Thomas Dorsey UHD Content

CONSUMER PERSPECTIVE: UHD Content For Home Theater

Prerequisite Reading: UHDTV & Immersive Sound Elevating Home Theater

Today’s Lesson: 4 Tips for Great UHD Content

1. If the source is film, confirm that it received a 4K+ scan

2. If the source is digital, confirm 3.4K+ cameras used

3. Confirm that older films were restored close to original look

4. Look for generous video bitrates and immersive audio

Thomas Dorsey Digital Media Connoisseur

January 2016

2 Reasons To Love What’s

Coming Next To Home Theater

Picture Detail & Contrast Range From Film Vintages Original Camera Negative (OCN) film is the most accurate Cinema Film source. OCN film is used to create two or three Inter-Positive (IP) film copies that retain 85-90% of original picture detail and contrast range. After edits, OCN film and one safety IP film goes to archives, the other IP is digitized and sent to artists who insert VFX to form a Digital Intermediate that is color graded (adjusted) for each scene, per Director instructions. Once color grading completes, a few Inter-Negative (IN) films are output that retain 75-80% original picture detail and contrast range. IN film was used to create hundreds to thousands of Film Prints for cinema distribution. Each generation of film copy has less picture detail and contrast range. 4th generation loss is made worse by high-speed duplication producing thousands of 35mm Film Prints. Based on my 10,000 scan experience of 35mm OCN and IP film frames at 4032x2688 pixels since 1997, I estimate these percentages of picture detail and contrast range on film: Excellent: 1st Generation: 100% Original Camera Negative (OCN) Very Good: 2nd Generation: 85-90% Inter-Positive film (IP) Good: 3rd Generation: 75-80% Inter-Negative film (IN) Lousy: 4th Generation: 50-60% Film Prints distributed to cinemas Picture detail captured on film has an irregular pattern of odd-sized, silver-halide crystal grains that increased in density from 1895-2010. Kodak traditionally measures picture detail by crystal grains concentrated in Line Pairs Per Millimeter (LPPM) of a film frame. Recently, Kodak measures film picture detail by number of horizontal x vertical pixels in a digital frame scan. 35mm OCN film vintage, ISO rating, lighting and camera lenses cause picture detail to vary, so I’ve chosen to estimate average Horizontal x Vertical pixel scans below. Though 24 frames per second sound movies started in 1927 and Academy Film Aspect Ratio 1.37:1 standardized in 1932, I start examining 35mm film aspect ratios and estimating pixel counts in 1939 when the largest concentration of all-time great movies and Standard Definition TV were released commercially. I add milestone years when aspect ratios or pixel counts significantly changed: 1939 1.37:1 aspect ratio film 2048x1440 pixel scan = 3.0 Mega-pixels 1942 1.37:1 aspect ratio film 2260x1650 pixel scan = 3.7 Mega-pixels 1953 1.37:1 aspect ratio film 2740x2000 pixel scan = 5.5 Mega-pixels 1954 1.50:1 aspect ratio film 3000x2000 pixel scan = 6.0 Mega-pixels 1961 1.50:1 aspect ratio film 3600x2400 pixel scan = 8.6 Mega-pixels 1970 1.50:1 aspect ratio film 4096x2744 pixel scan = 11.0 Mega-pixels 1980 1.50:1 aspect ratio film 4500x3000 pixel scan = 13.5 Mega-pixels 1990 1.50:1 aspect ratio film 5000x3350 pixel scan = 16.8 Mega-pixels 2000 1.50:1 aspect ratio film 5600x3735 pixel scan = 21.0 Mega-pixels 2010 1.50:1 aspect ratio film 6144x4096 pixel scan = 25.0 Mega-pixels In 2010, Kodak stated picture detail on 35mm film to be 6144x4096 pixels. I made in-fill estimates based on other photographic sources and detailed personal observations from scanning OCN and IP film sources that dated from 1960 to 2010.



High Definition Digital Scans of OCN and IP Film When DVD debuted in 1995, movie studios often grabbed noticeably flawed Film Prints off-the-shelf for digital scanning. Compounding matters, many only received NTSC Telecine scans whose flaws were masked by the technical limitations of DVD and Standard Definition TV. By 1998-99, more films received 24-bit color 2K scans. Depending on how well they were handled and archived, old films need little-to-major image restoration. But none received major restoration before downscaling to 1080i Digital Masters for 1080i HDTV Broadcasts and to 720x480 pixel progressive format 480p DVD, known as Anamorphic Widescreen DVD. When Blu-ray movies debuted in 2006, movie studios sourced many, if not most of them from 1080i Digital Masters. Their flaws are easily revealed on newer 24-bit color 1920x1080 pixel progressive format HDTV, commonly called “1080p HDTV.”

