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4K UHD/Blu-ray/DVD Community Thread: Bringing the Theater Home!

dallow_bg

nods at old men
Oh yeah, your receiver has to know how to pass Dolby Vision for sure. HDR pass thru usually just implies HDR10. Denon didn't start shipping Dolby Vision on the unit until this year's 2017 models, they are patching 2016 (and some 2015 models)

You can't really blame them either as h tim recently there weren't any devices or content needing to do Dolby Vision over HDMI

Wow.... I thought it literally just let the untouched video signal go through so that the display would decode it.
I guess I need yet another receiver soon.

Perhaps I should just wait for 2.1 at this point.
 
What is the deal with Samsungs HDR10+ or whatever? Supposed to be better than normal HDR10 or some shit? Is that out there in any form? HDR is a mess with Dolby Vision, standard HDR10 and this HDR10+ metadata update bullshit.
 

J_Viper

Member
More impressions of the Starship Troopers 4K transfer are popping up now that the disc is out, and there's been nothing but praise for it.

I don't know what was up with that original negative post from a few days ago.
 

Realyst

Member
As someone with no interest in pursuing an Atmos setup (fine with my 5.1), do these three pair well together?

Yamaha RX-V383BL 5.1-Channel 4K Ultra HD AV Receiver with Bluetooth https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06XXR6JK3/?tag=neogaf0e-20

Sony UBP-X800 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Player (2017 Model) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N4RCPKO/?tag=neogaf0e-20

Sony XBR75X900E 75-Inch 4K Ultra HD Smart LED TV (2017 Model) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N7XLYRF/?tag=neogaf0e-20


Uses are a combination of gaming (Switch and PS4Pro), movies, and TV. I may even hook my desktop up to it as well.

This looks fine to me, if you're okay with only having 4 HDMI IN ports on the receiver. For most, that amount is enough, and you can always use the ports on the TV and send DD5.1 back to the receiver through ARC (I think? hard to tell on my phone if it has that or SPDIF out). I also don't know if this model TV can be upgraded for Dolby Vision, which might concern you if you're future-proofing. The jury will be out regarding the HDR standard for a while, though.
 

Westonian

Member
As someone with no interest in pursuing an Atmos setup (fine with my 5.1), do these three pair well together?

Yamaha RX-V383BL 5.1-Channel 4K Ultra HD AV Receiver with Bluetooth https://www.amazon.com/dp/B06XXR6JK3/?tag=neogaf0e-20

Sony UBP-X800 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Player (2017 Model) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N4RCPKO/?tag=neogaf0e-20

Sony XBR75X900E 75-Inch 4K Ultra HD Smart LED TV (2017 Model) https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01N7XLYRF/?tag=neogaf0e-20

Uses are a combination of gaming (Switch and PS4Pro), movies, and TV. I may even hook my desktop up to it as well.

What speakers are you driving with this? I know that YPAO Sound Optimization isn't the best calibration software, but I don't know how much of an audiophile you are, so that may not bother you.

The TV and receiver both support Dolby Vision, but the player does not, and may never depending on the capabilities of the hardware. If you want to be future proof you'll need the LG UP970 or the Oppo UDP-203
 
This looks fine to me, if you're okay with only having 4 HDMI IN ports on the receiver. For most, that amount is enough, and you can always use the ports on the TV and send DD5.1 back to the receiver through ARC (I think? hard to tell on my phone if it has that or SPDIF out). I also don't know if this model TV can be upgraded for Dolby Vision, which might concern you if you're future-proofing. The jury will be out regarding the HDR standard for a while, though.

Thanks for the feedback.

I've researched the DV thing a bit and it doesn't look likely that it'll get it. I'm still not sure how much this bothers me as I see some conflicting things about DVs value on certain sets.

Not too concerned about the 4 HDMI in as I'm living with two now and don't forsee a need to go past 4 anytime soon.

What speakers are you driving with this? I know that YPAO Sound Optimization isn't the best calibration software, but I don't know how much of an audiophile you are, so that may not bother you.

