This is a great topic that not many here talk about, at least in depth. I'll go over my process, which I think is simple and definitely works for me. If a DVD I own has a Blu-ray, first thing I check is the specs on the Blu-ray. Does it have the correct aspect ratio, audio options, any special features. Then I'll check for picture quality, has it be degrained, altered, etc. Then I'll check several places for reviews and kind of see if there's a consensus. Lastly, I'll look at price and availability (you never know if there's a better or cheaper option overseas). For example, I have the exact same DVD of Chinatown that you showed. Now I first consider, what are my upgrade options. Chinatown got a pretty decent Blu-ray release back in 2012. Ok picture quality (easily better than the DVD), good mix of audio options and a nice set of special features. You can pick up a copy for less than $10. Pretty good deal if you ask me. Now we have this 4K announcement, hopefully from a new OCN scan, but Paramount hasn't been very good with their 4K releases, at least in the states. Look at what happened to Once Upon a Time in the West. Beautifully restored by Martin Scorsese and they took that print and added Digital Noise Reduction and to top it off, put it on a BD-66 so the compression on it was harsher. So I'm on a wait and see with that 4K. Now for The Abyss, again I have that exact same DVD. I did buy the 4K knowing full well that there were serious issues. An insane amount of Digital Noise Reduction has been applied to it but not just that. The scan they used most likely came from the same source as the 2014 HD digital stream and all they did was use AI to upscale it and add sharpness and fake detail to it (there was never any restoration done to this film or any other Cameron films, no matter what someone proclaims. I challenge anyone to prove otherwise). Now, it's certainly not as bad as True Lies and Aliens on 4K are (those are unwatchable to me and yes I own them too) and The Abyss is one of my all time favorite movies so I can just sit back and just watch it without much of an issue but those issues do catch my eye sometimes. Will it be an issue for you, I don't know. I would watch Le Labo De Jay's video on it and decide for yourself. You can find it here: watch?v=Lc7_9avL_Fk&pp=ygUMVGhlIEFieXNzIExl
Thanks so much for sharing your thought process on this topic. Very insightful. Lately, I find that I am thinking about these issues more and more as I continue to curate my collection. I definitely collect films that I know I will watch over and over which has become part of the criteria of deciding whether to upgrade a film, keep in an existing format or donate so that someone else can enjoy.
@@CinemaDaveMedia I'm exactly the same. I only keep what I know I'll rewatch and enjoy and donate everything else. Unless...unless that older release has some special difference about it. For instance the original snapper case DVD for The Matrix. I'll never get rid of it because of the theatrical color timing. I'll never get rid of the MGM DVD of The Terminator because it was the last appearance of the mono audio track on it without the revisionist gun sound effects.
4K's are not being made in the quantities that DVDs were, if there is a 4K you want it's better to buy it within a year of release, if you wait you may have to pay scalper prices later on when you decide to upgrade. Kino titles can wait until a sale and Police Squad I would wait until an Amazon sale or use a service like CamelCamelCamel to set a price alert for the price you are willing to pay.
Thanks for the great thoughts and advice! Most appreciated. If there is a 4K that I want, I will typically pickup within that first year of release or wait for a holiday deal. Right now, I mostly focus on picking up older film releases from Kino or Warner Archive if there is a good price or sale.
I have never owned The Abyss and thought about buying the new release. I saw it a lot as a kid on HBO/Cinemax. I upgrade if it has new special features or it is one of my all-time favorites…or if the upgrade price is low.
I’m pretty slow to upgrade for the same reason (I’d rather spend the money on something I don’t have at all). I don’t look for them, but when I come across a favorite that has a better edition, I consider it.
Hi there, I'm a first time viewer to you channel. This is always a dilemma with us Collector's. I upgraded to 4K only on films I'd watch more than once, I get 4K of titles I haven't seen only if they interest me. Win Win has a Blu-ray definitely. The Abyss is definitely worth the upgraded but keep you special edition DVD. Think of it this way. All colour pallets on home physical media have been changed from the original cinema release and they are all different from each other too. For the most part, 4K returns to the original cinematic colour pallet. You'll get much more from a film with far more resolution and corrected colour than what you get from the DVD's. It depends how big your screen is too. Since I changed to a projector and a 106" screen, I have got so much more out of any film I'd seen before and I understood the story better with all that information being really clear in front of me. Trevor
Hello Trevor and welcome to the channel. Thanks so much for your thoughts and insights on this topic. Most appreciated. I did see that Win Win has a blu-ray so will most likely upgrade most of what I showed in the video depending on my budget. I'm hoping I can pickup The Abyss, Aliens, and True Lies during a sale. I have 55" inch TVs at home and definitely need to upgrade my equipment at some point.
