The 4K Blu-ray format has been out for a while now, but I’ve been slow to upgrade my DVD and Blu-ray discs to the format. The reason for that is that I’ve been caught up in buying new releases and haven’t had a lot of time (or money) to go through my back catalog. For the most part, I’ve gotten my favorite movies upgraded to 4K Blu-ray, but there are still some stragglers waiting for their opportunity.
I’ve upgraded quite a few movies to 4K, and there are some where I’m kicking myself for not doing it sooner. Not because I wasn’t happy with how they looked on previous formats, but because of how good they look in 4K. There are plenty of great-looking movies in 4K, and if you want to get the most out of your at-home viewing experience, don’t be like me. Take your favorites and get those upgrades to 4K as soon as you can. Who knows, you might even find some classics that didn’t make much of an impact at first blow you away in a better format.
Quiz
UHD Blu-ray technology
Trivia challenge
4K discs, Dolby Vision, and beyond — how much do you really know about UHD
Blu-ray?
4K VideoAudioHardwareFormatsStandards
What is the maximum video resolution supported by the UHD Blu-ray format?
Correct! UHD Blu-ray supports a maximum resolution of 3840 x 2160,
commonly known as 4K UHD. This is four times the pixel count of standard 1080p Full HD Blu-ray,
delivering stunning on-screen detail.
Not quite. The answer is 3840 x 2160, which is standard 4K UHD
resolution. While 8K (7680 x 4320) exists as a consumer format, UHD Blu-ray tops out at 4K — still a
massive leap over traditional Full HD discs.
What is the typical maximum data capacity of a dual-layer UHD Blu-ray disc?
Correct! A dual-layer UHD Blu-ray disc can hold up to 100GB of data.
This extra capacity over standard Blu-ray’s 50GB ceiling allows studios to pack in high-bitrate 4K video
alongside lossless audio tracks and bonus features.
Not quite. The correct answer is 100GB for a dual-layer UHD Blu-ray
disc. Standard Blu-ray maxes out at 50GB on a dual-layer disc, but UHD Blu-ray needed more headroom to
accommodate the much larger 4K video files and premium audio formats.
Which of the following lossless audio formats is natively supported on UHD Blu-ray
discs?
Correct! DTS-HD Master Audio is one of the lossless audio formats
officially supported by the UHD Blu-ray specification. It delivers bit-for-bit identical audio to the
studio master, making it a favourite among home cinema enthusiasts.
Not quite. DTS-HD Master Audio is the correct answer. Dolby Digital Plus
is actually a lossy compressed format, not lossless, while MP3 Surround and AAC 5.1 are not part of the
UHD Blu-ray audio specification at all.
Which High Dynamic Range (HDR) format was mandatory in the original UHD Blu-ray
specification?
Correct! HDR10 is the mandatory baseline HDR format for all UHD Blu-ray
discs. It uses static metadata and supports up to 10-bit colour depth with a peak brightness of 10,000
nits, significantly improving contrast and colour range over SDR content.
Not quite. HDR10 is the mandatory HDR format in the UHD Blu-ray spec.
Dolby Vision and HDR10+ are optional enhancements that some studios add on top, but every UHD Blu-ray
player and disc must support HDR10 as the baseline standard.
What laser colour is used in UHD Blu-ray players to read discs?
Correct! UHD Blu-ray players use a violet (blue-violet) laser with a
wavelength of 405nm, the same as standard Blu-ray. This shorter wavelength compared to the red laser
used in DVDs allows data to be packed much more densely on the disc surface.
Not quite. The answer is violet — specifically a blue-violet laser at
405nm. DVDs use a red laser at 650nm, and CDs use an infrared laser at 780nm. The shorter the
wavelength, the more data can be stored, which is why Blu-ray outpaces its predecessors.
What maximum video bitrate does the UHD Blu-ray specification allow for video
content?
Correct! The UHD Blu-ray specification allows a maximum video bitrate of
82 Mbps. This is substantially higher than standard Blu-ray’s 40 Mbps ceiling, enabling richer detail,
smoother gradients, and less compression artefacts in 4K content.
Not quite. The correct maximum video bitrate is 82 Mbps. Standard
Blu-ray tops out at 40 Mbps, and while streaming services like Netflix offer 4K, they typically deliver
it at just 15–25 Mbps — making physical UHD Blu-ray the highest quality option available to consumers.
Which video codec is most commonly used to encode 4K content on UHD Blu-ray discs?