Computing power doubling every few years enabled digital scanners to capture to 36-bit to 48-bit color and pixel counts an order of magnitude larger. The best scanners could handle pre-1939 35mm films that require only 2K scans, to 65mm films that require massive 8K or larger scans: 2K Scan = 2048x1556 pixels 4K Scan = 4096x3112 pixels 6K Scan = 6144x4668 pixels 8K Scan = 8192x6224 pixels By 2008, 1080p HDTV reached mass market prices and sold well. Faster and smarter CGI and image restoration workstations arrived making those services more

affordable per minute of movie. Those factors prompted movie studios to make 36-bit color 2K scans of IN film, perform more image restoration and create more VFX in what the industry calls “2K Digital Intermediates.” Afterwards they included DTS HD Master Audio or Dolby TrueHD soundtracks to produce good 2K Digital Masters. To be specific, 36-bit color 2K Digital Intermediates are the main reason why 24-bit color 1080p Blu-ray and Anamorphic Widescreen DVD movies since 2008 look much better. By 2009, faster scanners enabled some films to receive 36-bit color 4K scans of OCN or IP film to capture more picture detail while performing some image restoration at the same time. Movie studios built multi-terabyte data farms for 2K and a handful of 4K Digital Intermediates. By 2011, 6K scans in 36-bit color and 8K scans at 48-bit color of OCN or IP film were performed on 65mm films like Ben Hur, Lawrence of Arabia and The Sound of Music. They were downscaled to 4K content on 4K Digital Intermediates, then given 4K Digital Cinema limited re-releases.



Why Most 35mm Movies Should Be 4K Scanned If 1939 35mm OCN film receives a 2K Scan (2048x1556 pixels), the 1.37:1 image is downscaled to a 1480x1080 pixel image on a 2K Digital Intermediate, the resulting 1480x1080p Blu-ray image is 1.4 Mega-pixels smaller than on film. Since the Blu-ray captures over 50% of picture detail and dynamic contrast range can be restored, a 2K Digital Intermediate is arguably, good enough for most movies of this vintage and older. By 1942, 35mm OCN film increased to an estimated 2260x1650 pixels. If such film receives a 2K Scan, the 1.37:1 image is downscaled to 1480x1080 pixels on 2K Digital Intermediate. The resulting 1480x1080p Blu-ray image is about 2.1 Mega-pixels smaller than on film. Hence, most OCN film since 1942 would benefit from a 4K Scan (4096x3112 pixels) to capture all its picture detail for a better-looking 1080p Blu-ray and 2160p UHD Blu-ray images. After World War II and economic recovery by 1946, the masses bought B&W TV. Enthralled with new technology and programming broadcast to homes, cinema patronage reduced to a point of alarm in the movie industry by 1952. Though Hollywood was producing some color movies, to prevent further patron loss, studio execs demanded new technology for a cinema experience far

more engaging than TV. In October 1952, 2.6:1 aspect ratio Cinerama was introduced that required 3 synchronized 35mm color film projectors. Patrons were accustomed to Cinerama screen height, but amazed to see an ultra-wide, curved screen that delivered up to a 146o field of view from sweet-spot seats in the small diamond-shaped intersection of the three projected images. Though visually astounding, a cinema owner would have to purchase three synchronized projectors and rent 3 times more film per movie. Expensive curved screen and auditorium modifications would also be required. Cinerama would also require movie studios to spend 3 times as much on film per movie -- a factor that would discourage Cinerama movie production. Few cinema owners would

gamble on ultra-expensive technology. Cinerama's business model was doomed from the outset. In 1953, Kodak increased picture detail in 35mm 1.37:1 aspect ratio OCN film to ~2740x2000 pixels. 20th Century Fox introduced CinemaScope where an anamorphic camera lens captured 2.66:1 aspect ratio images, then horizontally compressed them to 1.33:1 aspect ratio on 35mm film without a soundtrack. The soundtrack was placed on separate film. A reverse-anamorphic lens attached to film projectors horizontally decompressed to 2.66:1 aspect ratio displayed on



