You are equipped with a Blu-ray Ultra HD player and diffuser. Only here you don't know what to buy to feed all this beautiful world! A tip, don't throw your devolved on the next editions... Unworthy of the support, they might well divert you from the wonderful world of 4K.
Contents
Hellraiser: Bloodline
4K Ultra HD – Edit DE – 84 Entertainment
Format 1.78 – DI 4K – CSD – English DTS-HD MA 2.0
Video quality : 3 // Audio quality : 6
Ambitious but terribly lame, this fourth opus of the saga Hellraiser Surprisingly adorned with an Ultra HD Blu-ray... That unfortunately does not show it under its most beautiful looks! Drawn from a copy of the operation (see cigarette burns), this UHD SDR transfer is an abomination by the application of a DNR filter in automatic control (a cleanness against nature, excessive softness, a few drags and a silver grain thrown into the oblivion). Moreover, it is unstable, it also has weak contrasts (blacks are often washed out) and colours as little nuanced as dull. Too narrow, this soundtrack full of « passion » This DTS-HD MA 2.0 proposal deserved a better audio presentation. Because if the dynamics are quite energetic, the various effects well balanced from right to left and the voices always clear, the atmospheres are scarce, the score is not large and the basses have remained in hell.
Caribbean Pirates: Black Pearl Curse
4K Ultra HD – AUS Edition – Disney
Format 2.40 – DI 2K – HDR10 – English Dolby Atmos – French (Parisian) Dolby Digital Plus 7.1
Video quality : 3 // Audio quality : 7
Big disappointment with the work-attraction he accompanies, this 4K Ultra HD oriented by lazy sails in a croupy water! And no Captain Mickey, reuse « equipment » Disney+ for a physical release will not help you get hold of Cortès' treasure. Far from being fresh because more dead than alive, the image is abusively filtered (the HD transfer is often more detailed), too hard (from edge enhancement has joined the crew) and suffers from a HDR technology (sepia filter way) which dwindles the photograph (obscured light sources and primary in deafness). Lack of aggressiveness « to approach in beautiful » the previous LPCM 5.1 runway, it is not the far too discreet use of the aerial channels (small ambient sounds) that will be able to counter the excessive caution of the bass (see the attack of Port Royal) of this soundtrack « Dolby Atmouse ».
Ghost in the Shell 2: Innocence
4K Ultra HD – JP Edition – Walt Disney Records
Format 1.78 – DI 4K – HDR10 – HDR10+ – Japanese DTS:X – Japanese DTS-HD MA 2.0
Video quality : 4 // Audio quality : 9.5
Disturbing sensory experience, this sinuous cyberpolar decided to investigate in 4K Ultra HD... Was that really a good idea? Despite a high video bitrate of 90 Mb/s on average and increased brightness, the image seems impenetrable. Far from highlighting the enchanting beauty of the work, it has been « handled » very clumsy for a result as coarse as incoherent. Cleaned without restraint then artificially sharpened (while the Blu-ray displays more details!), the intentional softness of the planes is now covered with a thick layer of post-DNR noise that does not resemble in any way the pretty granular texture that once did the source. Fortunately, the DTS:X soundtrack is fantastic. Large and enveloping (good use of height channels), it is an excellent remixing.
Iron Man
4K Ultra HD – DE Edition – Concorde Home Entertainment
Format 2.39 – DI 2K – HDR10 – English DTS-HD MA 5.1
Video quality : 4 // Audio quality : 9.5
While the first independent production of Marvel Studios remains one of the best adaptations of the Marvel universe, the Ultra HD Blu-ray trafficoté on all sides makes fly in pieces the armor of Iron Man! Overall less well defined than Blu-ray because suffering from a low level of use of DNR (Digital Noise Reduction), the images appear softer in 60-70% of cases (but where have the finest details and the silver grain passed?). While others may seem clearer, they mostly betray the application of an enhanced edge far from being moderate. Other problems are that the contrasts are far too high (on-light white and black clogged) and the colours vary (ternal or oversaturated). Finally, there are only the light sources (the glow of the core, the heat of explosions, holographic technology, car headlights) that come out here, even though the HDR is still exaggerated and not always consistent. Happily, J.A.R.V.I.S. comes to save poor Tony Stark with a muscular VO where the front stage and the surrounding canals are perfectly exploited. The dialogues are firm, the dynamic frenzied, the powerful pyrotechnic effects, the immersive atmospheres, the powerful basses and the music embraces the ensemble with great balance.
