4k UHD Blu-ray recommendations

Snake Plisken

Full_Circle_81 wrote: »

Yes but Amazon have always applied the Irish VAT anyway, so I assume they will continue to do so at the checkout stage and avoid any potential An Post admin fees (for items under 150)

I got this via email a few days ago so they'll estimate any import duties if applicable at checkout bit like they do when buying from US

VAT (or the regional equivalent, if applicable, https://www.amazon.co.uk/vatrates) being due in the country of delivery, or your package may be subject to customs duties, taxes and fees (“Import Fees”)
- the collection of VAT, or an estimation of Import Fees (“Import Fee Deposit” https://www.amazon.co.uk/ifd), which may result in a price change at checkout.

sticker

OK - So I have the Lord of the Rings Trilogy on Bluray already and planning to watch them again with my son this Christmas.

Is it honeslty worth the purchase for the 4K version of the box set? Its €85 on Amazon Uk.

sticker

The White Wolf wrote: »

I've been ordering from Zavvi until now. Based in what I've seen locally, the likes of Golden Discs are a rip off.

Are Zavvi quick to deliver - Amazon UK quick?

Are they based in UK?

jh79

sticker wrote: »

OK - So I have the Lord of the Rings Trilogy on Bluray already and planning to watch them again with my son this Christmas.

Is it honeslty worth the purchase for the 4K version of the box set? Its €85 on Amazon Uk.

In my opinion i would say it depends on the size of your TV. Blu Ray up to 55 inches, 4k after that.

sticker

jh79 wrote: »

In my opinion i would say it depends on the size of your TV. Blu Ray up to 55 inches, 4k after that.

I've a 60" using my PS5 4k player. Does the PS5 player rate well with 4k? I've a series S Sony 4k TV

jh79

sticker wrote: »

I've a 60" using my PS5 4k player. Does the PS5 player rate well with 4k? I've a series S Sony 4k TV

Sorry no idea. Haven't got a 4k TV myself. Just know that the TV needs to be at least 55 inches to see the benefit of 4k over Blu.

Falthyron

sticker wrote: »

I've a 60" using my PS5 4k player. Does the PS5 player rate well with 4k? I've a series S Sony 4k TV

Wait for the Middle-Earth Edition coming next year. Many accounts saying the DNR is quite noticeable in these 4K remasters. Some going as far as to suggest that this 4K edition was rushed out for the Xmas period.

sticker

Falthyron wrote: »

Wait for the Middle-Earth Edition coming next year. Many accounts saying the DNR is quite noticeable in these 4K remasters. Some going as far as to suggest that this 4K edition was rushed out for the Xmas period.

Ok cheers.

jh79

sticker wrote: »

Ok cheers.

Found this video on bluray.com forum. These reckon even at 65 inches the difference are subtle and you would need to sit really close.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RodCjVf-5AE

The White Wolf

sticker wrote: »

Are Zavvi quick to deliver - Amazon UK quick?

Are they based in UK?

Reasonably, might take a week but they're up front from the beginning. I believe they are based in the UK.

sticker

jh79 wrote: »

Sorry no idea. Haven't got a 4k TV myself. Just know that the TV needs to be at least 55 inches to see the benefit of 4k over Blu.

Just checked the blu ray of Fellowship and honestly speaking its a bit grainy and sub par for usual blu ray standards... But I think it'll do for my son and I'll pick up the Middle Earth edition as recommended here.

Thanks all.

Big Gerry

jh79 wrote: »

Found this video on bluray.com forum. These reckon even at 65 inches the difference are subtle and you would need to sit really close.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RodCjVf-5AE

That was my whole point.


I would rather see uncompressed 1080p before jumping to 4k.

Jofspring

Have ordered The Matrix boxset from Amazon. First order since Brexit. Will be interesting to see how long it takes to come through and whether VAT is again added when it arrives in. Amazon automatically charge the Irish vat rate when you switch delivery address to Ireland so hopefully it stays like that.

Nearly impossible to find decent boxsets at a reasonable price in Ireland.