The TV and receiver both support Dolby Vision, but the player does not, and may never depending on the capabilities of the hardware. If you want to be future proof you'll need the LG UP970 or the Oppo UDP-203

Long story short, not a huge audiophile. I've got a Polk cs10 for my center channel and am waiting to pull the trigger on tsi100s to be my r/l channels. The rears are older budget speakers that I don't intend to swap out anytime soon.

Regarding DV, I don't think the 900e supports it now and I don't expect it ever will. Based on that, I shouldn't need to worry about that.

---

Feel free to tell me if I'm missing something big on the DV front as I'd rather avoid having regrets considering the price on all of this.
 

Wag

Member
https://www.nakamichi-usa.com/shockwafe-ultra-preorder/

Very interested in this soundbar for my new apartment.

Only issue I have is if the rear speakers are truly wireless. If they come off the subwoofers it probably won't work because my living room is open- connected to the kitchen. If it does all 4 satellite speakers off of one subwoofer, that might be ok, but one side of my living room is open- I don't want wires running through the middle of it.
 

Gitaroo

Member
Anyone know how to redeem the digital code in canada to get the uhd version? Does it varies from companies? I got wonder woman and guardian of the galaxy 2 I wang to redeem. Flixter doesn't seem to has uhd movies.
 

Hex

Banned
Anyone know how to redeem the digital code in canada to get the uhd version? Does it varies from companies? I got wonder woman and guardian of the galaxy 2 I wang to redeem. Flixter doesn't seem to has uhd movies.

With Wonder Woman I did the code at the Warner Brothers site on the sheet, and it gave me the UHD version on both.

Close Encounters on the other hand gave me UHD on the Sony site, but only HDX on Vudu...now that may change it depends if they have the UHD version on Vudu.
Guardians 2 is odd. They have UHD on Vudu but it did not give it to me when I put it through the link on the sheet and DMA
 

Gitaroo

Member
With Wonder Woman I did the code at the Warner Brothers site on the sheet, and it gave me the UHD version on both.

Close Encounters on the other hand gave me UHD on the Sony site, but only HDX on Vudu...now that may change it depends if they have the UHD version on Vudu.
Guardians 2 is odd. They have UHD on Vudu but it did not give it to me when I put it through the link on the sheet and DMA

What do you mean by both, flixter and vudu? I don’t want to use vpn to get vudu working in canada, prefer the most direct way.
 

dallow_bg

nods at old men
There's a guide to redeeming UHD codes. Not sure how it works with Canada though.
In short, it varies by studio.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1ZsJkCX4DIv2oeCKQ7zp2ArkR1qKEXCUuCMBbUtHtmh4/edit#gid=0

With Wonder Woman I did the code at the Warner Brothers site on the sheet, and it gave me the UHD version on both.

Close Encounters on the other hand gave me UHD on the Sony site, but only HDX on Vudu...now that may change it depends if they have the UHD version on Vudu.
Guardians 2 is odd. They have UHD on Vudu but it did not give it to me when I put it through the link on the sheet and DMA

Check the doc above regarding GotG 2. It now gives you the UHD, but you need to call DMA to have them adjust it or something. The number is in the doc.
 
I redeemed GOTG Vol. 2 at release on Vudu and it automatically upgraded itself to UHD sometime recently and I didn't do anything about it. YMMV.

I was catching up on unboxing and redeeming a bunch of UHD discs and the redemption process was an absolute shitshow. Half didn't work on VUDU. One didn't work on any site. It's gotten really bad the last couple of months and I kind of wish my library was completely on iTunes instead of scattered across multiple services.

No clue if I've even retained everything post-Flixster shutdown. No way of knowing.
 

Hex

Banned
How is the Wonder Woman UHD? Thinking about going and picking it up
It is not a "WOW" HDR showcase piece, but the detail and crispness is gorgeous.

I agree with that assessment based on the first half of the movie I had time to watch last night.
You get the standard visual upgrades that come from UHD resolution and HDR leading to a noticeable upgrade over regular bluray quality, but it's not a wow disc.
 
So I just learned that apparently different TVs run Dolby Vision at different refresh rates. I'm about to buy a TCL 55P607, which does support Dolby Vision. How can I tell which refresh rate that TV supports?
 

J_Viper

Member
I was catching up on unboxing and redeeming a bunch of UHD discs and the redemption process was an absolute shitshow. Half didn't work on VUDU. One didn't work on any site. It's gotten really bad the last couple of months and I kind of wish my library was completely on iTunes instead of scattered across multiple services.

Yep I got boned by a few codes.

John Wick and it's sequel won't redeem in UHD because the HDX version is already in my account. Same deal with BvS, Pacific Rim, and The Town.

I tried emailing Vudu but they haven't been helpful at all. They claim that 4k fikms only come with HDX access.
 
man, the Apple 4K TV not automatically switching HDR modes / resolutions is such a huge bummer

Yeah, what a disappointment.

I was going to get an ATV 4K ahead of getting a new 4K set but then I saw that 4K versions from iTunes are streaming only and requiring a 25Mb/s connection (My current connection is a bit under 20). I need downloads or a physical disc, especially if I want to try and watch something on a Saturday night when network congestion makes streaming services unusable where I live.
 

h3ro

Member
man, the Apple 4K TV not automatically switching HDR modes / resolutions is such a huge bummer
I was set to use the new one as my main streaming solution and now I’m in a holding pattern until they patch this. Gonna stick with my old Apple TV until then.
 

jstevenson

Sailor Stevenson
some Apple TV 4K Impressions:

-The setting thing is annoying. I set it to 24fps Dolby Vision and grabbed a DV movie off iTunes. (Baby Driver)
-Picture is terrific, better than Vudu I think. Audio solid. I had issues with the audio sync / lip sync which is weird. Almost a tenth of a second delay, I think. Didn't try to get it dialed in more finely that that.
-UI stutters a lot at 24 fps... it's buttery smooth at 60 tho.

If they get a native visual option in so you can go 60 DV in menus and then go native on content, we'll be in good shape. Or even let the menus stay native to whatever you are currently watching or something. I assume that's where the issues are too just wanting the menus to be responsive.

I'll hold out hope for that patch.
 
some Apple TV 4K Impressions:

-The setting thing is annoying. I set it to 24fps Dolby Vision and grabbed a DV movie off iTunes. (Baby Driver)
-Picture is terrific, better than Vudu I think. Audio solid. I had issues with the audio sync / lip sync which is weird. Almost a tenth of a second delay, I think. Didn't try to get it dialed in more finely that that.
-UI stutters a lot at 24 fps... it's buttery smooth at 60 tho.

If they get a native visual option in so you can go 60 DV in menus and then go native on content, we'll be in good shape. Or even let the menus stay native to whatever you are currently watching or something. I assume that's where the issues are too just wanting the menus to be responsive.

I'll hold out hope for that patch.

Maybe you or someone else here could help me out.. I've got my ATV4K hooked up and have been testing out some of my 4K movies on iTunes throughout the evening (Warcraft, Star Trek Beyond mostly). The colors just seem so dark and not popping like I'd expect. I've made sure it's on an input thy supports HDR and I've gone through the rest of the settings and everything else seems right (both on device and TV) but stilll things seem.. off.

The only other HDR content I've watched is The Grand Tour on Amazon and I could tell a difference right away between SDR. This, not so much.

Any ideas? It's a Sony X800D if that helps.
 

jstevenson

Sailor Stevenson
Maybe you or someone else here could help me out.. I've got my ATV4K hooked up and have been testing out some of my 4K movies on iTunes throughout the evening (Warcraft, Star Trek Beyond mostly). The colors just seem so dark and not popping like I'd expect. I've made sure it's on an input thy supports HDR and I've gone through the rest of the settings and everything else seems right (both on device and TV) but stilll things seem.. off.

The only other HDR content I've watched is The Grand Tour on Amazon and I could tell a difference right away between SDR. This, not so much.

Any ideas? It's a Sony X800D if that helps.

is your TV picking up an HDR signal coming in? Not sure on the X800D but on other TVs there sometimes is an HDMI DEEP COLOR or similar setting that needs to be activated on that input for HDR to come in (For Sony it's Settings -> External Inputs -> HDMI Signal Format -> Select Enhanced). I assume your Apple TV is set to 4K HDR10? If the Apple TV is set to 4K HDR10 at 24Hz and the TV is showing an HDR10 signal coming in, it's working from that front.

If so, then my main guess is the conversion between Dolby Vision (both Warcraft and Beyond are Dolby Vision on iTunes) to HDR10 is what's causing the issue there. It doesn't seem like iTunes is running both the HDR10 and DV encodes, so it's relying on the box to do the transcode... I think.

obv very early days (uh day) still for 4k/HDR on iTunes and this device tho
 
3d playback on my Xbox wasn't working. Seems to be an issue that comes back after updates. Canceled my one x preorder and am getting a region free mod Sony X800
 

Sambrez_

Member
So... after months and years of waiting to upgrade my setup, I finally hit the jump last week.
I had an Onkyo NR616 + LG 55" Full HD LD TV + Advanced Kubik 5.0 speakers.

And now I have an Epson TW9300 (5040UB in the US I guess) + Sony UBP X800 + Lumene Embassy 240c

And I must say, it's georgous !! But I had a setback, the Onkyo was supposed to be 4k passthrough, but it just doesn't work, he's too old (2013 though...). I think it's the HDR that he doesn't support. So I bought an Onkyo 676 as a replacement, should arrive in a few days. Now I plug the Epson directly into the UHD player with the audio plugged with an optic cable on the amplifier.
Can't wait to receive the 676.
 

FN-2187

Member
I don't know if it's still just the hit and miss nature of the Xbox One S or if the Blu-Ray app was recently updated, but my last two UHDs (ET and Close Encounters) both played flawlessly.
 
I don't know if it's still just the hit and miss nature of the Xbox One S or if the Blu-Ray app was recently updated, but my last two UHDs (ET and Close Encounters) both played flawlessly.

since launch, ive had no issues with uhd playback. i have about 15 uhd disks so i have used it a bit.
 
Close Encounters is some phenomenal work. Looks fantastic in UHD.

I don't know if it's still just the hit and miss nature of the Xbox One S or if the Blu-Ray app was recently updated, but my last two UHDs (ET and Close Encounters) both played flawlessly.

Seems to be working better for me as well. There is something still off about the dimness of GOTG 2 though. It's corrected but still seems off.
 

borghe

Loves the Greater Toronto Area
is your TV picking up an HDR signal coming in? Not sure on the X800D but on other TVs there sometimes is an HDMI DEEP COLOR or similar setting that needs to be activated on that input for HDR to come in (For Sony it's Settings -> External Inputs -> HDMI Signal Format -> Select Enhanced). I assume your Apple TV is set to 4K HDR10? If the Apple TV is set to 4K HDR10 at 24Hz and the TV is showing an HDR10 signal coming in, it's working from that front.

If so, then my main guess is the conversion between Dolby Vision (both Warcraft and Beyond are Dolby Vision on iTunes) to HDR10 is what's causing the issue there. It doesn't seem like iTunes is running both the HDR10 and DV encodes, so it's relying on the box to do the transcode... I think.

obv very early days (uh day) still for 4k/HDR on iTunes and this device tho

I am running HDR10 also from Apple TV.. honestly I feel it is slightly more film like.. and turning off HDR results in the same titles being a bit blown out. The best example is Nice Guys when Russel Crowe goes into the pedophile's house at the beginning.. when he leaves, the stone work to the left of the screen is totally blown out and overexposed with HDR turned off.. Turning HDR on, the scene is a little darker, but that same stone work has a ridiculous level of detail to it.

Ghostbusters though was almost the exact opposite. With HDR turned off, Zhul's gate opening was a dull white and dull purple lightning (just as I remember!!!!). With HDR turned on the gate was blinding white and the purple was deeper (lol). Not sure how I feel about it.. It definitely took some of that "old classic film" style away from ghostbusters.. but there was a definite upgrade.

