OLED / 4K 'Eye Candy' Demo Suggestions

Discussion in 'Visual Arts' started by stereoptic, Sep 11, 2020.

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  1. stereoptic

    stereoptic Anaglyphic GORT Staff Thread Starter

    Location:
    NY
    I'm looking for some suggestions for 4k videos or stills. From the LG store, I found the Dolby Access app which has a few impressive short films. This link has a few nice ones as well.

    I found a nice aquarium youtube video which was described as 'peaceful', which it was for about 10 minutes until there was a commercial break for a very loud war-time video game! :yikes:

    I'm not looking for a feature film or motion picture, but basically scenery or creative art.

    I addition, any hints as to geek out and display some specs on the screen? I found the "x-ray" option for the firestick, Netflix, which brings back the "info" button for the LG remote. Any others?
     
  2. Claus LH

    Claus LH Forum Resident

    Youtube has some impressive Nature demos, better still if you download them first to maintain the data rate in playback. Look there for Jacob and Katie Schwartz who have shot some very beautiful things around the world in high rez.
    Also looking for Japan in 4K 0r 6-8K will yield good things.
    If you like travelling images, plenty of train locomotive "point of view" videos, ranging from Norway to India, with dramatic and beautiful imagery that goes on and on. Just search accordingly, and they pop up.

    C.
     
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  3. jbmcb

    jbmcb Forum Resident

    Location:
    Troy, MI, USA
    When I got my LG 4K TV last winter, this is the first scene I checked out off of the Coco UHD disc we already had:

    [​IMG]

    Pretty much all of the Pixar digital transfers on DVD and Blu-ray are excellent. When my friend got his ISF-tweaked rear projector 65" DLP TV set up in the mid-2000s, I had him put up the intro scene from Toy Story 2 - where Buzz flies through space into a desolate crater. It became his go-to demo scene to show off his rig.
     
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  4. Turnaround

    Turnaround Senior Member

    Location:
    -
    For 4K eye candy, I really like Planet Earth II and Blue Planet II. They were shot almost entirely in native 4K or higher resolution, and cover all sorts of scenery and colors. Of my 4K discs, this is what I would put on to show off my 4K TV to a guest. (After that, I'd show whatever 4K nature/travel videos seem interesting to them off YouTube.)

    The OP said he is not looking for a feature film or motion picture. But I will break his rule and note that 1917 is the one 4K title I have that makes me go, "That's what 4K is all about!" Many 4K titles are actually upscaled from a 2K digital intermediate master (especially movies heavy on digital effects). Of the movies actually shot and mastered in 4K or higher resolution (e.g., Blade Runner 2049, The Revenant, 1917), and putting aside older films shot on film, 1917 is one title I have where comparing the 4K disc against the HD Blu-ray disc, the details, colors, blacks and contrast of the 4K UHD format add a really amazing sense of fine detail, three-dimensional depth and pop that the HD format doesn't have.

    Geek talk about 4K:

    I would like to hear people's thoughts about what device in the chain they use to upconvert HD to 4K. That is, if your TV set displays 4K resolution, and you are watching HD content off a Blu-ray player or streaming device, then something in the chain is upscaling that HD image to fit the 4K pixels of your TV. You could have your Blu-ray player or streaming device output a 4K signal to your TV (so your Blu-ray player or streaming device does the upconverting). Or your could have your Blu-ray player or streaming device output the native HD signal to your TV (so your TV does the upconverting). That means a choice as to which device in the chain you think does the better job processing the video.

    I thought about this recently because I had a Google Chromecast Ultra (4K capable) connected directly into my 4K TV (an LG OLED C8 series). Connected directly into the TV, the Chromecast outputs a 4K signal, so I guess the Chromecast was processing any HD content into 4K. To free up that input to my TV, I unplugged the Chromecast from my TV and connected it into my TV soundbar (which in turn is connected to, and feeds into, my TV). My TV soundbar is old and only does HD input/output, no 4K, so the TV is processing an HD signal into 4K. I haven't done any real A/B tests, but I am kinda convinced that the image off the Chromecast looks a little worse now than before. That could be because my old TV soundbar is now inserted into the video chain between my Chromecast and TV. Or it could be because I have moved around which device in my chain is processing the HD image to 4K.
     
    Last edited: Sep 11, 2020
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  5. Bingo Bongo

    Bingo Bongo Music gives me Eargasms

    Location:
    Ottawa, Canada
    Avatar. The jungle scene with the green glowing plants
     
  6. Turnaround

    Turnaround Senior Member

    Location:
    -
    Avatar has never been released on 4K. (Speaking of James Cameron films, fans are still waiting for True Lies and The Abyss to be released on Blu-ray, much less 4K.)
     
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  7. stereoptic

    stereoptic Anaglyphic GORT Staff Thread Starter

    Location:
    NY
    Thanks so far, folks! :thumbsup:
     
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  8. Turnaround already listed the ones I thought of that match your criteria. Blue Planet II should be outstanding.

    I’ve HEARD that the best 4K transfer out there is Lawrence of Arabia, but last I heard it was only available as part of a rather large set of discs & quite expensive.
     