screen. On the second CinemaScope movie, they inserted the soundtrack on a slide of the film, reducing the image to 2.55:1. Though patrons enjoyed CinemaScope, 2.55:1 images were dimmer, grainy and bulgy in center frame. Other movie studios gravitated to 35mm Panavision 1.85:1 aspect ratio widescreen movies that were bright, less grainy, maintained proper shapes and did not require an anamorphic lens. In 1954, Kodak improved 35mm film to 3000x2000 pixels of picture detail in 1.50:1 aspect ratio. Higher wattage projector bulbs debuted. Panavision introduced its 35mm anamorphic process that compressed a 2.39:1 aspect ratio image on 1.50:1 aspect ratio film without bulging center frame objects, yet including 2 channel audio strips. 35mm Panavision 2.39:1 reverse-anamorphic lens sold to cinema owners produced a wider image than Panavision 1.85:1, but less grainy than 35mm CinemaScope 2.55:1.

Anamorphic image compression No image compression

Also in 1954, Paramount Studios introduced VistaVision, which ran 35mm film sideways for a 2X larger frame surface that contained more picture detail and greatly reduced film grain. VistaVision movies looked great whether shot in 1.66:1, 1.85:1 or 2.00:1 aspect ratio. The first Hollywood movies were also broadcast on TV that year. Late 1954, movie studios introduced 65mm OCN film whose 2.20:1 aspect ratio consumed 7X larger surface area than 35mm film, but did not require an anamorphic lens. Their 65mm images were transferred at slow-speed to 70mm Film Prints, whose 5mm extra film held 6-channel soundtracks. Those movies required massive projectors and huge bulbs. Thus, 65mm film capture-to-70mm film projection is more expensive to photograph, edit, color grade, copy, distribute, light and project. Despite higher cost, the high fidelity imagery and sound of 65-70mm film brought cinema patrons back to experience epic-scale movies. By 1955, 20th

Century Fox developed a CinemaScope55 process based on 55mm film containing 4X more surface area than 35mm film. Its anamorphic lens maintained proper shapes. After shooting two epic-scaled movies, Carousel and The King and I using CinemaScope55 55mm film process, 20th

Century Fox realized that cinema owners had already committed to 35mm projection, with a small number adding 70mm projection. So 20th Century Fox released those two 55m capture movies as 35mm CinemaScope 2.39:1 film prints, 35mm Panavision 2.39:1 film prints and a limited number of 70mm 2.20:1 film prints. In 1956, The Ten Commandments movie was released as a 35mm VistaVision 1.85:1 movie to great success. Running film horizontally through projectors without the benefit of gravity,



however, made VistaVision movies more prone to film-tear movie stoppage during commercial projection – an unforgivable no-no to patrons after the early release weeks. By 1959, Ben Hur used 70mm film prints and anamorphic lenses to create a 2.76:1 aspect ratio image as stunning as Cinerama on the widest cinema screens. It created such pre-release buzz that more large cinema owners bought a 70mm projector and anamorphic lens because they could charge a ticket premium and still make a profit. Ben Hur attracted the 2nd highest inflation-adjusted box office of all-time and won 11 Oscars, including Best Picture. By 1961, 35mm OCN film improved to 3600x2400 pixels, making film grain from 35mm Panavision 2.39:1 movies viewed from beyond the first 3-4 auditorium rows less noticeable. Consequently, 70mm and 35mm Panavision 1.85:1 and 2.39:1 killed off failure-prone 35mm VistaVision. Other studios stopped renting CinemaScope lenses, so that format would gradually die as well. NBC broadcast the first color movies on nationwide television. In response to NBC’s movie broadcast success, ABC and CBS started broadcasting color movies in 1962. Hollywood movie studios awakened to their film archives value as new broadcast revenue streams. Budgets were allocated to preserve more films under proper conditions. Wizard of Oz, Gone With The Wind, Casablanca, The King and I, The Ten Commandments, Ben-Hur and other movies, at least 5 years after cinematic release, had their film partially restored for analog scanning, then nationwide broadcast. Also that year, Hollywood released 65mm film capture-to-70mm film projected Lawrence of Arabia. It won most awards that year, including Best Picture and Best Cinematography.



