moment is via streaming so the quality argument is debatable. I also like collecting a library of films!

Obviously you have to rip the music/films so you can have it where you want, but that's prety easy (and legal, at least for now) and actually I think it's more flexible and convenient than streaming. I can watch my rips on my phone on an aeroplane if I want, as far as I know films from apple or whatever are stuck on your apple TV and can't be moved? What if I want to watch my film round a friends house?

On the other hand I absolutly see the 'instant on' thing, just being able to browse for a film when you feel like it must be nice. Different people have different needs, but I'll be a bit sad when physical media does finally dissapear.

Edited by varsas on Tuesday 28th July 18:02

[varsas]

I have a projector as well, so I'm also hoping the increased colour depth and HDR will bring some improvements, it'll mean my PJ can be pushed right up to it's limits, instead of being restricted by the source. For example most displays can accept full 4:4:4 colour at 1080p. This is more colour resolution than you get on a BluRay, and should match what we get on 4k BluRay.

Yes, you're right. I also doubt 'Spectre' will be a luanch title, hopefully it won't take too long to come out.

I have heard the same thing about e-shift projectors improving with a 4k source, and I think it makes sense.

Edited by varsas on Tuesday 28th July 18:59

[varsas]

Frances The Mute said:

OldSkoolRS said:

Frances The Mute said:

I'm looking forward to the audio improvement as much as the visuals - if not more.

What audio improvements are you expecting from 4K discs over current BluRays? Atmos is already available on (a limited number of) discs and DTS:X should start making an appearance on BluRay later this year too. AFAIK they aren't offering higher bitrate audio than now, so I'm not sure there will be any particular audio improvements.

In short, better resolution and more detail. I'm not expecting the sort of jump experienced with DVD > Bluray but I'm expecting an improvement, nevertheless.

A lot of emphasis is (justifiably) put on video performance but the audio is hugely important to me.

I must admit I'm with OldSkoolRS on this one. I thought BluRay already had the capability of perfectly reproducing the studio master track the film was originally mastered with, and that 24bit 192k is a high enough fidelity that you wouldn't notice any improvement beyond it. Anyway, it's only a bitstream so as has been shown with Atmos/DTS headphone tracks etc it can accommodate any further enhancements. Not all discs take advantage of the full quality that can be offered, but that isn't a limitation of the format. I was under the impression that the audio spec. for 4k BluRay was the same as 'standard' BluRay so I think you'll be disappointed.

Edited by varsas on Thursday 30th July 13:29

[varsas]

Yes, I'd rather listen to DD/DTS core on a good amp than HD audio on an average one.

DVD can sound great, sadly most are encoded at 384 or 448 kb/s, which is low enough to make a difference. I have a Corrs DVD which has a 448kb/s DD track and a LPCM (just like a CD) stereo track, switching between them shows the LPCM track to be a bit clearer and sharper. However my 'Girl With the Dragon Tattoo' DVD has a DD track encoded at 640kb/s and that sounds fantastic.

My understanding is DVD's do get a 'softer' mix, more ameinable to downmixing to stereo, while Laserdiscs got the 'full fat' surround mix (they carry a stereo track as well) albeit at 'only' 384kb/s and sound fantastic. I've often wondered what BluRay's get. I wonder if it's a mix; with Skyfall, Oblivion and The Conjuring getting the cinema mix, while Avatar and Avengers Assemble get a softer, flater one (I'm aware I'm in the minority there, the audio on those discs just doesn't grab me). It would be interesting to know.

Edited by varsas on Thursday 30th July 19:15

[varsas]

scovette said:

Blurays should be, and normally are, remastered for sound with a nearfield mix. Sometimes low-budget releases just futz with the compression. If anything was released a straight copy of the cinema mix it would be unlistenable.

How so? (genuine question)

I know cinema's are set to a reference level of 105db, is that why? At home volumes (mine peaks at 85ish db) you wouldn't be able to hear what people are saying, too much dynamic range in a cinema mix?

ETA: Just reading up on this, interesting...

Edited by varsas on Friday 31st July 12:33

[varsas]

We have Genelecs for monitoring at work (various active models), and a friend has some (again, active) for a 5.0 setup. They do sound great. A few times I've found myself in a studio enjoying music I didn't even think I liked, now that's a good speaker!

ETA: For the avoidance of doubt, no I'm not an audio/sound engineer. Just in case you couldn't tell already.

Edited by varsas on Saturday 1st August 11:46