UHD Titles Worth/Not Worth Upgrading [Archive]

[nicolas]

Eclair and Hiventy are actually quite gifted at least for BD encodes, and AFAIK for UHD encodes too.

Hiventy have restored La Piscine and likely also Le gendarme de Saint-Tropez which came out in 4K via M6 Video and they rank among the 5 worst UHDs I’ve seen. The remastered BDs of both movies aren’t far off but others could obviously be better. My general bad experience with their restorations have usually only begun with the color grading as the encode here is in another league of bad. The Three Colors trilogy looks horrendous on Potemkine’s UHD yet their Lost Highway UHD seems to be fine since there are no negative reports unlike the Kieślowski discs. And as M A said, Carlotta and David M would have never encoded the Antoine Doniel films as badly as Hiventy evidently did. I’m still hoping for a UHD set by Criterion coming in the next couple of years that remedies the mess of the current one.

[tenia]

Eclair and Hiventy are actually quite gifted at least for BD encodes, and AFAIK for UHD encodes too.

Hiventy have restored La Piscine and likely also Le gendarme de Saint-Tropez which came out in 4K via M6 Video and they rank among the 5 worst UHDs I’ve seen. The remastered BDs of both movies aren’t far off but others could obviously be better. My general bad experience with their restorations have usually only begun with the color grading as the encode here is in another league of bad. The Three Colors trilogy looks horrendous on Potemkine’s UHD yet their Lost Highway UHD seems to be fine since there are no negative reports unlike the Kieślowski discs. And as M A said, Carlotta and David M would have never encoded the Antoine Doinel films as badly as Hiventy evidently did. I’m still hoping for a UHD set by Criterion coming in the next couple of years that remedies the mess of the current one.

That's assuming they did the encodes of their restorations, which I'm not sure is the case.

[Finch]

Rio Bravo (WB) caps, Rebel Without A Cause (WB), East of Eden (WB) and Showgirls (Vinegar Syndrome) (REPLACEMENT DISC)

Rio Bravo has the minor caveat that you might want to hold onto the 2 disc BD for the extras. I think East of Eden is mostly just the film as well, so really WB should have priced these a bit lower.

[Finch]

Also, caps for Cinderella (Disney)

[Finch]

Can anyone here chime in on Arrow's Bruce Lee 4ks compared to the other UHDs and Criterion's BD set?

Going by capsaholic and in comparison to Criterion, I'd suggest Big Boss, Fist of Fury, Way of the Dragon, and Game of Death.

[hearthesilence]

Also, caps for Cinderella (Disney)

Actual film grain! And the crease in the prince's arm is no longer erased!

[Mire]

I guess I am not the only one who thinks 4K versions of a few films like Gangs of New York, Kill Bill, The Departed and Django Unchained are long overdue. Anyone who might have the slightest idea or theory on why that has not happened yet? Also, what is going on with the 4K boxset with all the Alien-films that was announced for like... two years ago?

However, a few more films I would like to see reviewed for this list are: Vertigo, Psycho (1960), The Prestige, Inception, Train to Busan, Dunkirk, Interstellar, Peninsula and Tenet.

[dwk]

I guess I am not the only one who thinks 4K versions of a few films like Gangs of New York, Kill Bill, The Departed and Django Unchained are long overdue.

Tarantino recently got the rights to Kill Bill and Jackie Brown and licensed them both to Lionsgate, who announced a UHD for Kill Bill is in the works.

[Mire]

[...] announced a UHD for Kill Bill is in the works.

That is great news. Oh... Also Mystic River is another one I would like to see in UHD one day.

[beamish14]

[...] announced a UHD for Kill Bill is in the works.

That is great news. Oh... Also Mystic River is another one I would like to see in UHD one day.

I have to imagine that WB must have 4K restorations in the works for most of the Eastwood films in their possession

[captveg]

One wonders how many of the WB owned Scorsese films may end up with Criterion now that After Hours finally came out (thinking about Mean Streets, Who's That Knocking at My Door, and Alice Doesnt Live Here Anymore, though probably only BD for the latter two). However, I suspect WB would keep The Departed and The Aviator 4K UHD upgrades for themselves.

