APOLLO 11 4K UHD (1 Viewer)

[titch]

I checked out the UK 4K disc release of one of this year's most spectacular films. I purchased the US blu-ray in May and saw it again in IMAX this summer. As I typically experience, projected on my Optoma/Oppo 203 set-up with the HDR turned off, the picture is much darker than the blu-ray and shadow detail is lost. Also, the colours seem drained, compared to the blu-ray. I expect anyone watching it on an OLED flat panel, with HDR activated, will experience a completely different colour saturation. I thought the blu-ray was really good up-rezzed to 4K and I couldn't see much difference to the 4K disc on a 150 inch screen. It wasn't like It's A Wonderful Life, where the grain was much more prominent on the 4K disc, compared to the blu-ray. It will be interesting to hear reviews from other people.

 

[dpippel]

I watched the 4K UHD iTunes stream a couple of months ago on my 65" LG OLED, and it looked absolutely spectacular.

 

[Worth]

The 4K disc seems to be getting bad reviews:

https://thedigitalbits.com/item/apollo-11-uk-uhd-brd

 

[Keith Cobby]

Yes, disappointing review from Bill Hunt. I really wanted to buy this now but am hesitating, great blu ray though. I keep replaying the descent to the surface. The countdown fuel clock and altimeter ratchets up the incredible tension. An amazing film about an amazing time. Feel very privileged to have been able to watch it as an 8 year old in 1969.

 

[Tino]

I watched the 4K UHD iTunes stream a couple of months ago on my 65" LG OLED, and it looked absolutely spectacular.

Which is why I won’t be purchasing this.

 

[dpippel]

Too bad the disc seems to have issues.

 

[Mark-P]

I watched it 4 months ago on iTunes in 4K HDR and I had absolutely no issue whatsoever. But of course I had nothing to compare it to.

 

[Josh Steinberg]

I don’t think the disc has issues. Bill Hunt later posted that he compared the disc to the 4K UHD HDR streaming version and that it was identical.

Bill doesn’t like how HDR was used here, but that’s not a defect, and it’s a little strange to me that he’s trying to sell a personal preference as an objective mistake.

 

[john a hunter]

So the iTunes 4k is "spectacular" and the 4k disc looks the same but is not "spectacular" or even recommendable.
Am confused

 

[titch]

I don’t think the disc has issues. Bill Hunt later posted that he compared the disc to the 4K UHD HDR streaming version and that it was identical.

Bill doesn’t like how HDR was used here, but that’s not a defect, and it’s a little strange to me that he’s trying to sell a personal preference as an objective mistake.

The 4K disc is definitely different to the blu-ray in colour grading. The green grass in the opening scenes is grey on the 4K disc - the colour grading is completely different from the theatrical IMAX picture, which didn't have HDR compounding the picture issue either.

 

[Josh Steinberg]

I’m not saying the 4K disc is the same as the Blu-ray. I’m saying that Bill Hunt first said there was a problem with how disc players were reading HDR on the 4K disc, and then compared the 4K disc to the 4K stream and discovered the 4K disc and 4K stream looked the same. In other words, not a problem with disc players reading the disc.

It seems likely that the Blu-ray and 4K were mastered to look different with the 4K taking advantage of what HDR can do. Bill doesn’t like the look they went with but that doesn’t mean the disc is defective. It means he disagrees with the artistic choice, which is totally valid, but not cause to send an alarm about there being an actual defect.

 

[titch]

I’m not saying the 4K disc is the same as the Blu-ray. I’m saying that Bill Hunt first said there was a problem with how disc players were reading HDR on the 4K disc, and then compared the 4K disc to the 4K stream and discovered the 4K disc and 4K stream looked the same. In other words, not a problem with disc players reading the disc.

It seems likely that the Blu-ray and 4K were mastered to look different with the 4K taking advantage of what HDR can do. Bill doesn’t like the look they went with but that doesn’t mean the disc is defective. It means he disagrees with the artistic choice, which is totally valid, but not cause to send an alarm about there being an actual defect.

The disc isn't defective - the picture on the 4K disc just looks horrible. This is far worse than the issues with the 4K It's A Wonderful Life disc - which, surprisingly, looks quite decent on my set-up. I haven't seen any streaming version but I saw the IMAX and blu-ray, which had the same colour grading.

 

[Tino]

the picture on the 4K disc just looks horrible.

Why?

 

[Tino]

with the HDR turned off, the picture is much darker than the blu-ray and shadow detail is lost. Also, the colours seem drained, compared to the blu-ray. I expect anyone watching it on an OLED flat panel, with HDR activated, will experience a completely different colour saturation.

Why are you turning off the HDR then?

 

[titch]

Why?

Because the colours are drained and the contrast is too high.

 

[titch]

Why are you turning off the HDR then?

Doesn't work on my projector.

 

[Tino]

Doesn't work on my projector.

So then it’s your setup and not the transfer.

 

[titch]

So then it’s your setup and not the transfer.

Do you have the blu ray? Do you have a 4K projector? You don't have the 4K disc. The colour grading on the blu ray and 4K disc are very different. Unless caps-a-holic posts caps that show an identical colour grading, then I doubt Bill Hunt and I are both seeing the same thing because we haven't set up our projectors correctly. I find a lot of 4K discs have had HDR applied too heavily - projectors can't do 1000 nits. However, I don't often see such a difference in colour grading. The last title I can recall with a different colour grading scheme on HD/4K transfers made at the same time was The Revenant.

The blu ray:

The 4 K UHD disc:

 

[Tino]

I have the Blu Ray and the 4K stream. I’ll compare them later. Also I’m viewing on a 65” OLED LG.

 

[Tino]

So then it’s your setup and not the transfer.

By the way I meant to add a “?” At the end of this as it was a question and not meant as a statement.