nacthenud

21 hours ago, silentbob said:

Yeah you’ll find that with all of Disney’s latest movie releases. Be it the DTS-HDMA tracks on the bluray or the Atmos on the 4K release. Usually need a 10-15db boost on my receiver to bring it to reference quality 

Indeed.  Hence the term "Disney Atmouse" 

Avengers - 4K UHD Blu ray - 9/10

I'm assuming everyone has seen this movie.  It's awesome.  It's great how many of the jokes still land even though I've seen it several times.  My youngest daughter watched it for the first time this time.  She had all the right reactions.  Cheered at the right times, was sad, laughed, got excited.  She wanted to go back and rewatch a couple of the funny scenes with the Hulk after it was done.

This is a stand-out HDR showcase.  Damn, I did not expect it to look so good on this format. The lighting throughout this movie is perfect HDR material.  And there are so many glowing things and specular highlights and light sources and seriously, the visual candy drips thickly here.

Audio is also great.  Very dynamic Dolby Atmos mix with aggressive use of surround and height channels throughout.  There were a couple scenes where dialog could have been a bit louder relative to the score.  I found that I had to turn the sound system up quite a bit to get everything to normal volume levels though.  For most movies, my receiver is turned up to 60-62.  Here, I had to turn it up to 72.5 to get similar sound.  Other than that, it was a really nice sounding disc.

58 minutes ago, Emblazon said:

Two of my favorite movies are rated under 10% on RT... but I'ma pass on this in the theater. About the only redeeming thing it has going for it is it's supposedly a very hard R. 

What are those two movies?

On 2/18/2019 at 2:28 PM, Emblazon said:

I'm very much thinking about going against my own advice and getting this for my next setup:

 

Nakamichi Shockwafe Ultra 9.2Ch DTS:X 1000W 45-Inch Sound Bar System with Dual 10" Subwoofers (Wireless) & Four 2-Way Rear Surround Speakers https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01NBYXRNQ/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_k8YACbXHSC8DE

 

 

9.2.4 set-up. I had to start rethinking how I was going to set everything up because, if we get the place we want, the living room will have a 20' flat ceiling, with the couch/TV in the middle of a room that has hardwood floors. So unless we had them build speaker ports into the walls, there's no way to run hidden speaker wire to the rear speakers. 

 

The above system almost sounds too good to be true, but the reviews seem stellar. 

Did you make any decisions on this?

I was looking forward to this, but 12% on Rotten Tomatoes... damn...

Bumblebee - 4K UHD Blu-ray - 8/10

As a fan of the 80's cartoons this is what I've wanted from this franchise all along.  I am so happy I lived to see this one after so many terrible films.  I am sad that this movie didn't make the same money as the previous ones and will  no doubt end up moving further back towards the trash Bay films.  This movie was definitely saved by smart editing - if you watch the deleted scenes..... there were some BAD ideas put to film that thankfully didn't make it into the final version.

The picture is very nice and definitely enhanced by HDR.  Maybe it's a function of having become used to movies in HDR now, but with ones like this, I'm watching it thinking, this all looks really nice, but I bet the blu-ray looks almost the same.  Nope.  So much nope.  Everything looks dramatically better in HDR.  Especially the scenes on Cybertron.  Every scene I jumped to to compare looked noticeably better on the 4K UHD disc.

The audio was nice and punchy.  The Atmos track was nice and immersive, enveloping you in the sound field.  Bass hits hard at appropriate times.  

In terms of pure technical showpieces, this is a step down from Transformers: The Last Knight which was demo material for audio and video throughout.  But it is still a great looking and sounding disc and in every other regard, it sits high atop the hill for the franchise.

The Little Mermaid – 4K UHD Blu-ray – 8/10
An animated Disney classic.  Watching with my 9-yo daughter, it’s great to see her on the edge of her seat at tense moments.  And then there’s me singing along with the songs.

I’m posting this mainly because I hear lots of people question the logic of upgrading a traditionally animated film to 4K over the standard Blu-ray.  It turns out that it’s a markedly different viewing experience, primarily because of the implementation of HDR.

Off the bat, what you’ll notice is that the film is now darker, on average.  When the scene is set with cloudy skies, or in a cavern deep underwater, etc. everything appears darker and more gloomy than the standard blu-ray.  This has the effect of creating a larger visual tonal shift for scenes when the sun comes out and shines on the world.  It also, lends pop and sparkle to the many glowing objects, light sources, fireworks, lightning, fire, magical effects, trident blasts, etc.  When these bright elements are on screen, they shine more brightly than on the standard blu-ray.

