nacthenud

2 hours ago, Spork3245 said:

 

Yea, meant Dolby Vision, no idea why I wrote Digital  

I’d rather not use the built-in aps since HDMI Arc sucks wieners on AVRs and I’d have to use optical audio and lose the AVR overlay . Are the built-in apps on the LG B7A really that much better than using my XboneX?

Last I checked the YouTube App on the Xbox didn’t support HDR. And the Xbox’s Netflix App forces everything to be in HDR even when it isn’t supposed to be, which makes SDR content look like crap. 

50 minutes ago, Spork3245 said:

Is Apple TV Gen 5 (4k) worth its high price tag if I already have an XboneX? I know the Apple TV does Dolby Digital AND HDR10 while the XboneX only does HDR10, but I really don't want to spend another $150-200 for a streaming device  

I'm pretty sure that the XboneX supports 4k YouTube (HDR?), 4k HDR Netflix and 4k HDR Amazon Video (and possibly 4k/HDR Hulu...?).

*Dolby Vision

The worthy of the Apple TV depends largely on your investment in the Apple ecosystem. 

As there are 6 people in my house with iPhones, iPods and iPads it is worthwhile for the integration in airplay and screen mirroring

Its also worth it for me in that I have around 200 iTunes digital movies and around 70 of them, so far, have received a free upgrade to 4K HDR even though I originally only got the HD version with a standard Blu Ray purchase. That alone justified the purchase for me. 

If yiu do get an Apple TV, be sure to enable the “Match Content” settings since they are turned off by default and they are super important for anything that isn’t natively in HDR or Dolby Vision as well as 24fps playback on movies. Without those settings turned on, the Apple TV will convert everything to Dolby Vision and make SDR content look horrible. It will also cause telecine judder on 24fps movies. 

Now, keep in mind that your TVs built in apps are the best way to watch things like Netflix and YouTube anyway, so you don’t need to use an Apple TV OR an Xbox app. 

What I am a huge fan of, is that Apple has upgraded all of the digital titles I owned to 4K HDR as that version has become available. Plus you pay the same for the 4K version as the standard HD version. That is worthy of consumer support. 

On the flip side, in Canada there is only one UltraViolet provider left - Flixster Video. And at that, there are no apps that allow me to play those movies on my TV, only on my phone or tablet. I can mirror my phone screen on the Apple TV, but that is pretty low-Rez. 

CinemaNow also used to work in Canada, but they have ceased and the existing Xbox 360 app no longer works. I have several (21!) UltraViolet copies of movies that Flixster Video will not play back. “playback unavailable”. 

Physical media I own isn’t going to suddenly stop working like these digital copies have. 

Well, we don’t have HT forums anymore, so we’d better start the debate again. ?

I’m just speaking from my own personal observations. If you don’t see a noticeable visual difference on your screen with your viewing conditions and your eyes, then that’s great. I absolutely see the difference on my screen with my viewing conditions with my eyes and I am grateful for the superior quality that UHD 4K Blu Ray offers. 

5 hours ago, atom631 said:

I’ve been buying 4K digital codes like crazy. It’s definitely not as good as physical media, but it’s not that much of a difference (in terms of picture). The big difference is audio for physical. 

Well, I would beg to differ there. Due to compression/relatively low bitrate, level of detail on a 4K streamed title isn’t even as high as a standard Blu Ray disc, let alone a 4K UHD.

HDR sometimes lacks the subtlety that makes things seem natural and realistic over streams too. 

I’ve compared a few 4K HDR iTunes movies over Apple TV 4K vs the UHD and found the discs to be superior, visually. 

Some 4K UHD discs to Stay away from:

Forrest Gump

SAN Andreas

Peter Rabbit

Oblivion

Bourne Identity 

The accountant

Planet Earth 2 has some astounding 4K HDR scenes throughout. It does have some scenes that stand out by comparison that were not filmed in 4K, but for the most part this is a demo-worthy series.

Transformers Last Knight may be one of the very best implementations of striking HDR to date, it’s just a shame that it was wasted on such a terrible movie. As a visual spectacle it is one gorgeous disc.

