Any reason why Disco isn't 4K?

[Noname Given]

The problem with Star Trek: The Motion Picture, Director's Edition is that Paramount lost all of the new digital material that was created when Foundation Imaging went under. Someone dropped the ball there. The files are not lost completely, since some of the people involved with the project took their work home them, but that is a dicey situation since they were not technically allowed to do that.

Still given that it was output, designed for, and finalized at 480P resolution; it's probably for the better that they didn't try to upscale it; and with the more modern creation software available now, it wouldn't be that hard to recreate at a better HD resolution standard. (IF CBS were inclined to green light such a project).

 

[USS Triumphant]

They are almost on the verge of starting to film shows with 8k cameras.

So that would be... verge-adjacent? Something like 50 meters back away from the verge?

(Sorry. I just couldn't resist - thought it was funny to see "almost" used with "on the verge of". A little like the phrase "nearly almost". )

 

[Reyman]

I thought it was on Netflix. It’s HDR at least.

The HDR for Discovery was poorly executed. The grain was horrible, so bad that I had to switch to a non HDR version to watch it.

Daredevil S1 had a similar issue, but now with season 3 the picture quality is fantastic.

Hopefully Discovery sorts the HDR issue out.

 

[USS Triumphant]

The grain was horrible

 

[Jedi_Master]

Question: seeing as so many people, including myself, watch streaming programs on their mobile devices, is there a great need to appeal to a subset of a subset and film DSC in such high-definition?

 

[Reyman]

Question: seeing as so many people, including myself, watch streaming programs on their mobile devices, is there a great need to appeal to a subset of a subset and film DSC in such high-definition?

Blu ray sales.

 

[guyute03]

4K: the human eye can't tell the difference, but you know it's there.

Gotta respectfully disagree with this. Have an Xbox One X & a 4k TV, and I can absolutely tell the difference, especially in video games.

 

[Ovation]

Gotta respectfully disagree with this. Have an Xbox One X & a 4k TV, and I can absolutely tell the difference, especially in video games.

I'm sure you can tell a difference. But unless you have a GIGANTIC screen (85"+) OR you sit REALLY close, the difference you see is not owing to resolution, but other video processing and the wider colour gamut of 4K material. People who say the eye cannot see a difference at typical viewing distances are, technically, if narrowly, correct. The eye cannot fully resolve the difference in resolution. But 4K material and displays bring much more than resolution to the table--and those other things are visible. Unfortunately, those other things are many and work in concert, but are not easily reduced to "marketing-speak". "4K", however, fits the bill for marketers to a T. Hence the revolving debates about "I can see a difference/no one can see a difference".

 

[Reyman]

I actually bought my 4K UHD TV just to watch Discovery. It was due to arrive on the same day as the first episode aired on Netflix. I couldn't wait though so I just watched it on my old plasma set.

The disappointment though when I did eventually watch Discovery in HDR was enough for me to want to return the TV. Thankfully I didn't because 4k UHD blu rays are amazing, 1080 upscaling is fantastic and uhd/hdr on amazon and netflix is generally excellent. Even 720 content looks better. Cinema has been ruined for me because the picture quality just doesn't feel good enough now.

It does suck though for watching lower quality stuff like Voyager and DS9, but I can just watch that on the tablet.

Point is Discovery HDR is horrible! TOS and NG actually look much better than Discovery does in HDR.

 

[Apparition B5]

Question: seeing as so many people, including myself, watch streaming programs on their mobile devices, is there a great need to appeal to a subset of a subset and film DSC in such high-definition?

Just because a few people choose to limit themselves to a 6" or 10" screen doesn't mean that others should be limited as well.

 

[Tuskin38]

I'm sure you can tell a difference. But unless you have a GIGANTIC screen (85"+) OR you sit REALLY close, the difference you see is not owing to resolution, but other video processing and the wider colour gamut of 4K material.

I can see the difference clearly on a smaller screen then that. It isn't processing.

 

[Ovation]

I can see the difference clearly on a smaller screen then that. It isn't processing.

It is processing—mostly the wider colour gamut and the greater bit depth panels (together, they allow for more colour gradations than a standard 1080p panel provides and they add to the impression of a sharper image).

I guarantee that if you were 10 feet from two 50 inch screens (the typical distance people sit from that size) and the ONLY difference is one is 4K and the other is 1080p—ALL ELSE being EQUAL—you could not tell the difference. No one can.

However, all else is NOT equal. The resolution is nowhere near the most important characteristic that makes 4K TVs look better and sharper. Wider colour gamut, greater panel bit depth processing, better contrast ratio, faster refresh rates, HDR...these things, working in concert, are why 4K TVs look better.
The ONLY time resolution is noticeable is if you sit at a closer distance to the same size display OR you have a larger display at the same distance (notable distance and/or size differences).

 

[Reyman]

I'm a 100% with Ovation on this.

There is a big difference in the picture quality between even the cheaper 4k TVs and the mid range ones.

If it was just about 4k then there really shouldn't by that much of a difference.

Content source is pretty important though. The differences would be more noticeable watching a true 4k uhd blu ray like Dunkirk than some garbage HDR like Discovery on Netflix!

 

[Tuskin38]

If I watch a 4K video on YouTube then watch a 1080p one on of the same content on the same TV I can see the difference

Or switch from a 1080 blu-Ray to 4k

My eyes are not lying to me.

 

[EnderAKH]

If I watch a 4K video on YouTube then watch a 1080p one on of the same content on the same TV I can see the difference

Or switch from a 1080 blu-Ray to 4k

My eyes are not lying to me.

They're not saying you don't see a difference, they are saying the difference you are seeing is from factors other than a resolution jump.

 

[Tuskin38]

They're not saying you don't see a difference, they are saying the difference you are seeing is from factors other than a resolution jump.

And I’m saying the pure resolution change is noticeable

I’ve done a lot of experiments here. With just plain old static images and video.

 

[Ovation]

And I’m saying the pure resolution change is noticeable

I’ve done a lot of experiments here. With just plain old static images and video.

You’re wrong. Your 4K display is doing all sorts of things that you cannot turn off. Moreover, the 4K material on YouTube, or any other streaming service you are looking at, has more than the resolution differences at play.

 

[Tuskin38]

You’re wrong.

My eyes don't lie.

 

[Ovation]

My eyes don't lie.

No one is saying that your eyes are lying. It is a fact that resolution alone (unless the distance you sit from the display is within STMPE or THX specs for fully resolving the change in resolution) is not distinguishable at typical viewing distances.

To fully resolve a 4K image on a 50 inch TV you need to sit 39 inches or closer from the screen (assuming all other technical details are the same on a 1080p TV). For a 1080p signal, you need to be at 66 inches or closer. You will see some, though not all, of the extra resolution of 4K if you sit somewhere in between 66 and 39 inches. The vast majority of people sit 120 inches or more from a 50 inch TV. How far do you sit from your display and how big is it?

As for your 1080p vs 4K images on your display, using the 4K display will NOT give you an equal comparison. Your 4K display has a fixed resolution and must scale up your 1080p image. This invariably introduces scaling artefacts—unavoidable though variable according to the quality of the display’s scaling ability.

 

[Reyman]

Ovation, you're a person with great patience..