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

[moviebuff75]

This is the only forum in which I feel appreciated.

 

[Colin Jacobson]

Well, I'm sorry if we lost your respect. We'll try to do better next time.

I smell sarcasm!

"Sorry we hurt your field, mister"!

 

[ghostwind]

I'm not judging you, I'm judging the professional reviews giving this a perfect video score. I usually base my buying decisions on such reviews. If you think it looks great, then that is great.

I said it earlier, but it's simply not enough anymore to properly review a 4K HDR disc without mentioning the gear you are using to make that evaluation. The simple days of a DIY (using a calibration pattern disc) or ISF calibration to Rec.709, 100nits, and HD for Blu-ray (or Rec.601 for DVD) are over when it comes to HDR. With those standards you knew that what you were seeing would not only be accurate, but that it would be the same for everyone with a calibrated display. With HDR you simply have no idea if what you're seeing is accurate or what it will look like for anyone else, because of the nature of HDR and how it looks different on every display for reasons stated in this and plenty of other threads out there. As you can see in this very thread, some have the crushed shadows, some don't! It's the unfortunate truth, and I don't know why some get defensive our touchy about it. I'm honestly surprised this hasn't come up before! I think it's important to address though.

When I read Mr. Harris' reviews, I don't look for all the technical minutia I might in other reviews, but I look for the larger picture and background that comes from his vast experience. There's a lot of value in there that you won't find anywhere else. But I do read other reviews to complement, but I cannot trust them. Not because the reviewers are not honest, but because HDR is what it is. As videophiles, we should welcome these discussions, not turn away from them, or shun someone with a different or unpopular opinion. There's a lot to learn with HDR, that's just the way it is.

 

[OliverK]

I always give Robert a call. I don’t need the 9000 with a panel. Nice series of players.

wondering if Wonderful Life would look better on an 8k panel...

The 824 should do fine for your needs.

It always helps to have more display resolution. Perfect solution for lacking shadow detail, bad masters and all other kinds of ailments.

 

[Bryan^H]

When I read Mr. Harris' reviews, I don't look for all the technical minutia I might in other reviews, but I look for the larger picture and background that comes from his vast experience. There's a lot of value in there that you won't find anywhere else. But I do read other reviews to complement, but I cannot trust them. Not because the reviewers are not honest, but because HDR is what it is. As videophiles, we should welcome these discussions, not turn away from them, or shun someone with a different or unpopular opinion. There's a lot to learn with HDR, that's just the way it is.

It is frustrating to read reviews that are giving perfect scores, and not seeing that resembled on the HT display that is running in your house. Solely because of HDR, and how the hardware you are using is processing/displaying such films.

Regarding HDR we now also have to take into account flagship TV's/normal TV's, max peak nits/brightness, OLED, QLED, LCD..Dolby Vision HDR10 etc, So many variables, so many different results. Mind boggling.
I could probably get the video on disc to emulate what these reviewers are seeing by manipulating the feature set on my player/display, and get perfect video quality out of it. But I just have to put in the work to get it there.

 

[Robert Harris]

It is frustrating to read reviews that are giving perfect scores, and not seeing that resembled on the HT display that is running in your house. Solely because of HDR, and how the hardware you are using is processing/displaying such films.

Regarding HDR we now also have to take into account flagship TV's/normal TV's, max peak nits/brightness, OLED, QLED, LCD..Dolby Vision HDR10 etc, So many variables, so many different results. Mind boggling.
I could probably get the video on disc to emulate what these reviewers are seeing by manipulating the feature set on my player/display, and get perfect video quality out of it. But I just have to put in the work to get it there.

There was a viable concept in Mr. Ford only producing his early vehicles in black.

 

[Dave H]

It is frustrating to read reviews that are giving perfect scores, and not seeing that resembled on the HT display that is running in your house. Solely because of HDR, and how the hardware you are using is processing/displaying such films.

Regarding HDR we now also have to take into account flagship TV's/normal TV's, max peak nits/brightness, OLED, QLED, LCD..Dolby Vision HDR10 etc, So many variables, so many different results. Mind boggling.
I could probably get the video on disc to emulate what these reviewers are seeing by manipulating the feature set on my player/display, and get perfect video quality out of it. But I just have to put in the work to get it there.

If we look back to the history of consumer based home display technologies, I think HDR will make a great case study of how NOT to release a new technology. It still boggles my mind in this day and age there wasn't more corroboration on coming up with another way and some kind of standard of implementing HDR.

 

[DavidJ]

The 824 should do fine for your needs.

It always helps to have more display resolution. Perfect solution for lacking shadow detail, bad masters and all other kinds of ailments.

8k does wonders for my lumbago.

 

[OliverK]

8k does wonders for my lumbago.

That's the spirit. With 8k and a bunch of HDR formats life is exciting and full of surprises.

 

[Robert Harris]

More on It's a Wonderful Life.

I've replaced my Oppo 203 with the new base model Panasonic, which now allows me to turn Dolby Vision, and HDR 10 off and on.

Here's what I'm seeing.

The release looks best as one might presume, decoded as Dolby Vision. When DV kicks in whites intensify, and overall the film looks as it did with the Oppo.

With DV turned off, the image suffers. Same situation with HDR.

And while I don't want to sound like one of the characters from Mad World, 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.

 

[Stephen_J_H]

More on It's a Wonderful Life.

I've replaced my Oppo 203 with the new base model Panasonic, which now allows me to turn Dolby Vision, and HDR 10 off and on.

Here's what I'm seeing.

The release looks best as one might presume, decoded as Dolby Vision. When DV kicks in whites intensify, and overall the film looks as it did with the Oppo.

With DV turned off, the image suffers. Same situation with HDR.

And while I don't want to sound like one of the characters from Mad World, 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.

Have you been able to look at the new BD?

 

[Robert Harris]

Have you been able to look at the new BD?

I have. Doesn’t appear to come from the same image harvest. Looks fine.

 

[AnthonyClarke]

Am I right in interpreting your comments as saying that we 203 owners have a pretty fair machine even without the ability to rurn DV off and on? That would be agreeable news indeed .. I don't want to have to replace my unit for no real gain in picture quality.

 

[Mike Frezon]

Am I right in interpreting your comments as saying that we 203 owners have a pretty fair machine even without the ability to rurn DV off and on? That would be agreeable news indeed .. I don't want to have to replace my unit for no real gain in picture quality.

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

 

[Robert Crawford]

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

If you're happy with the Oppo 203, why should it matter?

 

[Mike Frezon]

Because the esteemed Mr. Harris just ditched his Oppo 203 for a Panasonic model...which is causing me to question why that should be necessary. Seems like a reasonable thing to want to understand. Certainly surprising.

 

[Robert Crawford]

Because the esteemed Mr. Harris just ditched his Oppo 203 for a Panasonic model...which is causing me to question why that should be necessary. Seems like a reasonable thing to want to understand. Certainly surprising.

Mr. Harris changes HT equipment quite often compared to the rest of us. Furthermore, his standards and expectations are different than most of us. I don't find him changing players surprising at all.

 

[Mike Frezon]

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.

 

[Robert Crawford]

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.

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.

 

[Robert Harris]

Am I right in interpreting your comments as saying that we 203 owners have a pretty fair machine even without the ability to rurn DV off and on? That would be agreeable news indeed .. I don't want to have to replace my unit for no real gain in picture quality.

Yes. That’s the only real shortfall.