Pacific Rim Uprising is a good looking disc, but it doesn’t quite live up to the standard set by the original’s UHD release. Same for the movie itself. 

XXX Return of Xander Cage was probably the worst implementation of HDR I’ve seen. I’ve heard some people say they loved it but I found so much of it to be totally oversaturated. All the actors looked like they had sunburns or something.

Wonder Woman has lots of great looking HDR showcase scenes. It’s a good disc, if not in my top-tier list. 

Justice League makes great use of HDR on a regular basis, though particularly in the final battle scenes, where energy crackles off the screen. Cyborg’s glowing components pop nicely throughout. 

Jumanji Welcome to the Jungle is a fantastic disc. Elements like the glowing Jewel really pop off the screen and the jungle foliage has a lifelike appearance brought to life through HDR that is muted on the standard Blu Ray. 

The original Jumanji is a nice uptick from older releases, but nothing to knock your socks off. 

The Incredibles has some striking scenes and it looks razor sharp, but boy oh boy does the crispness show off the limitations of early CG. 

The original Blade Runner is a strong argument for what 4K HDR can bring to catalogue releases. Beautiful disc. The city lights in this film have never looked more striking.

Alien Covenant was a good looking film. It had its moments for sure. 

Baywatch was a nice uptick from standard Blu Ray. The extra resolution has the effect of making some of the visual effects like fire in an early scene look more artificial- ie you can tell they are definitely visual effects, but this is still the best way to watch the film, regardless.

Black Panther - this is a film that has some standout HDR usage at times (and other times where they didn’t do quite as good a job). But all the shiny metal in the movie looks so much more lifelike here than on the standard Blu Ray. Strongly Recommended. 

Cars 3 - oh heck yeah, this is a 4K stunner. The glint and gleam is well done. 

Coco - the colours... the lights... there are several demo-worthy moments throughout this film. 

Deadpool has a nice improvement over the standard Blu Ray. Extra detail is apparent in his suit and throughout the film. HDR usage adds extra depth to the image though nothing that will cause your eyes to melt. 

Ghost in the Shell is another nice looking disc. 

Kingsman 2 had some really nice looking scenes, it’s just a shame the movie itself was a disappointment

La La Land has some very colourful scenes and the added depth to the colours makes everything feel so lifelike. 

Logan - I actually watched this movie on both 4K UHD and standard Blu Ray side by side to compare. The HDR in a movie with a muted colour palette like this one comes through in the details. Extra detail in the clouds where it is just clipped to white on the standard Blu. Extra shadow details. Extra clarity in facial features or background elements.

The Mummy (with Brendan Fraser) - wow this is a night and day difference over the standard Blu Ray release. Another one I watched in a side by side comparison. There is so much extra visual information to be found on the UHD disc in the shadows. Colours have been dramatically improved. The standard Blu Ray also has heavy use of DNR that is not present here. Heavy film grain at times (for those that hate film grain). 

The Mummy (with Tom Cruise) - yeah it had some good moments of, “HDR makes things look better!” sprinkled throughout

Power Rangers - mediocre movie - fantastic picture. Really really nice UHD disc visually. 

Valerian - well it certainly has some standout moments visually. Not as epically awesome as I’d hoped but good. 

A Wrinkle in Time - my 8yo daughter loved it. It isn’t the best movie for the adult crowd, but it certainly does pop off the screen visually. Very pretty HDR

Murder on the Orient Express. The image is a fantastic example of 4K resolution, though the use of HDR here is all about subtlety and naturalistic enhancements rather than blowing your socks off. 

Pitch Perfect 3 - nothing to write home about, but a nice uptick from the standard Blu Ray again. 

Peter Rabbit - stay away from the 4K disc. Looks better on Standard Blu Ray. 

Underworld Blood Wars - a nice looking transfer. 

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them - y’know there is some nice use of HDR at times, but I often felt like they could have turned it up a couple of notches too. 