  9. Bingo Bongo

    Bingo Bongo Music gives me Eargasms

    Location:
    Ottawa, Canada
    Wow, how strange is that!
     
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  10. tomhayes

    tomhayes Senior Member

    Location:
    San Diego, Ca
    Valerian The City of A Thousand Planets is the perfect demo disc.

    The opening scene is wonderful, especially if you have a great sound system.

    Great sound, great visuals - almost completely not understandable :)

    Looks great in HDR too!

    Here's a Youtube link that doesn't look great, but will give you an idea:

    it goes on sale a lot.
     
  11. stereoptic

    stereoptic Anaglyphic GORT Staff Thread Starter

    Location:
    NY
    Is the Soundbar so old that it is HDMI 1.4? Or HDMI 2.0? Is the HDMI cable High Speed with Internet?
     
  12. Stereosound

    Stereosound Forum Resident

    Location:
    USA
     
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  13. Oatsdad

    Oatsdad Oat, Biscuits, Abbie & Mitzi: Best Dogs Ever

    Location:
    Alexandria VA
    Only 1 Cameron movie on 4K: "T2", which he has no control over, IIRC.

    He keeps claiming he's too busy with the 97 "Avatar" sequels to oversee new transfers.

    Which I think is a load of crap. He can find a few hours to watch the movies.

    We're still stuck with the "Abyss" and "True Lies" transfers from the 90s, and they've never even seen Blu-ray! :mad:
     
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  14. Turnaround

    Turnaround Senior Member

    Location:
    -
    My TV soundbar is a Sony HT-CT150. It is HDMI 1.4, and its input specs do not go above HD. (My soundbar came out in 2010, before HDMI 2.0 specs came out in 2013.) Do you think HDMI 1.4 versus 2.0 makes a difference for HD?

    My HDMI cables are high speed, but I don't know how to tell if they are high speed with internet. I mostly run these cables from Monoprice: 3993 and 3662.

    Your questions have made my realize that my HDMI cables are now 5 to 10 years old, and the older ones predate HDMI 2.0. Now that we are in a 4K world, I should make sure I use newer cables where they matter!

    Side note: I never upgraded my soundbar because the soundbar itself weighs less than three pounds, and while it's no sonic wonder, somehow I can hear the dialogue very clearly on movies with it. In my set-up, I don't want a soundbar that is bigger or heavier: many of the better soundbars today are very huge and very heavy. I haven't seen a cheap (thus lighter and smaller) soundbar that sounded as clear in dialogue. These days, I generally connect my components (Blu-ray player, Roku) straight into my TV, then use an ARC connection for the TV to pass the audio to my TV soundbar.
     
  15. stereoptic

    stereoptic Anaglyphic GORT Staff Thread Starter

    Location:
    NY
    Yes, it does, as well as the components that they are connecting! Pages like this will explain it better:
    HDMI 2.0 vs 1.4: What's the difference? | Trusted Reviews

    It is usually printed on the cable itself.
    Heh, I just got rid of a lot of old HDMI 1.4 cables! (Best Buy recycles all electronics)

    For 4K, the cables need to be HDMI 2.0 or better and the components need to be DHCP 2.2 or better.
     
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  16. Vidiot

    Vidiot Now in 4K HDR!

    Location:
    Hollywood, USA
    Avatar was completely shot and finished in HD (and 2K), so any kind of 4K would be an uprez. You can do that now just by playing the studio on a 4K set, and the set will uprez it.

    The 4K master of True Lies was finished about 8 years ago, and I don't know why Cameron won't allow it to be released. He blamed Fox for it, but now Fox is owned by Disney, so it's a good question as to who is involved. Not sure about The Abyss. Remastering either to 4K and matching them to the older transfers would not be that difficult.

    Avengers: Infinity War and Endgame would be on my 4K demo list.
     
    Last edited: Sep 12, 2020
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  17. Oatsdad

    Oatsdad Oat, Biscuits, Abbie & Mitzi: Best Dogs Ever

    Location:
    Alexandria VA
    Cameron's attempt to blame the studio for the absence of "Lies" and "Abyss" on BD was pathetic.

    Cameron is a cash cow. If he wanted those out, would Fox have said "don't think so, Jimmy"?

    Of course not, and these are 2 movies fans have wanted upgraded for literally decades.

    Cameron is the clear hold-up, not the studio...
     
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  18. formu_la

    formu_la I'm not a robot

    Location:
    Toronto, Canada
    I like 4k 'Predator'. Looks like step up in resolution compare to many other movies.
     
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  19. stereoptic

    stereoptic Anaglyphic GORT Staff Thread Starter

    Location:
    NY
    Thanks for the motion picture suggestions, folks, but I prefer that to be another thread, mainly because I know the discussion will drift into the Abyss. :D
    I'm trying to keep this 'techie'.

