Blu-ray Review To Catch a Thief Blu-ray Review (2020) (1 Viewer)

[Will Krupp]

I "bought/free trialed" Paramount+/Showtime via Apple and I'm watching this via a 4k AppleTV. What does your menu screen say when you stop the movie?

Absolutely nothing, lol. It's definitely 1080p though, and no HDR

 

[Trancas]

Interesting. I don't know?? Maybe I'll sample another Paramount+ show (something recent) that's supposed to be in 4K...

Does your Paramount+ app allow other movies or series to show in 4K?

 

[Will Krupp]

Does your Paramount+ app allow other movies or series to show in 4K?

Now that you mention it, and I've taken the time to look, it doesn't seem to. I don't think the TV app streams in 4K, it looks like it's only supported through external apps (AppleTV, Roku, FireTV, or, ironically enough, my iPhone.)

That sort of pisses me off since I pay for the premium plan and only just now (thanks to you!) realized that it's not an option. Maybe I'll download the app to my phone to see if it works (though it seems like a ridiculous workaround to me when the TV app "should" be doing the trick.) Oh well, I'm always on the verge of dropping the service anyhow, lol.

 

[Trancas]

This is definitely 4K.

 

[Trancas]

Now that you mention it, and I've taken the time to look, it doesn't seem to. I don't think the TV app streams in 4K, it looks like it's only supported through external apps (AppleTV, Roku, FireTV, or, ironically enough, my iPhone.)

That sort of pisses me off since I pay for the premium plan and only just now (thanks to you!) realized that it's not an option. Maybe I'll download the app to my phone to see if it works (though it seems like a ridiculous workaround to me when the TV app "should" be doing the trick.) Oh well, I'm always on the verge of dropping the service anyhow, lol.

That's not nice! Kick 'em to the curb.

 

[Trancas]

I wonder if you call them to complain - they'll offer you a 4k Roku stick to retain you?

 

[Will Krupp]

I wonder if you call them to complain - they'll offer you a 4k Roku stick to retain you?

Heheh. I gave up on Roku when I got the new TV about three years ago, I didn't care for it.

So I managed to download the app on my phone and was able to cast the 4k to my TV (jeeze, what rigamarole!) The two transfers are definitely the same (my apologies again) though they have slightly different looks which I chalk up to one (Paramount+) being in Dolby Vision and the other (Prime) being in HDR10. I'm not sure if the compression is any different between the two but the Prime version is striking me as a tad more robust, though I can't tell if it's real or just a placebo effect. In any event, I think they're very very close. As I said, I like the look (within its obvious limitations) and my brain can more easily correct for any flaws when the color is, IMO, this delicious. Agree to disagree, I guess, but I'll take the 4k digital version (with HDR10) until something better comes along.

We can definitely agree that the blu-ray is shit, though. We'll always have that

 

[Trancas]

We can definitely agree that the blu-ray is shit, though. We'll always have that

I'm happy that our relationship hasn't suffered a breakdown!!

 

[Robert Harris]

So the lower resolution produces more shimmer?

Less.

 

[Robert Crawford]

Less.

Well then that runs counter to what I have observed as I saw a lot more shimmer on Grant's shirt with the 2002 & 2007 DVDs and 2012 BD than this iTunes 4K/Dolby Vision digital.

 

[OliverK]

Very happy here with the old Blu-ray. With a bit of gamma adjustment it will do nicely until something better comes along.

 

[Robert Harris]

Well then that runs counter to what I have observed as I saw a lot more shimmer on Grant's shirt with the 2002 & 2007 DVDs and 2012 BD than this iTunes 4K/Dolby Vision digital.

Should not work that way. The term 4K/Dolby Vision has no true meaning. It’s merely some sort of processed data in a bucket. The DV, akin to dye transfer contrast build-up, may make things appear more highly resolved, w/o actually adding resolution.

Placebo effect.

I’d be interested in seeing all variants aligned in some way, but unlike physical media, streaming is illusory.

Because something tells the viewer that it’s 4k/DV, does that create an image in the mind that makes it appear better?

I don’t believe that the new master used for the BD disc could be improved w/o peeling away layers of baked-in adaptations, and returning to the original untainted scans.

 

[Robert Crawford]

Should not work that way. The term 4K/Dolby Vision has no true meaning. It’s merely some sort of processed data in a bucket. The DV, akin to dye transfer contrast build-up, may make things appear more highly resolved, w/o actually adding resolution.

Placebo effect.

I’d be interested in seeing all variants aligned in some way, but unlike physical media, streaming is illusory.

Because something tells the viewer that it’s 4k/DV, does that create an image in the mind that makes it appear better?

I'm not seeing things! That shimmering shirt has been a visual distraction for years so it's easily noticeable.

 

[Robert Harris]

I'm not seeing things! That shimmering shirt has been a visual distraction for years so it's easily noticeable.

This was an age-old problem with SD television, going back to the time of the Bible, and why news readers were not permitted to wear fine-striped shirts on air.

If you’re correct, then what you’re seeing cannot simply be the same unmodified 4k master from which the 2k disc was derived.

You’re seeing an entirely different animal.

If something is shimmering, there is either information that is too highly resolved for your monitor to handle, or your monitor is fighting to decode something that may not be fully resolved. Try an experiment. Slightly turn down the sharpness on your panel, and see if the shimmering decreases.

I’ve had dye transfer prints of this film, and never had a problem with the striped shirt.

If you were viewing a true untainted 4k source on a 4k panel, there should be no shimmering.

 

[Robert Crawford]

If you were viewing a true untainted 4k source on a 4k panel, there should be no shimmering.

That's the point, I didn't notice any shimmering on this 4K/DV digital. It's very noticeable on the previous DVDs and BD.

 

[Worth]

Very happy here with the old Blu-ray. With a bit of gamma adjustment it will do nicely until something better comes along.

I think there's a bit of sharpening on the older disc, but I still prefer it to both the new disc and the 4K iTunes stream.

 

[dpippel]

That's the point, I didn't notice any shimmering on this 4K/DV digital. It's very noticeable on the previous DVDs and BD.

I think the reason you're not seeing as much shimmer on the 4K stream is due to the fact that they've scrubbed the fine detail from the image with excessive use of DNR.

 

[Robert Harris]

That's the point, I didn't notice any shimmering on this 4K/DV digital. It's very noticeable on the previous DVDs and BD.

I agree with the comment above.

 

[JoshZ]

So I managed to download the app on my phone and was able to cast the 4k to my TV (jeeze, what rigamarole!) The two transfers are definitely the same (my apologies again) though they have slightly different looks which I chalk up to one (Paramount+) being in Dolby Vision and the other (Prime) being in HDR10.

When you say you're watching through Prime, is that a copy of the movie you've purchased directly from Amazon or did you link your Paramount+ subscription through Prime's "Channels" system?

If the latter, Amazon does not support 4K or HDR from outside streaming subscriptions through its Channels. The Channels top out at 1080p.

I subscribe to Paramount+ through Amazon and there's no 4K on that content when using the Amazon app. In order to watch 4K content from Paramount+, I have to use the standalone Paramount+ app.

I haven't tried Apple TV and can't say how that works.

 

[Will Krupp]

When you say you're watching through Prime, is that a copy of the movie you've purchased directly from Amazon or did you link your Paramount+ subscription through Prime's "Channels" system?

I purchased it directly thru Amazon Prime, Josh. This prime version uses HDR10 and the Paramount+ version uses Dolby Vision.