Everyone is talking about the resolution of 4k blurays, but whats more important is the HDR. You need a tv that has HDR support. A cheap 4k HDR tv will not look better than 1080P SDR

As other people said, HDR is the big one.

I'll say, picture and sound are better. Especially if you upgrade to a decent home theater set up.

Subjective but I think it's true: I specifically also target "dark" movies for buying. Think Venom, The Batman. No matter the bandwidth on streaming, where there is less information/data (blacks or dimmly lit scenes) the compression/decompression of the stream to screen loses noticable quality. Think Game Of Thrones... Yeah that episode. I rewatch that on 4K physical. So much better.

Lastly, I also target my personal favorites. I think Blade Runner 2049 and Dune visuals and audio are totally worth having in physical.

Protip: Use Black Friday or other sales to land copies of great movies for a good price. Sometimes they'll also have the digital code if you want some of that streaming convenience.

Unfortunately the answer is that it depends. IMO 4k bluray is always worth it when it is the most accurate reproduction of the film at the time of release. Part of this is because it has a MUCH higher bitrate, so you'll be getting more of the original picture out of it. If you have a high end HDR setup, I also think thats worth it. Normal blurays have to fit into the rec709 signal standard that only gives you around 5 stops of latitude/dynamic range. An HDR version can have 12+ stops of dynamic range and most closely approximate the film print or theatrical DCP.

Now, where it gets wonky is that some blurays (1080 and 4k), especially ones made further away from the original release, sometimes the color grade gets "updated." The new Hurt Locker "master" is now more green than its first release. The new edition of LOTR movies have been re-graded and de-noised to look more modern. Granted, in that case it was the director making the changes, but it is a certifiably different experience than what you got originally. At least with blurays released closest to the theatrical release, they tend to be what we call a "trim pass", aka the original color off the print or DCP is being as faithfully reproduced as possible in the 5 stop rec709 color space. The only time you dont have to worry about this is if its a Criterion release, they're pretty nuts about preserving the original experience.

That all being said, 1080 blurays use to be (and I think still are) 8 bit color depth, where as 4k is 10bit (or is at least 10bit capable). its the different between being able to encode millions of colors vs billions of colors.

> Is the picture quality (and the extra hardware you need to buy to enjoy it) really that worth it?

This is completely subjective and only you will know the answer.

I've got an 85" TV and at that size you can absolutely tell the difference. If you've got a 55 or below it's probably not worth it, although you will notice a difference. See if you can try it out at a local store.

Buy Jurassic World 4K and you will have your answer.

I’m the kind of person that takes hand me down televisions and bought my last tv at Costco around 2010. Of course I got married and my husband introduced me to a whole other world of televisions. Jurassic World when the new dinosaur is camouflaged and the appears will forever be in my memory as my first 4K experience. It was amazing. Of course totally subjective.

Quality of the TV and the tech that's on it makes difference. I have an oled with HDR , Vision etc. And for me 4k blu rays are a noticeable improvement ,but I won't be replacing any standard blu rays I already own.

The 4k blu ray player can make a difference here too , I think most people are going for the midland high tier Panasonic players these days

Audio is a big step up on alot of the 4k discs also so give some consideration to your sound setup also.

How big is the screen you usually watch movies on? "Beauty is in the hole of the behinder" or something like that, but you would probably see a noticeable difference in the 4k format on a 75"+ display from a proportional distance. See if you can borrow a 4k source and compare it to a 2k source on your setup. That IRL comparison might help you decide.

In my opinion the higher Resolution is nice, but if you have an OLED the HDR kills it.

So if you got a nice OLED TV, its worth treating yourself.

It depends on your TV size and viewing distance Check out any 4k vs HD viewing chart, like this one https://images.app.goo.gl/DGC1JeztcuV5BzFz8

Many have mentioned HDR which can be worth it but also Dolby vision too.

Another benefit in the UHD releases is often times you'll get better or remastered Dolby Atmos audio or DTS-X for object based audio. If you have a setup that can leverage this it is often worth it alone.