One last comment.. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes would not display HDR, even though the movie page says HDR10. The tell tale way you know an HDR signal is coming through to my TV is it cranks backlight to 20 and contrast to 100 no matter what you had them set to (though I really wish it would set them back when the HDR signal is done................). Dawn of the Planet of the Apes never kicked in HDR. Super confused. Played a bunch of other HDR10 titles (Deadpool, Logan, etc) and they were fine.. So not sure what was up with that.
 

FN-2187

Member
since launch, ive had no issues with uhd playback. i have about 15 uhd disks so i have used it a bit.

Yeah, I have only been using the S as a UHD player for about 3 weeks now, so I have not used it that extensively yet. The first movie I watched (Lego Batman) played perfectly. The next bunch I watched (Logan, Ghostbusters 2016, The Great Wall, The Smurfs: The Lost Village) all stuttered or skipped at least once, with the audio losing sync for a few minutes of The Great Wall and Ghostbusters 2016. The last two I watched (E.T. and Close Encounters) were flawless.
 
Yeah, I have only been using the S as a UHD player for about 3 weeks now, so I have not used it that extensively yet. The first movie I watched (Lego Batman) played perfectly. The next bunch I watched (Logan, Ghostbusters 2016, The Great Wall, The Smurfs: The Lost Village) all stuttered or skipped at least once, with the audio losing sync for a few minutes of The Great Wall and Ghostbusters 2016. The last two I watched (E.T. and Close Encounters) were flawless.

I had some issues playing Ghostbusters 2016 and one or two other discs, but mostly it's been okay. The biggest Issues I've had were actually the menus because of the weird resolution switching going on. I did notice that around when they updated the BRD app to support bitstream (Atmos update, basically) it got a lot better and more reliable, even on the same discs that had issues.
 

Stiler

Member
Watched Starship Troopers 4k this past weekend, would you like to know more?

Absolutely love it, this is one of my favorite films to watch and re-watch (along with Robocop/Alien/s/Terminator 2/Fifth Element).

The 4k blu is easily the best the movie as looked on home video bar none. Great detail and the HDR highlights, especially during night scenes, are amazing. There is some noticeable grain which is made more apparent with the 4k but it is not something that is distracting, to me at least.

The atmos soundtrack makes me melt. The Klendathu Drop scene is just bar none, the visuals, the soundtrack, the action, absolutely great scene to show all the details that the 4k blu brings to this movie over the blu ray and other releases.
 

Nerdkiller

Membeur
Watched Starship Troopers 4k this past weekend, would you like to know more?

Absolutely love it, this is one of my favorite films to watch and re-watch (along with Robocop/Alien/s/Terminator 2/Fifth Element).

The 4k blu is easily the best the movie as looked on home video bar none. Great detail and the HDR highlights, especially during night scenes, are amazing. There is some noticeable grain which is made more apparent with the 4k but it is not something that is distracting, to me at least.

The atmos soundtrack makes me melt. The Klendathu Drop scene is just bar none, the visuals, the soundtrack, the action, absolutely great scene to show all the details that the 4k blu brings to this movie over the blu ray and other releases.
How does the CG look?
 

Stiler

Member
How does the CG look?

Surprisingly well given its age, it held up a lot better then some other 90's era CGI.

The movie was good like a certain other 90's movie (Jurassic Park) about knowing when to use CGI (mainly for the bugs when they are moving) and when to use models and other real-world props when they could over CGI.
 
Surprisingly well given its age, it held up a lot better then some other 90's era CGI.

The movie was good like a certain other 90's movie (Jurassic Park) about knowing when to use CGI (mainly for the bugs when they are moving) and when to use models and other real-world props when they could over CGI.

Verhoeven was always good about that. He's part of the older school that prefers practical, even if it looks cheesy by today's standards, because it's actually there and helps keep everything present and in focus. From what I recall he isn't even a fan of chroma key unless it's necessary or can be done right instead of how they do it in a lot of older movies or really poorly directed TV shows.

