I watched a 4K Blu-ray for the first time in years – and was left disappointed

[What Hi-Fi?]

The good, the bad and the disappointing when it comes to 4K discs vs 4K streaming.

I watched a 4K Blu-ray for the first time in years – and was left disappointed : Read more

 

[bigfish786]

To be honest, it doesn’t seem all that long ago since I was packing a toddler into her pram and taking the 90 minute round trip to the local video shop. Getting one for the child and two for us for £1.99
the walk back 48 hours later was less fun.
back then, I had a decent Panasonic telly and video recorder, and when dvd came along I bought one of those too.
I don’t think the sound or picture quality was ever a conversation beyond the first 5 seconds of video tape “auto tracking”.
just watching a movie was a treat, I still remember early movie releases costing £70 back in the mid 80’s so renting three for £2.00 was great.
I’ve never gone beyond dvd quality for movies, I’ve just not seen it as important to the enjoyment of the movie.
I don’t even have the 4K Netflix anymore, I just didn’t see any difference.
doesnt stop me enjoying the odd movie or two now and again.

 

[Fgars2]

3 minutes of reading and I said I won't continue reading this article.
First slow landing? What u have 1 generation bluray ?
Have a 2019 panasonic that read it in less than 10 seconds, and xbox series x that read it in 5 sec. So ya sure upgrade ur player.
Bluray player in 1 day were slow...
Now the fan is that loud? Man good the baby didn't wake up ! Uh and ur worried about him while the sound is up and high ?
In 2 years owning 4k player never noticed fan noise, don't think it's noise is louder than the home theater system .
So sorry skipped the while article.
The 4k image is bit better than BD but the HDR with the correct TV yes its worth it.

 

[cobraBLACK]

I have a bunch of BDs but I rarely watch them if I can find the content to stream. The compression with streaming is frustrating but the backwards step in functionality of blu-rays was even moreso. My last DVD player could resume playback in about 3 seconds after pressing the play button in standby. I've had a Pioneer BD player and the PS4 and not only was the load time for both ridiculous but there was no guarantee you could resume from where you last watched.

So they lose revenue because people don't want to buy inconvenient media and we lose AV quality.

 

[kaladin]

Tbh I'm quite gob-smacked. I really don't want to be an "internet moaner" and I'm really trying, but I have bought the mag on and off for 30 years and never read an article quite like this.

Where to start with this article:
My Blu-ray is already cabled and in regular use. As a film fan I was surprised yours was not already.l and that you didn't understand how to (assumed you could have "watched half the film" in that time. (power and hdmi: it can be a challenge)

Placing a disk inside and pressing play is very similar to a steaming service as apps do not load instantly. Fake issue.

Apps have issues, I have Disney+ however I can't get atmos sound. My tv does not support arc+ and Disney+ via sky does not provide it either. So streaming sound is a long way behind for me at least.

Picture- in most situations I've found that disk HD is superior to streaming 4k. I've on many occasions read the same in this magazine as well.

Convenience: ok streaming probably has it here and that is what it is. Most people are happy with that over quality.

So overall there really is no comparison. I do have to wonder if this is the vocation for you? Have toy considered selling popcorn instead? (Yeah you guessed it, I'd rather buy from someone that understands popcorn)

Such a shame - love the rest of you guys at What hiFi keep rocking it

 

[FredFelicitas]

Poor article, it goes without saying that streaming is more convenient and if you're watching blu-ray these days it's only going to be because of picture quality (or you happen to own a movie that they don't have).

I'd even take Physical Media 1080p over 4KNetflix - what's the point in 4K when you can see contour colour banding with 1" stripes.

 

[Ataripower]

I found myself getting very annoyed reading this article. We've passed April Fools day so is this guy being serious?

I'm not against streaming and have several active subscriptions but when it's time to watch a decent movie, it's always got to be on 4k disk. The difference visually and sonically is still significant. I suggest that if you're really serious about what you do, perhaps consider acquiring some equipment that's less than 10 years old!

