Bond box set. Worth upgrading to Blu Ray?
Discussion
So the base set up is a Panasonic TX-50EX750B and a Sony Blue Ray player. Audiolab 6000a with all sound output being optical into the amp DAC. And it’s great.
I got bought the Bond collection in SD.
They do the same box set in BD. But would it be worth the upgrade? I assume the Sony upscales to some extent? Would the older films, say up to the start of the Brosnan era really benefit from being on BD?
If not then that’s fine. you can get the Craig era on BD for £15 so il go with that. I’m sure those are the ones that would benefit the most being in BD.
I got bought the Bond collection in SD.
They do the same box set in BD. But would it be worth the upgrade? I assume the Sony upscales to some extent? Would the older films, say up to the start of the Brosnan era really benefit from being on BD?
If not then that’s fine. you can get the Craig era on BD for £15 so il go with that. I’m sure those are the ones that would benefit the most being in BD.
PT1984 said:
So the base set up is a Panasonic TX-50EX750B and a Sony Blue Ray player. Audiolab 6000a with all sound output being optical into the amp DAC. And it’s great.
I got bought the Bond collection in SD.
They do the same box set in BD. But would it be worth the upgrade? I assume the Sony upscales to some extent? Would the older films, say up to the start of the Brosnan era really benefit from being on BD?
If not then that’s fine. you can get the Craig era on BD for £15 so il go with that. I’m sure those are the ones that would benefit the most being in BD.
Are your DVDs region 1 (US) or region 2 (Europe)? If Region 2 then I'd say so regardless simply because then you'll have them at the "proper" framerate (let's ignore the whole film is at 24fps thing for a second) with the audio at the correct pitch so a no brainer.I got bought the Bond collection in SD.
They do the same box set in BD. But would it be worth the upgrade? I assume the Sony upscales to some extent? Would the older films, say up to the start of the Brosnan era really benefit from being on BD?
If not then that’s fine. you can get the Craig era on BD for £15 so il go with that. I’m sure those are the ones that would benefit the most being in BD.
However, it's a bit of a harder sell if they're R1. Whilst you will of course get improvements in resolution and detail going from DVD to Blu-Ray, as previously called out, the HD BD release and the DVD are from the same mastering done in 2006. There may have been some minor touch ups on the BD vs. the DVD but overall it's the same scan.
Some comparisons here - no affiliation with the site. Use Fullscreen Comparison.
https://caps-a-holic.com/c.php?d1=1578&d2=1606...
https://caps-a-holic.com/c.php?d1=614&d2=611&a...
https://caps-a-holic.com/c.php?d1=1576&d2=1604...
https://caps-a-holic.com/c.php?d1=625&d2=831&a...
I'll let you draw your own conclusion from the screenshots but I'd recommend it just for the detail increase and correct 23.976 progressive frame rate. £90 is certainly a tough ask though.
Something worth noting, though with a handful of salt, is that they have been remastered somewhat recently in 4K and made available in 4K SDR as a web release which I have and think is the best version at this point in terms of the main features, even without HDR. The increase in resolution very clearly translates to an increase in detail.
Unfortunately there's no indication on when (or even if) the 4K remasters are going to make it to UHD BluRay or even if HDR/DV work has been done or will be. If they were already out then I'd say skip the HD BDs and go straight for UHD.
The Craig era is already out on 4K UHD BD with DV and HDR, that set is worth getting for sure seeing as you're 4K-ready. Skyfall looks absolutely incredible in 4K DV - they did *such* an amazing job with the cinematography.
PT1984 said:
Would the older films, say up to the start of the Brosnan era really benefit from being on BD?
Well yes, they SHOULD, because widescreen cinema film has been very HD indeed for a very long time. Your 50" TV is tiny compared with the screen at the local Odeon.The question comes down to the quality of the transfers to disc and how that interacts with your screen size.
Personally I think a lot of Blu-ray is a scam, delivering only a marginally improved viewing experience in many cases. Having once bought a Blu-ray to replace an old DVD I would never do it again. Struck me as complete waste of money. I think 4k should be approached with similar scepticism unless you're into live sport or digital blockbuster animations.
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