Ultra HD 4K News

The latest news on all things 4k Ultra HD, Blu-ray and Gear.
Rio Bravo & East of Eden Headed for 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray on July 18

Two Hollywood classics currently streaming in 4K on Max (formerly HBO Max), are getting 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray releases in HDR on July 18 in celebration of Warner Brothers' 100th anniversary.

Rio Bravo - directed by Honorary Academy Award winner Howard Hawks, and East of Eden - directed by Oscar winner Elia Kazan, have both been restored and remastered in partnership by Martin Scorsese's The Film Foundation and Warner Bros. Post Production Creative Services: Motion Picture Imaging and Post Production Sound.

Rio Bravo

Rio Bravo - 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray

Rio Bravo

A small-town sheriff in the American West enlists the help of a disabled man, a drunk, and a young gunfighter in his efforts to hold in jail the brother of the local bad guy.

 The 1959 American Western film is directed by Howard Hawks. The screenplay is by Jules Furthman and Leigh Brackett and is based on the short story “Rio Bravo” by B.H. McCampbell. The film stars John Wayne, Dean Martin, Ricky Nelson, Angie Dickinson, Walter Brennan, and Ward Bond.

 In 2014, Rio Bravo was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant.”

 

Rio Bravo Ultra HD Blu-ray contains the following previously released special features:

  • Commentary by John Carpenter and Richard Schickel

Rio Bravo
Ultra HD Blu-ray Languages: English, Spanish, French
Ultra HD Blu-ray Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish, Parisian French
Run Time: 141 minutes
Rating: Not Rated
Physical Street Date: 7/18
Digital Street Date: 7/18
 

East of Eden

East of Eden - 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray

East of Eden

In the Salinas Valley in and around World War I, Cal Trask feels he must compete against overwhelming odds with his brother Aron for the love of their father Adam. Carl is frustrated at every turn, from his reaction to the war, to how to get ahead in business and in life, to how to relate to his estranged mother.

The 1955 period drama is directed by Elia Kazan from a screenplay by Paul Osborn and based on the 1952 John Steinbeck novel of the same name.  The film stars James Dean, Julie Harris, Raymond Massey, Burl Ives, Richard Davalos, and Jo Van Fleet.

East of Eden was nominated for 3 Academy Awards with Van Fleet winning for Best Supporting Actress.  East of Eden was named one of the 400 best American films of all time by the American Film Institute. In 2016, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant."


East of Eden Ultra HD Blu-ray contains the following previously released special features:

  • Commentary by Richard Schickel

East of Eden
Ultra HD Blu-ray Languages: English, Spanish, French
Ultra HD Blu-ray Subtitles: English SDH, Spanish, Parisian French
Run Time: 117 minutes
Rating: PG
Physical Street Date: 7/18
Digital Street Date: 7/18

The Rio Bravo and East of Eden 4K UHD Blu-rays are now up for preorder with a MSRP of $24.99 each - so far we haven't seen a SteelBook option here in the states or abroad, but we'll keep on the look out in case something pops up.

RIP HBO Max Long Live MAX and Stream 8X More 4K HDR Content!

Warner Brothers/Discovery has just launched Max (formerly HBO Max), an upgraded streaming service with loads of more 4K content including over 1000 films and episodes in 4K HDR (with Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos available for certain devices) on May 23rd.

The service provides something for everyone - from HBO, Max Originals, WB movies (such as all eight Harry Potter films, Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, and Christopher Nolan's The Dark Knight Trilogy), DC Universe, documentaries, family-friendly content and more.

Max has introduced a new Ultimate Ad-Free tier for $19.99 per month ($199.99 a year) allowing four concurrent streams, 100 offline downloads, and as previously mentioned, close to 8x more films and episodes in 4K HDR, as well as Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos for certain content.

The 4K library is quite extensive, including yet-to-be-released films on 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray such as classics like East of Eden and Rio Bravo, plus Avatar: The Way of the Water will also be available for streaming on June 7. All Warner Brothers films releasing this year will be available in 4K HDR after their theatrical release windows.

