We have all been patiently waiting for a 5.1 version of the Independence Day: Resurgence trailer, and so far 20th Century Fox has only provided a 2 channel stereo version. I have decided to do some experimenting using some audio processors with the goal of creating a track that sounds better than the result of a stereo track played back using Pro-Logic II or Neo: 6 processing. I think I have done so, and the result is similar to what I recall hearing in the cinema when the trailer played ahead of The Force Awakens.
Obviously this is not ideal, but it should be better than the default 2 channel version until we can get a proper encode. This is an experiment, and I do want your feedback. Is this worth doing for trailers that are not available in native 5.1? Does this sound better than 2.0 with Pro-Logic decoding?
Please try it out, and compare it with a stereo version. From my set up, I found this to have a much wider sound stage, greater dynamics, and a more powerful LFE than a Neo: 6 decode. The experimental trailer can be found at the Independence Day: Resurgence page.
Our first look at Episode VIII, picking up right where we left off…or, keeping us where we left off in The Force Awakens. Let the countdown officially begin! The Star Wars: Episode VIII page has been added, where you can find a ‘better than youtube’ version of the announcement trailer.
The latest trailer for Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice arrives in theatres today. I actually have yet to see Man of Steel – and seeing this makes me want to see it sooner than later. Trailer F7 can be found at the Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice page.
4K UHD goes from streaming to high quality physical media
March 1 is now less than 3 weeks away, and this is the day when the first batch of 4K UHD Blu-ray discs hit the streets, in what promises to be the best video presentation in the home to-date. Physical media, not being constrained by the bandwidth limitations of streaming services are best suited for the large file size and bit rate of 4K Ultra HD video. The UHD Blu-ray spec allows for three disc sizes: 50GB with 82 Mbps bitrate, 66GB with 108 Mbps, and 100GB with 128 Mbps. For comparison, Netflix streams 4K somewhere around 15 Mbps.
HDR – What is that all about?
You may have heard the term HDR being used a lot lately. HDR is “High Dynamic Range”, and many of the first UHD Blu-ray discs to be available will be mastered with HDR. This provides a greater level of contrast – whiter whites, and blacker blacks, for a more life like picture. While the discs will be HDR, and UHD players HDR compatible, current 4K TVs for the most part — are not. So, if you are in the market for purchasing a 4K TV, you may want to wait until later in the year, because HDR will be what you want. If you already made the jump to a 4K TV….well, things will still look good until you upgrade. If you do not care about HDR, you may also be able to save quite a bit on existing sets once the certified sets hit the market.
I want to buy a new 4K TV, how can I tell if it meets the HDR standard?
Ultra HD Premium
The easiest way to be certain, is to look for this logo. The “Ultra HD Premium” Logo will appear with TVs that meet the HDR standard set out by the UHD Alliance. Just to add some confusion, there is also Dolby Vision, which is Dolby’s version of HDR. Dolby Vision has support from LG, TCL, and Vizio on the manufacturing side, and Universal, Warner, MGM, and Sony on the studio side. Dolby Vision is a more advanced spec, and requires compatible Blu-ray players as well as Dolby Vision mastered content. The good news is that Dolby Vision equipment still meets the Ultra HD Premium standard – but not the other way around.
Dolby Vision will likely come with a higher price tag to Ultra HD Premium. So, if you are interested in getting the best possible picture and are not concerned with the cost – waiting for the Dolby Vision TVs, Blu-ray players, and Blu-ray discs may be your best option.
4K UHD Blu-ray discs available for pre-order
If you have a 4K TV and want to start watching content on March 1, there are several titles available for pre-order, including The Martian, Kingsman: The Secret Service, and Hitman: Agent 47. You can pre-order those (and more) here: 4K UHD Pre-Orders
4K UHD Blu-ray players available for pre-order
Samsung UBD-K8500
The first 4K Ultra HD Player from Samsung – the UBD-K8500 is also available for pre-order here: 4K UHD Blu-ray players
Watch out for 4K Upscaling players!
A warning on players! There are a lot of Blu-ray players out there that are listed as 4K Upscaling players. Those are not 4K UHD players. Those have software that convert a 1080p source to 4K. They are not native resolution, and will not playback any 4K UHD Blu-ray discs.
I hope that this information has been useful to you. It is always confusing when new standards and products hit the market, and I wanted this post to clarify some new concepts without being too detailed. If you think that I have made any errors in my assessment please let me know.
As usual these days, things seem to take longer to do than I plan for them to take. However, I am pleased to say that I have uploaded 3 versions of the IMAX ‘Never Compromise’ Pre-Show! All versions have the same audio – which I have made some adjustments to from a version I found at demo-world.eu. That file had a 5.0 channel track (no LFE) and I felt that the center channel was not present enough during the race car segment. For this trailer, I built an LFE track that is only present at three points. I also did some adjustments to the overall balance and levels between the channels. I think it is quite effective, and I hope you do as well. For the video, all present sources that I could find have some banding in the opening, and I could not find any version that did not. In the end, I settled on the 4K source that IMAX uploaded to YouTube and created the other 1080p versions from that.
I have been working on few IMAX pre-show trailers over the past few months. I must admit, I got started on this and then got a bit distracted. However, I am working on putting these together and in some multiple formats – PS3 compatible and HTPC versions much like the other demo trailers on this site.
I found a multi channel source of ‘Never Compromise’ which many have asked for, but it needs some adjustments. The surrounds seem too loud, or the narration in the centre channel is too low. One interesting point is that it is 5.0, not 5.1. Needless to say, the rumble of the jet engine is not very convincing. So I am working on a better mix for use in home theaters – that mix may be perfectly fine for an IMAX theatre, which has much larger speakers than what people are using at home. This will be available in 1080p and 4K as well.
In terms of Theatrical Trailers, there has not been a lot of new content available as of the past couple of weeks. Angry Birds Trailer 3 will be up soon, although I have had some syncing issues with the audio. It is fine in the beginning and the end, but off in the middle. I spent way too much time trying to figure out why, and I am just going to start over on that one.
After many months of waiting…and many people asking…I am pleased to say we now have a Suicide Squad trailer in multi channel 5.1. For those of you who do not know, Suicide Squad is the third film in the DC comics Extended Universe (Man of Steel (2013) and Batman vs. Superman: Dawn of Justice (2016) being the first two). The Suicide Squad is a team of anti-heroes including The Joker, Harley Quinn, Deadshot, and Killer Croc. Suicide Squad arrives in theaters in August, and you can check out Trailer 1 over at the Suicide Squad page.
