So, I have a 2014 model Sony 4K set, specifically the x850b series. 4K, passive 3D, but no HDR. The set is still fantastic. With the right calibration, it looks great and it's quality upscaler makes even 720p content look excellent on the 4K panel.
However, I have wanted to really take advantage of that 4K panel, and streaming 4K doesn't fully take advantage of the resolution, just as 1080p streaming never looks as good as Blu-ray.
So, I finally took the plunge on the Philips BDP7501 4K Blu-ray player, which is the second 4K Blu-ray player on the market. After getting everything set up, I fire it up and, while the resolution difference is noticeable, something seemed off. I realized that the image was much darker and the colors seemed washed out.
Now, I was plenty aware I would get no advantage from the HDR aspects of the disc, but assumed that it would at least match normal Blu-ray colors. This does not seem to be the case.
It seems this has to do with the dynamic range compression being performed by the player. As the discs are encoded for high dynamic range content, the player has to "compress" that color/brightness data into standard dynamic range. Somewhat analogous to downscaling a 4K video to 1080p. However, while most players and TVs are quite adept at downscaling resolution, compressing dynamic range seems to be more difficult. In the case of these first two players, you get "clipping" which washes out the colors significantly, as well as makes for a generally darker image.
I popped the regular Blu-ray of Deadpool into my PS4 and the 4K Blu-ray into the Philips and paused them at the same place at various points in the movie, flipping back and forth between the inputs. The color difference was very noticeable, even when backlight was adjusted to make up for the darker image. Now, thinking that HDR may be encoded with a lower base brightness and contrast to allow for more headroom on an HDR set, I though maybe tweaking settings on the TV to account for that might help. I was able to get it closer to the Blu-ray color, but it was never quite as good.
All hope is not lost, though. There is talk that Panasonic's player (not currently available in the US) has a better compression algorithm and may even be able to provide benefits to non-HDR sets by at least providing a higher peak brightness than the standard Blu-ray spec. However, seeing will be believing.
I am also curious to see what the experiences are for people with the Xbox One S. Maybe the extra processing horsepower and programming talent at Microsoft has made for a solid conversion.
Or... Maybe you really just do need content that is targeted to your device's capabilities and you'll always compromise on compressed HDR vs. a standard Blu-ray.
Either way, be aware of the risks if you are looking into a 4K Blu-ray player for your non-HDR set. Myself, I'm returning the player and will be appreciating the color quality on my regular Blu-ray disks more than I did before. Maybe I'll give it another shot with the PS4 Neo and see if things have improved by then.
Edit: Here is an article calling out the issue on the Philips, specifically: http://www.homecinemaguru.com/philips-bdp7501-hdr-to-sdr-color-conversion-errors/. The Samsung supposedly has similar issues from what I've since read.
However, I have wanted to really take advantage of that 4K panel, and streaming 4K doesn't fully take advantage of the resolution, just as 1080p streaming never looks as good as Blu-ray.
So, I finally took the plunge on the Philips BDP7501 4K Blu-ray player, which is the second 4K Blu-ray player on the market. After getting everything set up, I fire it up and, while the resolution difference is noticeable, something seemed off. I realized that the image was much darker and the colors seemed washed out.
Now, I was plenty aware I would get no advantage from the HDR aspects of the disc, but assumed that it would at least match normal Blu-ray colors. This does not seem to be the case.
It seems this has to do with the dynamic range compression being performed by the player. As the discs are encoded for high dynamic range content, the player has to "compress" that color/brightness data into standard dynamic range. Somewhat analogous to downscaling a 4K video to 1080p. However, while most players and TVs are quite adept at downscaling resolution, compressing dynamic range seems to be more difficult. In the case of these first two players, you get "clipping" which washes out the colors significantly, as well as makes for a generally darker image.
I popped the regular Blu-ray of Deadpool into my PS4 and the 4K Blu-ray into the Philips and paused them at the same place at various points in the movie, flipping back and forth between the inputs. The color difference was very noticeable, even when backlight was adjusted to make up for the darker image. Now, thinking that HDR may be encoded with a lower base brightness and contrast to allow for more headroom on an HDR set, I though maybe tweaking settings on the TV to account for that might help. I was able to get it closer to the Blu-ray color, but it was never quite as good.
All hope is not lost, though. There is talk that Panasonic's player (not currently available in the US) has a better compression algorithm and may even be able to provide benefits to non-HDR sets by at least providing a higher peak brightness than the standard Blu-ray spec. However, seeing will be believing.
I am also curious to see what the experiences are for people with the Xbox One S. Maybe the extra processing horsepower and programming talent at Microsoft has made for a solid conversion.
Or... Maybe you really just do need content that is targeted to your device's capabilities and you'll always compromise on compressed HDR vs. a standard Blu-ray.
Either way, be aware of the risks if you are looking into a 4K Blu-ray player for your non-HDR set. Myself, I'm returning the player and will be appreciating the color quality on my regular Blu-ray disks more than I did before. Maybe I'll give it another shot with the PS4 Neo and see if things have improved by then.
Edit: Here is an article calling out the issue on the Philips, specifically: http://www.homecinemaguru.com/philips-bdp7501-hdr-to-sdr-color-conversion-errors/. The Samsung supposedly has similar issues from what I've since read.