I’m at a tie for Chinatown or The Abyss. I’m far from bougie, but I do love boutique labels like Vinegar Syndrome and ARROW and Kinolober, because they actually give a damn about movies and it’s not just a really good transfer or restoration, but they put in the effort to add supplementals and do things like track down cast and crew to get new interviews and commentaries and clean up old TV and radio spots, etc. and they’re not afraid to put the spotlight on genre films, so even with my limited budget, I’m willing to spend an exorbitant price for one Blu-ray of a movie I care about, that is on a boutique label and then just get Walmart, five dollar bin Blu-ray for more common films.
Totally agree with your thoughts on Arrow, VS, and Kino. Amazing boutique labels and I love all the extra features. I will most likely upgrade my copy of The Abyss but will keep the DVD.
For me I upgrade if a better format comes out from my very favorite directors. Lynch is my favorite so I’m planning to upgrade my criterion Blu-ray to 4k.
Yes, I typically upgrade too when it comes to my favorite directors. I really hope The Straight Story gets a Criterion release at some point. Hope you are doing well.
Personally, I think the Abyss looks ridiculously good on 4K. If you're a fan of the film, my view is that it's an absolute must-own on 4K. In fact, I think it's in contention for best 4K disc of the year. It is a stunning, gorgeous-looking release. Some people don't like the restoration approach Cameron took and have a problem with the grain reduction, but I think the criticisms are overblown and even a little silly. It's difficult for me to imagine anyone preferring the old low-resolution DVD over the new 4K (I also have the same DVD edition myself). And yes, all of the bonus features transfer over... including that near-iconic making-of documentary. Plus you get some new stuff in the special features too. I would highly recommend it.
I'm definitely upgrading "Winter People" with Kurt Russell which is finally coming to Blu Ray June 11th
Good to know, thanks!
This is a great topic that not many here talk about, at least in depth. I'll go over my process, which I think is simple and definitely works for me. If a DVD I own has a Blu-ray, first thing I check is the specs on the Blu-ray. Does it have the correct aspect ratio, audio options, any special features. Then I'll check for picture quality, has it be degrained, altered, etc. Then I'll check several places for reviews and kind of see if there's a consensus. Lastly, I'll look at price and availability (you never know if there's a better or cheaper option overseas).
For example, I have the exact same DVD of Chinatown that you showed. Now I first consider, what are my upgrade options. Chinatown got a pretty decent Blu-ray release back in 2012. Ok picture quality (easily better than the DVD), good mix of audio options and a nice set of special features. You can pick up a copy for less than $10. Pretty good deal if you ask me. Now we have this 4K announcement, hopefully from a new OCN scan, but Paramount hasn't been very good with their 4K releases, at least in the states. Look at what happened to Once Upon a Time in the West. Beautifully restored by Martin Scorsese and they took that print and added Digital Noise Reduction and to top it off, put it on a BD-66 so the compression on it was harsher. So I'm on a wait and see with that 4K.
Now for The Abyss, again I have that exact same DVD. I did buy the 4K knowing full well that there were serious issues. An insane amount of Digital Noise Reduction has been applied to it but not just that. The scan they used most likely came from the same source as the 2014 HD digital stream and all they did was use AI to upscale it and add sharpness and fake detail to it (there was never any restoration done to this film or any other Cameron films, no matter what someone proclaims. I challenge anyone to prove otherwise). Now, it's certainly not as bad as True Lies and Aliens on 4K are (those are unwatchable to me and yes I own them too) and The Abyss is one of my all time favorite movies so I can just sit back and just watch it without much of an issue but those issues do catch my eye sometimes. Will it be an issue for you, I don't know. I would watch Le Labo De Jay's video on it and decide for yourself. You can find it here: watch?v=Lc7_9avL_Fk&pp=ygUMVGhlIEFieXNzIExl
Thanks so much for sharing your thought process on this topic. Very insightful. Lately, I find that I am thinking about these issues more and more as I continue to curate my collection. I definitely collect films that I know I will watch over and over which has become part of the criteria of deciding whether to upgrade a film, keep in an existing format or donate so that someone else can enjoy.
@@CinemaDaveMedia I'm exactly the same. I only keep what I know I'll rewatch and enjoy and donate everything else. Unless...unless that older release has some special difference about it. For instance the original snapper case DVD for The Matrix. I'll never get rid of it because of the theatrical color timing. I'll never get rid of the MGM DVD of The Terminator because it was the last appearance of the mono audio track on it without the revisionist gun sound effects.
