What are your best-looking Blu-rays?

Discussion in 'Visual Arts' started by Time Is On My Side, May 1, 2016.

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  1. JMGuerr

    JMGuerr Forum Resident

    Location:
    new mexico

    "What are your reference Blu-rays?"

    Gravity, 2001, Lawrence of Arabia (Sony, 8K scan/4 K intermediate restoration), recent Criterions: A Bright Summer Day,Chimes at Midnight....Sicario (Lionsgate) UHD 4k



     
  2. jh901

    jh901 Forum Resident

    Location:
    PARRISH FL USA
    The opening motorcycle scene alone is transcendent. Hoping there will be a UHD within a year or two. It's this film that encourages me to strive for a giant screen someday many years from now!
     
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  3. EddieVanHalen

    EddieVanHalen Forum Resident

    For film shot my reference BD is Seven, it looks amazing, for digitally shot I'd go for Sully and Lucy, both on BD and UHD BD.
     
  4. The Hud

    The Hud Breath of the Kingdom, Tears of the Wild

    I blind bought "The Thin Red Line" and "Antichrist" because the reviews on High-Def Digest rated them the best video and audio each reviewer had seen/heard. I was not disappointed, either. Both great movies as well.
     
  5. GregM

    GregM The expanding man

    Location:
    Bay Area, CA
    Certainly nothing with too much CGI or transfers of old film that have to walk the line about restoration/digital tools.

    No Country for Old Men
    Master & Commander
    Boardwalk Empire
    Babel
    True Grit (Coens version)
    Gran Torino
     
  6. dkmonroe

    dkmonroe A completely self-taught idiot

    Location:
    Atlanta
    The Ten Commandments is the most stunning blu-ray in my collection.
     
  7. Jim B.

    Jim B. Senior Member

    Location:
    UK
    Zulu I think looks great.

    Any David Fincher film, especially the latest ones.

    Jaws.
     
  8. GregM

    GregM The expanding man

    Location:
    Bay Area, CA
    True. I should add The Social Network to my list.
     
  9. Ditto. 6K scan of VistaVision = OMG
     
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  10. RK2249

    RK2249 Forum Resident

    Location:
    South Jersey
    Baraka...by far.

    A few snippets from Blu ray reviews:

    "The Blu-ray is advertised as "FULLY RESTORED - THE FIRST MOVIE EVER TRANSFERRED IN 8K ULTRADIGITAL HD!" Rendered from restored 70mm elements this Blu-ray makes a bold statement when it claims to be the 'most visually stunning' ever. But I'd be hard-pressed to argue. Technically it does have the best images I have ever captured on this new format. Detail, contrast, color - everything is in the extreme high-end. I was certainly 'wow'ed' and I believe I've now found the perfect demo disc for when guests head over. It works out well as they can still hold conversation and eventually when their eyes drift to the screen - I'm sure they will be as hypnotized as a I." - DVD Beaver

    "Encoded in 1080p/AC-1 @ 35 Mbps on a single 50GB dual-layer Blu-ray disc, Baraka looks flawless. Mastered using an 8K ultra high resolution scanner directly from 65/5p film elements, complete with intermediate digital restoration, the final product is breathtaking. Colors are lifelike, contrast is correct, and details are razor sharp without excessive edge enhancement." - DVD Talk

    "Baraka offers a breathtaking 1080p high definition, 2.20:1-framed transfer. Filmed in 65mm and painstakingly and lovingly restored with an 8k UltraDigital HD Process, the film represents the current zenith of Blu-ray picture quality. The depth, clarity, and color reproduction of the film is incredible. Each scene provides awe-inspiring, reference-quality imagery that effortlessly places the viewer within each frame of the film regardless of its locale on the world's surface." - Blu-ray.com
     
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  11. jh901

    jh901 Forum Resident

    Location:
    PARRISH FL USA
    I have Baraka, but I've never screened it on my front projection set-up. Will take a look!
     
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  12. Plan9

    Plan9 Mastering Engineer

    Location:
    Toulouse, France
    Baraka and its follow-up, Samsara, are both stunning. 96k/24bit 5.1 audio as well.
     
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  13. To Catch a Thief
     
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  14. Vidiot

    Vidiot Now in 4K HDR!

    Location:
    Hollywood, USA
    Boardwalk Empire had millions and millions of dollars' worth of visual effects because of the nature of recreating Atlantic City in the 1920s...



    I was actually turned off by some of the "city skyline" FX because I thought they look pretty fake, but I had to admit their creation of Richard (the WWI soldier who had lost half his face) was fantastic.
     
    Last edited: Jun 29, 2017
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  15. Vidiot

    Vidiot Now in 4K HDR!

    Location:
    Hollywood, USA
    Small correction: the scans were done at 8K but all the correction and finishing was done at 2K at Fotokem:

    Restoration Process started with FotoKem's down conversion of the massive 8K files to HD, a 16 to 1 ratio. Then Ron Fricke, the director/cinematographer, started to work in the Dl suite to do primary and secondary color grading. Working with the restoration producer, Christopher Reyna, they identified myriad problems and shots that needed the digital magic of Dl's multifaceted toolset. The restoration tasks went from simple dirt and scratch removal to de-flickering, flare removal, and the use of power windows and mattes to fix both problems that originated in the camera, or that were the result of wear and tear of the original camera negative. The restored HD Master is now seen in a whole new way as a result of the Dl's unmasking and cleanup capabilities.

    "Baraka" The High Rez HD Digital lntermediate Restoration: HR/HD DI

    Fotokem does very good work, but a lot of what you see boils down to good mastering people using experience and taste to do good work. It's not because of the 8K -- it's because of everything that followed.

