Comparison: iTunes 4k vs 1080p bluray vs 4k bluray

[JayCar]

Vincent on youtube will likely do a comparison of the new consoles against dedicated UHD players.

How does HDR look in your TV given the lack of support for DV?

I watch a lot of his vids. As a payer of Destiny 2, which implements HDR (Although very poorly), his adjustment guide was great.

As far as HDR and lack of DV support, you'd be hard pressed to tell otherwise. Admittedly I was a bit worried as I have a tendency to hyper focus on visual details however, this picture does not disappoint. Even my wife who is not an AV nerd said "The picture looks great, it's very.. contrasty."

 

[Macalicious2011]

I watch a lot of his vids. As a payer of Destiny 2, which implements HDR (Although very poorly), his adjustment guide was great.

As far as HDR and lack of DV support, you'd be hard pressed to tell otherwise. Admittedly I was a bit worried as I have a tendency to hyper focus on visual details however, this picture does not disappoint. Even my wife who is not an AV nerd said "The picture looks great, it's very.. contrasty."

Yes. Qled TVs are brilliant. However 65 inches, 120hz and complete HDR implementation is requisite or else there is no point in relaxing my 5 year old non-HDR 4k TV.

Image quality is still brilliant and the viewing angles leave nothing to be desired.

Given the wide Dolby Vision support, Samsung could capitulate next year and start supporting DV.

 

[JayCar]

Yes. Qled TVs are brilliant. However 65 inches, 120hz and complete HDR implementation is requisite or else there is no point in relaxing my 5 year old non-HDR 4k TV.

Image quality is still brilliant and the viewing angles leave nothing to be desired.

Given the wide Dolby Vision support, Samsung could capitulate next year and start supporting DV.

I felt the same way and was hesitant to give up my 2016 Samsung QLED 4K HDR as well. The Q80 (and 90) however easily dominate the older Samsung panels. They're 120HZ, 4K (obviously) and HDR, and the blackness levels aren't even close in comparison. Right now at $1499 from Best Buy, its a heck of a deal, especially considering it's less than what I paid for my 2016 model. If your's is 5 years old, there's not a question if the new model would have a better picture in addition to the newer features.

 

[Macalicious2011]

I felt the same way and was hesitant to give up my 2016 Samsung QLED 4K HDR as well. The Q80 (and 90) however easily dominate the older Samsung panels. They're 120HZ, 4K (obviously) and HDR, and the blackness levels aren't even close in comparison. Right now at $1499 from Best Buy, its a heck of a deal, especially considering it's less than what I paid for my 2016 model. If your's is 5 years old, there's not a question if the new model would have a better picture in addition to the newer features.

Interesting that you experienced a big difference.

My TV is 49 inches and I want a 65 inch. A 65 inch CX is 70% more expensive than an equivalent QLED.

Next year will be a great time to buy a new TV as numerous HDMI 2.1 sets will debut along with mini led panels.

Qled with mini LED would be sweet as black levels will be improved while high peak brightness is sustained but at a lower price than OLED.

TV manufacturers know that the new gaming consoles will be major catalysts for people upgrading their TVs. I am expecting prices of both OLEDs and mini led TVs to be very competitive in 2021.

 

[Macalicious2011]

@JayCar
You have made me research QLED and OLED a bit more.

One reason why the latter might not be ideal is because of my bright lounge that has the TV located perpendicular and close to the bay window.

Currently glare is not an issue regardless of where you sit except for sunny mornings when the sun beams straight into the north facing floor to ceiling bay windows. During these situations we keep the curtains closed.

Honestly I didn't know that window glare was troublesome until I started using an external monitor instead of the screen on my 16 inch 2020 MPB. When using the laptop screen I had to close the blinds for the window that's at a 45 degree angle to the desk. However, with the anti reflective external screen i don't need to manage glare and can enjoy the benefit of a bright room.

 

[Duncan-UK]

To be honest if you are doing a comparison on a non HDR 4K TV, you do have to wonder what is the point of this? HDR is just as important as any increase in resolution.

And to make a generalisation that iTunes are better picture wise than UHD discs goes against every other "review" I've ever seen.

As other have said, the UHD disc format offers massively better sustained bit rates plus the uncompromised sound.

So all things being equal the UHD "should" be better than an iTunes 4K stream.

BUT - you then have to factor in the cost of the discs versus the iTunes films. The 4K catalogue on iTunes is hugely more varied than UHD and the price really makes a difference.

For my own purchasing, if its a film I really like, or one where I believe the higher bit rate will make a big difference, then I'll buy a UHD if its available, otherwise I'm happy with a bargain priced iTunes version.

I'd also have to say that the iTunes 4K My Fair Lady looks lovely, and I doubt I'd upgrade that whenever a UHD came out.

 

[Duncan-UK]

I would hold off on the CX. Too many issues. Elevated blacks with DV and HDR being the main issue. It been months and LG has yet to fix that issue. I don't think LG put out a great product in 2020 with these covid issues.

