Ultra-HD Blu-ray revealed by replication manufacturer

[Lyris]

Surprisingly, they're using 100gb discs - I thought they'd stick with 50 for the ease of manufacturing. Great news that the higher quality route's been taken:

http://www.hdtvtest.co.uk/news/4k-bluray-201309123318.htm

[sj33]

This is the first I've heard of the H.265 video format too, to be honest.

[tokyochojin]

Is there much future for optical discs? Isn't everything going online?

[briareos_kerensky]

Is there much future for optical discs? Isn't everything going online?

Uncompressed (multiple) multichannel audio streams with low compression, high resolution images @ 24-48fps won't be available for many though. I guess that physical media will stay for those unwilling to compromise about quality.

[tokyochojin]

To be honest, after upgrading from VHS > DVD>BluRay and now I have the choice of online films, i think for me it will be the last time to purchase Blade Runner.

[Soundwave]

Christ almighty can they not just leave things as they are?

I am not re-buying everything again they can get bent.

BD looks fine to me & I doubt I'll be upgrading my set to anything 4k related for a long time so I'll be staying as I am for the very foreseeable future

[Brad]

As I get older and my eyesight and hearing gets worse I care less and less about PPI on phone and tablet screens, DACs, expensive speakers etc. Quite liberating!

[wakka]

I think these 4K BRs will be even more niche than BRs currently are. More of a Laserdisc for a new generation, as internet streaming is 'good enough' for the vast majority of people, and it's only going to be home AV enthusiasts that will bother with the expense and inconvenience of owning plastic discs.

I'm looking forward to getting an OLED 4K TV in a few years time and watching these but right now I'm also very happy with 1080p BRs and my Panny plasma.

[EJG1980]

I think these 4K BRs will be even more niche than BRs currently are. More of a Laserdisc for a new generation, as internet streaming is 'good enough' for the vast majority of people, and it's only going to be home AV enthusiasts that will bother with the expense and inconvenience of owning plastic discs.

This is the boat I'm in, even though I love new technology. I've got a big collection of HD DVDs and a ton of Blu Rays but the convenience of being able to watch a 1080p rental download instantly, on the spur on the moment, trumps the extra quality you get from a disc, for me.

Over the past couple of years I've transitioned from only wanting to get films on disc to watching 99% via Apple TV, Sky Store, etc.. I can't remember the last time I bought a physical disc of a film.

[Soundwave]

This is the boat I'm in, even though I love new technology. I've got a big collection of HD DVDs and a ton of Blu Rays but the convenience of being able to watch a 1080p rental download instantly, on the spur on the moment, trumps the extra quality you get from a disc, for me.

Over the past couple of years I've transitioned from only wanting to get films on disc to watching 99% via Apple TV, Sky Store, etc.. I can't remember the last time I bought a physical disc of a film.

And you see I'm the Polar opposite.
I have never ever streamed a movie & probably never will.
Part of the appeal to me is having the physical media, I like to collect the movie, even it sits on a shelf watched once & never touched again I like having the collection.
It's the same with games it's all part of the thrill.

Unwrapping the packaging, taking the media out, putting it in the player/console, grabbing the remote, dimming the lights, sitting down & getting stuck in...it's the experience I've always had & one I always want to keep.

Doing it all online loses the appeal to me & it just doesn't feel right to do it any other way.

I sincerely hope we don't go all digital I still want physical media

Neil

[EJG1980]

And you see I'm the Polar opposite.
I have never ever streamed a movie & probably never will.
Part of the appeal to me is having the physical media, I like to collect the movie, even it sits on a shelf watched once & never touched again I like having the collection.
It's the same with games it's all part of the thrill.

Unwrapping the packaging, taking the media out, putting it in the player/console, grabbing the remote, dimming the lights, sitting down & getting stuck in...it's the experience I've always had & one I always want to keep.

Doing it all online loses the appeal to me & it just doesn't feel right to do it any other way.

I sincerely hope we don't go all digital I still want physical media

Neil

I can see that if you're into collecting, and the whole movie experience like you described, downloads simply aren't going to cut it.

When I started buying HD DVD and then Blu Ray it was purely for the quality leap. Going from an SDTV and DVDs to an HD plasma with HD DVD and Blu Ray was a real thrill.

Now I'm a bit older, a bit lazier, HDTV has become the norm and doesn't feel so new and exciting any more, and the convenience of the download has become my top priority. I went the same way with music too, I would never think of downloading, had to have everything on CD and rip it myself... yet now I haven't bought a CD for years too. Funny how things change!

Hopefully there will always be a physical disc option available that's a step ahead of downloads in quality. That way the collectors, movie experience enthusiasts, and lazy bums like me can all be catered for

[QualityChimp]

I like to collect the movie, even it sits on a shelf watched once & never touched again I like having the collection.

Unwrapping the packaging, taking the media out, putting it in the player/console, grabbing the remote, dimming the lights, sitting down & getting stuck in...it's the experience I've always had & one I always want to keep.

You mean just putting on the shelf! You don't do any of that in the second part if you never watch them.

Soundwave, you know I think you're aces, but you need to admit you have a problem...
Your daughter won't have shoes because daddy spent all his money on the limited edition steelbook of The Bridges of Madison County.

I buy physical if it's got a great commentary, extra features and I'll re-watch it.
The irony is that most films that fit that agenda are my Hong Kong Legends DVDs that were ropey quality when they were first filmed so it doesn't matter what resolution the disc is, they'll never improve.