Here is the 4K listing of what is available (subject to change): 

  • 2001: A Space Odyssey
  • 2nd Annual Ha Festival: The Art of Comedy
  • 8-Bit Christmas
  • A Christmas Mystery
  • A Christmas Story Christmas
  • A Clockwork Orange
  • A Hollywood Christmas
  • Ahir Shah: Dots
  • Aida Rodriguez: Fighting Words
  • Amy
  • And Just Like That... The Documentary
  • And Just Like That...
  • Antlers
  • Aquaman
  • Argo
  • Avenue 5 
  • Bad Education
  • Barbarian
  • Barry (S2, S3) *S1 & S4 will be available on June 23.
  • Batman (1989)
  • Batman & Robin
  • Batman and Harley Quinn
  • Batman Begins
  • Batman Forever
  • Batman Returns
  • Batman v Superman: Ultimate Edition
  • Betty
  • Big Little Lies 
  • Birds of Prey (and the Fantabulous Emancipation of One Harley Quinn)
  • Black Adam
  • Brené Brown: Atlas of the Heart 
  • C.B. Strike
  • Casablanca
  • Catherine the Great 
  • Chernobyl
  • Chris Redd: Why Am I Like This?
  • Coastal Elites
  • Colin Quinn & Friends: A Parking Lot Comedy Show
  • Cry Macho
  • DC League of Super-Pets
  • Death on the Nile
  • DMZ
  • Don't Worry Darling
  • Dune
  • East of Eden
  • Edge of Tomorrow
  • Elvis
  • Empire of Light
  • Euphoria
  • Euphoria: Trouble Don't Last Always
  • Expecting Amy
  • Fahrenheit 451
  • Fantastic Beasts And Where To Find Them
  • Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes Of Grindelwald
  • Fantastic Beasts: The Secrets Of Dumbledore
  • Father of the Bride
  • Free Guy
  • Friends: The Reunion
  • From the Earth to the Moon
  • Game of Thrones
  • Gaming Wall St 
  • Garcia!
  • Giant
  • Godzilla
  • Godzilla vs. Kong
  • Goodfellas
  • Gossip Girl
  • Ha Festival: The Art of Comedy
  • Hacks
  • Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return To Hogwarts
  • Harry Potter And The Chamber Of Secrets
  • Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows Part 1
  • Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows Part 2
  • Harry Potter And The Goblet of Fire
  • Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince
  • Harry Potter And The Order of The Phoenix
  • Harry Potter And The Prisoner of Azkaban
  • Harry Potter And The Sorcerer's Stone
  • Heaven's Gate: The Cult of Cults 
  • His Dark Materials 
  • Holiday Harmony
  • House of the Dragon
  • House Party
  • I Hate Suzie 
  • In the Heights
  • Industry
  • Irma Vep
  • It Chapter Two
  • It's a Sin 
  • Joker
  • Judas and the Black Messiah
  • Julia
  • Justice League
  • Kimi
  • King Richard
  • Kong: Skull Island
  • Landscapers
  • Lizzo: Live in Concert
  • The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
  • The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (Extended Version)
  • The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King
  • The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (Extended Version)
  • The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers
  • The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (Extended Version)
  • Love, Lizzo
  • Lovecraft Country
  • Low Country: The Murdaugh Dynasty
  • Magic Mike
  • Malcolm X
  • Malignant
  • Man of Steel
  • Mare of Easttown
  • Marlon Wayans Presents: The Headliners
  • Marlon Wayans: You Know What It Is
  • The Matrix Reloaded
  • The Matrix Resurrections
  • The Matrix Revolutions
  • Menudo: Forever Young
  • Mortal Kombat
  • Mosaic 
  • Moses Storm: Trash White
  • My Brilliant Friend
  • My Gift: A Christmas Special From Carrie Underwood
  • Native Son
  • No Sudden Move
  • Ocean's Eleven
  • Oslo
  • Our Flag Means Death
  • Peacemaker
  • Pennyworth: The Origin of Batman's Butler 
  • Perry Mason
  • Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin 
  • Rain Dogs
  • Rap Sh!t 
  • Reminiscence
  • Rio Bravo
  • Roadrunner: A Film About Anthony Bourdain
  • Rose Matafeo: Horndog
  • Santa Camp
  • Scenes from a Marriage
  • Scoob!
  • See How They Run
  • Selena + Chef
  • Sex and the City
  • Sharp Objects 
  • Shazam: Fury of the Gods
  • Shazam!
  • Singin' in the Rain
  • Sort Of 
  • Soul of America
  • Space Jam: A New Legacy
  • Starstruck
  • Station Eleven
  • Succession (S1-S3) *S4 will be available on June 30. 
  • Suicide Squad
  • Superman: The Movie
  • Sweet Life: Los Angeles 
  • Take Out with Lisa Ling
  • That Damn Michael Che
  • The Baby
  • The Banshees of Inisherin
  • The Batman
  • The Big Brunch
  • The Big Shot with Bethenny
  • The Bob's Burgers Movie
  • The Bridge
  • The Captive
  • The Climb
  • The Conjuring
  • The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It
  • The Dark Knight
  • The Dark Knight Rises
  • The Deuce
  • The Fallout
  • The Fastest Woman on Earth
  • The Flight Attendant
  • The Gilded Age
  • The Girl Before
  • The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey
  • The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies
  • The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug
  • The King's Man
  • The Last of Us
  • The LEGO Movie
  • The Little Things
  • The Man From U.N.C.L.E.
  • The Many Saints of Newark
  • The Matrix
  • The Menu
  • The New Pope
  • The Night House
  • The Nun
  • The Plot Against America
  • The Righteous Gemstones
  • The Sex Lives of College Girls
  • The Soul of America
  • The Staircase
  • The Suicide Squad
  • The Survivor
  • The Third Day
  • The Tourist
  • The Undoing
  • The Way Down: God, Greed, and the Cult of Gwen Shamblin
  • The Weeknd: Live at Sofi Stadium
  • The White Lotus
  • The Wizard of Oz
  • Those Who Wish Me Dead
  • Titans
  • Tom & Jerry
  • Wahl Street
  • Watchmen
  • We Are Who We Are
  • We Own This City
  • West Side Story (2021)
  • White House Plumbers
  • Winning Time: The Rise of The Lakers Dynasty
  • Wonder Woman (2017)
  • Wonder Woman 1984
  • Zack Snyder's Justice League
  • Zack Snyder's Justice League: Justice Is Gray