Why would COVID have any impact upon 2020 products? These would have been "locked" from a features and design point of view in 2019 or even 2018. Its the 2021-22 products that will suffer from any supposed COVID issues.

 

[Duncan-UK]

My real problem with 4K is that its so damned expensive to do a proper upgrade. I've used 1080p Home Cinema Projectors for the last 13 years and you get used to a 120 inch screen very easily.

But there's no way I can afford a proper 4K projector and a decent amp to access modern codecs and more importantly switch 4k signals - it would cost me up to £6k at least and I can't justify that. I dont want a half way house solution where the projector does visual tricks to fake a 4k image - can only imagine the fan noise as it does this, let alone the impact of trying to approximate HDR.

Hence I currently watch 4K on a 65 inch LG set, which was the top non-OLED model when it came out. For sound, I use ARC for streaming sources, and DTS-MA/Dolby Tru-HD from UHD. I get a lovely picture - For All Mankind was great, but the screen is still "small". Sadly I don't think I'll ever be able to upgrade the projector system.

Interim solution might be to upgrade the TV to an OLED, v tempted by offers on the 2019 LG 65 inch C set but again, during present uncertainties, I can't justify blowing £1,700 for a marginal improvement. First world problems!!

 

[Macalicious2011]

As other have said, the UHD disc format offers massively better sustained bit rates plus the uncompromised sound.

The guarantee not to be throttled is a huge plus. Other than they Bitrate isn't the end all be all.

Video compression has substantially improved over the years. HVEC for example, offer the same quality as H.264 but at 40-50% smaller file sizes.

Either way I now have 17 UHD bluray movies and will buy more. I look forward to buying a few visually stunning movies and experiencing them on an HDR TV next year.

My real problem with 4K is that its so damned expensive to do a proper upgrade. I've used 1080p Home Cinema Projectors for the last 13 years and you get used to a 120 inch screen very easily.

Yupp, upgrading your home cinema stack can be expensive if some of your devices don't support Atmos, DB or 4k/120hz pass through.

The beer approach is to upgrade bit by bit and try to find nearly new or refurbished bargains to save some money.

 

[Packers1958]

Why would COVID have any impact upon 2020 products? These would have been "locked" from a features and design point of view in 2019 or even 2018. Its the 2021-22 products that will suffer from any supposed COVID issues.

Covid is impacting 2020 products because issues are not getting fixed due to shutdowns. Yes, they were already designed in 2019, but they usually come out with many FW flaws, that usually get corrected after release. The 2020 models were released in the spring of 2020, and many of the FW flaws have yet to be fixed. The bulk of their engineers are now working on the 2021 models and will likely not be as flawed as the 2020 models. In fact, the 2019 LG OLED tvs are better than 2020 models, as they are brighter, and have less near black issues. So if you can find a C9, get that over a CX.

 

[Macalicious2011]

Plot twist: My 5 year old TV has developed a critical fault in the past 24h and will be replaced this weekend.

Three hours ago my partner ordered a 65 inch Sony XH95. Can't wait to experience my UHD movies in HDR.

😍😍😍😍

 

[HDFan]

HDR is just as important as any increase in resolution.

Actually in some cases find it more important. For a lot of movies it is not obvious if they are 1080p or 4K.

Either way I now have 17 UHD bluray movies and will buy more.

If you are in the U.S. now is the time to do it with the Black Friday Sales. A lot of titles have the lowest prices of the year.

Jumanji, Spiderman Away from Home, $9.99

These deals will only last a few days. Normally a "low" price is $14.99.

Best 4K Blu-ray Deals

www.blu-ray.com

 

[phrehdd]

Coco

And see

Best Reference 4k HDR Movies?

Only the first John Wick is full 4K. Guardians II is not, neither is Ready Player One.

forums.macrumors.com

If I recall correctly, at AVSforum, one of their reviewers (Ralph Potts) gives a list yearly of best movies and also movies that are as you want - best video. In fact, his regular reviews of blue ray and UHD include ratings on audio and video quality.

 

[HDFan]

Widescreen Review (paywall) has the most complete reviews I have seen from the technical side with detailed information about the transfer

"photographed digitally and sourced from a 4K master Digital Intermediate format. Picture quality far surpasses the previous 1080p VC-1 Blu-ray picture."

and the filming

"Cinematographer ... used filters in front of the light sources, instead of using red or blue filters on the camera lens, then made an unprecedented decision to bleach-bypass the original negative"

This is from their Pitch Black Review.

Widescreen Review Webzine | Home

www.widescreenreview.com

 

[Packers1958]

Here is a list of 4K UHD discs that use 4K masters.

https://forum.blu-ray.com/showpost.php?p=11594716&postcount=1

 

[max2]

Here is a list of 4K UHD discs that use 4K masters.

https://forum.blu-ray.com/showpost.php?p=11594716&postcount=1

Thank you.

 

[HDFan]

Here is a list of 4K UHD discs that use 4K masters.

