Films (Almost Entirely Surround)

[4-earredwonder]

For 3D nuts [like me] Disney/Buena Vista have UPGRADED the original AVATAR with a NEW 3D remaster which improves on the original but omits a DOLBY ATMOS soundtrack!

https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Avatar-3D-Blu-ray/349454/#Review
https://bluray.highdefdigest.com/124748/avatar3dspecialedition.html

 

[DuncanS]

I finally got to watching DUNE today, in 4k HDR & ATMOS great film, very close to the book (so a ) and really well done, also believable CGI. The ATMOS was good as well.

I got to half way-ish through chapter 12 on my Sony X800MkII and it stuck, wouldn't go forwards, could jump backwards, so I turned on the Oppo 203 got to just before it stuck on the Sony and it played on the Oppo. I wonder if there is a layer change there the Sony didn't like? Either way another one in the book for the Oppo.

 

[4-earredwonder]

I finally got to watching DUNE today, in 4k HDR & ATMOS great film, very close to the book (so a ) and really well done, also believable CGI. The ATMOS was good as well.

I got to half way-ish through chapter 12 on my Sony X800MkII and it stuck, wouldn't go forwards, could jump backwards, so I turned on the Oppo 203 got to just before it stuck on the Sony and it played on the Oppo. I wonder if there is a layer change there the Sony didn't like? Either way another one in the book for the Oppo.

Yikes, Dunc. Damn those SONYX800 series UHD4K players. I just moved my OPPO 205 to my newly reactivated Mancave and have to install the X800 in my boudoir hooked up to my LG OLED TV but in the past have experienced similar freeze ups with the SONY. You'd think SONY who invented the BD format would've gotten their act together.

But DUNE is a great remake and glad you got to enjoy it!

BTW, my UHD4K copy of DUNE did play flawlessly on the 205! GREAT MACHINE!

 

[DuncanS]

Yikes, Dunc. Damn those SONYX800 series UHD4K players. I just moved my OPPO 205 to my newly reactivated Mancave and have to install the X800 in my boudoir hooked up to my LG OLED TV but in the past have experienced similar freeze ups with the SONY. You'd think SONY who invented the BD format would've gotten their act together.

But DUNE is a great remake and glad you got to enjoy it!

BTW, my UHD4K copy of DUNE did play flawlessly on the 205! GREAT MACHINE!

Dune Part 2 should be out earlyish 2024 I believe

 

[esimms86]

Yikes, Dunc. Damn those SONYX800 series UHD4K players. I just moved my OPPO 205 to my newly reactivated Mancave and have to install the X800 in my boudoir hooked up to my LG OLED TV but in the past have experienced similar freeze ups with the SONY. You'd think SONY who invented the BD format would've gotten their act together.

But DUNE is a great remake and glad you got to enjoy it!

BTW, my UHD4K copy of DUNE did play flawlessly on the 205! GREAT MACHINE!

Now Mr. Ralph, while I wholeheartedly agree that DUNE is a great remake, I wouldn’t say that the original set a high bar. Anyone watching the original after first seeing the remake would definitely get stung! Considering the age of our story’s lead, you might categorize the original as a teenage wasteland!

 

[jamesc]

The freeze-ups have been the most frustrating thing about 4K discs for me. I think I've had five bad discs so far. Not a ton but way more than any other format for me. These are brand new discs, that look issue free. I've tried cleaning them anyway with no effect. I've got both the Sony X800MkII and the Panasonic D820 and one will sometimes play through the issue a little better than the other but not without pixelation or freeze-ups.

I suspect returned defective discs are being rewrapped by the stores and resold so we're all probably just playing hot potato with the bad discs. I'm starting to pay attention to whether a disc is an obvious rewrap now.

The problem for me is I don't get to watch them in a timely manner since I'm buying so many and the return period is over in many cases. Do any of the labels still have disc replacement policies?

 

[4-earredwonder]

From KINO LORBER and Hong Kong Director John Woo FACE/OFF [Native UHD4K from OCN/HDR10/Dolby Vision/DTS~HD MA 5.1]

https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Face-Off-4K-Blu-ray/329642/#Review

 

[4-earredwonder]

The freeze-ups have been the most frustrating thing about 4K discs for me. I think I've had five bad discs so far. Not a ton but way more than any other format for me. These are brand new discs, that look issue free. I've tried cleaning them anyway with no effect. I've got both the Sony X800MkII and the Panasonic D820 and one will sometimes play through the issue a little better than the other but not without pixelation or freeze-ups.