Snake Plisken

Jofspring wrote: »

Have ordered The Matrix boxset from Amazon. First order since Brexit. Will be interesting to see how long it takes to come through and whether VAT is again added when it arrives in. Amazon automatically charge the Irish vat rate when you switch delivery address to Ireland so hopefully it stays like that.

Nearly impossible to find decent boxsets at a reasonable price in Ireland.

Keep an eye on Amazon Spain and Italy, they have some good deals from time to time

The White Wolf

I don't know if it's Brexit related but Zavvi's selection seems to be missing a few releases that were available previously in 4k. Bram Stoker's Dracula for example.

Mr Freeze

The White Wolf wrote: »

I don't know if it's Brexit related but Zavvi's selection seems to be missing a few releases that were available previously in 4k. Bram Stoker's Dracula for example.

Its on Zavvi right now in the 3 for 30 pound offer.

Is that supposed to be a good transfer? Worth getting in 4k?

I thinking of getting District 9, maybe Zombieland Double Tap just to see what the IMAX sound mix is like as very few discs have that.
Not sure what 3rd one to get.

The White Wolf

Mr Freeze wrote: »

Its on Zavvi right now in the 3 for 30 pound offer.

Is that supposed to be a good transfer? Worth getting in 4k?

I thinking of getting District 9, maybe Zombieland Double Tap just to see what the IMAX sound mix is like as very few discs have that.
Not sure what 3rd one to get.

Dracula is meant to be pretty class because it's Sony themselves who were looking after that remaster.

The White Wolf

The White Wolf wrote: »

Dracula is meant to be pretty class because it's Sony themselves who were looking after that remaster.

Well I got it and it looks and sounds as good as I expected. Didn't have to touch the volume once and the colours add a new element to an already lush picture. It honestly brought a whole new viewing experience.

Highly recommended.

sticker

Falthyron wrote: »

Wait for the Middle-Earth Edition coming next year. Many accounts saying the DNR is quite noticeable in these 4K remasters. Some going as far as to suggest that this 4K edition was rushed out for the Xmas period.

Sorry for coming back to this - I cant seem to find this newer Middle-Earth Edition edition. Do you mean the steelbook?

https://www.zavvi.ie/blu-ray/the-lord-of-the-rings-trilogy-limited-edition-4k-ultra-hd-steelbook-collection/12706706.html

Big Gerry

I've noticed on a lot of 4k films that the colour scheme of the film is totally different to how it looked on the blu ray version.


Batman 89 is a good example of this.


I wonder do they change the colour scheme deliberately on 4k blu rays just to make them look different ? so they can justify people "upgrading" to 4k ?


One of the things I liked about blu ray was that you generally got the same transfer of the DVD version of a film only better quality.


But with 4k blu ray you generally get a version of a film that has a totally different look compared to the standard blu ray.

The White Wolf

Batman 89 is a good example of a cynical remastering funnily enough and the reviews back that up. The release got criticized in particular for poor choices in changing sound effects.

There's definitely an issue there in cynical 4k releases that's why I try to do my research. For example Evil Dead 2 wouldn't have struck me as an obvious 4k release until I heard good reviews here.

Big Gerry

The White Wolf wrote: »

Batman 89 is a good example of a cynical remastering funnily enough and the reviews back that up. The release got criticized in particular for poor choices in changing sound effects.

There's definitely an issue there in cynical 4k releases that's why I try to do my research. For example Evil Dead 2 wouldn't have struck me as an obvious 4k release until I heard good reviews here.

The Matrix 4k colour scheme also looks totally different to the standard blu ray.


I wonder which is closer to the original look of the film ? the 4k version or the standard blu ray.


With blu rays 24 frames and lossless audio it was suppose to be very close to seeing a move in the cinema. So I would have expected blu ray to have a colour scheme that was as close to the original film as possible.

The White Wolf

The thing that strikes me there, and maybe this is indeed the difference; the picture is better in Blu ray but the people feel better realized in UHD.

Like watching Dracula UHD the first thing I noticed was the characters sweating or their good/bad makeup.

It's a trade off really depending on what you put more precedence in.

Big Gerry

The White Wolf wrote: »

The thing that strikes me there, and maybe this is indeed the difference; the picture is better in Blu ray but the people feel better realized in UHD.