Thanks. What we need is sort of a 4K certification, saying that this movie is visually identical to the original 4K (or higher) source. The master isn't going to give that great a quality if the original source isn't that good, or there are lower resolutions in the production chain. For example, from widescreenreview Batman V Superman, which is on the list:

"The range of the image sources used to create Batman v Superman is remarkably varied: Super 16 mm film, Super 35 mm film, 65 mm film (IMAX), 3.4K Arriraw digital, and even GoPro HD digital images. The digital intermediate is 4K, but the images lack the fine detail typically seen when full 4K resolution (or higher) sources are used to create a 4K digital intermediate. The images are grainy at times, most likely they were the scenes shot on 16 mm film. Color is manipulated to produce desaturated images with ugly and depressing greenish and/or orange-y tints."

Have this one so guess I should watch to see how much of this is obvious.

 

[Macalicious2011]

Thanks. What we need is sort of a 4K certification, saying that this movie is visually identical to the original 4K (or higher) source. The master isn't going to give that great a quality if the original source isn't that good, or there are lower resolutions in the production chain. For example, from widescreenreview Batman V Superman, which is on the list:

"The range of the image sources used to create Batman v Superman is remarkably varied: Super 16 mm film, Super 35 mm film, 65 mm film (IMAX), 3.4K Arriraw digital, and even GoPro HD digital images. The digital intermediate is 4K, but the images lack the fine detail typically seen when full 4K resolution (or higher) sources are used to create a 4K digital intermediate. The images are grainy at times, most likely they were the scenes shot on 16 mm film. Color is manipulated to produce desaturated images with ugly and depressing greenish and/or orange-y tints."

Have this one so guess I should watch to see how much of this is obvious.

You hit the nail on the head. A UHD 4k bluray standard would be great.

Although some movies look stunning, there are many with negligible improvements over the 1080p bluray and not worth the £10-15 premium.

 

[Packers1958]

Thanks. What we need is sort of a 4K certification, saying that this movie is visually identical to the original 4K (or higher) source. The master isn't going to give that great a quality if the original source isn't that good, or there are lower resolutions in the production chain. For example, from widescreenreview Batman V Superman, which is on the list:

"The range of the image sources used to create Batman v Superman is remarkably varied: Super 16 mm film, Super 35 mm film, 65 mm film (IMAX), 3.4K Arriraw digital, and even GoPro HD digital images. The digital intermediate is 4K, but the images lack the fine detail typically seen when full 4K resolution (or higher) sources are used to create a 4K digital intermediate. The images are grainy at times, most likely they were the scenes shot on 16 mm film. Color is manipulated to produce desaturated images with ugly and depressing greenish and/or orange-y tints."

Have this one so guess I should watch to see how much of this is obvious.

Click on any of those images in the link and it will give you a review of the movie including 4K quality vs blu ray quality. Also here is another site that will allow you to visually see the difference between UHD and BD disc. https://caps-a-holic.com/index.php?s=UHD

 

[Macalicious2011]

My 65 inch XH95 arrived today. I look forward to comparing iTunes and UHD discs over the coming week.

Having watched a bit of HDR content across disney, netflix and UHD, I have to commend how beautifully setup the TV is.

HDR is gorgeous across all apps. No crushed blacks or blown out highlights. It's a TV for cinema enthusiasts. I have also briefly tried 1080p oblivion on bluray and the up scaling is stunning!

 

[Prorege1]

Bought the Sony UBP-X800M2 4K Ultra earlier this year, it outperforms anything else I tried.
I love the Mama Mia movies, we have an old stone vacation house on Skiathos island where parts of the two movies were made, so watching them on 4K UHD is like coming home....

 

[Packers1958]

My 65 inch XH95 arrived today. I look forward to comparing iTunes and UHD discs over the coming week.

Having watched a bit of HDR content across disney, netflix and UHD, I have to commend how beautifully setup the TV is.

HDR is gorgeous across all apps. No crushed blacks or blown out highlights. It's a TV for cinema enthusiasts. I have also briefly tried 1080p oblivion on bluray and the up scaling is stunning!

View attachment 1682034

It may just be me, but that's not how I watch tv. 🤣 I have the screen facing me.

 

[GrumpyCoder]

It may just be me, but that's not how I watch tv. 🤣 I have the screen facing me.

Not surprising he thinks discs are not better looking than iTunes. 😂

 

[Macalicious2011]

It may just be me, but that's not how I watch tv. 🤣 I have the screen facing me.

Who needs Dolby Atmos when you can enhance sound quality by facing the TV speakers upwards.

 

[Macalicious2011]

For those that don't have a DV capable tv, you really don't know what you are missing.

Yesterday we watched Harry Potter and the Chamber of secrets on UHD Bluray with HDR enabled. Holy Batman!

HDR is simply sensational and the difference eith it disabled is almost night and day as I toggles between the setting on the Xbox.

Colours pop more, highlights are brighter without washing out the image. Simply put, every single scene looked near perfect in lighting, shadows and colours.

For those who will buy a new TV soon, get one that does HDR very well!