Correct! H.265, also known as HEVC (High Efficiency Video Coding), is
the dominant codec used on UHD Blu-ray. It offers roughly twice the compression efficiency of H.264,
meaning studios can deliver 4K footage at high quality without exhausting the disc’s storage capacity.
Not quite. H.265 (HEVC) is the correct answer. While H.264 was the
workhorse of standard Blu-ray, it simply isn’t efficient enough to handle 4K video at acceptable quality
levels within the disc’s bitrate limits. AV1 is a newer codec but isn’t part of the UHD Blu-ray spec.
Which of the following connection types is required to pass a UHD Blu-ray signal at
full 4K HDR quality from a player to a TV?
Correct! HDMI 2.0 or higher is required to carry a 4K HDR signal from a
UHD Blu-ray player to a display. HDMI 2.0 supports the 18 Gbps bandwidth needed for 4K at 60fps with
HDR, whereas HDMI 1.4 maxes out at 4K/30fps without HDR support.
Not quite. HDMI 2.0 or higher is the correct answer. HDMI 1.4 can
technically carry a 4K signal but only at 30fps and without HDR, making it insufficient for the full UHD
Blu-ray experience. Component video is an analogue connection and cannot carry 4K signals at all.
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The original Top Gun is a perfect example
This one came from VHS to 4K Blu-ray
Top Gun and its sequel, Top Gun: Maverick, both look and sound excellent in 4K. The latter release is an obvious one because it was made with cutting-edge technology of today, while the original didn’t have those luxuries. As it turns out, that doesn’t matter much, and I grabbed Top Gun in 4K as part of a bundle with Maverick. I haven’t watched the original in many years, and when I did, it was on VHS.
Let me tell you that the jump to 4K was gigantic, and it’s not even necessarily because of the picture quality. Going from VHS or DVD to 4K is obviously huge, but the audio gains are bigger for me. The two Top Gun films have Dolby Atmos audio, and they do a great job at showcasing the format. I love the way these movies sound, and they’re arguably the two best movies you should show somebody who’s on the fence about Atmos. After hearing those overhead effects, they’ll become a believer.
The Prestige is a recent pickup of mine
Slowly rounding out the Nolan collection
In many ways, Christopher Nolan’s pre-The Dark Knight trilogy output has become underrated, but as some of these releases have come to 4K, people have started to open their eyes. There aren’t IMAX scenes to put into The Prestige, but that doesn’t mean it’s a bad-looking image. In fact, The Prestige looks better than it ever has, and there’s something nice about having a director’s entire work available on 4K, at least for the most part. There are some stragglers, but they’re coming.
The original DVD dates back about 20 years, so it’s well overdue for an upgrade, and the 4K doesn’t disappoint. It’s not a mind-boggling upgrade like some of the other Nolan releases, but there’s no question that The Prestige is the best it has ever looked on 4K, and I’m excited to finally upgrade my Memento DVD when the time comes.
Frankenstein and his bride
These Universal Monsters have never looked better
It might not seem like there’s much to upgrade in old 1930s black-and-white movies in 4K, but you’re wrong. Since these movies were shot on film, they’re excellent candidates for 4K upgrades, and I can’t imagine Frankenstein and Bride of Frankenstein looking any better than they do right now. The Blu-ray versions of these movies look good, and the 4K is an even larger upgrade thanks to HDR.
These are some of my favorite movies of all time, and I frequently rewatch them. If you’re at all a fan of the Universal Monsters, you owe it to yourself to pick these classics up in 4K. Universal is slowly upgrading the individual sets to 4K. Dracula, Wolf Man, and Frankenstein have all been upgraded, so there are hours and hours of monster fun available now. Universal has two collections that feature the most popular movies, and they are a fine choice as well if you don’t want to go into the full history of a specific monster. It’s hard to go wrong with any of them.
Jaws feels as modern as ever in the 4K UHD format
A classic in the best format possible
Jaws and its sequels are all available in 4K, but it’s the original that holds up as a classic film. Considering this movie’s age, it’s been out in several formats, and unsurprisingly, 4K is the best way to experience it. The Dolby Vision scan is one of the best I’ve seen, and you can make the argument that the audio is the big selling point here.
Something a lot of 4K films do is feature only an Atmos soundtrack. In most scenarios, that’s all I need, but it’s nice to have the theatrical audio. Jaws has Atmos, 7.1 surround sound, and a 2.0 mono track, so there’s something for everybody here. This is great for purists, and while I like the Atmos track better, it’s nice to have it all available. I don’t have anything to complain about with the Jaws 4K.
