How do you plan to collect Criterions going forward?

[swo17]

With today's announcements of November titles came the news that apparently Criterion is doing away with DVD editions, leaving pricing for Blu-ray editions alone, and introducing UHD/Blu-ray combo editions for select titles at a $10 MSRP premium (so they'll cost $5 more if you buy them during a 50% off sale). Out of curiosity, how do you expect to respond to this news?

[domino harvey]

I have no intention in upgrading my system to UHD and I think the narrow focus in some movie fan circles on increasing technical specs over anything else is a sickness (says the guy who’s sat through enough VHS rips of otherwise unavailable movies to not need caviar when fish and chips will do). If they want to throw in a UHD for the same price, then great, but since they ain’t, I’m good

[Rayon Vert]

Same as domino here.

[swo17]

a sickness

But the cure is only $10! (over and over again, forever)

[Pavel]

I'll likely upgrade to a 4K player in the near future (to make the best use of my 4K TV since the only 4K content I watch right now is streaming) but won't upgrade any titles I already own. As of right now I'm sticking with blus though

[Matt]

I stopped collecting a long while ago and now only buy absolute favorites or releases I’m very interested in that aren’t on the Channel. (For example, I skipped MIRROR since all the extras are on the Channel, but I bought SHOW BOAT because they’re not.)

I don’t have any immediate plans to buy a 4K TV, and Blu-ray looks good enough to my aging eyes. But if UHDs are only an extra $5, I may just get the dual-format version anyway if I’m buying. If I ever do upgrade, I won’t have to buy yet another copy.

[therewillbeblus]

blus4lyfe

[swo17]

Can we give TWBB the special rank therewillbeuhds just to mess with him?

[Never Cursed]

I'm in no rush to get a UHD player for reasons well-elaborated above (especially not after having so recently gone region-free), but I imagine I'd get one at some point if the format gets cheaper and doesn't completely go belly-up. That said, even then I'm only going to get UHD copies of things that I think would really benefit from that kind of resolution/HDR bump (things shot in 70mm, Technicolor musicals, that sort of thing). So until they release Playtime and the Hitchcock color films and most of the Freed Unit's output on this new and rarefied format, I'll stick to blu-rays or the aforementioned VHS rips

[captveg]

4K UHD when available. Whether I upgrade every title I have on BD already to UHD will be a case-by-case basis, just like I do for other studios/labels, but any outright new purchases (not upgrades) with a UHD option will definitely be UHD. Any new BDs to the collection (or BD upgrades to DVDs) without 4K UHDs I will still buy since with 4K UHDs it's just the reality that they'll have to be more selective in which titles they also release on UHD.

[soundchaser]

My system is pretty recent - I bought a 4K TV and player as a gift to myself after my first time through grad school in 2017. The few UHD discs I own have been worth the investment, but they're either of favorite films like Back to the Future or of "demo discs" like Suspiria. I'll probably upgrade Mulholland Dr. because it falls into the former category and The Red Shoes in the latter, but my strategy will be very similar to what it is now: pick and choose titles based on what appeals to me and don't aim for completionism.

[Brian C]

I don’t have a 4K TV and have no plans to buy a new TV in the foreseeable future. And even if I do, I highly doubt it will be substantially bigger than the 55” I have now. So I think the 4K impact will be limited to me regardless.

The honest truth is that even theatrically, in most cases the difference between 2K and 4K projection isn’t especially great. If I had a wall-sized screen at home and was super-obsessed with PQ, then I’d be in more of a hurry. But I don’t and I’m not.

The returns … they are diminishing.

[soundchaser]

HDR is really the key difference, rather than the increased resolution. If you're not on board with HDR (and I think there are some arguments to be made against it), then the upgrade probably won't mean a whole lot.

[FrauBlucher]

As I approach my big 6-0 I'm not interested in upgrading my system. I'm certainly content with the bluray format and will continue to purchase blurays. That being said I'm very excited for those who have upgraded and want to upgrade. This is a wonderful obsession. Plus, it is a very good sign for physical media for the short term whatever that will be.

On the survey, I chose the bluray choice. But I will buy a bluray/UHD dual format release if the bluray is from an upgraded restoration, as it is with Unforgivin.

[denti alligator]

I've been wanting a 4K projector for a while now, so yes, I plan on buying most of the titles, if not all. At least for now, until they start releasing titles I have zero interest in.

[Pavel]

I don’t have a 4K TV and have no plans to buy a new TV in the foreseeable future. And even if I do, I highly doubt it will be substantially bigger than the 55” I have now. So I think the 4K impact will be limited to me regardless.

I have two TVs in my apartment — one 50 inch, the other 65, both 4K, and I can say for sure that I don't particularly notice quality differences (in streaming mostly) on the 50", but do on the 65" (and generally if I'm going to watch a low quality copy I go with the smaller TV as it looks a tad better). So I imagine if your hypothetical new TV is even a few inches bigger than 55 the difference will be felt. But blu does look just fine

[knives]

I stopped collecting a long while ago and now only buy absolute favorites or releases I’m very interested in that aren’t on the Channel. (For example, I skipped MIRROR since all the extras are on the Channel, but I bought SHOW BOAT because they’re not.)