As a whole, when you watch a scene on the 4K disc and then watch the same scene on the standard blu-ray it feels like the former is a more cinematic experience while the latter feels more like… well… a cartoon.  It definitely changes or enhances the tone of some scenes.

I took some screenshots with my iPhone to illustrate some of the differences.  Now keep in mind that my phone’s cameral can’t capture the full high dynamic range of the TV (nor does my computer monitor), so for the pictures with the HDR versions, the camera either has to clip the brightest parts to white or make the darker areas appear darker than they are to your eyes.

The first one shows how a lot of the movie is overall darker.  The HDR version is on the left and the standard blu-ray is on the right.  While being darker, the yellow of Flounder appears to be a richer, deeper shade of yellow, and the whites of his eyes appear a slightly brighter, cleaner white (to my eyes, if not to the camera).  The sky is clouded over after a storm and you get the sense on the 4K UHD that this is the case, while the standard blu-ray feels like they are in direct sunlight.  I also find myself seeing a lot more texture and detail in the clouds in the background on the 4K UHD whereas everything appears more washed out and flat when I watch the standard blu-ray.

The second scene screenshot shows how there is far more dynamic range between this explosion and the background elements.  Because the camera was adjusting its exposure to the brightest parts, the background objects appear darker in this picture than they do to my eye.  But it is easy to see how the blu-ray version appears as a more washed-out version of the scene without the same visual pop due to the limited dynamic range.  With HDR, the brightest parts of this get brighter and the darker parts darker, without losing clarity or detail.

Same thing with the this shot of the trident.  Notice how the detail in the magical energy is more readily discernable because it is has all the extra range to play with.  Again – all these pictures of the HDR versions don’t do it justice to what you see with your eyes, but still help illustrate differences.

In this one, the HDR version appears to have the crown being white instead of yellow, but that’s not what you actually see with your eyes.  In reality the crown is very yellow (not white), but the camera couldn’t capture the yellow being that bright and instead clipped it to white.  On the standard blu-ray the crown appears to be roughly the same brightness as the other yellow glowing thingies, whereas on the 4K disc, the yellow of the crown glows noticeably brighter than the other glowing effects.

43 minutes ago, johnny said:

The main shootout in MI2 is quite possibly the most boring shootout I’ve ever seen. Tom Cruise doesn’t even seem invested in it. Too busy talking to Thandie Newton. 

 

The FF series is fun but even people shit on 2F2F 

Well, Tom Cruise doesn't even fire a gun in the first Mission Impossible, so it's still a step forward in his shootout participation. 

Spider-man: Into the Spider-verse - 4K UHD Blu-ray - 10/10 - Such a good movie. The animation style was innovative and unique. The movie itself was the best Spider-man movie I've ever seen. As a life-long Spider-man fan, this felt like a Spider-man movie, made by Spider-man fans FOR Spider-man fans. They just "got" what Spider-man is all about at its core.

The HDR in this movie is very nicely done and certainly enhances the visuals in a meaningful way. Some scenes are just "oooo - look at that" kind of pretty. A worthy upgrade from standard blu-ray for sure.

The Dolby Atmos sound mix is great too! Dynamic use of all channels. And so much bass. It's glorious. I was standing behind the bar, having just grabbed a pop and leaning against the back wall and the bass was just literally shaking the walls over and over. This kind of disc makes the sound system feel like a good investment.

The Matrix - 4K UHD - 10/10

My favourite movie of all-time got a massive upgrade in this new release.  First and foremost, the colours are finally restored back to their theatrical version - not the re-tinted version they started putting out with all home releases starting with the second DVD release.  I know they were trying to make it look more similar to the sequels, but I've always hated it.  This is worth the purchase just to have the colouring restored to its proper state.

But they didn't stop there.  While there are a couple of scenes with noisy grain, for the most part the film grain is finely resolved and unobtrusive and the level of detail is a big step up from the previous blu-ray release.

The HDR is put to fantastic use.  Playing the same scenes on the old blu ray and this new 4K UHD, the difference HDR makes is ridiculously apparent.  Deeper blacks, fantastic use of shadow and contrast and specular highlights and... I mean if you do what I did and swap back and forth scene by scene you will never-ever want to settle for the non 4K UHD disc in HDR again.  You will notice all sorts of things you've never noticed before.