Gangs of New York should now be with Paramount. Could be another Arrow licensed 4K on the heels of Hugo, perhaps. Still need at least a BD of Bringing Out the Dead from Paramount, too.

[Finch]

more quotes regarding the audio on the To Live and Die in L.A. 4k from TBLITW.

[ianthemovie]

a few more films I would like to see reviewed for this list are: Vertigo, Psycho (1960), The Prestige, Inception, Train to Busan, Dunkirk, Interstellar, Peninsula and Tenet.

Vertigo and Psycho are listed in the Reference discs category as The Alfred Hitchcock Collection Volume 1.

[therewillbeblus]

Understandably, the master list has been more rigorously updated since releases have come out in real time vs. backtracking. That's likely why strong UHDs mentioned in the first few pages by EddieLarkin et al. (i.e. Beetlejuice) are absent.

[Finch]

Added Beetlejuice to the OP after I saw your post two days ago.

Akira Kurosawa's Dreams (Criterion) Chris's review

[jsteffe]

One wonders how many of the WB owned Scorsese films may end up with Criterion now that After Hours finally came out (thinking about Mean Streets, Who's That Knocking at My Door, and Alice Doesnt Live Here Anymore, though probably only BD for the latter two). However, I suspect WB would keep The Departed and The Aviator 4K UHD upgrades for themselves.

If I'm not mistaken, The Aviator was early example of a film finished on a digital intermediate and printed back out on to film for release. That was what gave Scorsese and Robert Richardson more control over the look of the film. Does the image have enough detail and color density to justify releasing on 4K? The 35mm I saw a few years back didn't have a highly resolved image.

[Finch]

Enter The Dragon (WB) caps

A BR user reported that there is an issue with the audio in the mirror breaking scene where it seems to switch awkwardly between different audio sources, and a separate comment noted that the compression is not as good on EtD as on other recent WB releases.

WB also put the new 4k restoration of The Exorcist up on streaming. Word is that a jump cut got restored and the mono track is available, but the exorcism scenes and the famous shot of Merrin outside the house have an even stronger blue tint than previously.

[therewillbeblus]

Opera:

The set includes 2x UHD (both BD-66 - one for the original Italian version, one for the Export cut), 3x BD (2x BD-50 for the feature - one of them with both versions in open matte, BD-25 bonus).

Both UHDs look as if they come straight from Arrow - meaning flawless encoding (from what I saw after a brief check), beautiful colors (nothing yellow or "teal" for those sensitive to it), astounding (to my eyes) depth and detail from what certainly is a great restoration. If Plaion has done color corrections á la Four Flies on Grey Velvet they've achieved what they were looking for.

Note that subtitles are only available on the Italian long version and none at all on the Export cut.

I'm not 100% sure about the audio though. Plaion has given the audio (regular English track) a surprisingly small bitrate of roughly 1.5 Mbps on the long version and 1 Mbps on the export. The Cannes dub (?) is always at around 1.0. I know that bitrate isn't everything but for a film so heavy on music it did strike me as a little tame.

I have the old Scorpion BD with their 5.1 remix and would love to hear it combined with the new 4K video, albeit at the loss of the DV layer during the remux.

A quick back-to-back test makes it clear that both tracks on the Scorpion (Dual Mono) and the 5.1 are richer and louder at the same reference level. Both run at higher bitrates as well. Dual Mono at approx. 2 and the 5.1 around 3.5.

I personally will attempt a remux but the audio on the Plaion isn't botched or bad in any way - just a little less bombastic than I'd want for this film. I'd recommend turning up the volume.

Nevertheless, a fantastic release and clearly definitive when it comes to the video. I hope you all will get yours soon and enjoy this masterful film. I'll try to provide screenshots as soon as I can.

Do both cuts include an English audio track (and removable subs)?

Also, do we know if this js ever going to come out in a standard edition? I’m fine spending ~$60 on Orbit if not, because this movie rules and is perfect for the format

[nicolas]

Opera:

The set includes 2x UHD (both BD-66 - one for the original Italian version, one for the Export cut), 3x BD (2x BD-50 for the feature - one of them with both versions in open matte, BD-25 bonus).

