Ultra HD Blue Ray Movies... on iMac Pro or something else?

[Turnpike]

I was just reading about how there is a difference between Blue Ray and Ultra HD Blue Ray, and how even an iMac Pro isn't playing movies at their best quality... I know very little about what's out there and what plays on what, what would my options be to play movies in the highest quality possible, even if it requires a new screen, player, downloads, or DVD's....?

If I can use my 2017 iMac Pro that would be the ideal, but if that won't work, what would? I thought these screens had a 5K capability, and I don't know if that's even the best available.

Is it all about the input device, or is my screen limited, or something else...? What ever I would have to get, whether it's the movie all over again from a different source (instead of my iTunes purchases) or another screen or device, I'm open to it.

Thanks in advance!

 

[HDFan]

You are going to get the best video/audio quality by playing a 4K movie on a receiver/speaker atmos system coupled with an oled or similar quality TV. Content can be supplied by optical disk players, Apple TV's or similar devices, airplayed, etc.

Here are two screen shots. The first is from my Studio display, the 2nd from an LG OLED TV played from an Apple TV.





The differences may not be as dramatic here as they are in person looking at the screens as results are affected by your viewer. The OLED screen stands out with brighter and more accurate colors. Notice the differences where the sun hits her sweater. The thing I most noticed when migrating to 4K was HDR.

 

[AL2TEACH]

If I can use my 2017 iMac Pro

For the love of humanity and all that's holy!!!!! 4k UHD was/is meant for what HDFan stated, you can use a computer but you might as well get the DVD but no way waste your money on the 4k UHD.

You are going to get the best video/audio quality by playing a 4K movie on a receiver/speaker atmos system coupled with an oled or similar quality TV.

 

[Nermal]

you can use a computer but you might as well get the DVD but no way waste your money on the 4k UHD.

I find that response rather baffling. A UHD Blu-ray, at 3840x2160, is going to look much, much better than a DVD at a maximum of 720x576. You may not get all the benefit of UHD, but going all the way back to DVD is overkill.

 

[Macsonic]

I was just reading about how there is a difference between Blue Ray and Ultra HD Blue Ray, and how even an iMac Pro isn't playing movies at their best quality... I know very little about what's out there and what plays on what, what would my options be to play movies in the highest quality possible, even if it requires a new screen, player, downloads, or DVD's....?

If I can use my 2017 iMac Pro that would be the ideal, but if that won't work, what would? I thought these screens had a 5K capability, and I don't know if that's even the best available.

Is it all about the input device, or is my screen limited, or something else...? What ever I would have to get, whether it's the movie all over again from a different source (instead of my iTunes purchases) or another screen or device, I'm open to it.

Thanks in advance!

You can check out 3rd party apps for Mac to play blu-ray or 4K UHD movies on your iMac Pro. You'll also need an external optical blu-ray drive. Note that only specific models of blu-ray drives support 4K UHD. LG and Asus drives have some models that can read 4K UHD.

Below are some 3rd party apps that can play movies. Some functions may need transcoding.

Top 6 Best 4K Video Player for Mac in 2025

It is time of 4K now. What's best 4K video player for Mac in 2025? How to play 4K video files on Mac which is still at 1080p resolution? This article will give you the best answer, go on reading and I will recommend the top 5 picks for you.

www.cisdem.com

I've tried MacGo Blu-Ray software but it's pricey and the downside is you'll need internet connection to make the app work. This player can have direct playback of 1080p movies but does not playback 4K UHD movies. The app also does not have a built-in equalizer to enhance the sound.

Mac Blu-ray Player: Enjoy High-Quality Movies on Your Mac

Easily play Blu-ray discs on any Mac, including MacBook Pro and iMac. Experience high-quality video and audio. Easy-to-use and supports a wide range of discs.

www.macblurayplayer.com

Another app is MakeMKV. This is a transcoder that places the movie into a MKV "container" so you could play the movies from your hard drive. Keep in mind, the movie will take up your HD space. This app was previously discussed in this forum.

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/current-external-uhd-blu-ray-drives-for-making-mkvs.2340874/

MakeMKV has a forum on blu-rays for Macs

MakeMKV for Mac OS X - www.makemkv.com

Best to do some reading specially with 4K UHD and finding the specific optical drives that support 4K UHD.

 

[Turnpike]

Thanks everyone so far... so I'm looking to play my favorite movie in the best home-viewing experience possible (and I don't care at all about sound, I have that covered). The best and most high definition quality... so if I were starting from scratch, what you would suggest?

 

[bobcomer]

Thanks everyone so far... so I'm looking to play my favorite movie in the best home-viewing experience possible (and I don't care at all about sound, I have that covered). The best and most high definition quality... so if I were starting from scratch, what you would suggest?