 

[Solun]

This sounds so strange, I have a 6 years old blu-ray player and never noticed any fan sound. And if it bothers you while watching sound-rich Dune, it's definitely not normal and you might wanna replace the player.

 

[GSV Ethics Gradient]

I'd be surprised if a player capable of playing 4k discs was old enough to be slow at loading - my first player, a huge Denon, often too a minute or two, but it's as close to instant now, even on an OPPO that's a few years old. No fan noise either.

 

[abacus]

Seems to be a lot of new users (which seems to be the same one joining with different credentials) complaining, so I would take those with a pinch of salt.
Most systems I have seen from users don’t allow enough air flow over the equipment (Read the manual) so hardly surprising the fans kick in; those that don’t have a problem have probably followed the instructions in the manual.

Bill

 

[Ataripower]

Seems to be a lot of new users (which seems to be the same one joining with different credentials) complaining, so I would take those with a pinch of salt.
Most systems I have seen from users don’t allow enough air flow over the equipment (Read the manual) so hardly surprising the fans kick in; those that don’t have a problem have probably followed the instructions in the manual.

Bill

I'm one of those new users. Yes I'm a real person and felt the need to sign up just to comment on what nonsense was written here.

 

[Solun]

Tbh I'm quite gob-smacked. I really don't want to be an "internet moaner" and I'm really trying, but I have bought the mag on and off for 30 years and never read an article quite like this.

Where to start with this article:
My Blu-ray is already cabled and in regular use. As a film fan I was surprised yours was not already.l and that you didn't understand how to (assumed you could have "watched half the film" in that time. (power and hdmi: it can be a challenge)

Placing a disk inside and pressing play is very similar to a steaming service as apps do not load instantly. Fake issue.

Apps have issues, I have Disney+ however I can't get atmos sound. My tv does not support arc+ and Disney+ via sky does not provide it either. So streaming sound is a long way behind for me at least.

Picture- in most situations I've found that disk HD is superior to streaming 4k. I've on many occasions read the same in this magazine as well.

Convenience: ok streaming probably has it here and that is what it is. Most people are happy with that over quality.

So overall there really is no comparison. I do have to wonder if this is the vocation for you? Have toy considered selling popcorn instead? (Yeah you guessed it, I'd rather buy from someone that understands popcorn)

Such a shame - love the rest of you guys at What hiFi keep rocking it

My thoughts exactly! I was a fan of blu-ray since I was a kid. I do have netflix and prime video subscribtions but only use those for TV shows and some movies, but I still buy most films on disc because the picture quality is superb. I have a super fast 1 gbit/s internet but both Netflix and Prime play content in pathetic quality that I wouldn't use on good movies. I also agree with you that the author might wanna consider a different job because over times our hobbies and priorities change and it's okay he's not a movie buff or HD tech fan anymore, but please don't bore the still remaining fans with your non-enthusiasm!

 

[Woogy]

What a load of nonsense this article is. The article for a start is not based on fact. Only when Apple content viewed via Apple TV can the ATV draw more bitrates from the Apple servers.

There is no such way to access rates anywhere near 40Mbtis for Disney+ content.

And as for Bravia Core, it has been beset with problems since launch and once your expensive Sony TV nears to two years old, Bravia Core will no longer be accessible! No loss though as even people with access to downlaod speeds of over 500Mbps have still suffered continuous drop outs and buffering. And to add to the nonsense that is Bravia Core; why did Sony only use an Ethernet connector capable of speeds up to 100Mbits when the Core service requires a minimum of 118Mbps?!

Streaming is a convenience for the AV enthusiast, not a go to format. Those that watch via their telephones and tablets don't care about PQ and object based surround sound.

 

[manicm]

The good, the bad and the disappointing when it comes to 4K discs vs 4K streaming.

I watched a 4K Blu-ray for the first time in years – and was left disappointed : Read more

So your experience aurally and visually was superior to streaming. So why disappointed?

And I would imagine once the movie is in full play one would not notice the fan. So make your bloody mind up. Maybe you’re just bored this Easter.