The new Atmos mix is likewise a noticeable jump up from the old blu-ray.  The sound mix is punchy and detailed and very dynamic.  The directions that sounds come at you from is appropriate throughout.  All your speakers get a workout.  Comparing to the old blu-ray, the sense of immersion is much greater with the Atmos mix.  Gunfire is punchier.  Explosions hit harder.

This fantastic movie received the royal treatment in its upgrade to 4K UHD.  If you want some demo material for convincing your friends that upgrading from standard blu ray to 4K UHD is worthwhile, here it is.

Watched Mary Poppins Returns tonight on 4K UHD Blu Ray. 7.5/10

The movie itself, while not on the same level as the original, is about the best they could have done for making this so many years after that timeless classic. And I’m glad they did make it, because it has a lot of family-friendly heart to it and a few good musical numbers to boot. I will say that I probably enjoyed it more on this second viewing than the first.

Because much of the movie is filmed with a bit of a murky tone to accentuate the fantasy feeling you get in the fantasy sequences, the visual impact is up and down. Much of the movie, with its muted contrast doesn’t show off HDR in any way that elevates it above the standard Blu Ray presentation, but then you get a sudden swing into a bright, colourful setting and HDR’s advantages delight your eyes. Or it takes another swing into a darkly lit scene with bright street lamps glowing and the dynamic range on display is far more impactful than when you watch the same scene on the standard Blu Ray. In those moments, the 4K UHD disc makes itself worthwhile.

Captain Marvel - 8.5/10 - 
The movie was really good. Solid mid-tier MCU movie. 

For the negative comments I’d read/heard I disagreed with them. I didn’t have the same problems with the film that some people seem to have. If you like MCU movies, you’ll like this one too. 

I thought the characters were good, the actors were good, Sam Jackson was awesome, the tone was good, the visual effects were good, moments were earned, the story was good and subverted my expectations in several ways. Yup. Good movie.

On 1/26/2019 at 4:54 AM, sexy_shapiro said:

A lot of people still think Venom is part of the MCU. This stuff is confusing to most people.

Oh man, it annoys me to an unhealthy degree when people do this.  Particularly people who I would assume should understand because they're fellow geeks.

I felt like the characters had potential and the actors were good in the 2016 reboot, but the script and direction let it down.  I would rather see them try again with this cast than go back to the original.

There's no way any movie they make with either cast is going to touch the original's greatness.  And with Harold Ramis gone, I think they just missed they're opportunity to do a 3rd film in the original series justice.  But I'm sure I'll watch it and give it a fair shot.

Into the Spider-verse - 10/10 - The animation style was innovative and unique.  The movie itself was the best Spider-man movie I've ever seen.  As a life-long Spider-man fan, this felt like a Spider-man movie, made by Spider-man fans FOR Spider-man fans.  They just "got" what Spider-man is all about at its core.

Mary Poppins Returns - 7.5/10 - The original is such a classic, that there was no possible way for this to measure up, but I think they did as good a job as was possible.  I think with repeat viewings my appreciation for it will grow.  The musical numbers were good to great.  The tone was on point.  The emotional scene hit the heart strings.  Not the disaster I expected.

Mamma Mia Here We Go Again - 8/10 - This is a massive improvement over the original movie.  The musical numbers feel more polished and are more worthy of a soundtrack listening.  The acting takes a big step forward.  The movie is highly rewatchable.  The tone is happy and light.  The kids, from my 9-yo to my 20-yo all enjoyed it.  The UHD has some fantastically colourful images to work it's HDR magic on.  It was visually very pleasing.  Being digitally filmed, it is a very clean image as well, with no film grain.  Everything is crystal clear and the type of thing you see on demo reels on TV's in store displays.  Popping in the standard Blu-ray disc for comparison, everything feels so flat and muted.  The visual punch is just not there after watching the same scenes in HDR.  The Dolby Atmos mix is very enjoyable.  There is consistent immersion from the musical numbers, though the material doesn't afford them many opportunities to really make use of directional sound, but there were a couple of moments throughout where sounds were clearly and appropriately placed in the surrounds or heights that made me smile for having the setup to appreciate them.

Star Wars The Last Jedi - 8/10 - I'd seen the movie twice in theatres and I like it a lot.  This was the first time watching it on UHD at home though and despite having been forewarned, I was still disappointed in the presentation.  As a result of sticking firm to the director's intent on visual aesthetic, this movie really does not take advantage of HDR.  Certainly there is more detail afforded by the 4K resolution, and that makes it superior to the standard Blu-ray, but the blacks are not as deep as they could be and the brights are not as bright as they could be.  Everything seems to fall within a standard dynamic range.  When you see a shot of space, there is such a difference between the "black" of space versus the "black" of the letterbox bars surrounding the movie that space looks grey by comparison.  And the sorts of specular highlights usually found in HDR presentations (including the recent Solo UHD) are nowhere to be found.  There are a few standout moments in the visual presentation - notably the scenes in the throne room.  The deep reds are vibrant, to be sure.  The Atmos sound mix was... good... but not demo-material.  