And then we get that fall from the window at the end of Robocop.
 
so I have a denon avr-s920w, which supports atmos, but I have no idea how to do an atmos set up. I currently have a 5.1 system going. It looks like the atmos speakers would connect to what is labeled as "surround [L/R]". What are some decent entry level speakers for atmos?

I see that some are ceiling mounted and others are like little pods that fire at the ceiling?

I'm guessing that the ps4/PC I have connected wouldn't really use them at all, since it's different than a "traditional" 7 speaker set up (also I dont even know if a ps4 supports 7.1)
 

Westonian

Member
I am running HDR10 also from Apple TV.. honestly I feel it is slightly more film like.. and turning off HDR results in the same titles being a bit blown out. The best example is Nice Guys when Russel Crowe goes into the pedophile's house at the beginning.. when he leaves, the stone work to the left of the screen is totally blown out and overexposed with HDR turned off.. Turning HDR on, the scene is a little darker, but that same stone work has a ridiculous level of detail to it.

Ghostbusters though was almost the exact opposite. With HDR turned off, Zhul's gate opening was a dull white and dull purple lightning (just as I remember!!!!). With HDR turned on the gate was blinding white and the purple was deeper (lol). Not sure how I feel about it.. It definitely took some of that "old classic film" style away from ghostbusters.. but there was a definite upgrade.

I don't like the idea of an algorithm determining how to apply HDR to SDR HD content. While it might look better to you, it more than likely undermines the intent of the director and DP. I would rather watch films the way the director intended them to look.
 

CrayToes

Member
Anyone else manage to grab the Bourne Collection for £25 on Zavvi? Can’t believe they honoured it lol. At that price, I’m not even bothered if they’re good transfers.
 

Westonian

Member
so I have a denon avr-s920w, which supports atmos, but I have no idea how to do an atmos set up. I currently have a 5.1 system going. It looks like the atmos speakers would connect to what is labeled as "surround [L/R]". What are some decent entry level speakers for atmos?

I see that some are ceiling mounted and others are like little pods that fire at the ceiling?

I'm guessing that the ps4/PC I have connected wouldn't really use them at all, since it's different than a "traditional" 7 speaker set up (also I dont even know if a ps4 supports 7.1)

The receiver can interpolate a traditional 5.1 or 7.1 mix into a 5.1.2 mix, but it's not going to be perfect.

Atmos and DTS:X are object based mixes, so instead of the audio mixers placing sounds on specific speakers, they place sounds in a specific 3D location and then the Atmos logic within the receiver decodes how to mix that with your speaker config to replicate the sound in that location. So it's not entirely just about having height speakers, but adding that layer of speakers will allow for more accurate decoding of the sound objects.
 
Getting some KEF 500's and KEF centre and rear speakers sure has made watching films so much better now. Add the Elac A4 Atmos speakers for 7.1.2 and audio is Godly. Been using the Digital Theater site for Atmos trailers - https://thedigitaltheater.com/index.php/dolby-trailers/ Also listening to surround music from SACD and Blu-ray.
Recently got 4K Blade Runner. Uncertain if it looks any better than standard blu-ray. HDR may have brought more colour out. But the sound seemed better. But maybe that was just my new a/v and speakers. Anyway, as important as TV and players are for watching films try not to ignore good audio where possible. It's such a big deal when it works.

so I have a denon avr-s920w, which supports atmos, but I have no idea how to do an atmos set up. I currently have a 5.1 system going. It looks like the atmos speakers would connect to what is labeled as "surround [L/R]". What are some decent entry level speakers for atmos?

I see that some are ceiling mounted and others are like little pods that fire at the ceiling?

I'm guessing that the ps4/PC I have connected wouldn't really use them at all, since it's different than a "traditional" 7 speaker set up (also I dont even know if a ps4 supports 7.1)
Elac A4's are around £250. They can be used as upward facing speakers that bounce off the ceiling or as ceiling or wall speakers that face down.
PC does do Atmos (my Windows 10 PC does) though I'm not sure exactly how it works or what uses it.
 
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