The White House Fall
4K Ultra HD – Edit DE – Leonine Studios
Format 2.40 – DI 2K – HDR10 – English DTS-HD MA 5.1
Video quality : 4 // Audio quality : 9.5
This B series of roundly conducted action does not want to negotiate with the present 4K Ultra HD... And I understand it easily! It must be said that the image is tampered with on all sides with what includes DNR, EE and HDR in autopilot. Fortunately, the mixing which is deliberately oversized is as imposing as it is explosive.
Hypertension (Crank)
4K Ultra HD – US Edition – Lionsgate Films
Format 1.85 – DI 2K – HDR10 – Dolby Vision – English Dolby Atmos
Video quality : 5 // Audio quality : 8.5
This Speed « On foot » where the good taste has gone away has a hard time keeping the distance with this Ultra HD Blu-ray with the gripped mechanics. Why did Lionsgate select this title rather than another, perhaps a dart throw? Not because the problem is not so much in the quality of this master (despite small dirt and too much contrast) as in the source itself. Captured in PAL format in DV (SD), HDCAM SR (HD) and a little bit in 35 mm before being disinterlaced in post-prod, these images are natively well below 4K (the omnipresence of aliasing during 480p shot) in addition to being voluntarily well « Gross ». Already heterogeneous in base, they have been heavily traded on the assembly table, especially on the side of the colours (now more nuanced) sometimes burned or desaturated. So yes, the hard digital rendering of Blu-ray (an enhanced pronounced contours) is no longer. Nevertheless, and you will understand, the very particular visual of the work is in no way suitable for the support. On the soundtrack side, even though the publisher has used us to better, the Atmos soundtrack, which is as noisy as it is occupied, has a fairly wide dynamic range (I was still waiting for more), regular surround activity, a well-ventilated pulsed score, ultra-powerful LFE effects (heartbeats) and a very high stage (fire shots, helicopter, birds, mobile phone ringing, grenade) even if not as crazy as hoped.
Iron Man 2
4K Ultra HD – DE Edition – Concorde Home Entertainment
Format 2.39 – DI 2K – HDR10 – English DTS-HD MA 5.1
Video quality : 5 // Audio quality : 9.5
Less successful than his eldest despite the establishment of the Avengers, this pleasant suite cannot prevent the release of track in 4k Ultra HD. Too much DIY to convince, the image that was able to resolve to abandon the unscrupulous use of DNR and EE, turns out to be softer than its HD counterpart even though it is sometimes too sharped. For the rest, the granular structure is abnormal because smoothed or too thick, the contrasts, without being as violent as in the 1st opus, mainly benefit the whites that are brighter but not the blacks that remain in 80% of the blocked cases (too clear the rest of the time), and the colors no longer make the yo-yo but are still oversaturated. As for the lighting and/or reflections which still lack a little coherence, they are clearly brighter (electric whips) and make metallic objects look much more realistic. The whipping is on the side of the VO, which, vigorous, precise and immersive, disgusts badly. Dialogues are always audible, the front is really solid, the effects/enveloping atmospheres, the titanium basses and the ubiquitous surrounds.
Rollerball (1975)
4K Ultra HD – Edit DE – Capelight Pictures
1.75 – DI 4K – HDR10 – English DTS-HD MA 5.1 – English LPCM 2.0
Video quality : 6 // Audio quality : 5
If in rollerball the shots are strategic to win, this Ultra HD Blu-ray that lacks body (all the opposite of the work since it is the central theme) is not likely to be adulated as Jonathan E.! Drawing from a 4K scan operated in the United States from the 16-bit negatives, this HDR master (directed by the German restoration company TLEFilms) is far from ideal... even though it is true that the gap with the previous Blu-ray is just eloquent. For if the details prove to be much more, the colorimetric palette recovers from its past splendor and the light sources are otherwise better emphasized, many visual imperfections (excess compression and a lot of dirt) could have been avoided. In both cases of constant desynchronization, the restored original tape (LPCM 2.0) suffers from a ubiquitous breath where the multichannel VO, which is less open and dynamic, is more balanced even if the mixing appears today to be dull and too tight at the plant level.