    I would point to The Ten Commandments as an example of an older film that was very well-restored just doing a lot of hard, painstaking work. The K wasn't really a factor. Stabilizing the color fading, fixing density & shading problems, reducing excessive grain, doing a very sensible amount of enhancement, and keeping color consistent... this is what goes into it.
     
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  16. RK2249

    RK2249 Forum Resident

    Location:
    South Jersey
    I wasn't hyping the 8k scan, just quoting some reviews. But you are correct in what you wrote as well as the statement that what's done after the 8k scan is what counts.

    This film (even though the Blu-ray came out in 2008) is still at the top of my list for video presentation. It makes my plasma look like a 4k display more than any other Blu-ray I've seen. It also cements my thought that we wouldn't even need 4k displays if all Blu-rays were mastered like this.
     
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  17. GregM

    GregM The expanding man

    Location:
    Bay Area, CA
    Many of those millions were spent on building real sets, filming in real locations and engineering products from the '20s and '30s to look like new in reality, not in CGI. The set/art direction and the way they filmed it put many a feature film's cinematography to shame.

    Agreed!
    Rather brilliant how they showed his real face in the dream sequence as he was dying.
     
  18. jh901

    jh901 Forum Resident

    Location:
    PARRISH FL USA
    This is an example of a film which will benefit from a proper 4K release. Keep in mind that some have large, projection displays. If you see Baraka's 2.21:1 image at something like 8ft and change by nearly 4ft, then you'll begin to appreciate. I have a 60" Panny VT60 plasma, calibrated by the same guy (ChadB) who did my projection system. Size. Matters.

    Further, 4K/UHD spec has a wider color gamut. I'm eager to invest in a UHD player for my JVC RS600. Sure, blu-ray can look great, but don't sleep on Ultra HiDef!
     
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  19. GregM

    GregM The expanding man

    Location:
    Bay Area, CA
    Size matters, but so does the seating distance from the screen, which in many cases makes 4K a nonissue in the law of diminishing returns. Certainly unless you have the square footage and funds to mine 4K for the best possible HT results, the upgrade will be nowhere near as dramatic as going from NTSC to 1080p.
     
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  20. RK2249

    RK2249 Forum Resident

    Location:
    South Jersey
    Agreed, but I don't have a projection system so it doesn't affect me much. I have a Panasonic 58" V10 that I calibrated myself and it looks pretty good. When I eventually get an OLED display it'll be 4k anyway but there's no way I'm investing in a 4k player (after just purchasing a 1080p Oppo) or replacing my Blu-rays with Ultra-HDs.
     
  21. jh901

    jh901 Forum Resident

    Location:
    PARRISH FL USA
    I simply believe that it's important to keep enthusiasts in mind. A display that looks "pretty good" or even "great!" to most is what some would only use for cable news.

    Depends on the experience you want. If you invest in a reference quality OLED, then budget $450 for HDTVbyChadB. UHD players will come down in price and from what I gather, the scaling tech in the Panasonic UB900 is fantastic. There are hundreds of films on DVD which haven't gotten a sniff at a blu-ray release, much less Ultra HD, so it is true that blu-ray is gonna be around for a long, long while.
     
  22. jh901

    jh901 Forum Resident

    Location:
    PARRISH FL USA
    I generally agree with respect to resolution. I expect that high quality OLED panels will drop in price, so the point will be moot. Anyone who cares at least a little bit will have a 4K panel and will get better colors and HDR and I think even better motion handling, etc.

    I sit two and a half screen heights in my theater, which is a good rule of thumb. Obviously, that will be a logistical problem for the typical 65" panel.

    I've come to believe that panels need to go. I envision a very compact, quiet, cool, ultra short throw projection unit which would sit at coffee table distance or closer. Could be super bright on the screen. Nice soundbar under screen. Not much different than what a lot of folks do with their panel.
     
  23. RK2249

    RK2249 Forum Resident

    Location:
    South Jersey
    Honestly, I was being modest...it looks quite fantastic, hence the reason I haven't gotten an OLED yet. Does it look as good as an OLED? No, but it'll beat any LCD (overall) or non-calibrated plasma. And OLED isn't without its own issues either.

    I debated getting a professional calibration on my plasma when I bought it 8 years ago but decided to buy a colorimeter, enter the service menu, and do it myself. Did a pretty bang up job if I do say so myself. Since the gray scale is essentially flat and I've set the colors as accurate as possible, there's not much else to do.

    I really haven't come across too many DVDs that I want that aren't on Blu-ray yet but that's always a possibility. I'm sure the price will come down on a 4k player but that's not the issue for me. Sometimes you have to draw a line and say enough is enough.
     
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  24. GregM

    GregM The expanding man

    Location:
    Bay Area, CA
    Your last point is the strongest to me. I'm using a Pioneer Kuro 60" and have always been satisfied with the resolution, colors and black levels--but the motion handling is the weak link issue. I'm not even sure this is the screen's problem or something upstream.

    I sit about that far. Maybe a bit closer.

    Soundbar? Audio is more important than video and I'd expect people on this site to understand that. The audio of a movie packs far more emotional punch than the video, and should be a priority. You need three equivalent discreet front channels, if not equivalent channels all around.

    I have no real motivation to go from the plasma to a projector.
     
  25. RK2249

    RK2249 Forum Resident

    Location:
    South Jersey
    Motion handling is supposed to be superior on plasma. I do notice some issues with horizontally scrolling words sometimes on broadcast TV but this is intermittent so I believe it's the broadcast not the display.


    100% agreed. Although my receiver has Dolby Atmos, I haven't hooked up Atmos height speakers as this, again, I feel would only be a minimal increase in quality in my setup...I will eventually do it though. And nothing beats the experience of a sub that can shake the foundations like my SVS PC12-Plus.

    Me neither. If I had a much bigger room, I would...but I don't...so I wont'.
     
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