James Bond in 4K UHD (3 Viewers)

[Nelson Au]

The 4K UHD edition is in OAR and newly mastered.

You mean the digital streaming version.

 

[Josh Steinberg]

That is the 4K UHD edition - “4K Ultra High Definition” doesn’t refer to disc, it refers to resolution. 4K UHD content can be provided on a disc or via streaming.

 

[Neil S. Bulk]

The current GoldenEye 4K transfer is very nice, but it misses two dissolves that have been replaced by cuts and I hope a future disc release fixes this.

 

[Worth]

Amazon Cutting Hundreds of Jobs at Prime Video and MGM Studios

Division leader Mike Hopkins said "we’ve identified opportunities to reduce or discontinue investments in certain areas" in a memo to staff on Wednesday.

www.hollywoodreporter.com

 

[Bartman]

For early Bonds I've had: VHS, Criterion laserdisc, 1st gen DVD, Lowry DVD & Lowry Blu-ray. Has anyone reviewed the 4K streams vs upscaled Lowry Blu-ray? Are there any general comments regarding picture quality? Have there been more recent scans other than Lowry?
For the most knowledgable here, is it time for a summary post of the status of early Bond on home video?

 

[battlebeast]

The 4K UHD edition is in OAR and newly mastered.

There is a 4k of GOLDENEYE? I was not aware.

Edit: ok, not a disc.

 

[Josh Steinberg]

For early Bonds I've had: VHS, Criterion laserdisc, 1st gen DVD, Lowry DVD & Lowry Blu-ray. Has anyone reviewed the 4K streams vs upscaled Lowry Blu-ray? Are there any general comments regarding picture quality? Have there been more recent scans other than Lowry?
For the most knowledgable here, is it time for a summary post of the status of early Bond on home video?

If you go back to the beginning of this thread that question has been answered many times with regard to the 4K picture quality. Some of them are more or less the same as the Blu-rays with slight upticks in resolution, others represent a more substantial improvement. The main title credits are not squeezed/windowboxed in any of the 4K versions, so if that’s something that bothered you on the Blu-rays, the 4K fixes that. The 4K versions only include the 5.1 remixes and not original mono (for the earlier films that had been in mono), so if you prefer the mono audio, you’re better off with the discs.

I’m pretty happy with both to be honest.

 

[Bartman]

If you go back to the beginning of this thread that question has been answered many times with regard to the 4K picture quality. Some of them are more or less the same as the Blu-rays with slight upticks in resolution, others represent a more substantial improvement. The main title credits are not squeezed/windowboxed in any of the 4K versions, so if that’s something that bothered you on the Blu-rays, the 4K fixes that. The 4K versions only include the 5.1 remixes and not original mono (for the earlier films that had been in mono), so if you prefer the mono audio, you’re better off with the discs.

I’m pretty happy with both to be honest.

Josh, thanks for the summary. So no new transfers. I assume transfer technology has improved since the Lowry 4Ks?

 

[Josh Steinberg]

Josh, thanks for the summary. So no new transfers. I assume transfer technology has improved since the Lowry 4Ks?

Some were new and those are the ones that look more noticeably different - I can’t remember which offhand other than Spy Who Loved Me and GoldenEye.

Transfer technology has improved but with that said the Lowry versions were well done and hold up pretty well. There are newer releases of newer films from other companies that look worse. If that winds up being the last time those titles are ever remastered, we could have done a lot worse.

 

[ManW_TheUncool]

It would be good to at least get a good HD-or-better disc of GoldenEye though -- the rest I'm ok w/ just eventually settling for 4K digitals to go w/ my existing BDs (and few 4K discs of more recent Craig Bonds... and no, I didn't even bother w/ the earlier Craig Bonds on 4K disc because there's just not enough diff to bother over the BDs AFAIK)...

_Man_

 

[ScottRE]

The 4K versions only include the 5.1 remixes and not original mono (for the earlier films that had been in mono), so if you prefer the mono audio, you’re better off with the discs.

I’m pretty happy with both to be honest.

I'm usually a stickler for original sound mixes, but the 5.1 as far back as the Ultimate Edition DVDs was very nicely done and doesn't stand out as being inappropriate for the films. The only problem I ever had with any of the sound was in the initial dialog in Thunderball. I know Bond and the French agent are speaking in low tones, but they've always been impossible to hear. Has the 4K version of the film improved that at all? Please don't make me search the thread.

