MonsterVerse on 4K

[UltramanGoji]

....it's a pro-level review source....so, someone with credibility. Not just "Joe the Reviewer"

"Pro-level Blu-ray reviewer" is a meaningless term. They may have more technical know-how but that doesn't make their word more authoritative over whether or not the release looks good or not. That's completely up to the individual viewer.

[king_ghidorah]

I'm pretty sure everyone who has seen these comparison pics online will come up with the same conclusion. This release is possibly a step down from the blu...

[UltramanGoji]

I'm pretty sure everyone who has seen these comparison pics online will come up with the same conclusion. This release is possibly a step down from the blu...

The images don't include the adjustments that would be made via HDR. You're getting the raw 4K video without any of the adjustments that playing it on your TV would have. So it's not "what the release looks like", at all really.

If you're only frame of reference is these screencaps and not...you know, the actual disc itself playing on your own TV, you probably shouldn't make such rash judgments.

[king_ghidorah]

It's all we have right now. We have every right to feel something about it until presented with counter information.

[Rando Yaguchi]

....it's a pro-level review source....so, someone with credibility. Not just "Joe the Reviewer"

"Pro-level Blu-ray reviewer" is a meaningless term. They may have more technical know-how but that doesn't make their word more authoritative over whether or not the release looks good or not. That's completely up to the individual viewer.

Aren't there objective components to judging video quality though? I don't think anyone would make the case for, say, the old Simitar DVDs looking better than Criterion's HD transfers.

[Chris55]

Just got it yesterday while I was at the screening and I was only a few minutes ago briefly able to check out both versions with no deep dive into them yet. I was told by WB that the blu-ray is the same transfer as the previous release. When I checked it out, the same pop up ads from the release from 7 years ago popped up (Godzilla Awakening etc). The 4K disk has a slightly touched up menu but still retains the same 12 chapter stops with the same blown out chapter stop thumbnails. I'll be able to do a deeper dive this weekend.

This makes me sad, but is otherwise unsurprising.

So it's every bit as dark at the original release, perhaps even darker. TK....very dissapointed, and I feel a little misled in trusting your "official photo"

The TK-hosted "official photo" is called out as taken from the 4K version, not from the original Blu-ray release or from next week's re-release of the Blu-ray version. Why would you feel misled?

No need to use the quotes as it was and is an official photo.

I was given a bunch of stills to choose from by WB (no kiss of death or night shots among the selection) and was told that they were all from the 4K disk. I had some time today and checked out the 4K on the bedroom 1080p tv and the main 4K tv with the HDR10 on and off and yep, it still has the darkness issues. Given the setting it could look really bad or really good. I did have luck with Sport mode but it's not ideal and it can get wonky. I'm not sure what the deal is here so I reached out to WB to see what's up.

For the other 4K stills from that site, I'm curious as to the method used. From what I understand it's a combination of the right hardware and programs to be able to rip a 4K disk.

Edit: tried on a 4K set I haven't used in a while. Gonna mess with it again.

[king_ghidorah]

Slant gave the 4K a positive review stating it was a much brighter transfer. This is really weird.

[Naruto65]

For the other 4K stills from that site, I'm curious as to the method used. From what I understand it's a combination of the right hardware and programs to be able to rip a 4K disk.

Most like they ripped the images from the digital version. You do have to have a spohisticated system of requirements to be met even to play a 4K disc on a computer. The screenshot and recording programs are blocked by DRM. It is possible to rip a 4k disc and do this, but again, you have to have basically one of two drives on the market that haven't received the latest firmware upgrades, coupled with meeting an outrageous DRM specification.

The other thing to consider is that 4K discs have a High Dynamic Range that that can be interpreted differently across devices. I just looked at the images that people are sqwabbling about and to me it looks like these images don't have the HDR enabled, just the flat base image.

[John Schuermann]

The screenshots are meaningless, since almost everyone is viewing them on a non-HDR capable display, and the screenshots themselves are not HDR. Yet they are supposedly taken from an HDR transfer of the film. It's like trying to assess color quality on a black and white TV.

I HATE the fact that the UHD standard has come to be known as "4K." "4K" is only one third of the UHD format, the other two (far more important) elements being HDR (High Dynamic Range) and WCG (Wide Color Gamut). Both HDR and WCG bring far more obvious picture improvements to home video than 4K resolution. Problem is - unless you are looking at HDR / WCG images on a HDR / WCG display, you can't draw any conclusions at all about the picture quality. HDR has everything to do with overall picture brightness and contrast, and without both an HDR screen cap AND an HDR display, you can't tell a damn thing about how bright / contrasty the actual image will appear on your UHD set.

I will be downloading GODZILLA (2014) in UHD to my Kaleidescape system as soon as it becomes available, or grabbing the UHD disc if Kaleidescape does not offer the title. Once I do I will report back here how it looks on a properly calibrated UHD display.