Another complexity is not all UHD disc transfers are true 4K source material and may often be upscaled 2K source. There are websites that track this in case it matters.

I have a 55" OLED practically in my face. I have a 5.1 setup to go with it. It's absolutely worth it for me.

My internet service is slow, so streaming is poo. I have Prime, and watch things I rather not buy, and they always look soft, and are never compelling. But I've watched shows at Xfinity houses, and I was not as moved by the content as I am when watching my discs in a dark room at home all alone.

I'm frugal. Most of my 4K UHD Blu-ray discs have been $9.99. A few were $7.99. This year, three or four were $5.99. I have a handful at luxury theater prices; My Fair Lady @ $16.99, Suspiria @ $26.99, five Criterion titles at $24.99. I also bought all three Columbia Classics v1@$96, v2@$87, and v3@$72. The Sony 30th collection @ $139.

I absolutely love my physical media. I enjoy watching the company banners appear at the beginning, and I watch the credits roll all the way through at the end, as the score usually wraps the films up beautifully. I've rewatched several, and plan to rewatch more. I currently have 17 movies I've yet to see before. I already enjoyed many movies for the first time on 4K UHD Blu-ray.

The films I've bought, I paid about what I would have paid to watch them in the theater during a matinee, so if I only watch a film once, it will still have been worth it, I feel. When I was renting Blu-ray at Redbox, it was $2, so I pay a bit more for 4K, no biggie.

It depends on what you want out of it, to consider it worth it. I hate streaming. If I sit two hours through a movie, I don't want a little box popping up as soon as credits roll, saying "up next" because I just watched a movie, I'm rarely up for two in a row, and I want no interruption until the screen goes black.

That's my take on 4K UHD Blu-ray. I absolutely love them.

I've seen Annie before, but tonight will be my first viewing of Annie in 4K Dolby Vision, and I'm looking forward to it. That's the plan, at least.

It often depends on the disc and what the original movie was filmed on, older films like 2001: A Space Odyssey and Flash Gordon will completely blow you away with how great they look on 4K while newer films like Captain Marvel on 4K don't look much better than their Bluray counterparts.

All about the HDR and sound, look amazing depending on your TV of course. I personally never get 4k blurays at release, I wait until sales or a desire to watch a particular movie then see if it comes in 4k bluray.

And not all movies are going to look that much better, always worth it to look at the few review sites for 4k hdr.

The price of 4k discs will mean very little compared to the price of a quality TV set up to display the potential of the discs properly. At the very least you'll want an OLED panel tv, a budget model would be something from LG like the C2 or older C1. The Sony A95K and Samsung S95B are the big dog tv's with the newer tech QD-OLED panels. You're going down a long road of research on how much to spend on a setup, so back to my main point spending $10 or $20 here or there on a disc is really a non issue compared to the decision of spending $1k-$3k on a tv. In addition to that you'll need a disc player so Xbox Series X, PS5, or standalone player for non-gamers is another $500. Discs are always at their cheapest around black friday which just ended. Brand new titles were selling for $10 or less. It's the best time of the year to start a collection.

I been a collector of physical media for over 30 years now. I do find the picture and sound much better on disc compared to streaming but I'm also selective to what I purchase currently and just fine with most streaming quality.

Top Gun Maverick is an example of a poor streaming film where the 4K UHD disc is simply incredible. I will note I own a home theatre with Dolby Atmos.

Currently Disney is investing more to streaming, so their physical disc are bad to average. Although they just released WALL-E on 4K criterion but really it's hardly an upgrade from the 1080p blu-ray. You can say that with most of their 4K disc.

Some classics on 4k UHD are like seeing them for the first time, The Shining, My Fair Lady, Lawrence of Arabia just to name a few.

It is a $$$ commitment that's why I would suggest if you really want to invest into 4K UHD to do the research and check reviews from blu-ray.com get the right equipment, screen, sound

I'd say it's not the resolution increase from standard Blu (although for modern movies it's absolutely noticeable) but the HDR that makes the upgrade worth while.