Suicide Squad... yeah, nothing to write home about here, that I recall

The Legend of Tarzan - there are some stunning HDR moments sprinkled in here and there. 

I own about 30 more 4K UHD Blu Rays that I haven’t watched yet. I have found that the format and particularly HDR has reignited my passion for movies in a big way. When a film has great implementation of this tech, it can be transformative.
 

My go-to demo disc for HDR is the original Pacific Rim. 

I love the quality of my 2017 LG OLED TV regardless of what I’m watching, but I’m always looking for those titles that really show what it can do, for when someone asks why OLED TVs are worth the price. Prior to firing this title up I would give the nod to Guardians of the Galaxy 2 and Kong Skull Island for most striking use of HDR I’ve seen. However, nearly every scene on the 4K UHD HDR Pacific Rim disc serves as justification for the format.  It’s like the movie was custom made to be a showcase for the technology. 

Derived and upscaled from a 2K digital intermediate, it isn’t the sharpest 4K disc out there, but the colours and specular highlights just pop off the screen. Pure eye candy at every turn. 

Plus it’s a fun watch of a movie that is way better than it has any right to be. 

8 hours ago, SimpleG said:

I found it kind of it inconsistent , some scenes the actors have a sickly pale coloration thats off putting.

Inconsistent is the perfect term for this UHD. Some scenes are just glorious and others needed someone to spend some more time getting it right. The opening scene when the sun is glinting off the metal that’s being used to light the chamber... THAT’s a gorgeous implementation of HDR. 

8 hours ago, SimpleG said:

@Spork3245

 

Nolans Batman Trilogy are good

Batman Begins is an improvement over the standard Blu-ray, but the latter two films are a further step up from the first on UHD. 

8 hours ago, SimpleG said:

Wasnt it just a 4k scan master to 1080p?

It was an 8K scan, finished in a 4K digital intermediary released on standard Blu-ray (2K/1080p). 

9 hours ago, Spork3245 said:

 

I was debating between that, Thor: Ragnorok (which I enjoyed more) and/or Spider-Man Homecoming. However, I cannot find much on the latter two in regards to UHD/HDR quality. 

Guardians of the Galaxy 2 does look great in HDR. Thor: Ragnarok looks amazing at times and not up to its potential at others. Spider-Man Homecoming does have some noticeable improvements over the standard Blu-Ray disc. 

13 hours ago, Wild said:

Lawrence of Arabia

The UHD release has been announced, but no release date has yet been set. You can get a “mastered in 4K” on standard Blu-ray, but that is neither a 4K image, nor is it in HDR. 

On 6/30/2018 at 1:41 PM, SFLUFAN said:

The Last Jedi

Blade Runner 2049

The Last Jedi is one of the most disappointing 4K discs of the year. It does not look much different from the standard Blu-ray at all. Use of HDR was quite deliberately not taken advantage of since the filmmakers were intentionally going for a more muted colour palette to match the tone of the older films to a degree. The potential for light sabres that crackle with energy or star fields that twinkle in HDR against a velvety black space was not realized whatsoever. 

Blade Runner 2049 is one of the best HDR releases of 2018 though. 

That’s hilarious. We’ve all been there. 

Right, but those QLED's also don't have the telecine judder issue with BFI in 24fps content, I thought - again, I thought because of something in the hardware design.  Perhaps LG can patch in software fixes for both those shortcomings though.

But that does address the issue of freesync 2 (which the Xbox uses) over HDMI 2.0, but not necessarily with higher than 60Hz 4K HDR.  The most important benefits of freesync will be for lower frame-rate signals, though anyway, so there's still a good advantage there.

5 minutes ago, Spork3245 said:

 

Actual HDMI 2.1-standard VRR will not be able to be patched in. Freesync will. The question does become “will things that use HDMI 2.1 VRR also use non-HDMI 2.1 freesync” though. So, there is a potential “why even bother” aspect that may occur. 

Freesync doesn't allow for HDR though, does it?  I thought you needed Freesync 2 for that.  And I thought that for 4K HDR freesync 2 over 60Hz you needed HDMI 2.1.  But again, I could have bad info on that.