Both UHDs look as if they come straight from Arrow - meaning flawless encoding (from what I saw after a brief check), beautiful colors (nothing yellow or "teal" for those sensitive to it), astounding (to my eyes) depth and detail from what certainly is a great restoration. If Plaion has done color corrections á la Four Flies on Grey Velvet they've achieved what they were looking for.

Note that subtitles are only available on the Italian long version and none at all on the Export cut.

I'm not 100% sure about the audio though. Plaion has given the audio (regular English track) a surprisingly small bitrate of roughly 1.5 Mbps on the long version and 1 Mbps on the export. The Cannes dub (?) is always at around 1.0. I know that bitrate isn't everything but for a film so heavy on music it did strike me as a little tame.

I have the old Scorpion BD with their 5.1 remix and would love to hear it combined with the new 4K video, albeit at the loss of the DV layer during the remux.

A quick back-to-back test makes it clear that both tracks on the Scorpion (Dual Mono) and the 5.1 are richer and louder at the same reference level. Both run at higher bitrates as well. Dual Mono at approx. 2 and the 5.1 around 3.5.

I personally will attempt a remux but the audio on the Plaion isn't botched or bad in any way - just a little less bombastic than I'd want for this film. I'd recommend turning up the volume.

Nevertheless, a fantastic release and clearly definitive when it comes to the video. I hope you all will get yours soon and enjoy this masterful film. I'll try to provide screenshots as soon as I can.

Do both cuts include an English audio track (and removable subs)?

Also, do we know if this js ever going to come out in a standard edition? I’m fine spending ~$60 on Orbit if not, because this movie rules and is perfect for the format

Yes, you have English audio for both cuts but only optional German subtitles. I haven’t seen the film in a while, so I‘m not sure if there are Italian passages in the longer cut (like for other Argento films).

Regarding the possibility of a standard edition, I‘m not sure about one happening anytime soon. The current edition seems to sell very well for Plaion and they aren’t known for doing regular keep case versions anyway. As an example, their "limited" Planet of the Vampires UHD mediabook has initially sold out but due to demand they brought it back for a few more copies until they sell out. Then, it will be reissued as a Steelbook.

I guess if you’re a fan of the film and not too bothered about no English subtitles, you should be good to go. Video the encoding is flawless, but the audio isn’t as dynamic as on the Scorpion BDs, likely due to a lower bitrate / bit-depth. I synced the Scorpion 5.1 to the Plaion 4K master and it’s perfect.

[M Sanderson]

I've been watching Criterion's 4k of Devil in a Blue Dress. Lovely transfer - the period soft focus comes across gracefully - but there are recurrent anomalies, like black squares dancing on faces and clothes, in particular when characters move quickly which prove a distraction.

Not seen any of these issues when I did random checks on their Thelma & Louise, which looks stunning, and whose colours don't yet strike me as off, unbalanced, tealed or jaundiced. I look forward to a proper viewing very soon.

**Revising my opinion of Thelma & Louise. There is a kind of turquoise / blue / grey caste to much of the film and very little black. Sometimes shadows do appear blue, even in hair which is ginger or light brown. Has it been given a revised colour scheme, or over brightened? There is a kind of "chalkiness" or almost pastel-like texture (makes me think of those over brightened Atom Egoyan blu rays from Artificial Eye). Detail is great and I can see zero encoding anomalies. The film looks stunning, and maybe it was shot to look like this - but I do wonder if it's truly accurate?

*I've watched way too many 4ks. I'm nowhere near a technical reviewer. Had zero or few problems with Arrow, Indicator, Second Sight, Koch/Plaion, BFI, Blue Underground, Kino and even Shout. Canal+ did some great discs but I was already warned off from their misfires. Actually missed the issues in some discs like Shout's Halloween sequels and the colours in BU's NY Ripper, which have irked some. Vinegar Syndrome's Ticks and Scanner Cop discs are tremendous but this label has been inconsistent - as are Severin. So far the problem discs for me have been Scarface (Universal), Death Wish 2 (Vinegar Syndrome) as well as their Dead Heat - and the distracting minor issues cutting Criterion's Devil in a Blue Dress, Severin's Faceless and Vinegar Syndrome's From Beyond short of seamless distraction free viewing, which remind me that upgrading to UHD is truly a doubled edged sword.