 

[eng050599]

It depends on what you're looking for, and also what you have.

I built a home NAS a decade ago, and have been making 1:1 digital versions of all of my media, including 4K UHD disk-based titles, since then, and can access what I want, when I want without having to even think about stream quality.

My home theater is good, but nothing crazy (LG OLED, Denon AVR with 7.1 Klipsch speaker setup), but it is enough to notice the difference in many instances.

Additionally, when traveling I can just copy the files to my laptop, and watch the content even when there's no internet access, all at the same level of quality.

Currently, I'm subscribed to several streaming services, and they're used frequently, but when I want a movie night, I look to my collection, not Netflix.

 

[Old Salty]

If you can't tell or don't care about the difference between dvd and 4k your opinion is not valid in any way.

 

[Old Salty]

I normally enjoy content from What hifi but this article was absolute trash. If you have fan noise and it takes more than a few seconds to load your disc you have massive issues with your equipment. The fact that you wrote an article about it as if it was a flaw with physical discs is laughable. I thought this website had experts writing articles but that is definitely not the case.

 

[doifeellucky]

More of the usual clickbait contradictory trash from WHF. Quite frankly this publication deserves to fail if this is the level editorial is prepared to let out the door.

I also noticed this author contributed to a best Blu-ray player article a few months ago, so that was clearly more made up nonsense if he’s not used a player in several years.

 

[Scasn4]

Wow, if only I saved the time it took to read this dribble I could have loaded god knows how many Blu-ray's. Who even uses a dedicated Blu-ray player now days. Not many. I use my Xbox one X for pretty much everything related to movies and TV shows and yes even as a Blu-ray player. Takes seconds to put a Blu-ray in and start watching and barely any noise. And it's not even a series x.

 

[GSV Ethics Gradient]

I think you'd find there are many here who use a dedicated player.

 

[krafty]

The author forgot to include the amount of time it takes to figure out what service a particular movie is on. Putting a disc in and pressing play is nothing compared to that.

Sure, there are services out there that might tell you where to find a movie to stream– but these aren't officially supported by streaming companies so they are often outdated – adding time to the search. It also assumes you'll have access to that particular streaming service.

It all comes down to the disjointed nature of streaming rights – that's the real issue with streaming and the reason why people will continue to buy discs. If someone fixes that problem then streaming won't have too much holding it back when quality catches up.

I'm pretty happy with my non-4k Blu-rays. It's much harder to see a change from Blu-ray to 4k than it was from DVD to Blu-ray.

 

[krafty]

Poor article, it goes without saying that streaming is more convenient and if you're watching blu-ray these days it's only going to be because of picture quality (or you happen to own a movie that they don't have).

Streaming is only convenient for some use cases.

It's convenient in that streaming works on many devices that don't require an attached player and that you don't have to own the title. That's pretty much it.

Streaming Inconveniences
• You have to find out which service a particular movie is on – if it's on one at all.
• You have to actually subscribe to the service in question or get it through someone else.
• You have to navigate through that particular service's UI and that's tough because they are all different – so there is always the time cost of "where do I go next to find _______".
• You have to remember and use the control scheme of the particular streaming service (Play/Pause, Fast-Forward, Closed Captions. etc...). Each one is different and that causes user error.

There are services that address some of this, but not all, and that's frustrating

 

[cobraBLACK]

I use the Reelgood app to search across streaming services and keep a watchlist. Haven't had a problem with it yet.

 

[Impulsive]

Here's a crazy thought... if absolute maximum quality is your goal, but you have some problems such as device noise or loading times etc, why not mitigate them with another solution?

Myself and many others copy our 4K Blurays to digital storage and stream them using software like Plex. Cross platform, original quality (preserved 7.1 audio + 4K HDR), easier to access anywhere and mitigates the negatives of a 4K bluray player setup.

 

[AmazingGoose]

I'm surprised that fiddling around with cables and having an optical disc player with an audible fan features in an article about something as simple as watching a movie.

This is the attitude and level of competence I'd expect from somewhere other than an authority on AV equipment!