Upcoming UK Blu-ray Releases

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Just seen a bunch of titles coming soon, mainly uninteresting superhero stuff, in 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray.

Will these discs play on normal blu-ray players or are people going to have to upgrade everything again?

[bizarre_eye@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by Demdike@Cult Labs

Just seen a bunch of titles coming soon, mainly uninteresting superhero stuff, in 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray.

Will these discs play on normal blu-ray players or are people going to have to upgrade everything again?

You'd need to upgrade everything again to play them.

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by bizarre_eye@Cult Labs

You'd need to upgrade everything again to play them.

So will this mean you dump all your blu's and start buying 4K instead?

[J Harker]

I think its the tv thats needs to be 4K compatible rather than the disc player but i might be wrong. Either way i ain't upgrading again. In many cases dvd to blu was a massive jump but past that i don't see the point. My eyes are only so good anyway.

[Demdike@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by J Harker

I think its the tv thats needs to be 4K compatible rather than the disc player but i might be wrong. Either way i ain't upgrading again. In many cases dvd to blu was a massive jump but past that i don't see the point. My eyes are only so good anyway.

I'm uneducated in this subject so this point may be ill informed rubbish, but i can see this additional blu format killing off blu altogether.

Why? Well it doesn't sell as many as dvd at the moment, so to halve that output again between two formats, i can see companies not bothering with 2K or dumping 4K unless it strikes gold immediately.

It could well be blu-ray vs HD all over again.

I have to go out, but look forward to seeing your replies in a couple of hours.

[bizarre_eye@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by Demdike@Cult Labs

So will this mean you dump all your blu's and start buying 4K instead?

Hell no!

It's a format for technophiles and home theatre enthusiasts really. You'd need a pretty large screen to even notice the difference between Blu-ray (2K) and Ultra HD Blu-ray (4K) - unlike DVD->Blu which is a pretty massive jump where the human eye is concerned. The discs are ultra niche retail wise too and with the indie studios often struggling with Blu-ray (let alone Ultra HD) and the physical media market shrinking as streaming becomes the norm for most people, I can't see the format taking off except for a minority of newer big-studio big-budget films and maybe the odd classic that the studios feel worthy of releasing in Ultra HD, but who knows. Some of the new releases are also a little bogus as far as their Ultra HD claims go, as although they may have been released on a Ultra HD disc, they may in fact be scanned in 2K or 4K with after-effects done in 2K.

I for one am happy enough with Blu-ray and DVD though.

As for the 4K technology itself, it will become the norm as gradually standard HD TVs are phased out to be replaced with 4K sets and you will get the benefit of upscaling. As for the players and the discs? I predict another Laserdisc / SACD scenario.

[bizarre_eye@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by J Harker

I think its the tv thats needs to be 4K compatible rather than the disc player but i might be wrong. Either way i ain't upgrading again. In many cases dvd to blu was a massive jump but past that i don't see the point. My eyes are only so good anyway.

You'd also need to buy a new player I'm afraid!

Originally Posted by J Harker

My eyes are only so good anyway.

Exactly. They're already talking about 8K, which is ridiculous really where the human eye is concerned... from a technological standpoint (aeronautics, digital satellite imaging, astrophysics) fair enough but there's no reason why Joe Bloggs needs a 16K TV to replace his 8K one in 10 years time.

Apparently they do offer other benefits as well as increased definition though (colour spacing/definition being the main one apparently), but as I say it's more for the technophiles who relish in the newest and best tech rather than someone likes me who likes to enjoy his films in a good quality presentation at a fair price.

[J Harker]

Originally Posted by bizarre_eye@Cult Labs

Apparently they do offer other benefits as well as increased definition though (colour spacing/definition being the main one apparently), but as I say it's more for the technophiles who relish in the newest and best tech rather than someone likes me who likes to enjoy his films in a good quality presentation at a fair price.

Agreed. While I'd love the latest biggest bestest tech i can't afford it so I'm happy as is. I'm not saying that when the tech does come into my budget i won't consider upgrading but there's no way I'll be replacing all my discs yet again.

[bizarre_eye@Cult Labs]

Originally Posted by Demdike@Cult Labs

I'm uneducated in this subject so this point may be ill informed rubbish, but i can see this additional blu format killing off blu altogether.

Why? Well it doesn't sell as many as dvd at the moment, so to halve that output again between two formats, i can see companies not bothering with 2K or dumping 4K unless it strikes gold immediately.

It could well be blu-ray vs HD all over again.

I have to go out, but look forward to seeing your replies in a couple of hours.

Possibly so to a certain extent. It's already dying a death as the indies in all regions are keeping the format alive. Most of the big studios sub-license to smaller companies so as to avoid the hassle of self-releasing and the associated costs that go with it. Even larger studios such as Warner are either sitting on titles and not releasing them at all, or increasingly diverting them down the Archive release route.

If it wasn't for the indies and their passion for the films/format then home media would pretty much be dead, save for DVD which is generally still the preferred choice by the studios (cheaper to replicate, bigger demand, they make more money per unit) and consumers (cheaper to buy, easier to use/understand, more widely available, more choice of titles).

Now the studios have started investing in Ultra HD BD, we'll probably start to gradually see stand-alone BD or dual format BD/DVD releases disappearing off the shelves for the newer, bigger titles as they instead start to produce triple-format releases with UHD/BD/DVD (and Digital copy) packs instead to cut down on costs and cover all their potential markets, yet probably still release a stand-alone DVD (or at least DVD and Digital Copy) releases as they are dirt cheap to replicate and the demand is still there.

[bizarre_eye@Cult Labs]

Overall, I'm not too bothered by it all though as 99% of my BD/DVD buying lies with the indie companies and I can't see them dipping their toe into Ultra HD waters for a long time (if ever).