We understand the value of offering our users a cinematic playback experience and to that end, we’ve implemented more advanced technology workflows that allow us to release more 4K content in a faster, more efficient way,” said Sudheer Sirivara, Global Technology Platform, Warner Bros. Discovery. “Max will offer more than 1,000 films and episodes in 4K at launch, and we’ll be adding more every month as we move forward.”

If you have previously subscribed to HBO Max, no worries. The Max app will either update itself or prompt subscribers to do so and previous plans, profiles, avatars, settings, "Continue Watching", and "My List" will be ported over unchanged. Subscribers to HBO Max will also be able to keep their current plans for six months.

However, it does appear that Max is currently not available in some regions, as I am in Canada and the link at the top of this article notified me that that is indeed the case. Hopefully that gets worked out soon.

Source: Warner Bros. Discovery Press Release.


James Cameron's Blockbuster Duo Avatar and Avatar: The Way of Water Bound For 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray June 20th

James Cameron's sci-fi fantasy adventures Avatar and Avatar: The Way of Water are finally coming to 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Discs on June 20th. After following the advanced Streeming-only release structure similar to last year's mega-hit Top Gun: Maverick, Avatar: The Way of Water will finally come to disc with new 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray, Blu-ray, AND Blu-ray 3D - with retailer exclusives to boot! There's a lot to dig into for each of these releases, but at the start - it's nice to see some effort from Disney in this regard.

Read Bryan's Theatrical Review - Read Matthew's 4K Streaming Review

Avatar - 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray

Avatar: The Way of Water - 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray

Avatar: The Way of Water - Blu-ray

Avatar: The Way of Water - Blu-ray 3D

Avatar: The Way of Water - 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray
Best Buy SteelBook

Avatar: The Way of Water - 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray
Walmart Exclusive Lenticular

Avatar: The Way of Water - 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray
Target Exclusive - Decal 

Now that is A LOT of Avatar to digest! So on top of the remastered original Avatar getting its 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray debut, the sequel charges onto disc with multiple editions and retailer exclusives. Of the retailer exclusives, I'd be into that Best Buy SteelBook if it was actually accurate to the movie with Jake sporting his machine gun and NOT a stupid spear, so I'm giving Walmart the edge on the exclusives. Target once again shows their cards for not really caring about Physical Media with what is basically the standard 4K package... with a decal you can stick on your phone, tablet, or water bottle apparently! Whoohooo! (sarcasm)

Now for the best and most important details - the 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray will finally see Disney/20th Century Studios release a BD-100 disc. Our press assets didn't list HDR grade, but I'm assuming they'd simply opt for HDR10 only. Atmos will be included along with an extra Blu-ray disc set for Bonus Features. The standard Blu-ray will only offer DTS-HD MA 5.1 but wildly enough the Blu-ray 3D disc will include DTS-HD 7.1 audio - it's not Atmos, but hey, it's better than the standard Blu-ray! Sadly there doesn't appear to be a 4K UHD + 3D Blu-ray combo pack available, at least here in the states. Other territories like Japan might offer that, they've been the one carrying the Disney 3D torch the last few years with their combo releases, so we'll keep our eyes out for that.

