1080p SDR BluRay vs. 4K HDR downconversion to SDR?

Grayson Dere

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I haven't had the chance to compare but I was hoping someone had experience with the quality difference I would expect with a native 1080p SDR BluRay vs. a down-converted 4K HDR disc (down-converted to 1080p SDR). Would there be no difference in picture quality? The reason I ask is my local Redbox has titles in both 4K HDR and 1080p SDR and I want to know if it's worth it in my case to pay more for the 4K. My system output is only 1080p SDR but my player is 4K HDR. Thanks!
 

Todd Anderson

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Huh. Grayson, that's a good question. I have to be honest, I've never played around with down converting a 4K disc. Output is, obviously, going to be dependent on your gear... BUT, I don't think you'll gain anything by down converting 4K vs just renting the standard Blu-ray. If anything, what you see will appear to be the same... with the risk of some artifacts from the conversion process of the 4K video.

@Michael Scott, have you ever played around with that?
 

Grayson Dere

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Huh. Grayson, that's a good question. I have to be honest, I've never played around with down converting a 4K disc. Output is, obviously, going to be dependent on your gear... BUT, I don't think you'll gain anything by down converting 4K vs just renting the standard Blu-ray. If anything, what you see will appear to be the same... with the risk of some artifacts from the conversion process of the 4K video.

@Michael Scott, have you ever played around with that?

Thanks, Todd. I did a little online searching to see what other people have experienced in the matter. You're correct that depending on the source player there can be some really bad down-converting issues...mainly crushed blacks, highlights that are blown, and an overall paler picture compared to native SDR BluRay discs.
 

Todd Anderson

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Yeah, I’d save your cash and just rent standard Blu-ray. The only caveat would be if it’s a movie that only has Atmos or DTS:X. Then it my be worth a spin getting 4K. But even in that circumstance, upconverting a native TrueHD or DTS-HD MA can give you basically the same experience ;-)
 

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I've never looked into this either but if it were me, with the equipment you have, I'd stick to Blu-ray.
 

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I have been messing around with this a bit and I find that the standard blu ray works a bit better than a down converted 4K disc. For me, the 4K discs down converted seem to be darker and have less pop that I find on an Blu Ray. I have tried several discs and thus far I find no advantage visually at least.
 
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