Many Warner Bros Movies Have Reverted to HD Instead of 4K on iTunes and in User Movie Libraries [Update]

[Laco Zamba]

Which of these films were really shot and finished in 4K?

 

[4jasontv]

LOL all the people who are all "I don't buy physical media anymore!"

Well, this is what you get -- the thing you "bought" blowing around with the wind of a thousand lawyers and executives.

And even in the best case scenario, you can't sell, loan or give away any of this stuff, which is very much why Sony and Microsoft are so excited about "disc-less" game consoles.

People sell disks? Hmmmm. I wonder what my X Box One collection is worth?

Wow.

I don't want to name drop, but lets just say someone is having "Pizza, Pizza" tonight!

 

[jetjaguar]

As a person who still buys discs, I have the same anxiety.

However, the reality has proven to be quite the opposite. I have known many, many people including myself who have lost physical media due to theft or destruction (kids, hot car, pets, careless handling, bit rot), including two co-workers who lost their entire collections in house fires. On top of that, there's also the other type of loss (as in inability to find where the disc is).

In contrast I don't know a single person who has ever lost a single streaming title. So far every service I'm aware of that has shut down (Target Ticket and Ultraviolet for example) have ensured continuity of access by transferring to a superior service.

Furthermore, I've had dozen or more iTunes purchases upgraded to 4K UHD for free. Where are the free 4K UHD Bluray upgrades for my 1080p Blurays?

Your 1080p blurays most likely a higher video and audio bitrate than the 4k that itunes puts out.

 

[Anonymous Freak]

Officially, Apple only sells as "high quality" or "standard definition". They specifically say that a "high quality" movie will be delivered as "The highest quality format supported by each device will automatically be selected" and "By default, all videos that you can buy or rent in the iTunes Store are available to play back in HD". They don't guarantee 4K at all. Yeah, kind of slimy, but some ass-covering on their part to accommodate crappy studios.

So they only really guarantee "HD".

I have a few Warner movies, but none on this list, so I can't readily test on my AppleTV 4K.

 

[Kabeyun]

Yet another reason to own your content rather than rent it.

 

[velocityg4]

It's sad state of media consumption because disc sales are all time low and hardware manufacturer will eventually stopped making 4K players and disc all together one day. Samsung already stopped making 4K Bluray player.

What? Samsung stopped making 4K Blu Ray players. That's gonna suck when I have to replace mine. I don't buy movies anymore but they make for the best streaming video players.

The home screen is just a simple, no BS, home screen. I just have the streaming services I subscribe to and nothing else. Unlike all the other streaming devices I've tried which clutter up the home screen with a bunch of ads for services I don't want or features I don't need. Most of which are non-removable. The worst being Amazon's Firestick then the Apple TV. Then ROKU putting ads as permanent buttons on the remote.

 

[funkymonkeyboy]

Shocking on Apples part. This sounds like Fraud. Selling something under false pretences. Boycott iTunes Store unless Apple fix this and quickly.

It’s like buying a car with an advertised V6 engine and looking inside to see it’s only got a straight 4 Cylinders.

 

[BF1M]

WB movies have been iffy for a few weeks now. I attempted to purchase The Judge weeks ago during a sale and it kept saying that the content was "Item currently being modified" It was like that for days until WB finally gave me a code to just download the movie.

 

[farewelwilliams]

And THIS is why you should still buy movies on disc -- no one can downgrade your 4K UHD Blu-ray disc.

no thanks. blu ray is going away in the next 5-10 years.

 

[Porco]

This whole situation reminds me of horror films about clowns.

 

[BODYBUILDERPAUL]

And THIS is why you should still buy movies on disc -- no one can downgrade your 4K UHD Blu-ray disc.

The majority of exceptional films are simply NOT available on 4K UHD Blu- Ray disc.

Coming from a media background, you'll find 4K BluRay will be dead in two years. Just look at the total lack of interest from the major hardware manufacturers.

 

[B4U]

And THIS is why you should still buy movies on disc -- no one can downgrade your 4K UHD Blu-ray disc.

(Until a software update disables the functionality...I am looking at Sony disabled the other OS feature on PS3 back in the days)

 

[stoplis]

Here in the UK most of these are still available in 4K HDR. All the Matrix films, Batman V Superman and most of the Harry Potters.
Somethings are missing HP Chamber of Secrets and Deathly Hallows Part 1, X-Men Days of Future Past. I don’t know if this is an indication of it being an error or if the downgrades have reached us yet.

 

[Mabus51]

I’m warning you, WB....I’m American....You touch my Harry Potter or X-MenOFP movies and I’ll sue.

X-Men series is Fox. Yet the whole article discusses WB. Must be a tagging glitch with the 4K flag not showing after the recent iOS/tvOS. Most likely a non issue and will be resolved.

 

[BODYBUILDERPAUL]

As I mentioned on the 9to5 Mac story, this is likely a bug or issue related to the tvOS update and maybe the new Samsung app. It’s too coincidental for it to have happened on the weekend of a major release.

People are so quick to assume that Apple has some kind of malicious intent with these things. Problems occur and as an IT professional I see it first hand.

They will surely all return. Not a single 4K movie that was downgraded has ever not come back eventually.