These aren't yet up for pre-order yet - but we expect them to start popping soon and when they wdo we'll update our listings so you can secure those orders ASAP.

Here's the full press release and spec sheet:


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Description automatically generated

4K ULTRA HD, BLU-RAY™ 3D, BLU-RAY, DVD & DIGITAL

PRODUCT AND SPECS FACT SHEET

Product Specifications

Street Date

Digital: March 28

Physical: June 20

Product SKUs

Digital: 4K UHD, HD, SD

Physical: 4K Ultra HD Combo Pack (4K UHD + Blu-ray + Digital Code), Blu-ray 3D Combo Pack (Blu-ray 3D + Blu-ray + Digital Code), Blu-ray Combo Pack (Blu-ray + Digital Code), & DVD

Feature Run Time

Approx. 192 minutes

 

Rating

U.S. Rated PG-13

**For sequences of strong violence and intense action, partial nudity, and some strong language

Aspect Ratio

Digital: 1.85

Physical: 1.85:1

Disc Size

4K UHD: 100GB

Blu-ray 3D: 50GB

Blu-ray: 50GB

DVD: 8.5GB

Bit Rate Actuals

4K UHD: 45 ABR

Blu-ray 3D: 29.5 ABR

Blu-ray: 23.3 ABR

DVD: 4 ABR

U.S. Audio

Digital: English 5.1/2.0, English Atmos (for some platforms), English 7.1 (for some platforms), English AD, French (for some platforms), Spanish (for some platforms)

Physical:

4K UHD: English 7.1.4 Dolby Atmos, English 5.1 Dolby Digital, English 2.0 DTS-HDMA, English 2.0 Dolby Digital, French 5.1 Dolby Digital, Spanish 7.1 Dolby Digital

3D Blu-ray: English 7.1 DTS-HDMA , English 5.1 Dolby Digital, English 2.0 Dolby Digital French 5.1 Dolby Digital, Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital

Blu-ray: English 5.1 DTS-HDMA , English 5.1 Dolby Digital, English 2.0 Dolby Digital Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital

DVD: English 5.1 Dolby Digital, English 2.0 Dolby Digital, Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital

U.S. Subtitles

Digital: English SDH, French (for some platforms), Spanish (some platforms)

Physical: English SDH, French, Spanish

Bonus Features* 

Inside Pandora's Box (A series of featurettes on the challenges facing cast and crew as filmmakers devise new technologies to push the limits of cinema)

  • Building the World of Pandora – James Cameron and a team of talented artists combine years of research with their design skills to build the world of Pandora with new characters, creatures, indigenous clans, underwater environments and the take-no-prisoners hard-tech world of the RDA.

  • Capturing Pandora – James Cameron’s approach to performance capture has the cast performing in a volume rigged with infrared cameras to capture their movement, and head rig cameras to capture emotion on their faces with only the boundaries of imagination to limit them.

  • The Undersea World of Pandora – Co-production designer Dylan Cole and his team conceive of the marine creatures required for Avatar: The Way of Water while James Cameron and his stunt team devise extraordinary means to bring those creatures to life in a performance capture tank.

  • The Challenges of Pandora's Waters – James Cameron tackles the “non-trivial challenge” of performance capture above and below the water’s surface, utilizing a wave machine and current generator to reproduce ocean conditions, and underwater vehicles to replicate creature movement.

  • Pandora’s Returning Characters – James Cameron reunites with his returning cast – Sam Worthington, Zoe Saldaña, Sigourney Weaver and Stephen Lang. Together they discuss the amazing evolution of their characters in Avatar: The Way of Water. 

  • Pandora’s Next Generation – Meet the talented young newcomers who have been cast as the next generation of Na’vi and follow them through the adventure of making Avatar: The Way of Water. 

  • Spider's Web – James Cameron introduced the human character of Spider into the fabric of Pandora – thus creating a host of technological challenges on set…and an incredible journey for the young actor, Jack Champion.

  • Becoming Na’vi – The Avatar cast is immersed in the culture of the indigenous Na’vi, living off the land in the Hawaiian rainforest and training in a multitude of disciplines in preparation for their roles.