Akira
4K Ultra HD – JP Edition – Bandai Visual Format
1.85 – DI 4K – HDR10 – Japanese and English Dolby TrueHD 5.1 – Japanese LPCM 2.0
Video quality : 6 // Audio quality : 6.5
Dedicated to the altar of the cyberpunk, this cult Japanese animated film unfolds its fury in restored version 4K. However, despite a 16-bit 5K scan and regularly demonstrative light sources, the image is a little overdyed with visible use of DNR. And this is hardly better on the audio side where the present remix presents a not always happy equalization as well as a sometimes invading background breath.
Terminator 2
4K Ultra HD – Edition FR – Studiochannel
Format 2.40 - DI 4K – HDR10 – English and French DTS-HD MA 5.1
Video quality : 6 // Audio quality : 8.5
While it is one of the pillars of very large-scale action cinema, this monument of science fiction that revolutionized SFX (the digital era) is far too much « Artificial » in 4K Ultra HD. The image has been massively descaled, the calibration of colors has been modernised (a bluish photograph) and visual changes have been made (e.g. erasing of filming material, changing the face of stunters by that of actors, etc.). Goodbye therefore the silver aspect of the work and hello the ultra-clean and over-read image (some faces are wax!!!). While the result may seem flattering at first glance (the film seems to have been shot yesterday in digital), especially since the compression is solid, the sharpness never seen, the rejuvenated colors, the global brightness grows (with brighter light sources without falling into the free demonstration) and the optimal contrasts, many planes nevertheless suffer from a rather embarrassing fake rendering, the fault of artificial accentuation of contours which is often well visible. The heavy artillery was fortunately released for the soundtrack (which preserves the sound library of the time)... From large caliber to controlled dynamics that overflow with precise effects and severe seismics. But for excess activity on the rear channels and a more homogeneous set, it will be necessary to favour the VO to the VF (more rough and for free too powerful with its basses allowing themselves to go to saturation).
Ip Man – The legend of the Grand Master
4K Ultra HD – US Edition – Well Go USA
Format 2.34 – DI 2K – HDR10 – Dolby Vision – Cantonese Dolby Atmos – Mandarin and English DTS-HD MA 5.1
Video quality : 6 // Audio quality : 8.5
Best historical martial art film in recent years, the first part of the mythical saga inspired by the biography of Yip Man, Grand Master of Wing Chun and mentor of Bruce Lee, accepts the challenge of moving to UHD. As with previous versions, the patinated filter with unsaturated sepia hues (less pronounced on the BD HK) and intrusive granularity is still required. Like the improvement of the edges, nevertheless better controlled here, as well as the presence of some trailing movements. In short, the « defects » integrated into the DI for years are still present in Foshan, and do not necessarily lend themselves well to the 4K... even if it is true that the details have made a leap forward (while preserving the cinematic softness of the photograph) and that the HDR greatly improves the contrasts (especially the shadows) and the reflections of the light sources. Taking advantage of the height channels when the narration demands it and taking advantage of a completely different weight when the action occurs, the new Dolby Atmos soundtrack continues to benefit from regular rear activity and the aeration of Kenji Kawai's sublime score.
Showgirls
4K Ultra HD – Edit DE – Capelight Pictures
Format 2.35 – DI 4K – HDR10+ – English DTS-HD MA 5.1
Video quality : 6 // Audio quality : 9
This sulfurous work signed by Paul Verhoeven is ready to do anything to succeed in his passage on UBD support... Open the curtain! Taken from the 4K restoration carried out by Pathé in 2015, the image, now ultra-shinky, has undergone a large facade ravage (a DNR lift and outrageous makeup) to appear as brilliant (HDR pushed to max) as Gina Gershon's lipstick. Very « Las Vegas style » In short, but with little respect for its Argentinian origins (wherein the rating attributed), this transformation is finally quite well suited to the universe « fake » pictured here. Bubbling even if not mixed in 3D for the occasion, the soundtrack that « Dog » releases what is needed of power and spatialization so that never stops the show.
