DJariya

I did a poll about this several years ago, but I figure it's time for a new 2023 update since years have passed.

Now in 2023, do you support the 4K UHD format for your physical media purchases and for streaming?

Or does the format simply not interest you?

For me, yes I support the format in both physical and streaming. I have 4K TV and a Sony 4K UHD player and I have streaming devices that support it. I don't buy every movie I want in 4K as there are some that IMO don't warrant it. But I will support it and get a 4K disc or digital title if it's affordable. And of course I have streaming services that support the format like Disney + and Paramount +

I will still support BD, but mainly for boutique labels like Kino or Shout.

Why So Blu?

I surely do, for BD/4Kdisc/streaming.

Kurt D

Not a ton of interest in double dipping if I already have BD, and overall my buying is wayyy down, but otherwise yes.

TomOpus

I'll mainly purchase 4K with an occassional blu.

RocShemp

I'm all in for physical media if I'm getting a movie/show new or I feel the upgrade from bad is warranted. 4K streaming can look good (just finished watching the IMAX version of Guardians of the Galaxy, Vol. 2 on Disney+ and it looked lovely, even on a Samsung, which does not support Dolby Vision) but I feel the quality falls short of physical media. So I guess I support both but prefer one over the other. Do I just vote yes for both?

milo bloom

Same here. I try to only upgrade DVDs or new to disc titles.

As for streaming, we have several and if they’re outputting 4K then we’re watching it. We’ve actually had a 4K TV for several years now. We had to choose at the time to go with 3D at 2K or 4K display and I think we made the right choice.

DJariya

Sure, even if you prefer one, you said you use both and thus support both.

DJariya

I'm still on my 1st 4K TV, which is also a Smart TV. I bought it around November 2016 and it still works. Does anyone know what is usually the lifespan of these TVs? I know it's tough to predict and probably depends on how heavy you use it. 6+ years so far isn't too shabby. But, eventually I would like to get one with even better picture quality at some point. Not sure when though.

davidlynchfan

Not really even though I do have an Oled TV and a 4K player and price of the Disc gets cheap fast...I just don't really care to collect anymore and what I already have in my collection is more than good enough. I don't stream either unless it's free (never paid a single penny for any of the subscription service in my life).

mike7162

I upgraded to a 4k TV, and once I found a reliable 4k player (a much more difficult task than it was back in the old blu ray days), I've come to enjoy the format. What I buy is definitely based on what I love and the quality of the release. As far as streaming, I don't seek out 4k, but I'll take it if it's available.

Trevor

I support all physical media and streaming formats. Getting the content out there is all that matters. I don’t really care if it’s 4K, HD, or SD. If the price is close, I’ll lean 4K, but I probably still watch more DVDs than any other media.

Toddarino

I answered yes to both even though I’ve only “purchased”one streaming film ever and it wasn’t in 4k.
I upgrade if the price is reasonable and if the picture quality makes it worth it.
Streaming wise, I get 4k on Prime, HBOmax and D+ when available.

rocket1312

For new releases and catalog titles I don't own in any format, I almost always buy 4k if available. For upgrades, I try and limit myself to favorites with new transfers. And even then I don't always upgrade in those situations.

4k streaming is mostly irrelevant to me. I have the capability, and I will watch something if it's available on a subscription, but I don't purchase streaming titles.

ViewAskewbian

Unsure how to answer. I don't have a 4k player or tv but have purchased 4ks when the bluray was also upgraded with a new transfer. I don't have quick enough internet to stream 4k even if I had a system that could.

Alan Smithee

For all 2D content at least. If it’s available on 4k disc, that’s what I buy. I double-dipped on Back to the Future and didn’t see a big enough difference to rebuy every title though.

Been mostly impressed with 4k streaming, sometimes it has some slight banding though like the first episode of The Mandalorian.

Needless to say, I’m entirely done with standard DVD. If a new movie is only available on that, it likely isn’t worth my time or shelf space. Only things I will still buy on DVD are old TV shows, music videos, concerts or movies so obscure they likely won’t be issued in any better format.

John Galt

I support both for purchasing.

I prefer physical because I can keep my library together in one place, and organize it how I want it organized.

I reluctantly support streaming but only when a title is not available on a physical release. I wish the services would support lossless audio, and I wish there were ways to download the title I paid for. If those two factors changed, I would take streaming over physical.

orangerunner

I'm still a dedicated luddite with DVDs and Blu-ray running through a 720p projector. I'm always amazed with how many folks have 3 physical formats + 4 or 5 streaming services. I'm not a particularly busy person and only find time to watch maybe 2-3 movies a week.

I find new films aren't really worth owning and I'm happy enough with the quality of the Blu-ray/DVD versions giving me little sense of added-value transitioning to 4K.

rbrown498

My passive 3D TV died last month, and since there are no more of those floating around, I replaced it with a 4K TV...and since I was getting a 4K TV, I also bought a 4K disc player.

I have a few 4K discs that I've picked up for cheap along the way, but I find that the visual difference between a 4K disc and a well-mastered Blu-ray disc is so slight that I don't see upgrading anything that I've already got on Blu-ray. As it stands, I won't be able to watch everything I already own on disc before I die, so there's really no need to add another format into the mix.

As far as 4K streaming goes, I don't care one way or another.

Sometimes, good enough is good enough.

lwhy?

I buy 4K discs for movies that I love after reading the video quality reviews. I also buy a lot of 4K digital copies when they're on sale for $5. If I have it on DVD and buy a 4k digital copy, I'll usually get rid of it since DVDs don't look great on 4K tvs.

Eddie W

I buy mostly catalog titles of favorite movies that have been upgraded to 4k. Movies shot on 35mm bring out the best in 4K discs. Apocalypse Now is stunning in 4k. The latest drab looking, digitally shot superhero movie, I don't care so much.

As for streaming, I'm not sure if supporting it is the right term. It's kind of become the standard if you're watching on 4k capable equipment. I think Netflix & Vudu are the only services that even give an option for a cheaper SD/HD alternative.

GoldenJCJ

Not really. My projector in the basement, where I do the vast majority of movie watching is only 1080p. I suppose when it starts to go and I’m looking to upgrade, I’ll look into a 4K projector.

I have a 4K tv upstairs but don’t think I stream much in 4K, if I do, I’m not blown away by the difference.

I’m going to sound like an old man but 4K is the first upgrade that I don’t see much of an improvement over regular HD. VHS to DVD? Considerable improvement. DVD to Blu-Ray? Pretty noticeable improvement. Blu-Ray to 4K? Yeah, there’s an improvement but not enough for me to immediately upgrade my equipment (although, recently I’ve upgraded my receiver to 4K).

kd5

I never really cared about 4K for physical media. In most cases, blu-ray is a nice improvement over DVD, but from what I've seen blu-ray looks great to me. I'm fine with regular blu-ray, I see no reason to upgrade yet again. My collection is probably 2/3 DVD, 1/3 blu-ray, I've even bought a couple of 4K's, but only because the packaging warranted it. Since I don't stream, I don't care about 4K in streaming.

PhantomStranger

I buy UHD whenever possible on disc. I'm less enthusiastic about the format on streaming.

lisadoris

I just bought my first 4k TV so I'm very slowly upgrading my blu's to 4k but only the titles where reviews say it's an appreciable upgrade. I haven't found a huge difference in 4k streaming so I can take or leave that part.

Meathead

I buy very little physical discs these days but always get the 4K version. I spend more on streaming titles but again 4K (unless it's something I really want and it's cheap with no 4K option.)