ABSOLUTELY! People seriously need to get a life outside of film watching. It's simply a glitch that Apple will resolve. They have their image to protect and are a quality company that prides itself on attention to detail. Stop panicking guys. Reports like this lays bring out the 1990s traditional folk who enjoy promoting their old discs whilst listening to their valve amplifiers
Move on guys. Go and have dinner with your friends. Let Apple sort it out - they are rather busy people
[doublepost=1557871799][/doublepost]

Your 1080p blurays most likely a higher video and audio bitrate than the 4k that itunes puts out.

Doesn't make them better though. I KNEW someone would mention bitrates! Don't forget that film starts life as a 12TB file meaning a 50GB file compared to an iTunes 25GB file is still damn compressed!!!

 

[iReality85]

I suspect they will charge extra for 4k v. HD. Paying for 4k downloads does not mean you have the "forever" rights to the 4k version. Read the fine print. You don't own the movie stream, you don't own the software, you don't own internet access, you don't own noth'n.

You have a “forever” right to access when you engage in a buying transaction. Your “forever” access is of course contingent upon the lifespan of the product or service, but at no point does the seller get to substitute your purchased product for another product afterward, especially for a lesser quality product. This goes against the very nature of buyer-seller transactions.

When you buy a movie you are explicitly not renting and not subscribing. In this case, buyers are purchasing the right to view the 4K version of movies, not the HD version. Buyers rightly have a reasonable expectation to view their 4K movies as long as Warner Brothers exists, Apple’s iTunes Movie Store exists, and their user account exists. That is what any court would conclude.

If this not just a momentary glitch, this is a real problem and I suspect lawsuits will be coming.

 

[RigoStar]

Similarly, Apple music is problematic too. I subscribe to Apple music and went to listen to a song I had added to my playlist months ago and received a message stating "this song is no longer available in your region". At least when I rip a CD or download off the 'bay I have that track for life.

Not necessarily. You can add any song to your Library, even if it's not available on Apple Music. Then you can play it anywhere on your Apple Music Library.

 

[Pezboy]

This is why you should always buy a 35mm print of any movie you want to own. They can't downgrade it to 16mm when it's in your projector!

That’s why I always keep an old timey organist Locked in my basement. That way the dang studies can’t change the sheet music on my silent movies.

 

[CWallace]

I suspect they will charge extra for 4k v. HD.

When Apple announced the "complimentary 4K upgrade where available" program with the launch of the Apple TV 4K, Disney refused to join the other studios because they wanted to add a "4K surcharge" (of I believe $5).

The Google Play store adopted the same soon after (beforehand, 4K films were their own, more expensive, tier).

 

[Bniel71403]

Looks like they are returning to normal

 

[MrRabuf]

What? Samsung stopped making 4K Blu Ray players.

https://www.cnet.com/news/samsung-stops-making-blu-ray-players-how-long-will-the-format-last/

Physical media is on its last legs.

 

[CWallace]

In this case, buyers are purchasing the right to view the 4K version of movies, not the HD version.

This is not correct. When Apple added 4K support via the Apple 4K TV, they were quite clear that when you purchased the HD version of the film, you would get a 4K version if it was available. And if a 4K version of a film was released that you had previously purchased in HD, you would be able to stream it in 4K. And any future film you purchased in HD that later became available in 4K would be stream-able in 4K.

So you are explicitly buying an "HD" version of the film, which will be streamed at 720p, 1080p or 2160p (4K) dependent on you having the proper playback equipment to support 4K and the content being available in a 4K format.

 

[Bniel71403]

Looks like they are returning to normal

Almost

Lol

 

[dannyyankou]

Lol, put your pitchforks down everyone

 

[iReality85]

When Apple announced the "complimentary 4K upgrade where available" program with the launch of the Apple TV 4K, Disney refused to join the other studios because they wanted to add a "4K surcharge" (of I believe $5).

The Google Play store adopted the same soon after (beforehand, 4K films were their own, more expensive, tier).

Yeah, this really steams me. Disney refuses to offer any 4K versions of their movies in iTunes Movie Store. Which is unfortunate, because I would love to stream the Marvel movies in 4K.

But sorry Disney, I’m not going to give you money for just HD versions. In my opinion, 4K digital copies are not worth $19.99. Disc, yes. I’ll pay up to $30 for a 4K BD with Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos and which was filmed in actual 4K (not upscaled from HD during post production).
[doublepost=1557872741][/doublepost]

This is not correct. When Apple added 4K support via the Apple 4K TV, they were quite clear that when you purchased the HD version of the film, you would get a 4K version if it was available. And if a 4K version of a film was released that you had previously purchased in HD, you would be able to stream it in 4K. And any future film you purchased in HD that later became available in 4K would be stream-able in 4K.

So you are explicitly buying an "HD" version of the film, which will be streamed at 720p, 1080p or 2160p (4K) dependent on you having the proper playback equipment to support 4K and the content being available in a 4K format.

I can understand that, since they are essentially giving you 4K viewing access for free (based on your original HD purchase). But are people being downgraded who actually bought these in 4K? That’s the way it read, anyway.

EDIT: Seems they’ve fixed the issue.