Jurassic Park
4K Ultra HD – Edition FR – Universal Pictures
Format 1.85 - DI 4K – HDR10 – English DTS:X – French SDR 5.1
Video quality : 6 // Audio quality : 9.5
If the chill is there, it is not for dinosaurs but because of many plans showing signs of a noise reducing device. And that's too bad, since the improvement is often noticeable vis-à-vis the Blu-ray, even on the side of the colors that are more saturated and therefore less washed off, contrasts that are more balanced and lighting that are more luminous. But here it is, the details were chewed by the Tyrannosaurus rex! On the side of the soundtrack, on the other hand, difficult not to roar for pleasure... Since the natural dialogues, the engagement of the score, the spatialization of the ambient effects, the activity of the airspace (cf. rotors of the helicopter or the roaring of the T-rex) and the depth of the serious present on the VO DTS:X bury the frailst VF, less powerful and immersive, despite the great presence of the surrounds.
Star Wars, Episode I: Ghost Menace
4K Ultra HD – UK Edition – Disney
Format 2.39 - DI 4K – HDR10 – English Dolby Atmos – French (Parisian) Dolby Digital Plus 7.1
Video quality : 6 // Audio quality : 10
Family intergalactic peplum with fracasing action scenes, Star Wars, Episode I: Ghost Menace he will fight the Federation of Commerce in 4K Ultra HD. And if the image suffers the same « defects » (a deliberate choice by George Lucas to better visually connect the three opus of the prelogy) than the previous Blu-ray (an excessive smoothing to remove the 35 mm silver texture and a heterogeneous definition) despite the modern contribution linked to the HDR (ragaillarded contrasts and brighter light sources) and to the WCG (a new calibration to the better saturated primary), it is indeed the soundtrack that illustrates on the battlefield once the volume increased by a few crans... Especially the sample (the dynamic has under the elbow) and immersive 3D remixing (the race of podracers is an anthological auditory pleasure) that plunges us into the heart of the conflict with effects/ambiences that tingling from everywhere (height scene understood as when moving space vessels) and impacts « haunted » by the Sith force (cf. the swords that clash during the final duel).
Hobbit – Trilogy (long version)
4K Ultra HD – Edition FR – Warner Bros.
Format 2.40 - DI 4K – HDR10 – Dolby Vision – English Dolby Atmos – French Dolby Digital 5.1 (An Unexpected Trip) – French DTS-HD MA 7.1
Video quality : 7 // Audio quality : 10
This domestic adaptation which magnifies Bilbo the Hobbit, Tolkien's children's tale, is a coherent and lighter return to Middle Earth almost 60 years before the epic of the Lord of the Rings. The question now is whether this 4K Ultra HD is up to the journey? Scattered until it looks like a video game, the image disappoints somewhat! Because if the HDR and the colors massively reinforce the fairytale of the work (increased luminosity, modernized colors, magical lighting as possible and reinforced contrasts), the drastic accentuation of the contours (too hard textures, frequent detours of the vertiginous background decorations and presence of DNR) as well as the application of the latter (do the more ardent flames of the Smaug dragon cause the melting of part of the snow?) remove this remasterization 4K from the goldsmith accuracy of its HD counterpart. Dynamic and immersive (spaceization is formidable), the soundtrack Dolby Atmos really does justice to the inventiveness of mixing. The voices are of great clarity, the deep natural atmospheres, the ubiquitous surround effects, the memorable aerial scene, the symphonic score of Howard Shore aired with great care and the devastating bass. It sends heavy... even the robust and animated VFs despite a lower acoustic weight.
[...] bewitched Cannes in the year 2000 could escape from his demons like James Cameron (Terminator 2 and soon Avatar, which I will come back on at some length in my future test) and Peter Jackson [...]