    @Turnaround - My OLED HDMI inputs are set up this way:
    HDMI - 1 - comcast cable box. It does not have 4k capabilities
    HDMI - 2 - Marantz AVR - It is NOT HDCP 2.2 certified, so I am not using it to transfer 4k output. The HDMI output from the AVR is primarily to display the menus at this time until I upgrade to HDCP 2.2
    HDMI - 3 - The video output from Oppo 203. The audio output from the Oppo to the AVR is both HDMI and 5.1 analog in. I can switch between inputs on the AVR. I generally select HDMI input as I rely on Audyssey to make my room corrections for audio.
    HDMI - 4 - Amazon 4k Firestick. I use an optical cable out or HDMI CEC for audio if I want to play audio through the AVR.
     
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  20. Tim Lookingbill

    Tim Lookingbill Alfalfa Male

    Location:
    New Braunfels, TX
    Hope your new 4k display is calibrated so it can reproduce a true HDR scene like a sunset with cloud detail and the sun peaking over them as in this calibration video shows...



    You may have to skip ahead to get to the sunset scene. It's at 1:22.
     
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  21. Turnaround

    Turnaround Senior Member

    Location:
    -
    I realized why I never upgraded my old HDMI cables. According to articles I now remember reading, like the one below, the HDMI 1.4 and 2.0 specs are for the connectors on components, not the cables themselves. Your cable just needs to be fast enough to keep up with the speed needed for the newer HDMI connectors, and you'll likely know it's not up to snuff if your picture is not displaying right (or so I remember reading). I wonder if there is a way to know whether an older cable is sufficient to "keep up" with the newer specs.

    CNET: 4K HDMI cables (are nonsense): You do not need a new HDMI cable for Ultra HD 4K (probably).

    @stereoptic I run my LG OLED TV like that too. My cable box (not 4K capable), Oppo 4K UHD Blu-ray player (4K capable) and Roku (4K capable) are connected into three of the TV's HDMI inputs. The fourth HDMI input on the TV is an ARC connection (signal can go two ways with ARC). I connect my TV soundbar to my TV using the ARC-capable HDMI input on each device. That means I can use that connection to feed a source into my TV soundbar, then into my TV, or I can use that connection for the TV to send the audio from the cable box or Roku out to the TV soundbar. When I watch my Oppo, though, I use two HDMI output cables from the player, one to send the video to the TV and the other to send the audio to the TV soundbar.

    During the pandemic, I purchased a Google Chromecast Ultra to be able to cast HBO Max from my laptop or iPad to my TV. (HBO Max and NBC's Peacock both launched without being available on Roku or Amazon Firestick, and they are still fighting over the terms for carrying those services on those streaming devices.) I like the Roku, and wasn't planning to spend the money to move to another streaming platform like Apple TV, so the Google Chromecast was a relatively inexpensive fix to watch HBO Max on my TV until it's available on the Roku. The Chromecast Ultra is 4K capable, but HBO Max does not currently have 4K content, so I'm only using it for HD for now.

    The Chromecast has created one very annoying problem with my set-up. Each of my TV and TV soundbar often automatically default to whatever input has a signal. The Chromecast is constantly "on" (it will rotate through screensaver images when not being used, unless you unplug it). When the Chromeast is plugged into the TV, it tricks the TV into defaulting to that input and my TV soundbar into defaulting to its ARC input (thinking the TV is feeding it the source signal). Or when the Chromecast is plugged into the TV soundbar, it tricks the TV soundbar into defaulting to that input, and the TV into defaulting to its ARC input (thinking the TV soundbar is feeding it the source signal). I think I've figured out a workable hack to deal with this, but it drove me crazy for weeks why my TV and TV soundbar kept changing inputs on its own!
     
    Last edited: Sep 14, 2020
  22. Oatsdad

    Oatsdad Oat, Biscuits, Abbie & Mitzi: Best Dogs Ever

    Location:
    Alexandria VA
    Assuming you mean the 1987 movie, that's not a movie I'd view as "eye candy"!

    It's pretty grainy and murky - intentionally.

    I'm sure the 4K improves prior versions - especially the awful 2010 BD - but it probably doesn't offer the dazzling pure visual experience I think the OP seeks! :)
     
  23. stereoptic

    stereoptic Anaglyphic GORT Staff Thread Starter

    Location:
    NY
    @Turnaround - Does your soundbar have HDMI pass through? If so, you can set it to a specific input as default. If not, then it seems like each of the components are battling each other. You may want to check out the different equipment and CEC settings for each one.
     
  24. formu_la

    formu_la I'm not a robot

    Location:
    Toronto, Canada
    Probably you are right. You can suggest to the OP something else you didn't watch.
     
  25. Turnaround

    Turnaround Senior Member

    Location:
    -
    Thanks for the suggestions. My TV soundbar does have HDMI pass through, but not the ability to set it to a specific input as default. I think it defaults to whatever input is feeding it a signal.

    My "hack" to fix the problem was playing around with the sequence and timing of how my universal remote is programed to turn on each device/input when it turns on my entire system. If a device defaults to an undesired input while everything is powering on, the remote is timed to wait just a little longer before it selects (and thus corrects) the desired input. That feeling of being MacGyver when you jimmy up something that works. :agree:
     
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