UHD Review A Few Words About A few words about...™ - The Abyss -- in 4k UHD (19 Viewers)

[Todd Erwin]

As I mentioned in another thread, I think those people are misinformed. As far as I've always been aware, Aliens was already scanned and mastered in 4K for the Blu-ray release in 2010. Lowry Digital's special de-graining process that James Cameron was so happy with relied on a 4K workflow. So, even if this new A.I. processed transfer is based on the existing Blu-ray master, that work already started in 4K.

I think the people claiming that the new 4K is upconverted are working from the false belief that, "2010 was, like, a hundred thousand millennia ago. 4K didn't exist back then." Which is wrong and stupid.

Nope, Aliens never had a 4K scan prior to this release. I had the pleasure of seeing the special edition cut on the Fox lot in 2014 hosted by their home entertainment department, and they screened the best they had available - a 2K DCP - and even mentioned that they would love to someday have this available in 4K.

 

[sbjork]

This will be my next watch, but seeing as I’m going on vacation for the first time in 5 years, it can wait.

 

[Patrick McCart]

Finally got my hands on this and watched a few bits and pieces. In actual playback, I thought this looks excellent. It's weird seeing this in anything better than SD as this was the very first DVD I owned back in 2000. Would I have preferred the "dial" to be turned more in the direction of this replicating the look of circa-1989 35mm rather than this new look? Sure, but it's not bad.

Not a fan of how the 4K disc goes directly into the theatrical version of the film, though.

 

[Wayne Klein]

Finally got my hands on this and watched a few bits and pieces. In actual playback, I thought this looks excellent. It's weird seeing this in anything better than SD as this was the very first DVD I owned back in 2000. Would I have preferred the "dial" to be turned more in the direction of this replicating the look of circa-1989 35mm rather than this new look? Sure, but it's not bad.

Not a fan of how the 4K disc goes directly into the theatrical version of the film, though.

Yeah one shouldn’t have to search for the special edition. Just an option at the beginning asking which version you want to watch would have worked.

 

[B-ROLL]

Yeah one shouldn’t have to search for the special edition. Just an option at the beginning asking which version you want to watch would have worked.

The menu is wonky for a two-version movie/film ... If you want the SE you have to hit play Theatrical and from that menu pick play SE.

It should go ... legal stuff ... Then
Play Theatrical
>Audio
Play SE
> Audio

IMHO
Here is the menu from to OG DVD Disc 1:

 

[Dave Moritz]

The only time I have ever owned this movie was on DVD so after waiting a very long time to get a proper blu-ray and now that we have a 4K blu-ray I decided to get it even after hearing about the grain scrubbing. Anyway preordered it about 2 days before release date and am still waiting to receive a delivery date for this title.

 

[Mrozsa]

Anyone else had problems with The Abyss freezing? Mine froze twice in the 4K discs of Theatrical Edition and once in the Special Edition, strangely in the same place (Lindsey drowning in the mini-sub). I got the same results on two different 4K players.

 

[Indy Guy]

My Oppo player is prone to freezing 4K titles during the 3rd layer of a 100gb disc. Watched the entire extended version of The Abyss last night and there was no glitching anywhere during the entire film. I thought it looked and sounded very impressive.

 

[Dave Moritz]

I am still waiting for my copy of the Abyss to arrive it seems to be in the abyss Ordered this movie on 3/10 so they must be behind trying to catch up on the orders for this film.

 

[Brian L]

Anyone else had problems with The Abyss freezing? Mine froze twice in the 4K discs of Theatrical Edition and once in the Special Edition, strangely in the same place (Lindsey drowning in the mini-sub). I got the same results on two different 4K players.

I did actually....right before the crane collapse and shortly thereafter. I am using Oppo 203.

I cleaned the disc with soap and water and was then able to play through. I went back the next day and started a few chapters ahead and it also went through w/o issue.

That said, it is fails at the same place on more than one player, that certainly sounds like a disc problem to me.

Not the 1st 4K disc I have had issues with. I have posted this link here before, but it has generally worked for me.

Quick Tip: Suffering Individual Disc Playback Freezes? Clean The Disc! — Bob Pariseau

When you try to play your latest, smash hit, movie disc, does your player "freeze up" part way through? Does this always seem to happen just as the movie gets to the GOOD part? Does it then ignore all your desperate efforts to get it

bobpariseau.com

 

[dpippel]

It played straight through on my Panasonic UB9000 without issue.

 

[JoshZ]

If cleaning the disc doesn't help, my other thought is that the player(s) may be having trouble getting hung up at the seamless branching points between the theatrical and extended versions of the movie.

 

[ManW_TheUncool]

I did actually....right before the crane collapse and shortly thereafter. I am using Oppo 203.

I cleaned the disc with soap and water and was then able to play through. I went back the next day and started a few chapters ahead and it also went through w/o issue.

That said, it is fails at the same place on more than one player, that certainly sounds like a disc problem to me.

Not the 1st 4K disc I have had issues with. I have posted this link here before, but it has generally worked for me.

Quick Tip: Suffering Individual Disc Playback Freezes? Clean The Disc! — Bob Pariseau

When you try to play your latest, smash hit, movie disc, does your player "freeze up" part way through? Does this always seem to happen just as the movie gets to the GOOD part? Does it then ignore all your desperate efforts to get it

bobpariseau.com

That just sounds like the fairly common 4K disc-needs-cleaning issue, which is also discussed at that link, especially since there's no widespread reports of a disc defect.

_Man_

 

[Robert Saccone]

Anyone compare the digital to the disc? How much better is the disc?

 

[KPmusmag]

Played straight through no problems on my Panasonic

 

[sbjork]

My Oppo 205 has always been hypersensitive to any blemishes that it perceives, even on new discs straight out of the shrinkwrap that look perfectly clean. Much more so that my 105 or any previous generation players were. A disc cleaning usually takes care of it.

That said, The Abyss played fine for me straight through.

 

[Mrozsa]

My thanks to Brian L and other posters. I shall look into your suggestions.

 

[B-ROLL]

Anyone else had problems with The Abyss freezing? Mine froze twice in the 4K discs of Theatrical Edition and once in the Special Edition, strangely in the same place (Lindsey drowning in the mini-sub). I got the same results on two different 4K players.

Extended edition right before Chapter 39 disc froze. I took the disc out and there was a small bit of schmutz on the edge. I cleaned it and it played fine.

 

[Carlo_M]

Panasonic UB820 and it played straight through flawlessly, though recently the player choked on Tenet (couldn't get it to reproduce, the disc was clean).

Which drives home a major concern for me: the lack of innovation/new models of UHD/BD players. As they get older, they're going to start glitching/failing and now I miss Oppo more than ever...

 

[tenia]

Jay's video for Abyss (in French, but the AI-voiced English version is available on his YT channel) :