New to Blu: April 29 – May 5

April 29, 2020 0 Comments

A raft of 4K-UHD and Blu-ray blockbusters that couldn’t be released during the COVID-19 level 4 lockdown at last go on sale this week.

For picture purists, 1917 is the must-see on disc, with the 4K-UHD Blu-ray sporting both HDR10+ and Dolby Vision transfers.

“Shot predominantly at 4.5K and the proud recipient of a 4K digital intermediate, 1917’s 4K Blu-ray picture is the real 4K deal. And it looks it,” says Forbes’ John Archer.

1917 arguably delivers the single most compelling proof yet of just how important 4K is. After all, here it doesn’t just make the picture quality objectively better. It also adds to the impact and immediacy of a film that’s all about trying to recreate for the audience the actual experience of being at war in 1917.

Also winning 4K-UHD releases are Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker (other Star Wars titles are being re-issued on Blu-ray), Jumanji: The Next Level and Bad Boys for Life.

“The final chapter to the decades-long saga concludes on Ultra HD with a gorgeously stunning, near-reference HEVC H.265 encode,” High-Def Digest said of Skywalker.

Said Blu-ray.com of the Blu-ray release: “Black levels are not quite perfect throughout, but the rest of the image borders on perfection.”

“The 1080p transfer for Jumanji: The Next Level looks great and this Ultra HD rendering takes it up a notch with a discernible increase in detail, emboldened contrast, and a noticeably sharper image,” AVS Forum said.

Also new on Blu-ray are: