Ok, I'll make this as succinct as possible. After a decade with a 2014 48" Sony BRAVIA, I upgraded to a 65" Samsung QLED, chosen over the more expensive OLED due to pretty much everyone telling me the lifespan of OLEDs is shorter due to burn-in.

I had multiple people recommend that at this size, I'd want to get a Blu-ray player that could upscale to 4k and that compression with streaming video would be more noticeable. While streaming is easier, the quality has always left a lot to be desired, even at high internet speeds. The peeps were right; the difference with the new 65" is even more apparent.

I knew this was the case in some form or fashion. After all, the quality you get from Spotify vs. CD isn't comparable. My budget at this time prevents me from going going the full surround system, but the difference is readily apparent through my current soundbar.

Anyway, I'm looking into upgrading my library to Blu-ray format. As someone who is huge into movies, I'm looking for some suggestions that make a better home theater experience. Right now, I have TG:Maverick, Avatar TWoW, and Interstellar.

(1) Does anyone have any suggestions for movies you really like on Blu-Ray/4k?
(2) Does anyone have a soundbar or affordable surround system without the Bluetooth delay that you're fond of?

Some great/reference quality 4k UHD discs (primarily for audio but video as well):

Dune
Blade Runner 2049
Mad Max Fury Road
Seven Worlds One Planet
Star Trek Kelvin Timeline Trilogy
Harry Potter collection
Moonfall
Jupiter Ascending
Ready Player One
Alita Battle Angel


Sorry I can't help on budget surround setups - my experience is more in the "over the top" end of things lol

The pod racer scene in The Phantom Menace is pretty great for showcasing what a home theater system can do.

Not sure why it took that emoji

Starship Troopers just released a redone 4K version and not just upscaled.

TCTTS said:

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"upgrading to Blu-ray format" implies that you currently only have DVDs. Is that the case? Just FYI, Blu-rays are different than 4K UHD discs. There are basically three "tiers" of quality/discs…

720p = DVD
1080p = Blu-Ray (aka "HD")
2160p = 4K UHD (aka "4K")

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Correct. I thought about the 4K player, but decided against it. All three films I mentioned though come in two disc sets, one with the 1080p and one with the 4k. The upscaling is pretty slick though.

This. Agreed.

Without knowing budget it's hard to recommend any particular sound bar. That said, got my gf a Vizio for $100 with sub that was on sale, normally $150 and it's good for what it is.

My recommendation would be to go with components. That said, a little more money and space.

BassCowboy33 said:

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TCTTS said:

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"upgrading to Blu-ray format" implies that you currently only have DVDs. Is that the case? Just FYI, Blu-rays are different than 4K UHD discs. There are basically three "tiers" of quality/discs…

720p = DVD
1080p = Blu-Ray (aka "HD")
2160p = 4K UHD (aka "4K")

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Correct. I thought about the 4K player, but decided against it. All three films I mentioned though come in two disc sets, one with the 1080p and one with the 4k. The upscaling is pretty slick though.

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Why not just buy a 4K UHD player, though? You can get one for $150-ish, if not cheaper. If you're dropping all this $$$ on a TV, soundbar, and discs, what's another $70 or so to "complete" the setup? Or, if your budget is that strict, I would just buy two or three fewer discs now, get the 4K UHD player instead, and then buy those two or three discs a couple months from now.

In ten years you couldn't save up more than a $500 tv? But you now have money to buy a dying media format?

TCTTS said:

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BassCowboy33 said:

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TCTTS said:

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"upgrading to Blu-ray format" implies that you currently only have DVDs. Is that the case? Just FYI, Blu-rays are different than 4K UHD discs. There are basically three "tiers" of quality/discs…

720p = DVD
1080p = Blu-Ray (aka "HD")
2160p = 4K UHD (aka "4K")

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Correct. I thought about the 4K player, but decided against it. All three films I mentioned though come in two disc sets, one with the 1080p and one with the 4k. The upscaling is pretty slick though.

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Why not just buy a 4K UHD player, though? You can get one for $150-ish, if not cheaper. If you're dropping all this $$$ on a TV, soundbar, and discs, what's another $70 or so to "complete" the setup? Or, if your budget is that strict, I would just buy two or three fewer discs now, get the 4K UHD player instead, and then buy those two or three discs a couple months from now.

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The big issue issue the availability of 4k Blu Rays are not abundant enough to justify the extra expenditure. For how small the Blu-ray segment is in 4K at this time, I didn't feel it necessary. Might be pinching pennies, but I've never been an early adopter in regards to technology.

BassCowboy33 said:

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TCTTS said:

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BassCowboy33 said:

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TCTTS said:

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"upgrading to Blu-ray format" implies that you currently only have DVDs. Is that the case? Just FYI, Blu-rays are different than 4K UHD discs. There are basically three "tiers" of quality/discs…

720p = DVD
1080p = Blu-Ray (aka "HD")
2160p = 4K UHD (aka "4K")

---

Correct. I thought about the 4K player, but decided against it. All three films I mentioned though come in two disc sets, one with the 1080p and one with the 4k. The upscaling is pretty slick though.

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Why not just buy a 4K UHD player, though? You can get one for $150-ish, if not cheaper. If you're dropping all this $$$ on a TV, soundbar, and discs, what's another $70 or so to "complete" the setup? Or, if your budget is that strict, I would just buy two or three fewer discs now, get the 4K UHD player instead, and then buy those two or three discs a couple months from now.

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The big issue issue the availability of 4k Blu Rays are not abundant enough to justify the extra expenditure. For how small the Blu-ray segment is in 4K at this time, I didn't feel it necessary. Might be pinching pennies, but I've never been an early adopter in regards to technology.