A good OLED TV.

 

[HobeSoundDarryl]

I believes OPs question was between BR and UBR. BR is 1080p. UBR is 4K (2X resolution in both directions). So if the question is focused on those 2 disc options, UBR > BR. Yes, there are all kinds of other details that could matter too... but resolution is quite visible to anyone on a "spare no expense" screen. In broad strokes, a UBR version is very likely to look superior to a BR version of about any movie.

OP: notches DOWN from disc will be streaming services, mostly because they apply a lot more compression to stream well. Streaming video can look quite good but detail is detail. Objective head to head should generally result in UBR > BR > streaming.

By "I have sound covered," you imply you have a great sound system. If so, BR will generally have better sound than streaming too... including accessibility to audio formats not playable on terrific streaming devices like AppleTV. So if you have a great audio setup and want to push the best quality motion picture sound to it, UBR/BR disc will generally win that contest too.

Bottom line: if you want to watch your favorite movie on the "best viewing experience possible," seek out your favorite movie on a UBR disc and get yourself the best possible 4K-8K TV for the screen. If that movie is not available on a UBR disc, seek out the BR disc (or possibly consider the much more compressed 4K version of a digital file). None of the streaming options will compete if the main criteria is "best home viewing experience" (meaning quality of video). If your definition is about- say- convenience over quality of picture, streaming is generally much more convenient than disc options.

Lastly, if the disc doesn't come with a "digital copy" so you can have both best quality version (on the disc) AND the convenience benefit of the same as a digital version, you can learn to rip your own from the disc and choose whatever quality settings you want. Generally less compression means keeping more picture detail at the expense of bigger file sizes. But the ability to make your own digital copy can facilitate striking a better balance between the extremes of large (file size) movies on disc vs. small (file size) movies from streaming services and digital video stores. Instead of 35GB vs. say 2GB, maybe you optimize for 5-15GB files to preserve more picture detail in the convenience copy of the disc version you might make yourself.

 

[AL2TEACH]

I find that response rather baffling

lol, okay a blu-ray. 4K UHD on a computer screen is overkill.

 

[AL2TEACH]

starting from scratch, what you would suggest?

what bob comer stated but go 65".

A good OLED TV.

 

[arw]

lol, okay a blu-ray. 4K UHD on a computer screen is overkill.

but go 65"

I'd say the complete opposite. From my experience it's much easier to spot the difference/benefit of 4K on a computer screen than on a TV (I took a meter and my MacBook to the local electronic store to test different TV sizes, resolutions and viewing distances).
And scientific data backs that up, given the average viewing distance and the maximum sharpness/resolution a human eye can perceive.
- For a 27" PC monitor 4K makes sense for a distance of 1m or less (definitely the case for most desk users)
- For a 65" TV if you are more than 2,5m away, you can't spot the difference of 4K/non-4K and I suspect most TVs are further away.
IMHO, without knowing the viewing distance, recommending a screen size for 4K is meaningless.
No offense, just adding some additional input.
tv-full-hd-ultra-hd-4k-viewing-distance-guide.10704
why-a-4k-computer-monitor-makes-even-more-sense-than-a-4k-tv

EDIT: I'm not saying to buy a Full-HD TV instead of 4K - I was more referring to the source material. Due to upscaling 1080p content still looks better/smoother on a 4K screen than on a Full-HD screen.
But on my 65" 4K OLED TV I can hardly (if at all) distinguish a Blu-ray from UHD Blu-ray from 2 meters away. Saves me money/disk-space/traffic.

 

[Moonjumper]

I'd say the complete opposite. From my experience it's much easier to spot the difference/benefit of 4K on a computer screen than on a TV (I took a meter and my MacBook to the local electronic store to test different TV sizes, resolutions and viewing distances).
And scientific data backs that up, given the average viewing distance and the maximum sharpness/resolution a human eye can perceive.
- For a 27" PC monitor 4K makes sense for a distance of 1m or less (definitely the case for most desk users)
- For a 65" TV if you are more than 2,5m away, you can't spot the difference of 4K/non-4K and I suspect most TVs are further away.
IMHO, without knowing the viewing distance, recommending a screen size for 4K is meaningless.
No offense, just adding some additional input.
tv-full-hd-ultra-hd-4k-viewing-distance-guide.10704
why-a-4k-computer-monitor-makes-even-more-sense-than-a-4k-tv

EDIT: I'm not saying to buy a Full-HD TV instead of 4K - I was more referring to the source material. Due to upscaling 1080p content still looks better/smoother on a 4K screen than on a Full-HD screen.
But on my 65" 4K OLED TV I can hardly (if at all) distinguish a Blu-ray from UHD Blu-ray from 2 meters away. Saves me money/disk-space/traffic.

