UHD Review A Few Words About While we wait for a few words about...™ The Godfather(s) -- in 4k UHD (1 Viewer)

[PMF]

Serves me right for posting shortly after midnight.

The Devil’s Own was, indeed, released in 1997 and became the final film shot by Mr. Willis.

2007. The restoration of The Godfather ensues.

 

[Peter Apruzzese]

Not suggesting you upgrade your projector. Merely use a 4k player to feed 4k data from the new discs into your 1080p.

Are there any issues regarding HDR, etc., using a 4K player in an entirely 1080p based setup? Or is that information ignored if the display device (a projector, in my case) isn’t capable of it?

 

[Robert Crawford]

Are there any issues regarding HDR, etc., using a 4K player in an entirely 1080p based setup? Or is that information ignored if the display device (a projector, in my case) isn’t capable of it?

HDR isn’t activated if equipment is unable to process it.

 

[Britton]

Are there any issues regarding HDR, etc., using a 4K player in an entirely 1080p based setup? Or is that information ignored if the display device (a projector, in my case) isn’t capable of it?

I played the 4K UHD Blu-ray of Star Trek Beyond on a Samsung UBD-K8500 4K player and displayed it on a Vizio E65-C1. The image was way, way too dark. Maybe there were some player settings I could have used to improve things, but I don't know. I stopped the UHD disc, put in the 1080p Blu-Ray and the image was no longer too dark.

I now have the Panasonic DP-UB820, it comes with a HDR Optimizer function, and I know it has the ability to do HDR to SDR conversion. I never tried the conversion because I bought it when I got a LG C1 OLED. I think the Pan 420 also has the same HDR to SDR conversion settings, but that model doesn't do Dolby Vision. That being said, I am not sure what the state of Dolby Vision is on projectors these days. I think most 4K home projectors only do HDR10, in which case, the 420 will fulfill all your needs.

 

[Worth]

Are there any issues regarding HDR, etc., using a 4K player in an entirely 1080p based setup? Or is that information ignored if the display device (a projector, in my case) isn’t capable of it?

The player has to convert HDR to SDR and some do this better than others. It's also going to depend on how the HDR disc has been graded. I had a Panasonic player connected to my plasma and found it mostly did a very good job, though I'd say the average picture level is a little bit darker compared to standard blu-rays. There are also adjustments to tweak the brightness, contrast, colour etc.

 

[Peter Apruzzese]

Based on those three responses, I’m concluding that 4K UHD to 1080p playback is a crapshoot as to whether the image will be altered or not or require tweaking for each disc. Not what I was hoping to hear, but I’m open to hearing from others about it.

 

[Worth]

Based on those three responses, I’m concluding that 4K UHD to 1080p playback is a crapshoot as to whether the image will be altered or not or require tweaking for each disc. Not what I was hoping to hear, but I’m open to hearing from others about it.

Assuming they're from the same underlying master, I think blu-rays look better than UHDs on a device that isn't HDR capable. But there are a number of 4K discs that have superior transfers to their blu-ray counterparts, and those will obviously look better. And there are a handful of 4K discs without HDR that will also look a little bit better due to the maxed out resolution and better compression.

 

[mskaye]

Thank you Mr. Harris for all your work in restoring this masterpiece of cinema. I saw it on Thursday and it looked amazing. Coppola's comments about the restoration in the New York Times piece were great too (and I saw the film before i read and noticed the same bit of detail too (won't give away the "spoiler." )

Restoring ‘The Godfather’ to Its Original (Still Dark) Glory (Published 2022)

Francis Ford Coppola discusses a repaired 50th-anniversary edition of his classic, one that aims to be as vivid — and shadowy — as it was in 1972.

www.nytimes.com

Agreed with him that the wedding scene is really the only scene that doesn't look as good as it could. But after that, breathtaking. The emotional power of this film is undiminished by time. All the locations and details. Just perfect. And these faces and performances need to be seen on the big screen as originally imagined. Brando. What can you say about him? One of the great iconic acting performances of all time. I emotionally connected with his performance more than I ever did and could say the same for everyone in the film. So I urge everyone to buy the 4k but really try to see this restoration in a cinema.