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There's nothing "early adopter" in any of this, at this point in time. Are you waiting for the next gen format to become mainstream first?

And as has been said, there's no issue with availability. Maybe if that involves browsing at Best Buy. So maybe it's more a convenience issue than availability? But everything worth watching comes in 4k format. They're usually around the same price as regular Blu-rays, and in some cases actually less for some reason (if on a good sale).

If sticking with physical media format, which is superior only if comparing to 4k, then there's literally no reason to not get a current gen player. If you don't like streaming movies, then why get an older format that's actually not as good as what you can get streaming?

TCTTS said:

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BassCowboy33 said:

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TCTTS said:

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"upgrading to Blu-ray format" implies that you currently only have DVDs. Is that the case? Just FYI, Blu-rays are different than 4K UHD discs. There are basically three "tiers" of quality/discs…

720p = DVD
1080p = Blu-Ray (aka "HD")
2160p = 4K UHD (aka "4K")

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Correct. I thought about the 4K player, but decided against it. All three films I mentioned though come in two disc sets, one with the 1080p and one with the 4k. The upscaling is pretty slick though.

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Why not just buy a 4K UHD player, though? You can get one for $150-ish, if not cheaper. If you're dropping all this $$$ on a TV, soundbar, and discs, what's another $70 or so to "complete" the setup? Or, if your budget is that strict, I would just buy two or three fewer discs now, get the 4K UHD player instead, and then buy those two or three discs a couple months from now.

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I usually use my ps5 for my 4k Blu-rays, but do you have a recommended brand/option for a standalone player in that $150ish range? I know that the quality of audio and video tends to be better than using a gaming console, and since they're so cheap now, I'm actually in the market to pick one up.

I picked up Snatch and The Fifth Element on 4K yesterday

Kind of off topic but I just finished building my home theater and would love for any cinefiles around BCS to come over for a movie night.

Wirecutter seems to really like the Panasonics.

https://www.nytimes.com/wirecutter/reviews/best-4k-blu-ray-player/

Vitani said:

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Kind of off topic but I just finished building my home theater and would love for any cinefiles around BCS to come over for a movie night.

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What did you go with?

I just this weekend finished merging and upgrading my 5.1 setup with my separate stereo setup. Now I have a 7.2.4 setup that's the best of both all in one. Running wires through existing construction wasn't much fun.

TCTTS said:

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"upgrading to Blu-ray format" implies that you currently only have DVDs. Is that the case? Just FYI, Blu-rays are different than 4K UHD discs. There are basically three "tiers" of quality/discs…

720p = DVD
1080p = Blu-Ray (aka "HD")
2160p = 4K UHD (aka "4K")

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Native DVD video is only 480p.

Have a hard time believing there's overlap between "guy who just upgraded from a 48 in. 1080p TV and thinks 4K Blu-Ray has a limited library" and "guy who is turned off by streaming compression". I would bet a ton of money that if you were sat down in front of a properly implemented streaming set up and a Blu-ray you would pick the stream as the better quality image, for the simple fact that the stream would be 4K HDR and the Blu-ray would be 1080p.

Point being there's probably something wrong in your implementation of the streaming rather than the streaming itself being bad.

I have a 7.2.4 as well. All of the speakers and subs are the JBL Synthesis line. Sony 4K laser projector and a 150" screen. I built the building custom for the theater so I had control over everything I needed to.

As for the main conversation here, physical media is so much better than streaming and there is an absolute difference between 1080p and 4K. If you see the two side by side, even with good upscaling, it is undeniable. I did a test on my system with Lord of the Rings. Streaming on HBO, it was fine but not amazing. The audio was also compressed much more than on the disk. When I put in the physical media, it was a clear winner.

Vitani said:

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I have a 7.2.4 as well. All of the speakers and subs are the JBL Synthesis line. Sony 4K laser projector and a 150" screen. I built the building custom for the theater so I had control over everything I needed to.

As for the main conversation here, physical media is so much better than streaming and there is an absolute difference between 1080p and 4K. If you see the two side by side, even with good upscaling, it is undeniable. I did a test on my system with Lord of the Rings. Streaming on HBO, it was fine but not amazing. The audio was also compressed much more than on the disk. When I put in the physical media, it was a clear winner.

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Yeah I've switched from a projector with 110" screen (in a blackout room) to 75" 4K oled in my non light controlled living room. 75" works for me now since I only need to seat 2 regularly and I now sit 11-12' from the screen (sit in middle of room).

Even with say 65" flat screens less than 4K resolution isn't enough nowadays. And the streaming definitely sucks too. Way too many dropouts not from my end and even when you actually do get a 4K picture consistently it's still a crapshoot what audio stream you'll get with it. A lot of the streaming providers won't always include the best available audio stream in order to save on bandwidth. People with soundbars don't care about audio.

BUT 4K streaming is better than normal HD streaming. There's just 0 reason why anyone should upgrade to HD instead of 4K today.

A purchased 4K film off iTunes or another platform would I bet look far superior to something streaming off Max.

akaggie05 said:

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TCTTS said:

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"upgrading to Blu-ray format" implies that you currently only have DVDs. Is that the case? Just FYI, Blu-rays are different than 4K UHD discs. There are basically three "tiers" of quality/discs…

720p = DVD
1080p = Blu-Ray (aka "HD")
2160p = 4K UHD (aka "4K")

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Native DVD video is only 480p.

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You're right. I totally forgot it was even worse.

You may be right about that but it all depends on the compression. For example, there is a box you can get for a home theater setup called Kaleidescape where you can purchase (or rip) lossless movies. That would prevent someone from having to buy the physical disks and store them but it is an expensive solution. I have not gotten one for mine yet because I like seeing the boxes for the movies on the shelf but I have a spot in my home theater rack designated for one at some point.