That chart is used a lot, but is misquoted, and not all research agrees. It is based on 20/20 vision, which is average vision, not the best vision possible for a human. Therefore it is not the maximum a human eye can perceive. And it is based on visual acuity of 1 arcminute being the smallest angle for perceiving detail, but some research has found higher acuity, particularly in the centre of vision.

However, it is true that most people will not benefit from the increased resolution for their normal viewing habits, but 4K Blu Ray also brings higher dynamic range and a wider colour gamut, and they can make a big difference for the right content.

 

[John099]

Thanks everyone so far... so I'm looking to play my favorite movie in the best home-viewing experience possible (and I don't care at all about sound, I have that covered). The best and most high definition quality... so if I were starting from scratch, what you would suggest?

get an xbox one s used for $120 bucks off facebook marketplace, it plays 4K blueray AND games if you even wanted to to that.

Microsoft Xbox One S Games Console 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Player Review

Does Microsoft's Xbox One S make a good budget 4K UHD Blu-ray player?

www.avforums.com

 

[arw]

That chart is used a lot, but is misquoted, and not all research agrees. It is based on 20/20 vision, which is average vision, not the best vision possible for a human. Therefore it is not the maximum a human eye can perceive. And it is based on visual acuity of 1 arcminute being the smallest angle for perceiving detail, but some research has found higher acuity, particularly in the centre of vision.

However, it is true that most people will not benefit from the increased resolution for their normal viewing habits, but 4K Blu Ray also brings higher dynamic range and a wider colour gamut, and they can make a big difference for the right content.

You're completely right.
My point was solely in regard to the relation of resolution vs. viewing distance.
For illustration purposes, that UHD is not necessarily overkill on a computer screen but if anything, one must move surprisingly close to a TV (for living room conditions) to perceive the same relative sharpness.

 

[HDFan]

From my experience it's much easier to spot the difference/benefit of 4K on a computer screen than on a TV (I took a meter and my MacBook to the local electronic store to test different TV sizes, resolutions and viewing distances).

As you say distance plays a role. Regardless of distance, depending on your eyes, if you know where to look there is more detail in 4K. Notice it on a 65" Oled 13 feet away, particularly on faces - hair, skin blemishes, etc. Or on the Los Angeles screen saver when you can almost see the desks through the skyscraper windows.

 

[Moonjumper]

You're completely right.
My point was solely in regard to the relation of resolution vs. viewing distance.
For illustration purposes, that UHD is not necessarily overkill on a computer screen but if anything, one must move surprisingly close to a TV (for living room conditions) to perceive the same relative sharpness.

Yes, resolution is more important on a monitor. 4K is very nice for a TV, but my 5K iMac sometimes does not feel high enough resolution. I’d love Dell’s 8K 32” monitor if I could afford it.

And another point for the OP: When you get your lovely 4K OLED for watching 4K movies, turn off all image processing features, then try turning them on one at a time to see if the image is improved. Often the features make things worse, such as smoothing out detail. The only thing I have on relates to expanding colours on SDR sources to the capabilities of the TV. This gives upscaled Blu Rays a more vibrant image, although it can look unnatural occasionally, but not often enough to offset the improvement.

 

[AL2TEACH]

From my experience it's much easier to spot the difference/benefit of 4K on a computer screen than on a TV (I took a meter and my MacBook to the local electronic store to test different TV sizes, resolutions and viewing distances).

Lol, I understand what you are saying but I don't think anyone sits and watches a movie/4k UHD with a meter in hand and etc...

without knowing the viewing distance, recommending a screen size for 4K is meaningless.

I sit 10 feet away and think mmmmm should've gone for the 75" instead of the 65" lol. If the OP has room for a large screen then by all means, go large. The OP states because of the audio equipment sound is not an issue so might as well have the tv and enjoy a theater experience.

But on my 65" 4K OLED TV I can hardly (if at all) distinguish a Blu-ray from UHD Blu-ray

That is surely the case with Marvel/Disney discs, lol, those are some lazy transfers. The Matrix discs are great transfers and there are many others. It depends on the transfers. The sound difference could be 5.1 to 7.1 and what Moonjumper stated.

4K Blu Ray also brings higher dynamic range and a wider colour gamut, and they can make a big difference for the right content.

 

[AL2TEACH]

so if I were starting from scratch, what you would suggest?

You wanna give an update?
Or
Is this one of those suggestion questions?
Stay tuned, same bat channel and same bat time (Insert Batman theme song)