By 1970, 35mm OCN film rose to 4096x2880 pixels. Movie studios were frustrated by huge 65mm cameras limiting creative freedom on location productions and 65mm film that made it very expensive to repeat shots. With only 200 cinemas worldwide projecting them, Hollywood studios determined that profit from 65mm-to-70mm movies was too limited. Hence, 65mm cinematography dropped from 2-3 full productions each year to only 8 full productions and 30 partial productions or VFX scenes between 1971-2015. Panavision 2.39:1 images from 35mm OCN or IP film were upscaled (magnified) to 70mm Film Prints and copied at slow speed to preserve more picture detail and dynamic contrast range than 35mm Panavision 2.39:1 film prints, but far less than images from 65mm OCN film. Soundtracks for 35mm-to-70mm Film Prints contained 6-channel stereo. Only 70mm projector owners willing to pay the premium rented these 35-70mm prints. Patrons justified the higher ticket price because 35-70mm film prints were still marketed as “70mm”, plus they looked and sounded better than 35mm Panavision 2.39:1 film prints. By 1980, millions of Americans watched Hollywood movies from HBO cablecasts, VHS tape and Laserdisc on a 27” SDTV. Star Wars was released as 35mm Panavision 2.39:1 Film Prints and 35-70mm Film Prints – with 70mm projection cinemas generating the longest patron lines. Skipping forward to 1995, Rank Cintel machines created 24-bit color 1K scans. Those Hollywood movies on DVD were intended for play on 640x480i Standard Definition TV. Since their images looked better than VHS and Laserdisc, sales of DVD movies took off. By 1996, Philips Spirit DataCine capable of 24-bit color 2K film scans was introduced. By 1998, 1K scans predominated, but some movies received 2K scans and mild restoration for 2K Digital Intermediates that led to 1920x1080i Digital Masters for 1080i HDTV broadcasts and Anamorphic Widescreen 480p DVD. Home Theater Buffs scouted Widescreen Review or Sound & Vision magazine & website reviews for those Anamorphic Widescreen 480p DVD movies. By 2006, rapid improvements to pixel and color resolution in digital cameras enabled them to replace consumer-grade film cameras. 36-bit color 4K scans were introduced. By 2009, the shift to Digital Cinema Cameras blossomed with indie moviemakers and included some high profile moviemakers like James Cameron and George Lucas. By 2010, 35mm IP film that Movie Directors saw as production “Dailies” from the prior day’s cinematography increased to the equivalent of 6144x4096 pixels. In summary, nearly every Hollywood movie since 1942 has enough picture detail to justify at least 4K pixels scans. So have enough for 6K or 8K pixel scans.



Earlier Forces Constrained Hollywood to 2K Digital Intermediates In 2006, computing power was just sufficient to 24-bit color 2K scan and modestly restore images from film. VFX studios creating 2K CGI effects/animation for Hollywood studios charged expensive rates to create & manage massive 2K VFX files over Gigabit Ethernet networks and data farms. Given the high expense, movie studios could only justify 2K Digital Intermediates for old and new movies to be released on Blu-ray (and short-lived HD-DVD) that year. By 2008, faster computers, larger storage, faster networks arrived. 2.8K digital cinema cameras having 12 Stops of dynamic contrast range arrived, sparking more 2K digital movies. Blu-ray moved from MPEG-2 video encoding technology to more efficient MPEG-4 or VC-1 technology. In 2009, Slumdog Millionaire became the first digital cinematography movie to win Best Cinematography awards. In the same year, 3D Digital Cinema made a big splash. Dual 2K (2048x1080 pixels) images often strained computers, storage and networks of the time. James Cameron had a bigger budget to push state-of-the-art 3D Cinema and CGI. Avatar production used dual-locked 2K Digital Cameras for true 3D Cinematography that captures a separate image for each eye. His team also pioneered (or popularized) digital motion-capture that placed green spots on actor bodies, enabling the actors’ realistic muscle movement to display under CGI skin (below). As a result, Cameron created award-winning VFX in his Dual 2K Digital Intermediates for 3D Film Cinema release and 3D Digital Cinema release. Avatar 50GB Blu-ray Disc also received a MPEG-4 encoded 29 Mbps video bit-rate that pleased all.



