New to Blu: December 16 – 22

Today’s Blu-ray and 4K-UHD releases of Tenet appear to have been delayed.

JB Hi-Fi says the 4K-UHD is unavailable while Mighty Ape advises both of the HD formats are on back order, with more stock due on January 3; both retailers have it for sale on DVD.

This seems ridiculous for one of the year’s biggest releases but isn’t surprising given the distributor is Roadshow Entertainment, which long ago relegated NZ as a backwater for Blu-rays and 4K-UHDs.

Many of the titles it releases on both formats in Australian wind up here only on DVD, and if Australasian stock of Tenet is limited, you can bet NZ consumers will be at the end of the queue.

A quick check of Australia websites confirms this, with the likes of JB Hi-Fi Oz having Tenet in stock on all formats.

At least US critics suggest the wait will be worth it. “Nolan’s latest sci-fi thriller debuts on Ultra HD with a magnificently gorgeous and often demo-worthy HEVC H.265 encode that surpasses its Blu-ray partner in some respects while also being its equal in other areas,” Hi-Def Digest said.

“The image quality is extraordinary,” echoed The Digital Bits. “Clarity is so striking, in fact, that it’s easy to miss how subtle the fine detailing is.”

Still making their scheduled release dates are the Blu-ray of The Godfather Coda, 4K-UHD re-issues of Beverly Hills Cop, Coming to America, Collateral and The Incredible Hulk, and $20 Blu-ray re-issues of Sin City and The Crow.

“The Godfather Coda: The Death of Michael Corleone makes its Blu-ray debut with an extraordinary 1080p transfer presented in the 1.85:1 aspect ratio,” Blu-ray.com said. “The picture is gorgeously filmic, retaining a natural, pleasant grain structure which is ever-present and exquisitely pure.”

“Despite some limitations in the material and what they could do to bring out the best in it, this really is the best Beverly Hills Cop has ever looked – and likely will ever look,” AVForums said of the native 4K transfer.

As for Coming to America: “It’s still an ’88 movie, no doubt, but it’s never looked this good, and the colour representation is superb, with WCG, HDR and Dolby Vision working to make those reds pop, gifting skin tones more health and vibrance and popping those vivid tones where necessary.”

“Collateral is enhanced with both HDR10 and Dolby Vision, allowing either High Dynamic Range spec to be utilised depending on the device (although most TVs will convert the HDR to whatever is supported),” HD Report said.

“There is a definite advantage when HDR is activated. It’s a dark movie but the increase in colour bit depth helps bring out details that were hard to see on Blu-ray or Digital HD.”

Hi-Def Digest said the overall 4K presentation of The Incredible Hulk “offers several appreciable improvements, displaying a welcomed uptick in definition and resolution … and there are some moments which are simply stunning, such as the battle on the university campus.

“However, the best scenes are quickly countered with several softer, blurry segments. There are also instances of very minor aliasing on the sharpest edges in a few sequences, some more distracting than others.”