[king_ghidorah]

https://www.doblu.com/2021/03/17/godzil ... s9dVdesFv4

[Chrispy_G]

I'm happy reading that. I never HATED the Blu Ray, but I always thought it was a liiiittle too dark. It looked kinda rough on my average HD TV before, and looked noticeable better on my average 4K TV....and now, I'm upgrading to a top-of-the-line 4K player, and a top-of-the-line 4K TV. SO hearing that the 4K disc is AN improvement over the Blu Ray disc makes me satisfied...I am sure the film will leave me with no issues on my new set-up.

[G1985]

The screenshots are meaningless, since almost everyone is viewing them on a non-HDR capable display, and the screenshots themselves are not HDR. Yet they are supposedly taken from an HDR transfer of the film. It's like trying to assess color quality on a black and white TV. I HATE the fact that the UHD standard has come to be known as "4K." "4K" is only one third of the UHD format, the other two (far more important) elements being HDR (High Dynamic Range) and WCG (Wide Color Gamut). Both HDR and WCG bring far more obvious picture improvements to home video than 4K resolution. Problem is - unless you are looking at HDR / WCG images on a HDR / WCG display, you can't draw any conclusions at all about the picture quality. HDR has everything to do with overall picture brightness and contrast, and without both an HDR screen cap AND an HDR display, you can't tell a damn thing about how bright / contrasty the actual image will appear on your UHD set.

Excellent observations, and well-worth repeating!

[goji1986]

Review is up on Blu-ray.com

While certainly not a complete visual overhaul, Warner Bros.' new 2160p, HDR-enhanced transfer of Godzilla is an improved presentation of a film that isn't designed to look pretty. Bright colors, smooth shadow detail, impeccably-lit interiors: these visual elements are few and far between in Edwards' film, which instead favors earth-toned hues and prolonged stretches of almost total blackness. While this doesn't make it the most ideal candidate for 4K (especially since Godzilla sports a 2K digital intermediate, which technically makes this an upscale), once you see this disc it'll be hard to revisit the Blu-ray. Subtle refinements make a big difference here: elements like fire, explosions, and glowing eyes pop much more boldly against the darkest backgrounds, which are thankfully a little easier to see thanks to this 4K disc's better shadow detail and more refined black levels. (The "train attack" scene, for example, was so dark on the Blu-ray that it was difficult to follow everything.) The improved saturation during certain interior sequences -- such as the cave exploration by Dr. Ishirō Serizawa and his team, as well as the control room headed by Admiral William Stenz (David Strathairn) -- look more immediately impressive, while even less intense moments like a conversation between Joe Brody and his son Ford hold a more intimate warmth. Meanwhile, establishing shots in The Philippines, Tokyo, Janjira Nuclear Power Plant, San Francisco, and other locations reveal a greater level of image detail and depth, as do the countless wide shots revealing massive levels of destruction caused by Godzilla and his foes.

https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Godzilla ... ay/164388/

[John Schuermann]

Hey, canofhumdingers - looks like you tried to PM me here but I am not set up to see PMs. You can reach me directly at:

[edited out for privacy concerns]

[UltramanGoji]

Hey, canofhumdingers - looks like you tried to PM me here but I am not set up to see PMs.

You got swept up in the New User program by mistake. We'll remedy that in a bit for you.

[Chrispy_G]

https://thedigitalbits.com/item/godzill ... k-2021-uhd

But the HDR does help by expanding the contrast. Shadows are a little deeper, but the highlights are notably brighter, which means that overall detail is more visible in almost everything. Obviously, given the 2K source, any uptick in detail is modest. But with the film’s dim setting and dense atmospherics, it’s hard to imagine that native 4K capture would have helped much. The color palette is relatively muted too, but it looks a bit more nuanced and natural now. Comparing the Blu-ray and 4K directly, the latter is definitely my preference. So the improvement here is genuine.

Pretty much what I was anticipating and hoping for. Water will not be turned into wine...but it is BETTER and that is what I wanted. I'm someone who never loathed the Blu Ray...just thought it was a bit too dark(but the better the TV I was watching on, the better the overall image noticeably got)...so even a modest but meaningful improvement will have a lot of value to me.

[John Schuermann]

Hey, canofhumdingers - looks like you tried to PM me here but I am not set up to see PMs.

You got swept up in the New User program by mistake. We'll remedy that in a bit for you.

Thanks! I feel like I've been "muzzled by Army brass."

[yogi bareass]

YouTube user FilmsatHome had a favorable review as well:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SaCGwLvTOfA

[Naruto65]

Bluray
4K HDR

[kaijukurt]

^There's definitely an improvement, even with the quality of the pics taken. Can't wait!