1 hour ago, Spork3245 said:

 

Freesync is software based. 

Hmm... I'm open to the possibility I'm wrong on that then.  I had read somewhere that it would not be possible to be patched into 2018 TV's that weren't designed for it, but I don't remember where I read it at the moment, so I can't verify credibility.

I thought it was a hardware limitation with the TV and was the same reason why black frame insertion on the 2018 models introduces telecine judder for 24fps content.  

1 hour ago, Spork3245 said:

 

I never once argued to the contrary!  

 

Final plans:

Option A.) IF LG announces a Freesync/VRR update via firmware for their 2018 OLEDs, I’ll buy immediately.

 

Option B.) I apparently have no use for Dolby Vision since I own nothing that supports it thus if the 2018 65” QLED drops in the low $2k range in the next 3-4 months, I’ll buy now.

 

Option C.) If A or B do not occur by the end of October, I’m waiting for the 2019 HDMI 2.1 sets.

A) LG can't announce a freesync/VRR update via firmware because they don't have the hardware in there to support it.

B) Dolby Vision is pretty prevalent in Netflix, Amazon Prime and Vudu content through apps native on the TV, even if you don't have any other hardware capable of sending Dolby Vision to the TV yet.

32 minutes ago, Nokra said:

 

You can never replace the exact pictures you posted, true, but the appreciation of eye candy is eternal!  

It's just like, if you've spent hundreds of hours creating a house of cards and then it gets knocked over... do you start over?  Or do you just fondly remember how epic it was before it got knocked over?  Maybe one day.  

15 minutes ago, Spork3245 said:

 

I really don't want to hear about your porn collection.

 

Seriously, though, that sucks. 3D is probably dead until glassless 3D is perfected and adopted. When done correctly it's such a good effect, IMO. I am planning on getting a second TV for another room in the house, I guess I'll just make sure that one supports 3D.

 

One more question, is the OLED like Plasma in regards to screen glare/reflections? 

I have never personally owned a plasma, so I can't really speak to that, but I can tell you that the LG B7 OLED has a glossy, not matte, screen so it can pick up reflections, but the anti-glare coating on the screen generally does a good job and I've never had any complaints about mine.  The only time I see a reflection is if I have a light directly behind me, like my hall light - then I can see it in the screen, but I don't get any glare from the lights above in the same room or the windows from the side when the blinds are up.

If you're going to be watching it with a bright window directly across from the TV behind where you're sitting, then an OLED isn't going to be the best choice anyway, because you want something brighter - ie a very bright LED LCD.

8 minutes ago, Nokra said:

@nacthenud if you and @Triage create a new eye candy thread here, I'll be able to keep up this time. I got waaaaay behind before and then it got overwhelming to try and catch up.  

Yeah, after realizing that those thousands of posts are gone, I don't think I have it in me to start over.

8 minutes ago, Rodimus said:

I was hoping a little for 3D. I have some movies in 3D that are nice. So now I guess 3D movies will be only in my PSVR for now.

This is exactly my situation.  I almost got a 2016 instead of a 2017 for the 3D capability.  I went back and forth on it several times.

I've been super happy with my 2017 LG OLED.

Image retention has not been an issue whatsoever.  While OLED's CAN have burn-in, they are far less susceptible to it than CRT's or Plasma's were.  LG OLED's also run 2 levels of automatic compensation cycle while the TV is turned off in standby mode after x hours of use that keeps image retention or burn-in risk minimal.  When detecting static images for a long time, LG OLED's will slowly dim themselves to reduce risk of image retention.  And apps like Netflix will go into a screen saver when paused for very long.

12 minutes ago, Spork3245 said:

Here's a ridiculous question: I actually like watching 3D movies on occasion... Does the QLED or OLED even support 3D playback? I'm guessing "no".  

The 2016 LG OLED's supported 3D.  So a C6 model will support it.  Support was dropped with the 2017 models (ie - a C7) and the trade-off was superior near-black performance and superior brightness capability with less-aggressive APL.