 

[SeanSKA]

All this talk about Allan Daviau and Gordon Willis makes me ask one question : "Why hasn't the great documentary on cinematography, Visions of Light , been released on Blu-ray or especially 4K disc ??? "

 

[Robert Harris]

All this talk about Allan Daviau and Gordon Willis makes me ask one question : "Why hasn't the great documentary on cinematography, Visions of Light , been released on Blu-ray or especially 4K disc ??? "

It should be. Rights should not be a problem. Clips are most likely all 4k.

 

[SeanSKA]

It should be. Rights should not be a problem. Clips are most likely all 4k.

If I'm not mistaken, I think Fox released it on LaserDisc back in the 90s. I wonder who has the rights to it now

Not only did I have the LD, but I saw it 3 times at the Film Forum in NYC when it first opened

 

[John Dirk]

@Robert Harris - I probably understood no more than 10% of what you wrote but still considered it a master class in film processing. Thanks for all you do. It's fascinating even if mostly over my head.

 

[Noel Aguirre]

Mr RAH - How does all this factor into what I saw at the April 2017 Radio City Music Hall presentation of both I and II ? Was I seeing a DCP of the 2007 restoration? If so I cannot imagine it getting any better but then again I cannot wait!
And thank you for the most informative article ever.

 

[Robert Harris]

Mr RAH - How does all this factor into what I saw at the April 2017 Radio City Music Hall presentation of both I and II ? Was I seeing a DCP of the 2007 restoration? If so I cannot imagine it getting any better but then again I cannot wait!
And thank you for the most informative article ever.

Sorry. Can’t answer that. Could have been either a new 35 print or the 4k DCP.

Of the two, the DCP is the better variant.

 

[Robert Harris]

@Robert Harris - I probably understood no more than 10% of what you wrote but still considered it a master class in film processing. Thanks for all you do. It's fascinating even if mostly over my head.

Very kind. Pleased to answer questions.

 

[moviebuff75]

Will lossy mono serve the film well? No lossless for the UHD. I doubt I could hear the difference anyway.

 

[Carlo_M]

I've found as I've gotten older and re-arranged priorities in my life, physical media buying has taken quite a back seat compared to my younger collecting days.

That said, this one has me on pins and needles and I can't wait to get my grubby little hands on this.

RAH's writeup just got me even more amped than I already was.

 

[bugsy-pal]

Thank you Robert Harris for your work on this film, and your account of the trials and tribulations of restoring The Godfather.

 

[sultan of cinema]

People, I forgot to point his out regarding my theatrical Dolby Vision screening of The Godfather last week. I noticed two things. When Moe Green is shot in the eye thru his glasses, there was always a very small jump that looked like they stopped shooting and then added the blood, special effects, etc to his eye and face and started shooting again. This portion of the film now runs as smooth as a bell and really surprised me. Secondly, seeing 35 mm prints upon release and a private collector's 35 print over the years, there's a scene at the Genco Oil office where Brando, Caan, and Cazale meet with Al Letteri about the upfront loan for drug distribution. For about a second and half, you see what looked like very tiny small Technicolor dots of various colors right in the middle of the screen. Every time I watched the 35's, I got ready for it. Those dots have now been removed. And of course, one thing I always miss with every motion picture are the queue marks!

 

[Fozl]

Here's a Review with screenshot comparisons from the 4K

UHD Blu-ray Kritik | Der Pate (4K Review, Rezension)

Der Pate: Lest hier das 4K UHD Blu-ray Review zum Kultfilm von Francis Ford Coppola. Inkl. Bildvergleich Blu-ray vs. UHD Blu-ray.

blu-ray-rezensionen.net