In the Heart of the Sea - 7/10 - It was kind of neat to see Chris Hemsworth and Tom Holland sharing the screen here, in this setting.  I found the movie to be a little bit predictable, but well-executed.  The UHD disc I had heard good things about and at first was a little underwhelmed.  In the earlier parts of the movie, I felt like the 4K resolution was actually hurting the presentation due to the fact that visual effects on locations was so much more readily apparent and artificial looking than would have been ideal.  As the film unfolds, however, there are some demo-worthy scenes, particularly one where there is a lot of fire on screen that had me revoking my early doubts.  The Dolby Atmos track was good throughout, though I struggle to think back on any truly amazing moments.  I had to have the sound tuned down a couple notches while watching this one though, so that is hardly a definitive verdict.

15 minutes ago, Emblazon said:

Why do you have Polar Express on DVD? @nacthenud

Um... that's a weird question...

Because my one son really loved that movie, so I bought it for him when DVD was the pinnacle of home video technology and I never upgraded it to Blu-ray and it hasn't come out on UHD yet.

3 hours ago, Bloodporne said:

 

I've only ever seen a chiropractor for one issue and honestly, it seemed like a rip-off beyond giving me some generic "exercise" chart.

 

In short, I'm very skeptical but at the same time willing to try anything light before going all out and going to some oral surgeon person that'll tell me I need some surgery that my insurance won't cover because America. 

 

I appreciate all the replies and tips, thanks everyone. I didn't realize this may be fairly common. I had never even heard the term before recently. 

I have seen 5 different chiropractors in my life.  Not all are equally skilled/useful.

15 hours ago, number305 said:

From my experience you will notice more of a difference with hdr and an oled screen, than you will notice extra resolution. 

I agree that HDR is a much bigger differentiator than the resolution bump, but there are many TV's out there that advertise HDR, that do a poor job with it and don't have the sort of impact that makes HDR great.

50 minutes ago, Triage said:

My chiropractor said she can fix it too with adjustments but that's one adjustment I'm scared of. Did it hurt? 

 

@kittykat see chiropractor helped him as well?  

It hurt for exactly 1 second

I had issues like this myself.  My doctor was pretty useless beyond giving me some reading about TMJ.  Went and saw my chiropractor who did some adjustments on my jaw and everything got better shortly thereafter and has not returned.

Good 4K HDR content is well worth the upgrade if you have the equipment to do it justice.  Going too cheap into it may lead to disappointment and wondering what all the hype is about.  Having said that - on the cheaper end of the spectrum, something that will get you decent enough results to impress without breaking the bank is the Vizio P-series.  I wouldn't compromise down the the M-series, personally, but the P-series I've spent some time with at a friend's house and it is incredible for how little it costs.  

If you can't afford that, personally, I wouldn't jump to a new TV at this point.  Keep saving the pennies until you can make it worthwhile and enjoy your high-end 2015 1080p set in the meantime.

After a bit of time with the new setup, I have to say, it was well worth the investment.  Watching movies has been enhanced even further and I look forward to every new and old disc I pop in.

Dolby Atmos tracks are fantastic.  I have to question what the heck is driving some decision making with certain discs (WB releases, I've for sure noticed a trend on) where they do not have the Atmos audio track as the default and instead put a lower quality audio track as the default causing you to have to go to the disc menu for audio and select the higher quality version.  Why they heck are they knee-capping themselves for anyone who doesn't obsessively check the audio signal information on their receiver after starting movies??

Old movies have new life.  Even old DVD copies of movies like the Polar Express suddenly sound new and fresh from what I had before.  I'm very happy with the upgrade.

7 hours ago, TwinIon said:

A new suggestion that might fly under the radar, but Roma on Netflix has an amazing sound mix and looks gorgeous in HDR. It's not an action packed demo, but it's still one of the most technically impressive films I've seen at home this year.

Good tip!  I haven't upgraded Netflix to 4K/HDR/Dolby Vision/Atmos version yet, because my kids and wife already use up too much of my internet bandwidth with the standard HD Netflix and only 2 simultaneous users!