Digital Technology Driving More 4K Digital Intermediates In 2009, the world’s largest cinema chain, AMC, announced that it was purchasing 4K digital cinema projectors from Sony and that its replacement of film projectors would complete by 2012. That sparked movie studios to upgrade computers, storage and networks for the ascent of 36-bit color 4K Film Scans, 4K Restoration, 4K Digital Intermediates and 4K Digital Cinema. Due to the massive computer cost to render 4K CGI effects and insufficient capacities of local area networks at the time, CGI VFX incorporated with film had to remain at 2K. That was not a big deal for two reasons. 2K VFX merged nicely with 2K scans of new film to look good on 2K Digital Intermediates. Even 4K scans of film were downscaled to 2K and merged with 2K VFX for 2K Digital Intermediates. Both were good enough for early Digital Cinema that primarily used 2K DLP Projection. It was also good enough for 1920x1080p pixels in 1080p Blu-ray. Second, 35mm Cinema Film Prints only had 50-60% of original picture detail and reduced dynamic range of OCN film. Thus, 2K Digital Cinema images looked close enough to the images from regular cinema film prints. By 2012, AMC fully converted to Sony 4K Digital Projectors and promoted “4K Projection” before movie screenings. More people bought 4K Digital Cameras that cost $1000 or less. Wider use of 50GB Blu-ray Discs let movie studios MPEG-4 encode at higher video bit-rates that cut compression artifacts and saturated color and gray scale better. 60” to 65” 1080p Plasma HDTV improved in color handling and lowered in price, allowing more consumers to see the difference between sub-par and well-mastered 1080p Blu-ray movies. By 2013-14, Hollywood studios started using Arri Alexa 3.4K digital cinema cameras having 14 Stops of dynamic range for more accurate contrast between black to white. Red introduced 4K and 5K digital cinema cameras affordable to Indie moviemakers. Apple and others introduced 4K and 5K computer display screens used for restoration and 36-bit color grading. Spirit Scanity HDR Scanner was introduced featuring 36-bit color 4K scans at a “fast” 15 frames per second, while performing repetitive scratch, warp and dust removal. These factors made 4K Digital Intermediates more cost effective for 4K Digital Cinema, with the spin-off benefits of producing better looking 1080p Blu-ray, 1080p Streaming and 1080p Cable/Satellite movies. In 2015, consumer electronics companies and Hollywood studios formed the UHD Alliance, whose mission includes 4K+ digital cinema cameras and 4K+ film scans for 4K Digital Intermediates. That same year, two cameras converted many film-only cinematographers to include digital cinematography in their repertoire. The 6K Red Epic Dragon medium-cost camera having 6144 x 3160 pixels and 16.5 Stops of dynamic range found its way into many Hollywood movies. The expensive 6.5K Arri Alexa 65 rental camera used in The Revenant features 6560x3102 pixel resolution, ~16 Stops of dynamic contrast range and color tonality like 35mm film cinema cameras, yet like the 6K Dragon, is smaller than them. Like all digital cinema cameras, content can be immediately viewed on location for faster modified reshoots. Their 6K to 6.5K content easily downscales to 4K Digital Intermediate and is perfectly duplicated without unintended loss of pixel resolution, color resolution or dynamic contrast range.



OCN/IP Film, 4K/6K Scans, Better Restoration & Higher Video Bit-Rates In 1942, Warner Brothers Casablanca was filmed as 1.37:1 aspect ratio. In 2008, it received a 24-bit color 2K scan from IN film, then frame-by-frame restoration to eliminate warps, bulges, shrinkage, scratches and to restore gray scale. Though placed on 50GB Blu-ray Disc, it was MPEG-4 encoded at only 18 Mbps video bit-rate. As a result, compression errors appear intermittently, many details are fuzzy and many shadows that should exhibit gray scale look near black. Its 128 Kbps Dolby Digital mono soundtrack left some dialogue unclear. In 2009, Warner Brothers granted a 36-bit color 4K scan of IP film for 1939’s Wizard of Oz for more picture detail, color resolution and dynamic contrast range. Content was downscaled to 2K Digital Intermediate where it received a MPEG-4 encoded 23 Mbps video bit-rate for the 1080p Blu-ray. Played on 1080p Plasma HDTV, its Blu-ray imagery blows away the DVD version. In 2011, Ben Hur received a 36-bit color 6K scan from its 65mm IP film, then downscaled to 4096x1484 pixels to maintain its 2.76:1 aspect ratio on 4K Digital Intermediate. It was restored frame-by-frame (below) and given a MPEG-4 encoded 28 Mbps video bit-rate Blu-ray release.



