Why so little 4K films on iTunes UK

[-Gonzo-]

They are re releasing them to try make more money.. battleship and lone survivor keeps getting re added as a separate title in 4K hdr but eventually get taken down by Apple I guess..

This is Universal, they do it all the time.
It’s been mentioned in reviews about it in iTunes, I took this screenshot back in February.

 

[BODYBUILDERPAUL]

Yes here in the UK, 2018 has been very quiet for iTunes 4K releases. Not really seeing any older films bumped to 4K this year. Seems to be only mainstream new releases getting the 4K treatment. Not even my 'Moonlight' film which was 4K from the start in the US has been updated.
If Apple can't reach agreements on this, you truly know how bad/unwilling the industry is! 4K BluRay never stood a chance!
I bet in the future, you'll never see 8K film on a TV!

 

[Sakurambo-kun]

I noticed that weird re-listing thing with Labyrinth and The Dark Crystal. I bought both of them years back but neither shows up via siri search anymore. They've been replaced with... themselves. My originals are of course still in my library and they've been upgraded to 4K, but it's still annoying and Apple really shouldn't allow it to happen. It's a poor user experience.

 

[Tech198]

There’s far more available than you’ve posted.
Valerian isn’t 4K in the UK store, I don’t believe there’s any Lionsgate movies that are.
The reason why you may ask, Licensing Licensing Licensing........,

That'll change, they must if they "wanna stay in the game." otherwise , you'd be the only few companies in town left making 1080p movies while everyone else it at 4 and 8k, in the not to distant future.

 

[Sakurambo-kun]

That'll change, they must if they "wanna stay in the game." otherwise , you'd be the only few companies in town left making 1080p movies while everyone else it at 4 and 8k, in the not to distant future.

I wouldn't worry about iTunes lacking "4K" content yet, as virtually all movies are made in 2K (2048x1080 - so only slightly higher than 1080p) anyway and then upscaled. Older movies shot in the pre-digital era can of course be re-scanned in 4K, but if you're looking at a film made within the last 20 years or so, chances are it will be in 2K.

There are exceptions naturally, once in a while a director will prioritise image quality and insist on a 4K digital intermediate, but you can pretty much count the number of movies with those per year on the fingers of one hand.

You can check what resolution a film's DI is on IMDB in the More/Technical Specs section. In the case of Valerian you'll see this -

Runtime 2 hr 17 min (137 min) (USA)
Sound Mix DTS (DTS: X) | Dolby Surround 7.1 | Dolby Atmos | Dolby Digital | SDDS
Color Color
Aspect Ratio 2.35 : 1 (anamorphic)
Camera Arri Alexa XT Plus, Leica Summilux-C, Summicron-C, Fujinon Alura and Angenieux Optimo Lenses
Negative Format Codex
Cinematographic Process ARRIRAW (3.4K) (2.8K) (source format)
Digital Intermediate (2K) (master format)
Dolby Vision
EclairColor
Printed Film Format D-Cinema (also 3-D version)
DCP

That said, iTunes 4K releases (as well of course, UHD discs) will give you HDR and a higher bit-rate, which can make things look nicer despite the lack of a resolution increase.

 

[570934]

I wouldn't worry about iTunes lacking "4K" content yet, as virtually all movies are made in 2K (2048x1080 - so only slightly higher than 1080p) anyway and then upscaled. Older movies shot in the pre-digital era can of course be re-scanned in 4K, but if you're looking at a film made within the last 20 years or so, chances are it will be in 2K.

There are exceptions naturally, once in a while a director will prioritise image quality and insist on a 4K digital intermediate, but you can pretty much count the number of movies with those per year on the fingers of one hand.

You can check what resolution a film's DI is on IMDB in the More/Technical Specs section. In the case of Valerian you'll see this -

Runtime 2 hr 17 min (137 min) (USA)
Sound Mix DTS (DTS: X) | Dolby Surround 7.1 | Dolby Atmos | Dolby Digital | SDDS
Color Color
Aspect Ratio 2.35 : 1 (anamorphic)
Camera Arri Alexa XT Plus, Leica Summilux-C, Summicron-C, Fujinon Alura and Angenieux Optimo Lenses
Negative Format Codex
Cinematographic Process ARRIRAW (3.4K) (2.8K) (source format)
Digital Intermediate (2K) (master format)
Dolby Vision
EclairColor
Printed Film Format D-Cinema (also 3-D version)
DCP

That said, iTunes 4K releases (as well of course, UHD discs) will give you HDR and a higher bit-rate, which can make things look nicer despite the lack of a resolution increase.

The big issue is people aren't see the free upgrades they had when they first launched, and even some (myself included) seeing films being upgraded only to be downgraded back to 1080 a few weeks later. I work in the film/production industry and it's a mixed bag at the moment what is filmed in what. Worked on a low budget film recently with Jonny Vagas and others in which was filmed in 4K with final output planned in 4K. Some big budget movies are now requesting 6K, some 1080.

There's plenty of content out there, but as is being discussed in other threads on here, studios are trying to monetise the upgrading of films, similar to their extra charges for DVD, then 3D, then BR, then back to BR 3D and now streaming 4K content, then it will be the same with 8k. Apple stuck in the middle for sure with licensing.

Meanwhile, end user is none the wiser lol