4K Blu-rays have been a hot topic of late. In 2023, Disney announced it would no longer sell 4K Blu-rays in Australia, and here we call it a crime for movie fans. Next, Best Buy announced that it would no longer sell DVDs or Blu-rays after the holiday season (via Forbes), and from what we can tell, that includes 4K Blu-rays.
In recent years, people have switched to the best streaming services for the large libraries of TV shows and movies available at their fingertips, all for one monthly fee. Admittedly, this is cheaper than buying a single 4K Blu-ray, which on average costs around $30 / £25 / AU$39 for a general release and more for rarer or lesser-known films from smaller publishers. In that case, it doesn't seem surprising that 4K Blu-ray is perceived to be falling out of the mainstream.
Having tried some of the best 4K Blu-ray players on the market, such as the fantastic Panasonic DP-UB820, I'm a fan of the quality that the 4K Blu-ray disc offers. There's an extra layer of performance that Blu-ray can give you, and that's something I verified when I tested Blu-ray versus streaming.
But I understand that not everyone wants to have that extra box connected to their TV or prefers the convenience of jumping in and out of streaming services instead of loading a disc. There is also the additional cost I mentioned before, as purchasing movies individually each time will be very expensive. It's true that there's a good chance that 4K Blu-ray will become less popular as time goes on.
Does this mean 4K Blu-ray is really dying? The answer is no. In fact, I think there is an exciting future on the horizon, especially for cinephiles and movie buffs.
A breath of fresh air
While conventional 4K Blu-rays may be waning in popularity, there are a growing number of smaller, more specialized companies such as Arrow Films, The Criterion Collection, Shout Factory, 101 Films and more releasing 4K Blu-rays and, with Quite often, they are 4K. Restorations of specialized, lesser-known or older films. This breathes new life into these often forgotten titles and gives film enthusiasts the opportunity to experience them again at a level of quality never before possible.
Even A24, a distributor and company a little more 'mainstream' than those mentioned above, joins the restoration efforts with a 2023 4K remastering of stop making sensethe Talking Heads' 1984 concert film.
Recently, I had an experience with a 4K restoration, which brought me a lot of joy. I am a fan of The Warriors, Walter Hill's gritty film about a gang that must cross New York back to Coney Island through a swarm of other gangs with a reward on their backs after being framed for a murder. I had this movie on DVD and I loved it. Years later, it was released on Blu-ray and I was glad because it meant a better quality picture.
However, I was dismayed to discover that the Blu-ray version included a remake of the film, which introduced strange comic panel transitions that, frankly, ruined it. But, if I wanted a better image, this would have to do.
Cut to November 2023 and I read that Arrow Films was releasing a 4K remaster of The Warriors, And it wouldn't just be the Blu-ray version, but also the original 1979 theatrical version used for the DVD which I loved! Needless to say, I ordered it in the US as soon as I could and I'm happy to report that it was everything I expected.
I know I am not alone in experiences like this. Other film buffs around the world have found themselves in the same situation, where the efforts of these specialized companies allow them to rediscover a beloved film that would have otherwise been lost, or allow them to see it at a level of quality never before possible.
Why 4K Blu-ray is better
In addition to giving new life and home to old masterpieces, there is another reason why 4K Blu-ray is king and that is pure quality. In terms of numbers, 4K Blu-ray offers a higher bitrate than 4K streaming. A 4K disc can transfer data at 128 Mbps, while 4K streaming on services like Netflix and Disney Plus tends to max out at 16-25 Mbps. Simply put, this means that 4K Blu-ray can present a movie in a less compressed format, resulting not only in a better image but also in better audio.
Audio was the main area where I noticed a difference when I tried the same movies on both Blu-ray and streaming, even with my TV connected to the Sonos Beam (Gen 2), a budget example of the best sound bars. During my testing, the sense of audio immersion from the 4K Blu-ray was at levels above streaming, and that's because the 4K Blu-ray streams soundtracks in the lossless Dolby True HD format rather than Dolby Digital. Plus with losses that is used for transmission.
This is important for all 4K versions, not just classic or rarer restorations. When we watch a movie in the theater that captures our imagination, we want to take that feeling home with us, and from what I've seen and experienced, streaming doesn't deliver the same feeling as a 4K Blu-ray disc. can.
Final thoughts
There may be articles all over the web saying that 4K Blu-ray is dying, and decisions by Disney and Best Buy have helped fuel that sentiment. But there are still glimmers of hope for 4K Blu-ray, as the oppenheimer The album was sold out just a week after its release (as reported by Variety). Now, that may have been because Christopher Nolan, the director himself, said oppenheimer it was destined for Blu-ray because streaming sucks, but people still listened! So, believe me – and the director of oppenheimer – Movies at home are best enjoyed on 4K Blu-ray.