The 2012 Casablanca Blu-ray re-release received a 36-bit color 4K scan from IP film to extract what I estimate to be 2260x1650 pixels, then downscaled to 2K where it received a meticulous frame-by-frame restoration, then granted a MPEG-4 encoded 26 Mbps video bit-rate. 2012 Casablanca Blu-ray presents no visible compression errors on 1080p HDTV, while revealing ample detail, wider gray scale, deeper blacks, and piercing whites missing from the 2008 Casablanca Blu-ray. Its DTS-HD Master Audio upgrades dialogue clarity and musicality as well. With the exception of epic movies like Ben Hur and Cleopatra, few movies utilized the

full capacity of 50GB Blu-ray Discs for higher video bit-rates until 2013. That is when they started MPEG-4 encoding some 2 hour 15 minute or less catalog titles like Chinatown and White Heat at 29-37 Mbps to completely eliminate compression artifacts, display better gray scale for B&W movies, and display better color saturation for color movies. In 2014, Martin Scorsese's Film Foundation estimated that a single meticulous 4K Film Scan-to-Restoration cost $250,000. By December 2016, advances in semi-automated tools greatly reduced 4K Restoration cost per movie. Hollywood studios can now do scene-by-scene 4K Restoration on 5 films for about $250,000. If a substantial subset of frame-by-frame 4K Restoration is also required, 3 films can be meticulously restored for about $250,000. If they choose to, movie studios can now justify making more catalog B&W movies look as good as the 2012 Casablanca Blu-ray and the 2013 White Heat Blu-ray. For 1940, 50, 60, 70 and 80s color films not properly archived, there have been recent advances to restore color saturation & balance. A good example is the 1958 movie Cat On A Hot Tin Roof. It received a 2K scan of IP film, frame-by-frame 2K restoration, meticulous 24-bit color grading and a generous 35 Mbps video bitrate for satisfying color saturation & balance, while eliminating compression artifacts from its mostly stellar Blu-ray release. Since Cat On A Hot Tin Roof was released on Blu-ray in mid-2016, it is fair for Home Theater Buffs to criticize the movie studio on one dimension. Cat On A Hot Tin Roof should have received a 4K scan from OCN film before downscaling to 2K Restoration and 24-bit color grading on 2K Digital Intermediate, if only for the 1080p Blu-ray to reveal more detail, in among other things, the legendary sparkle of Elizabeth Taylor and Paul Newman eyes. In summary, selection of OCN or IP film for 36-bit color 4K scanning, 4K restoration and higher video bit-rates are moving unevenly closer to standard industry practice. That will help 30-bit color UHD Blu-ray and UHD Streaming titles to come in 2017 and beyond.



Real 4K Digital Intermediates for UHD Blu-ray & UHD Streaming No one forecast fast UHDTV adoption in 2016, so Sony Pictures, Warner Bothers, Paramount, 21st Century Fox, Universal and Lionsgate often pulled 2K Digital Intermediates off-the-shelf and upscaled them to 4K for UHD Blu-ray releases. These movies are Fake 4K Mastered. Since 2013, many movies have 3.4K Digital Camera live-action content upscaled to 4K Digital Intermediate. Moviemakers also disguise 2K VFX upscaled to 4K in fast-action motion-blur scenes or as fantasy scenes, like the one below for Doctor Strange. Though there are many places where 2K VFX upscaled to 4K imagery does not seamlessly blend with 4K live action imagery on 4K Digital Intermediates, they are still great looking Nearly 4K Mastered movies.

Based on faster first 3-years ramp-up of UHDTV sales than HDTV sales by June 2017, studios are increasing budgets for 5K to 6.5K Digital Cinematography, 4K VFX, 4K Scans and 4K Restorations to produce Real 4K Digital Intermediates coupled with great audio for Real 4K Masters. By July 2017, UHD Blu-ray and UHD Streaming movies, which also have the benefit of 30-bit color, should be Nearly 4K Mastered or Real 4K Mastered. Owning the most Animation, Marvel movies and Star Wars, Disney Studios is responsible for 40% of the recorded home video market. Disney has been absent from UHD Content to focus on Animation for 2K Digital Cinema and 1080p Blu-ray –- probably not for long. Doctor Strange and Star Wars: Rogue One received Nearly 4K Digital Intermediates for 4K Digital Cinema. By scouting Blu-ray.com, Home Theater Buffs know about their 4K Digital Intermediates and will pressure Disney to release Doctor Strange and Star Wars: Rogue One on UHD Blu-ray. If Disney releases Doctor Strange and Star Wars: Rogue One on UHD Blu-ray by June 2017, it should trigger the milestone of 500 UHD Blu-ray movies from 4K Digital Intermediates by 2017 Black Friday. For context, the milestone of 500 Blu-ray movies from 2K Digital Intermediates accelerated its rise to 20,000 Blu-ray titles in 10 years.



