4K Blu-ray Discs

[thxthx]

Anyone tried out the new Sony released "Mastered In 4K" Blu-ray Discs? What are they like? Are the discs any better than current Blu-rays on a display that is not 4K or is there no benefit unless your display is 4K?

[MyPal]

[esteban]

They are "mastered" from 4K sources, but still very much 1920X1080p. The color space is wider, though, and the bit rate higher. I'm sure they look quite good, but it's mostly marketing hype and an excuse to sell you those new Sony TV's (which under-performed at a recent AVS event compared to Panasonic and Samsung 1080p plasma models).

There is nothing set in stone when it comes to "4K" yet. The name is only used by Sony now, and it is not certain if there will be a new BD format that would be able to support the extra storage needs, even though a new compression codec (h265) has been finalized recently, I believe. You will probably need a new player, HDMI cable, etc.

I am planning to sit this one out.

[doggiehowser]

probably similar to the old superbit DVDs in concept.

That said, wasn't Sony shipping a HDD media player that had bat 10? 20? 4k movies on a HDD with their flagship 4k TV?

[esteban]

From a recent Hi-Def Digest review of the new SPIDERMAN "mastered in 4K" BD:

"Considering how strong the last release was (the 2D version received a 5-star video rating from us) I really wasn't expecting to see any kind of an improvement from this disc -- especially since it's my understanding that the previous version was already mastered in 4K. Though I was a little surprised to discover that the two transfers aren't quite identical looking, for most users, the differences here will be negligible. Yes, the bitrate is technically higher (most scenes hover around the 30s as opposed to the 20s in the last release), but in motion I really could not detect any kind of discernible improvement. With that said, as the included screenshots demonstrate, there actually is an increase in apparent clarity and contrast in this transfer (though it looks like this was likely accomplished through artificial sharpening). It's much more visible in these shots than it is under normal viewing conditions, however, and once again, I want to reiterate that I could not detect any major differences between the two as I switched from source to source on my HDTV (even in fast moving scenes which usually benefit the most from increased bitrates). In fact, it was only after capturing the screenshots that I noticed any differences at all.

With the exception of the small increase in sharpness and contrast and some slight differences in framing, this transfer is virtually identical to the last already reference quality disc."

[esteban]

Originally Posted by doggiehowser

probably similar to the old superbit DVDs in concept.

Exactly!

[MyPal]

There is a higher density quad layer BD format that will handle a native transfer.

[esteban]

Originally Posted by MyPal

There is a higher density quad layer BD format that will handle a native transfer.

Interesting. But has it been set in stone? One would need a new everything all over again, and a big enough display to appreciate the difference. Most of the films I enjoy would never benefit from this... I can see something like STAR TREK 50 looking great that way, but I am personally burn-out and disenchanted with most of today's US cinema... There is also a recent interview with Joe Kane where he explains why "4K" is not really 4K, why it is not the panacea that most people think it is, and why it even crops about 6% of the original frame. A very interesting chat. I'll see if I can find a link...

[MyPal]

Esteban...I basically agree. Yes, you have to throw everything away, new player, new screen, new processor. For what are we to watch? I'm over Avatar.

4K Progressive @ 48fps native, throw in 3D & there you have some serious processing power requirements. I don't think those 1st generation quad layer players are going to be much chop.

I think 8K innovation has the potential to be far more profound, generationally. The editing potential alone will be an immersive experience but we will still need a creative story teller...

[thxthx]

From what I understand, not sure why companies are bothering with 4K? Most consumers still haven't purchased into the Blu-ray market.... And then 8K is coming! Just skip 4K and go to 8K. It's too small a time line to convert people from DVD to Blu-ray, to 4K and then to 8K. They will end up killing it and the technology will die as consumers cannot continue buying new equipment all the time. The general population simply does not have the money to do so, just the enthusiasts. IMO... I don't know???