A Few Words About A few words about...™ It's a Wonderful Life (Corrected)-- in 4k UHD Blu-ray (1 Viewer)

[Robert Harris]

If the Oppo 203 cannot properly play IaWL...or has some kind of shortcoming that makes it a lesser player than the Panasonic model, that is something I would like explained to me.

It is something I don't understand.

That doesn't seem an unreasonable thing to ask.

panasonic can’t seem to “properly” play it either.

 

[Mike Frezon]

I said my piece, but, not everyone agrees with RAH's assessment of "It's a Wonderful Life" as it has received excellent reviews from other sites as well as this one.

Yeah, you said your piece. But it didn't address my question.

 

[Mark-P]

If the Oppo 203 cannot properly play IaWL...or has some kind of shortcoming that makes it a lesser player than the Panasonic model, that is something I would like explained to me.

It is something I don't understand.

That doesn't seem an unreasonable thing to ask.

He said that with DV engaged the Panasonic and Oppo were the same. So there’s nothing wrong with Oppo’s ability except that you can’t turn off DV/HDR. But the disc is still not “correct” even with DV/HDR turned off. I say keep your Oppos and chuck the disc.

 

[dpippel]

He said that with DV engaged the Panasonic and Oppo were the same. So there’s nothing wrong with Oppo’s ability except that you can’t turn off DV/HDR. But the disc is still not “correct” even with DV/HDR turned off. I say keep your Oppos and chuck the disc.

Or, buy the Blu-ray and redeem the code on iTunes for the 4K copy. "Best" of both worlds.

 

[Josh Steinberg]

Good question. Because I am left to wonder (as a result of these posts) if our Oppo 203s are lacking in some way.

I don’t think so.

I think RAH is dissatisfied with how HDR was used on this specific title, and wanted to try a different model of BD player which allowed him to switch the HDR off to see if the HDR on the disc was what was causing his unsatisfactory viewing experience - but upon doing so, was still dissatisfied with the image. In other words, the player is fine, he just has issues with choices the studio made in mastering the new restoration.

 

[Mike Frezon]

Thanks, RAH, Mark & Josh.

Now I've got a much better understanding of what's what.

 

[Robert Crawford]

He said that with DV engaged the Panasonic and Oppo were the same. So there’s nothing wrong with Oppo’s ability except that you can’t turn off DV/HDR. But the disc is still not “correct” even with DV/HDR turned off. I say keep your Oppos and chuck the disc.

Or watch the 4K disc first on your 4K display to see whether you have the same issues as RAH.

 

[Matt Hough]

Not trying to play devil's advocate or anything (I don't have an Oppo or a Panasonic UHD player), but from reading other threads and forums, didn't the Oppo have particular trouble with the Daniel Craig 007 UHD releases? Or were they problematic with all other UHD players as well.

Or maybe those were merely isolated instances on a few machines that got blown wildly out of proportion.

 

[cda1143]

More on It's a Wonderful Life.

.... I've now gone through this about fifty different times, with and without DV and HDR actuated...

and no matter what I do, the overall shading and shadow detail of the film is not what it should be.

It looks very nice, overall. Sharp, stable, but not correct.

Thank you so much Robert for your diligent work with this release.

Being one of those who feels the same way about the 4K, I'll be buying the new blu-ray.

 

[bugsy-pal]

I picked up the UHD package here in Australia the other day, which comes with the black and white bluray. I played the UHD on my Panasonic 820 UHD player, and did back and forth comparisons with the new bluray on my Oppo BDP-93.

I can only agree with Mr Harris - there is some weird stuff going on with the UHD. It doesn't have the contrast or range of grey tones evident on the bluray. I also noticed that the UHD had a distinctly blue/grey cast in comparison to the bluray, which is a warmer grey overall (and seems more natural to me).

I tried the UHD with Dolby Vision and HDR+ turned off - sad to say that that didn't improve matters. I did some close up pixel peeping and I am hard pressed to notice any extra detail on the UHD compared to the bluray. In motion the UHD appears fractionally sharper to me, but there's not much in it.

ps. I had more success in adjusting the look of the UHD via the picture controls of my Sony OLED TV, and got it looking a bit more contrasty without crushed blacks - but when I did the A/B comparison with the bluray, I still thought that the bluray looked more like a real film.

 

[Robert Harris]

I picked up the UHD package here in Australia the other day, which comes with the black and white bluray. I played the UHD on my Panasonic 820 UHD player, and did back and forth comparisons with the new bluray on my Oppo BDP-93.

I can only agree with Mr Harris - there is some weird stuff going on with the UHD. It doesn't have the contrast or range of grey tones evident on the bluray. I also noticed that the UHD had a distinctly blue/grey cast in comparison to the bluray, which is a warmer grey overall (and seems more natural to me).

I tried the UHD with Dolby Vision and HDR+ turned off - sad to say that that didn't improve matters. I did some close up pixel peeping and I am hard pressed to notice any extra detail on the UHD compared to the bluray. In motion the UHD appears fractionally sharper to me, but there's not much in it.

ps. I had more success in adjusting the look of the UHD via the picture controls of my Sony OLED TV, and got it looking a bit more contrasty without crushed blacks - but when I did the A/B comparison with the bluray, I still thought that the bluray looked more like a real film.

With no malice toward the 4k continuum counsel, there are are certain areas where standard issue Blu-ray at 1920 x 1080 gets the job more than done, even in projection.

There are also films that take on a totally different being in 4k.

But those are generally not b & w films from the 1950s and before.

Look at The Bad and the Beautiful, The Letter, or the new Criterion of Now, Voyager. All magnificently reproduced in what we can call 2k.

As are 95% of new theatrical releases.

Large format films, certain older 35mm productions that were proper 70mm blow-up candidates ( these become obvious), and many new digital productions, are all ripe for 4k. There is a definite place for it.

And it shines.

This particular film, and the brethren of its era? I don’t see it.

 

[Robert Crawford]

So no 4K/UHD for black and white movies from the classic film era.

 

[Michel_Hafner]

So no 4K/UHD for black and white movies from the classic film era.

Einspruch, Euer Ehren!

 

[Robert Crawford]

Einspruch, Euer Ehren!

I was being facetious so you don't have to object to that post.

 

[Robert Harris]

I was being facetious so you don't have to object to that post.

There are certain films, that if being restored in 4k, could benefit from the resolution when projected theatrically on large screens.

 

[Robert Crawford]

There are certain films, that if being restored in 4k, could benefit from the resolution when projected theatrically on large screens.

I think there are many such films, but, that's just my uneducated opinion.

 

[Robert Harris]

I think there are many such films, but, that's just my uneducated opinion.

We can include the silent era. Imagine The Big Parade in 4k, from the OCN, on a huge screen, supported by a full symphony orchestra

 

[Angelo Colombus]

We can include the silent era. Imagine The Big Parade in 4k, from the OCN, on a huge screen, supported by a full symphony orchestra

I wonder about one of my favorite silent films Abel Gance's Napoleon?

 

[Robert Harris]

I wonder about one of my favorite silent films Abel Gance's Napoleon?

Partially from the OCN, in 4k, on a huge screen(s), with a full symphony orchestra...

 

[AnthonyClarke]

Bring it on!