For films, I've been using online services like NowTV and LoveFilm and there's only a couple I'd consider re-watching.

I'd love to see your setup, Lyris, as you da man when it comes to this kind of thing, but I'm such a heathen, I probably couldn't tell the difference!

[wakka]

I really like buying Blu-Rays as I know I'm getting the best possible quality, but I also watch a lot of movies on Netflix. I don't buy Blu-Rays to collect though, I sell or trade most of what I buy once I've watched it once. I only keep a few favourite films that I know I'll watch over and over, like Star Wars or Scarface or something like that.

I only buy stuff that I'm keen to watch immediately, I will normally watch it the same week as I buy it. Unlike games you can get through movies in a guaranteed 1 sitting, so there's no 'backlog' issues!

I also don't bother with limited editions, steelbooks, double dipping, triple dipping, digital editions, all that crap. I never watch extras (unless it's something feature length like Dangerous Days) and honestly I just feel like I'm being completely ripped off paying extra for some sort of 'special' edition.

I don't think there's any point building a giant library of discs, because these formats are always so impermanent. Laserdisc was superseded by DVD, then DVD was superseded by BR, all within the span of about 20 years. Now 1080 BR is already being superseded by 4K BR. Constantly rebuying reams of what are mostly average films* is just a waste of money.

For me it's not what I buy, it's what I watch. That's what's memorable.

*on the basis that 99% of films are incredibly average (and I say that as a film lover)

[Soundwave]

I can see that if you're into collecting, and the whole movie experience like you described, downloads simply aren't going to cut it.

When I started buying HD DVD and then Blu Ray it was purely for the quality leap. Going from an SDTV and DVDs to an HD plasma with HD DVD and Blu Ray was a real thrill.

Now I'm a bit older, a bit lazier, HDTV has become the norm and doesn't feel so new and exciting any more, and the convenience of the download has become my top priority. I went the same way with music too, I would never think of downloading, had to have everything on CD and rip it myself... yet now I haven't bought a CD for years too. Funny how things change!

Hopefully there will always be a physical disc option available that's a step ahead of downloads in quality. That way the collectors, movie experience enthusiasts, and lazy bums like me can all be catered for

Well I say I'm a collector but as old QC quite rightly points out below...I'm actually a hoarder lol
I went the same way as you with HD-DVD & have a ton of those, most of which I've re-bought as BD's

I do get what you mean & I agree the buzz of HD has worn off a little but I still enjoy it

I expect we'll all get what we want with the new stuff...I still can't see us going fully digital for a long time

You mean just putting on the shelf! You don't do any of that in the second part if you never watch them.

Soundwave, you know I think you're aces, but you need to admit you have a problem...
Your daughter won't have shoes because daddy spent all his money on the limited edition steelbook of The Bridges of Madison County.

I buy physical if it's got a great commentary, extra features and I'll re-watch it.
The irony is that most films that fit that agenda are my Hong Kong Legends DVDs that were ropey quality when they were first filmed so it doesn't matter what resolution the disc is, they'll never improve.

For films, I've been using online services like NowTV and LoveFilm and there's only a couple I'd consider re-watching.

I'd love to see your setup, Lyris, as you da man when it comes to this kind of thing, but I'm such a heathen, I probably couldn't tell the difference!

Hi, My name is Neil & I have a problem

Step one completed

Lol she'll always be fine

Actually I'll think you find step 2 is exactly as I say...because everything stays on the shelf sealed when I finally get round to watching it (whenever that may be) I get to do everything for the first time lol

[DJ Mike]

I honestly don't get where the market is for UltraHD besides the gullible and the obsessive. The home cinema market is fast marching down the same route that Digital Cameras have taken with all the emphasis being placed on Megapixels which have long far exceeded the density they need to be for the sensor size and optics driving them.

Blu-ray as a format has failed to truly supercede DVDs which continue to dominate, because most people really do not care about the jump in quality enough to switch - often because they don't have large enough screens to notice.

I'm on a 52" telly and I don't get anywhere near the full benefit Blu-ray offers (if the picture quality is top notch anyway) - partly that's down to the LCD panel not resolving true 1080p resolution in motion (due to panel lag) but it's also down to my eyesight simply not discerning that high a resolution at the distance I sit from the TV.

Now, if I projected at 200" I could see that making the most out of Blu-ray's quality. Heck, get to cinema-size screens and you could certainly make the case for ultra HD, but why bother in a home viewing environment? Does slightly denser pixel count really matter there? If I want that level of detail I'll go to an IMAX who have far more money to spend on the viewing experience than I ever will.

The only other thing that markedly improved between DVD and Blu-ray that wasn't resolution-related was the compression technology. MPEG-2 on DVDs can and has produced some truly dire results with mosquito noise/macroblocking and other associated artifacts. Not to mention the horrible edge enhancement studios baked into the picture to make it 'look sharper' on DVD. Between Blu-ray 1080p and UltraHD I really don't see how compression is likely to get noticeably better besides being able to pack down 4K resolution more efficiently.

So the bottom line is... how on earth does UltraHD benefit your average viewer when people barely touch the full benefit of 1080p?

Oh and one more thing - triple-A titles like Back To The Future and Star Wars are being released with transfers that are considerably less than 1080p in quality. How on earth they expect those to scale to UltraHD... I do not know.