I have a collection. They definitely look better than streaming. Also surround sound is better. However, if you do not have a great TV and home theater surround system, I dont think it would be worth it.

It makes a much more compelling argument for 4K projectors (120" or more). I'm still rocking a 1080p projector and it has been good enough where I don't feel like I need to upgrade. 🤷‍♂️

For me, it’s worth it for movies I love and not a big enough deal to buy everything in that format.

But tbh I don’t buy physical copies of movies I don’t love generally.

In order to get the best output of any 4K UHD is to make sure you have a receiver and TV that can input and output the quality. Same goes with audio and depending on how it was mixed on the disc and how it gets output through your speakers.

Yes the picture quality is better provided you have a 4K HDR television. For absolute maximum fidelity find yourself an OLED tv. Besides the upgrade in picture quality, the quality in sound to me is vastly better on a blu ray than on streaming. Since the audio has to be compressed over streaming it gets dulled out but on a blu ray you have the true audio mastering of the film. Make sure to get a good audio system for it. I personally have a 4k Sony television with HDR and a high end Sony sound bar with the wireless surround speakers and subwoofer. I do a lot of movie watching and have a collection of over 100 Blu rays. It's expensive but if you enjoy watching films than it's worth it.

HDR, plus superior picture quality with high quality audio is pretty awesome. I've noticed it is better overall than streaming 4k from Netflix or something similar. If you have a nice TV and sound system that supports the disc formats I would recommend it.

It's only worth it if you have a suitable TV and audio system (and that should include taking into account the TV size and viewing distance). If you don't then stick to normal HD Blu-ray.

Even on my cheaper tv I notice the difference between the regular and 4k, but it makes a difference depending on the movie.

Also if you make the leap, do yourself a favor and buy the Wizard of OZ 4K BluRay. It sounds stupid because it is old, but all of the previous editions were made from the same old master from ages ago. The 4K BluRay they made a new master from the film print and it is incredible. Even the regular disk included in the same boxed set it ant as good.

I asked this same question on Reddit years ago and yes, it’s totally worth it. Though I will add that 1) you need a nice TV if you’re getting a 4k player, I’ve found that local dimming or full array are absolutely necessities, and 2) as others have mentioned, HDR is a big deal (most 4ks I’ve seen have it anyway).

If you have the money for, then sure. If not, then skip 4k and just collect blu-rays instead. You can't find all the titles in 4k yet anyway, you stand a way better chance at getting a more complete collection in glorious 1080p.

Only if you have a 4k TV and 4k player. If any of those are missing you will simply be bottlenecking yourself into a 1080p signal anyway.

If you have a really good OLED tv and sound system it's worth it, if not then maybe not

A lot of the blu-rays with better extra's are 4K ones. The only barrier that has stopped me from going 4K is the cost of the players, still fairly pricey.

The HDR picture quality is amazing when done correctly. Good examples are Back to the Future 3 and The Greatest Showman. Unfortunately, you do need a fairly decent tv to properly view HDR. In my opinion, you need an OLED because each pixel is its own light source. Other tv types use various backlighting methods that results in light blooming out creating weird halos and stuff during credits and high contrast scenes.

The tech also appears to be in a bit of a beginning stage and has a big problem with freezing or skipping during longer movies. I have tried my PS5, a stand-alone Sony 4K player, and an LG 4K player and they all do the same thing with longer movies.

If you have an OLED tv, go for it. But if not, I would advise waiting until the tech matures a bit or until OLED goes down in price.

Always depends on the type of movie, I usually only buy them on sale and yes they’re worth it imo. Bestbuy, Amazon, Gruv usually have good prices. Most releases get a 4K disc, Bluray disc and digital copy. Keep in mind that not every 4K transfer is created equal, so buy accordingly. Streaming is convenient and all but there are certain things one should own without having to worry about license agreements expiring from streaming services.

Best to future proof if you are a collector.

Yes (I am in debt)

For me I just get my favourite movies in that resolution. Maybe it's just a visual confirmation of my list.

