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

[Grayson Dere]

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]

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]

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]

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 ;-)

 

[mechman]

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

 

[Jack]

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.