PC & Video Games

Sony announces successor to Blu-Ray Disc format (up to 1TB of data).

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  • Mar 17th, 2014 11:00 am
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In case you guys didn't notice, I was being sarcastic about replacing my Bluray collection with the new Archive Disc format...LOL! :lol:

I didn't even replace my entire DVD collection...just the most important movies I wanted in Full HD were brought as Bluray and NEVER at full price...most are $10 or $5....but many I got on that PM with Sig Electronics...for $2 or less (I PM'd the Dragon Tattoo Trilogy Boxset of movies on Bluray Disc at Best Buy and the difference was so big ...I got it for FREE...true story...and it originally cost at the time $56....sweet, eh?) :)

I am not going to do that again....unless 4K becomes the standard and I get a 4K big TV to make use of that resolution...and it won't happen with all the movies...only a few must have classic if they got released (probably) on Archive Disc (if they are not only for commercial/business use) like the Back to the Future Trilogy, Star Wars (original) trilogy, Jaws, Indiana Jones Trilogy (don't care about part 4)...etc.
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So here's a question for those of you in the know... with the resolution of 4K sets being four times higher than the current generation, doesn't that prevent anything shot on the current generation of HD digital 'film' from being displayed at 4K resolution without upsampling?
Ironically enough, I assume every movie shot with cellulose-based media would be fine though - traditional film can just be scan-exposed and captured at a higher resolution, but the newer digital movies will be shot at a resolution below that required for 4K media, correct? Or do the current generation of digital directors shoot in higher resolutions and the resulting film for BluRay is just downsampled to fit?

Does anyone know?

I have to say, I saw a 4K Sony setup in FS the other day. It was running a 4K demo reel via a high speed connection to a digital media box and it was truly mind-bending. I had to squint with my head right up against the set to even see the pixels. Very impressive, but like everyone else has said - there's nothing that supports devices like this natively... no native 4K movies and no native players.
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it's a good tax on the rich, they get to play with expensive toys that funds R&D of better stuff for the rest of us
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[UPDATE] A Panasonic representative has clarified that the Archival Disc is specifically intended for professional purposes, not general consumer use.

"The development is specifically for professional archiving," a Panasonic spokesperson told PC World. "We are not currently considering optical discs for household consumer use."
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divx wrote: it's a good tax on the rich, they get to play with expensive toys that funds R&D of better stuff for the rest of us
+1, lol, this is very true. The trickle-down theory applies to technology and consumer goods as well I think. :lol:
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DougO wrote: [UPDATE] A Panasonic representative has clarified that the Archival Disc is specifically intended for professional purposes, not general consumer use.

"The development is specifically for professional archiving," a Panasonic spokesperson told PC World. "We are not currently considering optical discs for household consumer use."
I see, thanks for that, makes sense (especially given the name they chose).

I still think this could serve as the basis for 4K films. The size is almost suspiciously well-suited for 4K movies.
“My biggest problem with modernity may lie in the growing separation of the ethical and the legal.”
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Maximize wrote: I see, thanks for that, makes sense (especially given the name they chose).

I still think this could serve as the basis for 4K films. The size is almost suspiciously well-suited for 4K movies.
This would allow movie theatres a simple alternative to digital theatres as they stand now. Instead of shipping hard drives, a single disc would suffice...
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Maximize wrote: I see, thanks for that, makes sense (especially given the name they chose).

I still think this could serve as the basis for 4K films. The size is almost suspiciously well-suited for 4K movies.
Personally, I think BD is perfectly fine for 4K. Especially when you consider it can max out at 128GB on a quadruple layer disc and then double that with a double sided disc for up to 256GB on a single disc. I don't think that will hurt any of the 4K fanatics flipping the disc over if needed. If will be just like when double sided DVD were common. Then bonus content can go on a second disc as well. This option will be a better option for the community. Then there is also digital downloading/streaming as well which just requires space/speed.
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^with a better compression method perhaps, h.264 might not be able to pull it off
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Scorpionsy wrote: Does this mean we have to start saving again to replace our current Bluray Movie collection with 4K movie ArchiveDiscs? (just like the transition from VHS to DVD and then again from DVD to Bluray Disc)...man, milking the cash-cow is an understatement! :(
You never have to, it's always a choice on what to spend your dollars on.

I was pretty gung go about HD. We had VHS which was ok. DVD was a huge leap forward. Then right after DVD came out they released HD LCD/Plasma screens. The screens were a big bump up in sized from the average size of tube tv's. Thus bluray/high def as a big boon to these new tv's.

I'm not convinced about 4k. Mostly because you need a big TV to get benefits from it. Around 80 inches if your sitting from the other side of a living room. To me 4k really depends a big uptake in really big tv's, and i'm not convinced there's room in peoples living rooms for that. I would guess all tv's would be 4k in the future as the tech gets cheaper. Will people bother to use 4k content on them. I don't know.

I have a 42" and if I ever replace it I was thinking a 55 inch to 60" would be nice. I'd get no benefit over replaceing my bluray collection with a TV of that size.

4k feels like 3d to me. HDTV was huge for TV companies. Everyone (or nearly) everyone replaced their tube tv's with new tv's in a matter of 5 or 6 years. Now nearly everyone has them and tv sales have calmed down again. They tried 3d to move new sets.. didn't work as well as they hoped. Now it's 4k. I know so many people less gung go than me, that still watch nothing but SD content on their HD sets....

I think this format will be good for backups (just like backup tapes are). I'm not sold on a new replacement optical format yet for movies.
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Yeah, try to upconvert SD to 4K. Going to look great right? I still have too much stuff that I enjoy in SD that will never get HD versions so all this talk of 4K/UHD is moot. I'm gradually losing my eyesight so unless they can do a Bladerunner and replace my eyes so I have perfect 20/20 vision it really will be moot for my future...

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