[therewillbeblus]

Did we ever get a ruling on if the UK SC or US Lionsgate 4Ks of The Man Who Fell to Earth are any good, and which one is preferable? I see some brief impressions in the thread but nothing conclusive

[nicolas]

Did we ever get a ruling on if the UK SC or US Lionsgate 4Ks of The Man Who Fell to Earth are any good, and which one is preferable? I see some brief impressions in the thread but nothing conclusive

The US and UK copies are identical apart from the disc artwork of course. The UHD fixes the problems that came up with the 4K-remastered BD of 2016 (?). I didn’t have the old BD but I believe they slightly DNR’d the master. This is completely gone in 4K and looks absolutely stellar to my eyes. If you’re on the fence, definitely take the 4K.

[nicolas]

Also, Cutthroad Island 4K caps and early reports on BR.com are online. Compression is disappointing, even in DV FEL.

SC worked with a restoration house that isn’t part of the usual suspects Hiventy, Eclair etc. but the color grade is nevertheless heavily leaning into the yellow / green territory.

I don’t want to spell out the overused t-word until I’ve seen the master in person as the colors on caps could still reveal substantial differences when experiencing it on a proper system. SC’s Ludwig is such a case - SDR caps look incredibly yellow, but it’s another story on my TV in DV. There, that disc looked much more neutral and the yellows blended in better. Hopefully this is also the case with Cutthroad Island and the upcoming SC discs.

[M-A]

Also, Cutthroad Island 4K caps and early reports on BR.com are online. Compression is disappointing, even in DV FEL.

SC worked with a restoration house that isn’t part of the usual suspects Hiventy, Eclair etc. but the color grade is nevertheless heavily leaning into the yellow / green territory.

I don’t want to spell out the overused t-word until I’ve seen the master in person as the colors on caps could still reveal substantial differences when experiencing it on a proper system. SC’s Ludwig is such a case - SDR caps look incredibly yellow, but it’s another story on my TV in DV. There, that disc looked much more neutral and the yellows blended in better. Hopefully this is also the case with Cutthroad Island and the upcoming SC discs.

Didn't VDM do the restoration? I know they did the one for Raw Deal which had a very slight push towards yellow/green. Not enough to bother me and definitely not as much as what they have done here. I wonder why that is.

[nicolas]

Also, Cutthroad Island 4K caps and early reports on BR.com are online. Compression is disappointing, even in DV FEL.

SC worked with a restoration house that isn’t part of the usual suspects Hiventy, Eclair etc. but the color grade is nevertheless heavily leaning into the yellow / green territory.

I don’t want to spell out the overused t-word until I’ve seen the master in person as the colors on caps could still reveal substantial differences when experiencing it on a proper system. SC’s Ludwig is such a case - SDR caps look incredibly yellow, but it’s another story on my TV in DV. There, that disc looked much more neutral and the yellows blended in better. Hopefully this is also the case with Cutthroad Island and the upcoming SC discs.

Didn't VDM do the restoration? I know they did the one for Raw Deal which had a very slight push towards yellow/green. Not enough to bother me and definitely not as much as what they have done here. I wonder why that is.

Yes, the picture and sound restoration was done by VDM according to the info before the film. I‘ve never heard of them before probably because I wasn’t interested in Raw Deal. Based on the info card (posted on BR.com), VDM did picture and sound restoration. The color grading is solely credited to that one colorist who did the Jason Statham Transporter films and countless more. His more recent works are likely all but looking "teal", which makes this new grade all the more perplexing especially since it doesn’t appear that he used reference material signed off by Renny Harlin or his DP. In recent months, SC started mentioning how they got to their new grades (ex. Le Mépris). Here it would have been adequate / recommended to temper any ambivalent feelings towards the new "revisionist" master.