  • The Reef People of Pandora – In true James Cameron-style, the Metkayina reef clan has been developed with great attention to detail, bearing unique evolutionary traits and a culture – with new dwellings, new clothes and different way of life – all a result of living off the ocean. 

  • Bringing Pandora to Life – Once James Cameron completes his virtual production process, every sequence is turned over to Wētā FX to bring Pandora to life – with unprecedented advancements in facial performance, environments and making CG water look real.

  • The RDA Returns to Pandora – Co-production designer Ben Procter and his team present an armada of new vehicles and human technologies that the RDA brings to Pandora – in concept design and with practical builds.

  • The New Characters of Pandora – Meet the important new characters of the Avatar saga played by Kate Winslet, Cliff Curtis, Edie Falco, Brendan Cowell and Jemaine Clement.

  • The Sounds of Pandora – Hear how James Cameron worked with composer Simon Franglen to create the distinctive music of The Way of Water while building on James Horner’s brilliant score for Avatar, and learn how Chris Boyes created the immersive sounds of Pandora.

  • New Zealand – Pandora’s Home – The production of the Avatar sequels is so thoroughly ensconced in New Zealand that James Cameron considers The Way of Water a “New Zealand film.” Hear reflections from the cast and crew, including the remarkable New Zealand crew, on making the film.

More from Pandora's Box (Additional featurettes that highlight special teams within the production)

  • Casting – Discover the screen tests that won the talented young cast their roles in Avatar: The Way of Water.

  • Stunts – The Avatar stunt team isn’t just creating breathtaking action, they’re driving the story. From racing underwater on ilus, flying the skies on ikrans, to maneuvering RDA speed boats, the stunt team leaves you breathless and wanting more.

  • The Lab – Explore the Lightstorm Lab, the backbone of virtual production for the Avatar films. Comprised of specialized teams, the Lab builds & supports every aspect of the production – environments, motion edit, Kabuki, sequence, post-viz and software development.

  • The Troupe – Avatar’s Troupe is the Swiss Army Knife of acting, while playing dozens of roles on set, in the performance capture volume and on live-action sets, they bring life to Na’vi clans and RDA Recoms. They also play Na’vi-scale puppets on the live-action sets.

Marketing Materials & Music Video (Marketing materials used to build audience awareness of the film)

  • Nothing Is Lost (You Give Me Strength) Music Video – Multi-Grammy-winning, music superstar, The Weeknd, performs his emotionally packed end title song in the official music video for the smash hit “Nothing Is Lost (You Give Me Strength).”

  • Theatrical Trailers 1 & 2 – Avatar: The Way of Water used two theatrical trailers to engage the audience. The first was a teaser trailer released 7 months before the film. The second was a standard trailer that premiered 5 weeks before the film’s release. 

English Family Audio Track – 5.1 Dolby Digital

*Bonus features vary by product and retailer

 

So I Married an Axe Murderer Takes a Swing At 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray on July 25

The 1993 romantic-comedy thriller starring Mike Myers, Nancy Travis, and Anthony LaPaglia is getting a 4K upgrade on July 25.

When it comes to love, poet Charlie MacKenzie (Mike Myers) has had his share of bad luck. But when he meets Harriet (Nancy Travis), he thinks he’s found “the one” – until a series of coincidences lead him to believe that Harriet might be the serial honeymoon killer “Mrs. X.” Charlie and his cop best friend (Anthony LaPaglia) must find out the truth before it’s too late in this madcap comic thriller.

The 4K UHD Blu-ray release will have a new Dolby Vision transfer as well as a new Dolby Atmos soundtrack. The package will also include over 30 minutes of never-before-seen deleted scenes, theatrical trailers, and a digital copy.

So I Married an Axe Murderer - 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray
So I Married an Axe Murderer - 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray
 

4K ULTRA HD DISC 

  • Feature scanned from the original camera negative and presented in 4K resolution with Dolby Vision.
  • All-new Dolby Atmos audio + 5.1 + 2-Channel Surround 
  • Special Features:
    • NEW: 30+ Minutes of Never-Before-Seen Deleted Scenes
    • Theatrical Trailers

Pre-orders should be available soon and here is the full press release:


THE COMIC THRILLER CELEBRATES ITS 30th ANNIVERSARY WITH OVER 30 MINUTES OF NEVER-BEFORE-SEEN DELETED SCENES!