I'll definitely be buying Kubo in 4k next year. Hopefully it will look great on my cx too.

I like it, but it depends a lot on your budget. I wouldn't prioritize over a good TV and sound system. I'd also suggest limiting 4k blue ray to particularly good and rewarchable movies.

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the trouble with physical media is that it will evolve… again.

and decades later you will have no way to see them.

and you will be left with expensive paperweights.

How big is your TV?

A lot of talk about picture quality, but what i’m always amazed by when i watch blu rays is how much better the sound quality is when compared to streaming.

It's fantastic, but I rarely rewatch movies, so I haven't purchased many

I did this sometime ago with general Blu rays when they first came out . It was great I loved it . A few years later something better is out now I have 70 Blu ray movies doing nothing . It’s personal preference but knowing 8k is already out and has been for some time , it will be much cheaper in time and become more readily available .

Streaming is where it’s at it’s just a shame that the streaming services have limited 4k channels or rights to 4k movies .

If you have a solid TV for it, then most-definitely yes. We watched Bullet Train on the LG C1 the other night, and it was phenomenal.

If movies and especially rewatching movies is your thing, then yes. Budget wise, it adds up though if you want a capable 4K uhd tv that’s a good size for the room plus the audio in 5.1 or an Atmos set up. A Sony UBP- X700M 4K Ultra HD player is capable and about $160 on Amazon. Mine has behaved well for the last year and does Dolby Vision automatically. That with a good TV and you’ll have the picture down.

You could start with that, but as others have mentioned, the sound on 4K is a huge element, and not just for action movies. Atmos can provide an extra level of immersion when the sound mastering is done well. Then you really get the full sight and sound experience that you would undoubtedly enjoy.

I was even surprised last night when my wife put in the Oceans 21 Blu Ray since we have the set, and I could tell it wasn’t 4K HDR or without object based sound. You get used to the content with the best picture and sound.

Yes, there is a noticeable difference in quality (as long as you have a modern TV). I had a Blu Ray collection years ago, but this is a format from 2005, even the 4K discs have been around since 2016. IMO... save your money, do neither!

Just non cgi flicks

I only get 4K’s of movies that have stunning visuals. For example, I would not get a 4K of something like Knives Out or The Godfather, but I would get a 4K for Interstellar and Dune

Invest in a better tv.

Get a OLED tv, everything will blow your mind

Like everybody says, the HDR does make a difference. As far as the quality goes, it’s one of those sorts of things where it may not feel like a massive upgrade at first for some movies, but when you look back at Blu-ray you realize how many little things are improved. I feel like the best pitch I could give is the fact that, for most movies, you’re getting them just about as good as they’re capable of looking (unless it’s just a bad transfer of course).

Unpopular opinion: HDR isn’t that great.

I’ve been a pro photographer/producer for 31 years so I’ve shot in HDR and I’m familiar with how HDR looks/presents. It’s cool tech but I don’t personally think it’s a vast improvement in a competently shot movie.

You should know that I have a 160 inch projection setup so the translucent OLED experience is missing from my cinema room. To my eye, a lot of the preferred settings people employ on their TV’s look more and more like weird CG animation. (This can be toned down a lot, but I see maxed out saturation and HDR more often than not).

I also think standard 1080p blue ray films look completely stunning. I don’t personally think 4K is that big an improvement. I can detect a difference for sure, just not enough to make any real difference for my viewing enjoyment.

I pulled out the original Avatar 1080p and demonstrated the 3D glory on my projection setup to friends and family over the holidays and it was completely immersive for young and old.

Perhaps I’m discounting something amazing- but none of these small improvements have given me any incentive to swap over to 4K or HDR for my home setup.

How are you watching things now? Regular DVD player? Your capped at 1080p and going to 4k is literally FOUR times more pixels.

If you watch TV on an old cable box your capped at 720p and would be even MORE noticeable.

ANY change at this point would give a huge increase in resolution and frame rate but as many others have said, you will also need to upgrade your TV.