I suspect returned defective discs are being rewrapped by the stores and resold so we're all probably just playing hot potato with the bad discs. I'm starting to pay attention to whether a disc is an obvious rewrap now.

The problem for me is I don't get to watch them in a timely manner since I'm buying so many and the return period is over in many cases. Do any of the labels still have disc replacement policies?

Join the club. The 4K discs have been piling up for years ...most especially during those Black Friday/Cyber Monday BLOW OUTS [$8.49~$9.99] and when I get around to watching them some are 'suspect' ...and yes, even on the OPPO. Shout Factory has a bad rep even on their OWN website for discs which arrive with visible blemishes ... and even a cleaning can't erase the blemish!

And the window of return has been exceeded and most companies want them returned to the origin of PURCHASE .... for refunds or replacements.

Extremely FRUSTRATING!

 

[timothyemerson]

I finally got to watching DUNE today, in 4k HDR & ATMOS great film, very close to the book (so a ) and really well done, also believable CGI. The ATMOS was good as well.

I got to half way-ish through chapter 12 on my Sony X800MkII and it stuck, wouldn't go forwards, could jump backwards, so I turned on the Oppo 203 got to just before it stuck on the Sony and it played on the Oppo. I wonder if there is a layer change there the Sony didn't like? Either way another one in the book for the Oppo.

My 2 cents: I watched Dune (4K) on my Sony X800 (not the MK2) the first time I saw it and didn't experience any monkey business. I remember in the past BD's on multiple players having a slight tantrum sometimes where the image would disappear for a second and be replaced with a purple smear that looked like a smudged tape which is weird considering it's a spinny disc. I've had to power everything down on other occasions and things would then behave themselves afterwards.

All comes down to these boxes not having enough redundant processing power and trying to do too much methinks. Media player software tends to be poorly tested also so there's that to throw into the mix which doesn't help (I'd still recommend MKVing everything you wanna keep so you've got backups as the plastic discs won't last forever).

 

[cdheer]

One suggestion that I've seen many times for UHD discs specifically is to wash them. Use warm water and a soft cloth, and maybe a drop of dish soap. Wipe center outward, not radially (I don't know why tbh). Multiple people have reported that discs that previously froze stopped freezing after this process.

 

[timothyemerson]

One suggestion that I've seen many times for UHD discs specifically is to wash them. Use warm water and a soft cloth, and maybe a drop of dish soap. Wipe center outward, not radially (I don't know why tbh). Multiple people have reported that discs that previously froze stopped freezing after this process.

Yep, more 2 cents from a few hundred rips experience:

1. Many discs come with an invisible haze over them that'll result in MakeMKV slowing down the rip process and eventually throwing an error. I've tried lots of cleaning methods and the one that seems to work best is a spray with window cleaner and a wipe from the inside out with a microfibre cloth to remove any of the residue. You'll then be able to MKV it most of the time. You can see this residue on the inside of many cases (it's particularly visible against a black case) and you can run a finger through it to see the "smudging" of the residue.

2. The residue on the discs is pretty much invisible. The disc can look perfectly clean so it can appear that cleaning it won't do anything but clean it anyway. You can't always see the residue but you can often feel it. It you wash a disc, you can feel the difference between when the disc was dirty and after you've cleaned it by running your thumb over the disc surface. The surface with the residue on it feels slightly lubricated in comparison to a perfectly clean disc which tends to "grab" your skin as you try and rub your thumb across its surface.

3. Keep your microfibre cloth clean (wash it regularly). This will also result in the microfibres eventually wearing out and the cloth will become rougher to the touch. It'll start leaving tiny fibres all over the place too so when this happens, stop using it - you don't want to risk a potentially rough fibre scratching your disc surface as that will prevent you ripping the disc at all.

4. Some disc/disc drive combinations just won't allow MakeMKV to get started. This is probably due to a slight disc manufacturing error and suggests that there's next to no tolerances built into BD disc drives but enough tolerances built into BD players to play a troublesome disc. After almost 600 rips, I've only had this happen to 3 BDs. All 3 play fine in a player but MakeMKV either can't even get the disc going or throws the toys at the same point into the rip.

Hope this helps. Don't give up on dirty discs even if they don't look dirty!