 

[Neil S. Bulk]

That's the least of the new Thunderball 5.1 problems. It's got inappropriate sound effects and incorrect music. The Blu-ray got it right, going back to the 90s 5.1 mix which was much more accurate. Sadly the 4K goes back to the 2000s mix. I'm hopeful that an eventual disc release includes the mono.

 

[Worth]

Has anyone reviewed the 4K streams vs upscaled Lowry Blu-ray? Are there any general comments regarding picture quality? Have there been more recent scans other than Lowry?

The digital 4Ks of Dr. No through to Live and Let Die, plus The Spy Who Loved Me and Moonraker, are quite similar to the blu-rays - aside from Spy, they're all based on the existing Lowry masters. As has been mentioned, the original sound mixes are not on the digitals and there's no windowboxing. The black level on Dr. No is crushed on the digital version, so the blu-ray looks better in that case.

For Your Eyes Only, The Living Daylights, Licence to Kill and most of the Brosnan films all have newer transfers, but are slight improvements over the old discs.

The Man with the Golden Gun, Octopussy, A View to a Kill and Goldeneye all look significantly better on digital than disc. These observations are all based on the iTunes versions.

 

[Worth]

I'm usually a stickler for original sound mixes, but the 5.1 as far back as the Ultimate Edition DVDs was very nicely done and doesn't stand out as being inappropriate for the films...

My pet peeve is the 'whoosh' they added over the gunbarrel of You Only Live Twice.

 

[ScottRE]

That's the least of the new Thunderball 5.1 problems. It's got inappropriate sound effects and incorrect music. The Blu-ray got it right, going back to the 90s 5.1 mix which was much more accurate. Sadly the 4K goes back to the 2000s mix. I'm hopeful that an eventual disc release includes the mono.

Nobody has gone back to John Barry's original end credits music since the VHS release. I'd love to have that corrected.

I honestly don't know what the "original" sound mix sounds like. The 5.1 at least don't sound offensive to me. But if I were used to or even familiar with the original mix, I'd feel differently. I'm all sorts of cranky about some of the Superman audio changes and I'm sure you know how bitchy I get over the original Star Trek sound mix since the DVDs.

 

[Josh Steinberg]

I’d love to see one home video copy of Thunderball that doesn’t end with that too abrupt fade out, which is presumably covering that OHMSS isn’t next.

 

[ManW_TheUncool]

The digital 4Ks of Dr. No through to Live and Let Die, plus The Spy Who Loved Me and Moonraker, are quite similar to the blu-rays - aside from Spy, they're all based on the existing Lowry masters. As has been mentioned, the original sound mixes are not on the digitals and there's no windowboxing. The black level on Dr. No is crushed on the digital version, so the blu-ray looks better in that case.

For Your Eyes Only, The Living Daylights, Licence to Kill and most of the Brosnan films all have newer transfers, but are slight improvements over the old discs.

The Man with the Golden Gun, Octopussy, A View to a Kill and Goldeneye all look significantly better on digital than disc. These observations are all based on the iTunes versions.

Then sounds like I'm not actually missing much (by not buying the various 4K digitals) so far, except for a (much) better GoldenEye on 4K digital -- not really a fan of the other Roger Moore flix that you mentioned w/ significantly improved PQ.

_Man_

 

[Neil S. Bulk]

I'm all sorts of cranky about some of the Superman audio changes

That's the "new" Thunderball mix as well. You know the super secret hidden SPECTRE doors in the beginning? Now the guy in the building across the street can hear them as Largo opens them.

 

[Osato]

I’m curious if new work will be done on the 62-02 films as it has been a very long time for many of them since they were mastered. It would also be a chance to create better audio mixes and correct some over aggressive mixing by Mi Casa. Ohmss in the Gumbold’s safe scene has problems with the music turned way down.

I was happy to buy the bond films in 4K on iTunes but I would like To have them on 4K UHD disc. Late in the year always makes the most sense for a release.

Its a shame that Goldfinger’s 60th appears like it’s going to be ignored by the U.S. market…

More Time To Buy?

 

[Lord Dalek]

I’d love to see one home video copy of Thunderball that doesn’t end with that too abrupt fade out, which is presumably covering that OHMSS isn’t next.

Its not the fade out, its that awkward wipe effect that erased the James Bond Will Be Back in On Her Majesties' Secret Service credit. The alteration is permanent apparently.