The Gamers Arms

So I went and joined the modern world and bought a new TV. It comes tomorrow and naturally I'm quite keen on watching some stuff on it that justifies the spend to myself. Looking for some recommendations either UHD blurays or streaming. I've ordered Planet Earth 2 because of course and I was thinking maybe a Nolan film because as crap as they are they look incredible. I've also heard the Matrix of all things is a good one.

Ironically this past few months Ive mostly been watching stuff from the 60's and earlier so naturally I couldn't resist a new TV because of it! :p

If you've got netflix or prime there's a lot of 4k/hdr stuff on there to watch on your new purchase. Breaking Bad in 4k looks great.

I was walking past a TV shop a while back and they were using Interstellar to demo the high end ones, it looked amazeballs.

There's also the legendary Predator blu ray where everyone looks like polished rubber, might be worth it for the laugh

I didn’t know about that! Carl Weathers wee baby face!

Hatredsheart wrote: ↑

Sun May 30, 2021 9:32 am

If you've got netflix or prime there's a lot of 4k/hdr stuff on there to watch on your new purchase. Breaking Bad in 4k looks great.

I’m sure there’s lots of great looking ones but I’m looking for something that will make me believe in Jebus. Or at least convince the missus I didn’t just waste our dosh enough to not get hit

YouTube is your friend mate, soooo many amazing 4k dodads to enjoy.

A few classics that look great in 4K:

Braveheart
Spartacus
Back to the Future
Star Wars original trilogy (the quality jump is less pronounced on the others)
Top Gun

Indiana Jones is out on 4K soon and I expect that will have had some top tier treatment.

One thing I’d stress is that films that are streamed in 4K often look substantially worse than their disc equivalents due to reduced bitrates. I guess it’s a question of practicality, because you’d need a ludicrous internet connection to stream 4K at the same bitrate as a 4K disc, but I generally only buy 4K films on disc now.

Also worth googling if a film is real 4K or just 2K that’s been upscaled, which is sadly the case for many modern films. Classic films tend to be transferred from the original negatives to 4K, which really makes them pop off the screen. I did read an explanation from an expert as to why 2K upscales aren’t necessarily as bad as they sound, but my general experience of them is that they only look like a modest upgrade from 1080p.

One to avoid is The Matrix, which is a surprisingly awful transfer. Stick with the blu ray.

YouTube

4K walk in Tokyo / New York / London etc

Blade Runner
2001 A Space Odyssey

It's maybe worth mentioning that the UHD version of Blade Runner 2049 will be back on Amazon Prime on the 28th. It's a stunning looking film, and was the first film I wanted to watch again when I got my new audio setup - last time I saw it it was using the TV's built-in speakers. I had to put it on hold though as the only way to watch it would have been to buy the Blu Ray, and when I moved house I basically vowed not to bother with physical media anymore. I can't wait.

thanks for the heads up

if you are looking to get some UHD films on the cheap I recommend Prime. They are selling films for under a tenner. I picked up First Man for £3.50 and Blade Runner 2049 for £5.

As someone who once detested physical libraries I am rebuying my favourite films on physical 4K discs but for some films I am not that fussed if its on disc I am happy to buy it on Prime if they are going cheap.

Its definitely an option !

HMV are having buy 3 for £30 but the choice is OK, not the best

https://store.hmv.com/store/film-tv/4k- ... r-%C2%A330

Here is another, buy 2 for £30, the list is a lot better
https://store.hmv.com/store/hmv-offers/ ... d-2-for-30

Is there much of a discernible difference between a UHD stream and the blu ray in terms of picture and audio quality?

This is your man

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCiuQkr ... PMgQe0FY-A

I have seen 3 films on 4K from physical disc and I can see a difference BUT the jump from 1080p to 4K is a lot more subtle than from DVD to 1080p (going back to SD is really tough. To think DVD was once considered good is funny given how dull the picture looks). Interestingly watching films on 4K can at times feel less rewarding because the picture a lot sharper, so any minor flaws in film are much more noticeable. After watching on 4K it does become difficult going back to Blu Ray but given the extensive movie libraries people may have on Blu Ray I would not recommend updating the library expect for those titles that are your favourite.

Raid wrote: ↑

Tue Aug 31, 2021 6:40 am

Is there much of a discernible difference between a UHD stream and the blu ray in terms of picture and audio quality?

Yes, there can be. It comes down to bitrate, as the throughput of data from a disc is magnitudes more than streaming provides. The Star Wars original trilogy is the best example I’ve seen of disc 4K being overwhelmingly better than streamed 4K.

Achtung Englander wrote: ↑

Tue Aug 31, 2021 9:58 am

This is your man

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCiuQkr ... PMgQe0FY-A

I have seen 3 films on 4K from physical disc and I can see a difference BUT the jump from 1080p to 4K is a lot more subtle than from DVD to 1080p (going back to SD is really tough. To think DVD was once considered good is funny given how dull the picture looks). Interestingly watching films on 4K can at times feel less rewarding because the picture a lot sharper, so any minor flaws in film are much more noticeable. After watching on 4K it does become difficult going back to Blu Ray but given the extensive movie libraries people may have on Blu Ray I would not recommend updating the library expect for those titles that are your favourite.

Luckily I've just got a 4k bluray player that upscales normal br to uhd, I watched both versions of a film on the player (courtesy of a friend) and I genuinely couldn't tell which was the native 4k and which was the upscaled bluray.Got way too many blurays to upgrade them.