Like watching Dracula UHD the first thing I noticed was the characters sweating or their good/bad makeup.

It's a trade off really depending on what you put more precedence in.

But is the better picture quality down to the transfer or the increase in resolution ?

Snake Plisken

Speaking of the Matrix watched this video about the one that we've watched on BluRay was from a incorrectly done master and the 4K release was the way it is supposed to look as they got the cinematographer in to supervise the new transfer

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KEdgmNZnLs4

Big Gerry

Snake Plisken wrote: »

Speaking of the Matrix watched this video about the one that we've watched on BluRay was from a poorly done master and the 4K release was the way it is supposed to look

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KEdgmNZnLs4

I remember when the Matrix trilogy came out on blu ray it got widespread praise and was considered demo worthy material in terms of showing how good blu rays could look.

Tipsy McSwagger

sticker wrote: »

Sorry for coming back to this - I cant seem to find this newer Middle-Earth Edition edition. Do you mean the steelbook?

https://www.zavvi.ie/blu-ray/the-lord-of-the-rings-trilogy-limited-edition-4k-ultra-hd-steelbook-collection/12706706.html

That was released at the same time as the normal 4K edition, its steel book so was impossible to get. The newer version hasn’t been released yet.

Sad Professor

Films, especially older ones, often don't have a definitive look and even when they do transferring them to different formats will inevitably result in them looking different. It's not as simple as the same just in better resolution or whatever, especially where hdr is concerned. New masters created from negatives have to be colour corrected from scratch and these days that would be done using technology like digital colour grading that didn't exist when the film was released. Not to mention that they being put onto a format that is technically superior to 35mm film projection in many respects. Ideally the dp (when they are still around) should supervise new transfers - directors are not always a good judge of these things.

Early Blu-rays suffered from lazy or revisionist masters too. I suspect hdr is being abused in many cases to create unnatural or excessive contrast similar to how dnr was abused with dvd and blu-ray. Once the novelty of hdr wears off I think we'll see better, more accurate 4k releases.

Big Gerry

Sad Professor wrote: »

Films, especially older ones, often don't have a definitive look and even when they do transferring them to different formats will inevitably result in them looking different. It's not as simple as the same just in better resolution or whatever, especially where hdr is concerned. New masters created from negatives have to be colour corrected from scratch and these days that would be done using technology like digital colour grading that didn't exist when the film was released. Not to mention that they being put onto a format that is technically superior to 35mm film projection in many respects. Ideally the dp (when they are still around) should supervise new transfers - directors are not always a good judge of these things.

Early Blu-rays suffered from lazy or revisionist masters too. I suspect hdr is being abused in many cases to create unnatural or excessive contrast similar to how dnr was abused with dvd and blu-ray. Once the novelty of hdr wears off I think we'll see better, more accurate 4k releases.

Another issue is that film degrades over time so a film that was made 20 or 30 years ago is not going to look the same today as it did when it first came out.


But if a film is shot digitally it should look the same in 50 years time as it does today.

Falthyron

sticker wrote: »

Sorry for coming back to this - I cant seem to find this newer Middle-Earth Edition edition. Do you mean the steelbook?

https://www.zavvi.ie/blu-ray/the-lord-of-the-rings-trilogy-limited-edition-4k-ultra-hd-steelbook-collection/12706706.html

It hasn't been released yet. Here is the article: https://www.slashfilm.com/new-blu-ray-releases-lord-of-the-rings-trilogy/

Key info here:

As a result a 4K UHD “Middle-earth” Ultimate Collectors’ Edition featuring the theatrical and extended versions of both the Lord of the Rings trilogy and The Hobbit trilogy, along with new bonus content, previously released Blu-ray discs of The Hobbit trilogy and remastered Blu-ray discs of The Lord of the Rings trilogy will be released in the summer of 2021. There will also be a release featuring The Lord of the Rings trilogy with remastered Blu-ray discs of the theatrical and extended versions of the 3 films will also be released in the fourth quarter of 2021, to celebrate the 20th anniversary of The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring.

I still can't believe it has been almost 20 years since I first saw The Fellowship of the Ring in a cinema...