 

[4-earredwonder]

From KINO LORBER and director Val Guest THE QUARTERMASS XPERIMENT [1080p BD~V/DTS~HD MA 2.0 MONO]

http://thedigitalbits.com/item/quatermass-xperiment-kino-2023-bd

 

[Marplot]

As with your eyeglasses, when you clean a disc always rinse it first to remove anything small and abrasive that you might not see until you scratch the surface dragging it across with a cloth.

 

[4-earredwonder]

From Germany's Turbine Medien and director Chris McKay RENFIELD [STEELBOOK EDITION] [Native UHD4K/HDR10/Dolby Vision/Dolby ATMOS]

https://ultrahd.highdefdigest.com/122996/renfieldturbineexclusive4kultrahdsteelbook.html

 

[Marplot]

Have you by chance heard about a change of heart for a domestic US 4k release of Renfield?

 

[Marplot]

Amazon US has a coupon for Oppenheimer right now so it is affordable in any format; although if you read Bill's review you will jump at the 4k.
https://thedigitalbits.com/item/oppenheimer-4k-uhd-20234k $27.99 w/$5.60 coupon
https://www.amazon.com/Oppenheimer-Ultra-Blu-ray-Digital-UHD/dp/B0CL7JD41F/
BR $24.96 w/$4.97 coupon
https://www.amazon.com/Oppenheimer-Blu-ray-Digital-Cillian-Murphy/dp/B0CL7R395D/
DVD, yes DVD, $19.96 w/$3.97 coupon
https://www.amazon.com/Oppenheimer-DVD-Cillian-Murphy/dp/B0CL7FTCN5/

 

[4-earredwonder]

Have you by chance heard about a change of heart for a domestic US 4k release of Renfield?

None ...but I wouldn't rule it out! BTW, have ordered from Germany's Turbine Medien on several occasions and they DO remove the VAT and their s/h charges aren't crazy ...... great service!

Amazon US has a coupon for Oppenheimer right now so it is affordable in any format; although if you read Bill's review you will jump at the 4k.
https://thedigitalbits.com/item/oppenheimer-4k-uhd-20234k $27.99 w/$5.60 coupon
https://www.amazon.com/Oppenheimer-Ultra-Blu-ray-Digital-UHD/dp/B0CL7JD41F/
BR $24.96 w/$4.97 coupon
https://www.amazon.com/Oppenheimer-Blu-ray-Digital-Cillian-Murphy/dp/B0CL7R395D/
DVD, yes DVD, $19.96 w/$3.97 coupon
https://www.amazon.com/Oppenheimer-DVD-Cillian-Murphy/dp/B0CL7FTCN5/

At that price w/coupon, why NOT [4K] Applied my gift card. Thanks for the heads up.

Interesting how Oppenheimer was shot on different 65mm Kodak emulsions including a newly developed 65mm Black and White emulsion just for Oppenheimer!

A NEW reference UHD4K disc!

 

[mrcond]

Warner did do a SPECTACULAR UHD4k remaster of 2001: A Space Odyssey

I finally watched 2001: A Space Odyssey for the first time, and was completely blown away. The 4K looks absolutely stunning, it is really hard to believe this film is 55 years old. Kubrick's attention to detail and innovative filming techniques puts most of today's movies to shame. Sorry, but CGI tends to make movies look like video games but 2001 made me feel like I was really in outer space.

Next up, A Clockwork Orange.

 

[Bill B]

I finally watched 2001: A Space Odyssey for the first time, and was completely blown away. The 4K looks absolutely stunning, it is really hard to believe this film is 55 years old. Kubrick's attention to detail and innovative filming techniques puts most of today's movies to shame. Sorry, but CGI tends to make movies look like video games but 2001 made me feel like I was really in outer space.

Next up, A Clockwork Orange.

So, the first time in 4K? or the first time ever? or both?

What a thrill if it was the first time ever. I can't even remember how cool it was the first time, it's been so long. But I still watch it about once a year or so.

 

[mrcond]

So, the first time in 4K? or the first time ever? or both?

What a thrill if it was the first time ever. I can't even remember how cool it was the first time, it's been so long. But I still watch it about once a year or so.

First time ever. Not sure why it has taken this long, I have enjoyed many Kubrick movies previously. I guess I have matured to the point where I can appreciate this type of film. I probably wouldn't have understood it at 25. But yeah, it was a treat.