6K and 8K Scans Benefit Ultra-Wide Movies 4K Digital Cinema, UHD Blu-ray and Blu-ray movie releases usually have these traits: 4K Digital Cinema 1.90:1 4096x2160 pixels UHD Blu-ray 1.85:1 3840x2160 pixels Blu-ray 1.85:1 1920x1038 pixels 4K Digital Cinema 2.20:1 4096x1862 pixels UHD Blu-ray 2.20:1 3840x1745 pixels Blu-ray 2.20:1 1920x 873 pixels 4K Digital Cinema 2.39:1 4096x1716 pixels UHD Blu-ray 2.39:1 3840x1607 pixels Blu-ray 2.39:1 1920x 803 pixels 4K Digital Cinema 2.55:1 4096x1606 pixels UHD Blu-ray 2.55:1 3840x1505 pixels Blu-ray 2.55:1 1920x 753 pixels 4K Digital Cinema 2.76:1 4096x1484 pixels UHD Blu-ray 2.76:1 3840x1391 pixels Blu-ray 2.76:1 1920x 696 pixels Home Theater Buffs have often purchased a movie 1st time on Laserdisc, 2nd time on DVD and 3rd time on Blu-ray. To merit a 4th time on UHD Blu-ray/UHD Streaming, they demand real picture detail in 3840x2160 pixels from the entire movie (Real 4K) or most of the movie (Nearly 4K). As you see above, 1.85:1 movies present 1038 of 1080 possible vertical pixels, while 2.20:1, 2.39:1, 2.55:1 and 2.76:1 movies present significantly less vertical pixels. Aside from 3840x1607 pixels on UHD Blu-ray, 2.39:1 movies can benefit from larger scans of 1990 & later film vintage. By 1990, 35mm 1.50:1 aspect ratio OCN film (anamorphic projected as 2.39:1 aspect ratio) increased to 17 mega-pixels. By 2000, 35mm 1.50:1 aspect ratio OCN film increased to 21 mega-pixels. By 2010, Kodak estimates 35mm 1.50:1 aspect ratio OCN film increased to 25 mega-pixels. A 4K scan of 35mm 1.50:1 aspect ratio OCN film captures only 11 mega-pixels of original picture detail. A 6K scan 35mm 1.50:1 aspect ratio OCN film captures 25 mega-pixels -- 100% of original picture detail since 1990. So when 2.39:1 movies since 1990 originate from 36-bit color 6K scan to 4K Digital Intermediate, then to 30-bit color UHD Blu-ray movies, those are compelling reasons to upgrade from 24-bit color Blu-ray movies. Between 1955-2016, Kodak estimates the size of scan to extract all original picture detail from a 65mm OCN film frame grew from 8K to 12K to 18K. Lawrence of Arabia received an 8K scan of its 65mm IP film shot in 2.20:1 aspect ratio. It was downscaled to 4K Digital Intermediate for a critically acclaimed 4K Digital Cinema release and Blu-ray in 2012. Now imagine all forty-seven 65mm (2.20:1 or 2.76:1) and two 55mm (2.55:1) American movies receiving 8K scans. From UHD Blu-ray displayed on 78” UHDTV, you would experience the grandeur of 4 times more picture detail and 1 billion more color nuances than 24-bit color Blu-ray!



Upscaling 1080p Content for 2160p UHDTV 480p DVD is usually sourced from 1080i Digital Masters that have numerous image source artifacts, lousy image restoration and uses inefficient MPEG-2 video encoding technology at very low 4-7 Mbps bit-rates. Consequently, 24-bit color 480p DVD images produce many color conversion artifacts and severe compression artifacts when upscaled to 30-bit color 2160p UHDTV. For Home Theater Buffs, DVD is completely unsuitable for UHDTV. Though most 1080i broadcast signals today originate from better film & digital sources and some have restoration performed, they are limited to MPEG-2 encoded 14-19 Mbps video bit-rate. You can record 24-bit color 1080i Cable & Satellite TV broadcast movies, but when they are displayed on UHDTV, color-conversion artifacts, 1080 interlace-to-1080 progressive conversion artifacts and compression artifacts are upscaled 4X to 2160p UHDTV. To Home Theater Buffs, 1080i Broadcast, Cable and Satellite movies are undesirable for UHDTV too.

