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Is it do or die for 4k UHD in 2023? (1 Viewer)

Carl David

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In what appears to be an increase in 4k releases in 2022 with 2023 promising even more with new announcements coming thick and fast will 2023 prove to be the year 4k UHD makes or breaks it?

Although in a lot of cases home video releases are somewhat subjective from both the consumer and seller side I continue to be very surprised by some releases and announces that have been made lately. The market continues to surprise me on what is getting released and selling well compared to what does not get released when you would assume other titles would be more of a slam dunk. Obviously, it's a complicated market with licensing fees and some rights owners asking for too much or maybe the movie requires too much restoration involved to justify the costs etc.

But who would have thought Real Genius would get a 4k release? Red Dawn?

Kino Lorber releasing an UHD disc of a Kubrick picture?

From what I can tell the margins on disc releases are getting tight and costs to produce the discs have increased over the last few years with high inflation and energy costs etc.

I don't know the cash flow of the labels that are releasing these movies for our enjoyment but my guess is if they make a few mistakes in a short space of time they could be in an uncomfortable position.

They seem to be doing a wonderful job thus far in relation to selecting the right movies for release that gets enough buyers to justify their choices and sometimes they hit it out the park but how vulnerable are they to the whims of consumers?

With the cost of living crisis hitting western economies and high inflation decimating many peoples discretionary income with no sign of any improvement on the horizon and Netflix introducing their cheap $4.99 service with ads soon will 2023 be the peak of 4k media?

With many old favourite movies announced for release in 2023 it may be the year we see labels getting encouragement from the market to green light new projects for the future or perhaps sales do not meet expectations and we might start to see some labels fade into extremely niche markets with very few releases on a yearly basis compared to what we have seen in the past couple of years.

It sure will be fascinating to see how it all unfolds.

I am personally looking forward to a few releases coming soon including Plains, Trains & Automobiles and the recently announced Rain Man.

Will they stand up to scrutiny from the videophile reviewers?

No idea but one hopes these can meet our expectations and that the labels continue to dumbfound us with their releases and thrive in what is the insatiable and infuriating home video enthusiast market.

What titles have surprised members in getting a 4k release?

If they could choose 1 title for UHD not yet released what would it be?

I will throw a curve-ball and personally choose Footloose.

Why?

The Blu Ray got what appeared to be a dreadful release and I think it could look well on 4k. Eyes Wide Shut would be a close second.

It's my thread so I can choose 2.

Actually, I would love to see Chinatown in 4k UHD too. Don't know if filters were used to shoot that movie though so maybe a new Blu Ray would suffice.

Anyway, I am rambling.
 

YANG

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not necessarily for most.
but to a person who is so "technical" like me, probably yes.

the key issue is how much knowledge does an average consumer knows how the transfer process works to put theatrical content into whatever media we know today...

there're true 4K and fake 4K. but how many consumers out there knows truly well? that what they see, or what fed into their eyes are really up to "4K Taste"?
 

Robert Crawford

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not necessarily for most.
but to a person who is so "technical" like me, probably yes.

the key issue is how much knowledge does an average consumer knows how the transfer process works to put theatrical content into whatever media we know today...

there're true 4K and fake 4K. but how many consumers out there knows truly well? that what they see, or what fed into their eyes are really up to "4K Taste"?
On a well done 4K disc, I don’t think there are too many people that can tell the difference between true 4K and fake 4K.
 

Lord Dalek

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Oh they already had their chance to "do" five years ago and blew it. Now the format is stagnant and overpriced.
 

Blu_rayfan66

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Oh they already had their chance to "do" five years ago and blew it. Now the format is stagnant and overpriced.

I have over 200 4K discs and average price paid is about $15 per disc....is that overpriced?....and "stagnant"...?...2022 has been a bumper year for 4K releases and 2023 is shaping up to be even better...what on earth are you talking about?
 

Blu_rayfan66

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Here in the UK, new 4K discs are routinely £10 more expensive then the Blu-ray equivalent: £25 as opposed to £15, so they are quite expensive.
Maybe on release day...there are always dozens of sales at HMV, Zavvi and Amazon UK all the time.

If you wait a short while those new releases drop in price very quickly.
 

John Dirk

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I vote for Michael Cimino's Year of the Dragon. The 2019 Blu Ray release is a vast improvement over the original DVD but this is a special film which was beautifully shot. It deserves the very best treatment.
 
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Lord Dalek

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I have over 200 4K discs and average price paid is about $15 per disc....is that overpriced?....and "stagnant"...?...2022 has been a bumper year for 4K releases and 2023 is shaping up to be even better...what on earth are you talking about?
Maybe you should pay a visit to you local Walmart then and see how well stocked the UHDs are compared to everything else because the discs are all over 25 dollars and they just sit there. That's what its like OUTSIDE of the e-commerce bubble. This format is failing as badly as 3D did out here in Flyover Country if it hasn't already.
 

Alan Tully

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Here in the UK, new 4K discs are routinely £10 more expensive then the Blu-ray equivalent: £25 as opposed to £15, so they are quite expensive.
Yes, my tiny 4K collection all have one thing in common, all bought in special offers, for instance; Sparacus, Die Hard & The Shining in a 3 for £30 offer. I have plenty of patience & can wait for a price drop, there's no way I'm paying £25.
 

Worth

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Maybe you should pay a visit to you local Walmart then and see how well stocked the UHDs are compared to everything else because the discs are all over 25 dollars and they just sit there. That's what its like OUTSIDE of the e-commerce bubble. This format is failing as badly as 3D did out here in Flyover Country if it hasn't already.
It's pretty much impossible to find 4K discs for less than $30 here in Canada. The Criterion Lost Highway is $65 on amazon.ca.
 

John Dirk

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I think 4K will end up like SACD and just appeal to people that can see and hear the improvement like me.
If that were consistently true the format might stand a chance. As it is, audio and especially video [HDR] quality is a complete crapshoot. Add to that the lack of backwards compatibility and it's an extremely hard sell for the average Jane or Joe.
 

Blu_rayfan66

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Maybe you should pay a visit to you local Walmart then and see how well stocked the UHDs are compared to everything else because the discs are all over 25 dollars and they just sit there. That's what its like OUTSIDE of the e-commerce bubble. This format is failing as badly as 3D did out here in Flyover Country if it hasn't already.
Disc sales are actually increasing worldwide.

In the UK alone for example, in 2021, home entertainment revenue was up 13% to US$5 Billion...with more than 21 million discs sold....and the home entertainment market there is set to top $6 Billion in revenue by 2025.

You'll be glad to hear out favorite lil' 4K discs are not disappearing anywhere anytime soon. :)

 

SD_Brian

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The disc cost isn't really that much more than standard blu-ray: The bigger (and for some, more prohibitive) cost is in upgrading hardware from blu-ray/HD to UHD/4K. To get a set-up (display, player, sound system) that will take advantage of all that UHD has to offer will set a consumer back a few grand. The cost/benefit analysis for the standard consumer of upgrading to UHD vs sticking to BD (or DVD) may not put the investment at the top of the priority list.
 

Noel Aguirre

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Black Friday is a month away. All the titles I consider B quality in content and don’t have I will then get as well as Columbia Classics Vol 3.
 

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