I don’t have any immediate plans to buy a 4K TV, and Blu-ray looks good enough to my aging eyes. But if UHDs are only an extra $5, I may just get the dual-format version anyway if I’m buying. If I ever do upgrade, I won’t have to buy yet another copy.

This is me.

[hearthesilence]

All in on UHD, but honestly, I don't see it being a big change or much of a choice.

I got a deal on a UHD player already, and the next time anyone buys a new TV, it'll be 4K regardless of whether you want it. That just leaves the catalog, and I think it's going to be a slow, gradual upgrade, so much that it won't be that much different to me buying better BD encodes or restorations of the same title. And even then, some titles just aren't going to make the jump any time soon or it won't be an upgrade that seems worth it.

Besides that, I'd rather get a major studio UHD than a Criterion BD, and since I'm patient, I tend to get those when they're $10. In the end it'll all even out regardless.

[Michael Kerpan]

We have a UHD player -- but only an old (but still very nice) Samsung Plasma TV. I've heard that downconverting may not turn out to look as good as a regular Blu-Ray. Has anyone here experimented with this?

[Drucker]

I'll be supporting the UHD packs. The cost difference isn't a deal-breaker for me, and I'm sure at one point I will have a 4k TV. I currently have a 65 inch plasma which I was lucky to get in 2015. I've moved three times in the last three years, and it's a pain to schlep. Based on the cost of moving it and getting it mounted on the wall, I'll eventually be better off ditching it once I am somewhere more permanent.

I moved to NYC about two years ago and told myself I'd spend more time in theaters and try to cut back on buying home videos! Which hasn't exactly happened but I don't think I've bought a dozen blu rays this calendar year, so I'm happy about that. Seems like I'm not the only person who is trying to cut back. The blu-ray market is an embarrassment of riches these days but I can't keep up.

[bottlesofsmoke]

I already had a 4K player because I had an Xbox One S, and when time came to get a new TV, 4K was really the only option, so I guess I kinda walked backwards into 4K. If a title I really want or enjoy is available in UHD and not too much more expensive ($5 more seems reasonable), I’ll probably get it in that format just because it seems like the logical thing to do and I can afford it, but I wouldn’t upgrade a blu I already have, or buy something, just because it was UHD.

That said, I can’t say UHD has really enhanced my viewing experience much, It’s cool to look at when you really think about the image quality of what you’re looking at, but for me personally if I’m doing that, I’m probably not paying as much attention to the actual movie as I would like.

I should say that I’ve never really cared too much about image quality (or alternatively, I’m just not educated enough to notice non-major differences) as long as it isn’t detrimental to the point of not being able to understand what’s happening on the screen. I generally get absorbed enough in what I’m watching that my focus is completely on that, to the point that watching on my TV is, in many cases, just as enjoyable as seeing something the big screen. I can obviously tell the difference between DVD, Blu, and UHD but almost all Blu-rays and even DVDs are perfectly watchable, which is what matters to me, but like I said I’ve never cared about the technology part of things.

[criterionsnob]

I’ve been selling my Criterion DVDs as they announce Blu-rays since they started releasing them. I’m sure I’ll end up doing the same thing with UHD, and sell my BD as they announce 4K. Criterion discs have mostly held their value on the secondhand market, and they usually sell quickly. Plus, I wait for sales to buy most of my discs.

I have an upgraded 4K system already, but only a very small collection of UHD discs. I’ve been impressed, but not blown away until recently, after watching some Vinegar Syndrome releases. I’m certainly excited to see what Criterion does with the format.

[hearthesilence]

We have a UHD player -- but only an old (but still very nice) Samsung Plasma TV. I've heard that downconverting may not turn out to look as good as a regular Blu-Ray. Has anyone here experimented with this?

No, but I could see that - the signal is getting futzed with in some way to accommodate a display it wasn't meant for. By the same token, it's one reason why I'll probably keep my old HDTV and old BD player in another room after I upgrade. (The resale value isn't going to be very much anyway.) A regular BD is going to look better on an HDTV (at least to me) since it's a straight match with no extrapolation or other futzing involved.

[brundlefly]

I had a couple dozen titles on blu before getting a blu ray player, and I already own a few UHD titles in anticipation of an eventual upgrade. For new titles, I'll buy the best available format available. But I grew up with a 13" b&w TV and ratty prints in revival houses, still own plenty on DVD, am no tech snob. Have never gone crazy with upgrades unless there's a significant reparative restoration or significant features involved, and assume I'll approach upgrades going forward the same way.

[andyli]

I'm fully equipped in 4K and will support Criterion's move whenever I see a title worth getting. I have to say I was suspicious at first but once I saw films in WCG and 10-bit colors it's no turning back. HDR is a plus but not really indispensable in many cases. I don't care for the resolution bump at all.

Also, I think the 4K contents market is still small and there's not a lot of titles that pique my interest at the moment, so Criterion joining the game is definitely exciting news. No tough decisions need to be made now since Criterion is not upgrading their back catalog overnight anyway.