Since 2012, most Blu-ray movies come from IP or IN film. Those including good restoration and 26-37 Mbps video bit-rate upscale on 65-78” UHDTV with moderate compression and color conversion artifacts. Though HEVC encodes twice as efficiently as MPEG-4, it must compress 30-bit color UHD data rather than 24-bit color HD data. Initial UHD Blu-ray images averaging 45-50 Mbps from 66GB discs look better than upscaled 1080p Blu-ray. With a judicious use of HDR & color grading, 65-80 Mbps video bit-rates on 100GB discs, they would to look spectacular. DISH and DirecTV offer 1080p VOD that dropkicks interlace-to-progressive conversion artifacts and uses MPEG-4 technology, like 1080p Blu-ray. Since I’m a Cable TV subscriber, I withhold judgment of DISH and DirecTV VOD video bit-rates until measured by independent source. Amazon, Netflix and VuDu use MPEG-4 and other technology to vary 1080p video bit-rates that looks good on 1080p HDTV, but have bit-rates too low for good upscaling on 2160p UHDTV.



Faster Internet & Bit-rates Required for UHD Streaming In 2017-18, consumers will acquire 2160p UHD movies from these distribution channels: • UHD Blu-ray • Satellite TV UHD Video-On-Demand (DISH, AT&T/DirecTV) • Cable TV UHD Video-On-Demand (HBO, Spectrum, Comcast) • UHD Streaming subscription or rental (Netflix, Amazon, Apple, HBO) • UHD Streaming purchase (Amazon, Apple) Each distribution channel addresses what marketers call a “Product Life Cycle of Early Adopters, Early Majority, Late Majority and Late Adopters.” Home Theater Buffs are generally Early Adopters. Decades of history prove that when Home Theater Buffs embrace a new product, it speeds adoption to Early Majority, Late Majority and Late Adopters, enabling consumer electronics companies and Hollywood studios to maximize life cycle profits. Since Home Theater Buffs purchase “Nextgen” TV technology first, re-released Hollywood movies must look substantially better than preceding home video releases. If a 2K Master is MPEG-4 encoded at 17 Mbps, it can look good on 50-55” 1080p HDTV, but clearly displays compression and 24-bit color to 30-bit color conversion artifacts on a 65-78” 2160p UHDTV. If the same 2K Master is MPEG-4 encoded at 34 Mbps, color conversion artifacts remain, but vastly fewer compression artifacts are noticeable on a 65-78” UHDTV. In 2016, Home Theater Buffs had 50+ Mbps Residential Internet Speed. Many did trial purchases of Netflix UHD Streaming at 25 Mbps and Amazon UHD Instant Video at 15-25 Mbps. Both utilized HEVC technology to compress video twice as efficiently as MPEG-4 technology. Since UHD Content has 30-bit color rather than 24-bit color, UHD Streaming needs 40 Mbps, rather than 34 Mbps to look good on a 65-78” UHDTV. Similarly, UHD Blu-ray needs 55+ Mbps to look substantially better than 40 Mbps UHD Streaming. In 2017, Average Residential Internet Speed is rising to 50 Mbps and most Home Theater Buffs are upgrading to 60+ Mbps Residential Internet Speed. Initial UHD Blu-ray movies are on 66GB Discs, so their movies are probably limited to 45-55 Mbps video bit-rates. To maximize life cycle profits for UHD Content, Hollywood studios, Netflix, Amazon, Apple, DISH and AT&T/DirecTV are unevenly advancing towards state-of-the-art practices. So be an savvy consumer: • Look for UHD movies sourced from OCN or IP before scanning. • If the source is 35mm film, “Mastered from 4K Digital Intermediate” should equal 4K Scan, 2K VFX upscaled to 4K, and 4K Restoration like Amazon UHD Instant Video Bad Boys. • Give extra credit when a 1990 or later 35mm 2.39:1 OCN or IP film receives a 6K scan • If the source is 55mm or 65mm film, “Mastered from 4K Digital Intermediate” should equal 6K or 8K Scan, and 4K Restoration like the Amazon UHD Instant Video Lawrence of Arabia. • Subscribe or rent Netflix, Amazon and Apple UHD Streaming, then submit consumer comments for them requesting 40 Mbps video bit-rate before you will purchase.

Date post:	17-Jan-2017
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