4K Blow

[Gel Man]

So it's a sample to iron out problems before the official release. That would explain it.

You didn’t read the whole thread, did you? 🙂 I did actually link halfway in the thread where the issues were grave, but for some reason it linked the first post in the link, but if you click on it then it’s halfway through the thread. Sorry, for the confusion.

 

[bigboss]

I have never understood why anyone releases something without fully testing it first. ...

It’s a bit like testing new medicines. Even with rigorous trials, the sample size can never cover every possible scenario, so some issues only become apparent once it’s released to the wider population.

 

[Iearyo]

I'll never buy a Sony, because in earlier models you had to manually switch to Dolby Vision and/or Atmos where relevant. No thank you. Sony have always had usability problems with their products. But on the website with various gambling games, there are no problems with convenience.

I agree with every word above. I haven't used Sony technology in a long time either.

 

[Gel Man]

Magnetar now £1299 here, but not multiregion:

Magnetar UDP800 Universal 4K Ultra HD Blu-Ray Player at AV.com

Magnetar UDP800 Universal 4K Ultra HD Blu-Ray Player at AV.com

www.av.com

 

[Gel Man]

Magnetar UDP900 Universal 4K Ultra HD Blu-Ray Player at AV.com

Magnetar UDP900 Universal 4K Ultra HD Blu-Ray Player at AV.com

www.av.com

 

[Gel Man]

Magnetar UDP900 Universal 4K Ultra HD Blu-Ray Player at AV.com

Magnetar UDP900 Universal 4K Ultra HD Blu-Ray Player at AV.com

www.av.com

The multi-region UDP900 now the same price:

Magnetar UDP900 Multi-region 4K UHD Blu-ray Player - Black

The UDP800 uses a high-quality 6-layer PCB, low-noise TCXO oscillator, and premium components to boost performance. Its audio boards feature separate channel wiring, top-grade capacitors, and a strong linear power supply, with XLR and gold RCA outputs for clear, high-end sound.

petertyson.co.uk

 

[GSV Ethics Gradient]

The 4k release calendar at bluray.com keeps filling out. There may not be many manufacturers, but the format seems in reasonable health to me.

 

[Gel Man]

The price of the new Magnetars 4K Blu-ray players is crazy:

Magnetar UDP800 MKII Multi-region 4K UHD Blu-ray Player

The UDP800 MKII universal disc player combines advanced image and audio processing for stunning home cinema performance. With upgraded copper-core wiring, premium JST and Amphenol connectors, and a redesigned USB3.0 system, it delivers exceptional stability and compatibility with external...

petertyson.co.uk

£3300 for the Magnetar UDP900 2.

 

[davidf]

With less competition, I guess they feel they can get away with it.

 

[Gel Man]

With less competition, I guess they feel they can get away with it.

Must be tempting more people to go the streaming route.

 

[Al ears]

Must be tempting more people to go the streaming route.

Not if they insist on decent quality across the formats that thing can provide.

 

[Al ears]

Not if they insist on decent quality across the formats that thing can provide.

Streaming is rental and I well remember what that was like.....

 

[Jasonovich]

Must be tempting more people to go the streaming route.

The quality of your streaming depends on the quality of your broadband, higher the bandwidth, the less compression.
I'm getting 1.3GB broadband from Virgin Media and the quality of 4K streaming isn't too far off from the quality of 4K UHD Blu-ray.

 

[Al ears]

The quality of your streaming depends on the quality of your broadband, higher the bandwidth, the less compression.
I'm getting 1.3GB broadband from Virgin Media and the quality of 4K streaming isn't too far off from the quality of 4K UHD Blu-ray.

Surely the quality is what your equipment can handle and not so much on your network

 

[Dave_]

Surely the quality is what your equipment can handle and not so much on your network

Streaming services are "adaptive " ie the video is segmented, then each segment is encoded at various resolutions/bitrates, the player/client then dynamically switches between the various qualities based on the network conditions at any given time.

Having said that, UHD/HDR streaming maxes out at around 25Mbps, so as long as your connection is faster than that and you're not maxing it out doing other things (or you have the bandwidth/headroom to do so) whilst streaming then it matters not if your connection is 50Mbps or Gigabit+....

 

[Jasonovich]

Surely the quality is what your equipment can handle and not so much on your network

Very true the network can't produce the magic, without the right kit in place.
Nice to have the finest saddle but without the horse, not much use. 😎

 

[davidf]

The quality of your streaming depends on the quality of your broadband, higher the bandwidth, the less compression.
I'm getting 1.3GB broadband from Virgin Media and the quality of 4K streaming isn't too far off from the quality of 4K UHD Blu-ray.

That might be true of recent films shot on digital as they look super clean, so compressing it doesn't degrade it so much, but it's a different story for movies shot on film. Even some recent films show some horrendous compression in darker scenes.

 

[davidf]

Having said that, UHD/HDR streaming maxes out at around 25Mbps, so as long as your connection is faster than that and you're not maxing it out doing other things (or you have the bandwidth/headroom to do so) whilst streaming then it matters not if your connection is 50Mbps or Gigabit+....

A Blu-ray Disc usually runs around 25-35Mbps (a 4K disc two to three times that), so those 4K streams that do actually reach into the 20s are still no better than Blu-ray. I've bought a few films on Blu-ray instead of rewatching them in 4K online.

 

[Jasonovich]

That might be true of recent films shot on digital as they look super clean, so compressing it doesn't degrade it so much, but it's a different story for movies shot on film. Even some recent films show some horrendous compression in darker scenes.

Yes bang on, when I'm taking video shots on my Nikon mirrorless, there's none of this artefact you get from analogue filming.

 

[davidf]

Yes bang on, when I'm taking video shots on my Nikon mirrorless, there's none of this artefact you get from analogue filming.

Film can look amazing, and usually does when done right, but negatives that haven't aged well and grainier looking films (intentionally or otherwise) will start looking ropey when they're compressed - and the compression levels on streaming are pretty harsh.

 

[Dave_]

A Blu-ray Disc usually runs around 25-35Mbps (a 4K disc two to three times that), so those 4K streams that do actually reach into the 20s are still no better than Blu-ray. I've bought a few films on Blu-ray instead of rewatching them in 4K online.

I wasn't discussing the merits of BD over streaming, simply adding context to the assertion that streaming quality is dependent on network quality.

When in reality it's only partially true, given the limitations of streaming, because I guarantee there'll be audiophiles out there who'll be led to believe they'll get better quality from a 1Gb+ connection than the would a 50Mbps connection....

 

[davidf]

I wasn't discussing the merits of BD over streaming, simply adding context to the assertion that streaming quality is dependent on network quality.

I was.