As for The Abyss - definitely a worthy upgrade as the 4K looks very nice.
Thanks, I’m definitely considering an upgrade especially after more positive reviews on the 4K.
4K's are not being made in the quantities that DVDs were, if there is a 4K you want it's better to buy it within a year of release, if you wait you may have to pay scalper prices later on when you decide to upgrade. Kino titles can wait until a sale and Police Squad I would wait until an Amazon sale or use a service like CamelCamelCamel to set a price alert for the price you are willing to pay.
Thanks for the great thoughts and advice! Most appreciated. If there is a 4K that I want, I will typically pickup within that first year of release or wait for a holiday deal. Right now, I mostly focus on picking up older film releases from Kino or Warner Archive if there is a good price or sale.
I have never owned The Abyss and thought about buying the new release. I saw it a lot as a kid on HBO/Cinemax. I upgrade if it has new special features or it is one of my all-time favorites…or if the upgrade price is low.
I may upgrade if there is a sale on the 4K. It’s a good film but not sure I will be watching over and over.
I’m pretty slow to upgrade for the same reason (I’d rather spend the money on something I don’t have at all). I don’t look for them, but when I come across a favorite that has a better edition, I consider it.
Same here, I'm very slow to upgrade and much prefer having a new film in my collection. I usually just pick a few titles each year to upgrade.
Hi there, I'm a first time viewer to you channel.
This is always a dilemma with us Collector's.
I upgraded to 4K only on films I'd watch more than once, I get 4K of titles I haven't seen only if they interest me.
Win Win has a Blu-ray definitely.
The Abyss is definitely worth the upgraded but keep you special edition DVD.
Think of it this way. All colour pallets on home physical media have been changed from the original cinema release and they are all different from each other too.
For the most part, 4K returns to the original cinematic colour pallet.
You'll get much more from a film with far more resolution and corrected colour than what you get from the DVD's.
It depends how big your screen is too. Since I changed to a projector and a 106" screen, I have got so much more out of any film I'd seen before and I understood the story better with all that information being really clear in front of me.
Trevor
Hello Trevor and welcome to the channel. Thanks so much for your thoughts and insights on this topic. Most appreciated. I did see that Win Win has a blu-ray so will most likely upgrade most of what I showed in the video depending on my budget. I'm hoping I can pickup The Abyss, Aliens, and True Lies during a sale. I have 55" inch TVs at home and definitely need to upgrade my equipment at some point.
I had the Abyss on vhs years ago and I picked up the 4k . I honestly was very impressed.
That’s great, I’m definitely thinking of upgrading.
Yes, you need to upgrade the Abyss. It looks great.
Thanks, The Abyss is definitely at the top of my list for upgrades.
I’m hoping Criterion will release The Straight Story.
Yes, same here. That would be great.
I’m at a tie for Chinatown or The Abyss. I’m far from bougie, but I do love boutique labels like Vinegar Syndrome and ARROW and Kinolober, because they actually give a damn about movies and it’s not just a really good transfer or restoration, but they put in the effort to add supplementals and do things like track down cast and crew to get new interviews and commentaries and clean up old TV and radio spots, etc. and they’re not afraid to put the spotlight on genre films, so even with my limited budget, I’m willing to spend an exorbitant price for one Blu-ray of a movie I care about, that is on a boutique label and then just get Walmart, five dollar bin Blu-ray for more common films.
Totally agree with your thoughts on Arrow, VS, and Kino. Amazing boutique labels and I love all the extra features. I will most likely upgrade my copy of The Abyss but will keep the DVD.
@@CinemaDaveMedia yes James Cameron flicks are always worth keeping around 📼📀
For me I upgrade if a better format comes out from my very favorite directors. Lynch is my favorite so I’m planning to upgrade my criterion Blu-ray to 4k.
Yes, I typically upgrade too when it comes to my favorite directors. I really hope The Straight Story gets a Criterion release at some point. Hope you are doing well.
I personally wouldn't upgrade any of those titles.
Personally, I think the Abyss looks ridiculously good on 4K. If you're a fan of the film, my view is that it's an absolute must-own on 4K. In fact, I think it's in contention for best 4K disc of the year. It is a stunning, gorgeous-looking release. Some people don't like the restoration approach Cameron took and have a problem with the grain reduction, but I think the criticisms are overblown and even a little silly. It's difficult for me to imagine anyone preferring the old low-resolution DVD over the new 4K (I also have the same DVD edition myself). And yes, all of the bonus features transfer over... including that near-iconic making-of documentary. Plus you get some new stuff in the special features too. I would highly recommend it.
Thanks for the comment and recommendation. Most appreciated.