DUNE 4K Blu-ray Review - is it a PERFECT 4K disc?

[@ElliotCoen]

Hi all, thanks for watching! This video should be showing in 4K if you have that enabled. Also, you can buy Dune on 4K via the following links: (UK link) - amzn.to/3odH1Ei (US link) - amzn.to/3ug8atV

[@UA_L]

I was lucky enough to catch it at Lincoln IMAX in New York. Wish WB had opted to release the expanded AR version, it is a sight to behold!

[@MM-hc1cq]

Love the review and the movie. Just a note - current film stocks are not flammable - you’re thinking of old nitrate stock. Current stocks ARE however sensitive to heat which can lead to changes in sensitivity, color shifts and if it’s hot enough the stock will warp or melt like most thin plastic.

[@ElliotCoen]

Ah, well I just learnt something new! Thanks for the info, and for watching!

[@URBONED]

And Greg Frasier the DP said they did a lot of camera tests including 35mm, 65mm and digital to experiment with the look they were after and landed on the digital/transfer to 35mm as a purely artistic choice as it gave the subtle harshness of grain they were after to best capture the mood of Arrakis.

[@chrisburns7979]

@@ElliotCoen also The reason why no IMAX scenes on home release is due to licensing costs

[@hdmoviesource]

Boutique Blu-rays with Elliot Coen Reviewed Dune 4K and explained that he had frame rate issues. I tested this & Dune 4K has no FPS issues. I believe your issue is caused by not using "true 24p" playback. Your issue is called 3:2 pulldown at 60 FPS.

[@ElliotCoen]

Thanks for this. I've triple checked all my settings, and even tested with different machines, and I still have the issue. Maybe it's just my disc, but I have seen some other people saying they've experienced the issue.

[@hdmoviesource]

@@ElliotCoen Hey Elliot, what 4K player do you use, is the player set to 24p? What TV do you use? Do you pass it through a receiver? Do you use auto-upscaling on the receiver that changes frame rate? This could be a possibility because you shouldn't see any fps issues at all. I'd like to know what in the path is causing this, please try directly connecting to the TV and see if that fixes it, if it does then you know it's the receiver causing the issue. I'd like to get this issue fixed for you.

[@ElliotCoen]

@@hdmoviesource I use an Oppo UDP 203 and LG B7 65 inch. No receiver. Have also tested on the Xbox and with a Samsung KS7000, same issue. Don't worry about it, I'm not losing sleep over this tiny issue!

[@hdmoviesource]

@@ElliotCoen I have a C9 and all true motion settings should be off. But real cinema needs to be on for 5/5 pulldown. I wouldn't be surprised if it's some true motion settings like that. I turn everything off apart from real cinema. I would think your B7 should have that. That's an OLED right?

[@HippieDalek]

@@ElliotCoen @HD MOVIE SOURCE I spotted the exact same stuttering issue on that one shot my setup. Again all frame smoothing etc was turned off and a true 24p signal was being sent from my Panasonic UB820 to my LG C8. I'm not that bothered about it for a single shot, but I'm very curious to know what causes it. Please post an update If you ever find out more.

[@SamLovesMovies25]

For the lack of IMAX scenes on this and other recent 4K discs: some people who know more about that kinda thing than I do have done some investigating, and it seems like it is most likely an *IMAX* issue, i.e. IMAX not wanting to let them put the IMAX scenes on the discs for whatever reason

[@fahad.2924]

Weird from them considering Dune was one of the most watched films in IMAX theaters

[@ReinhardtCustoms]

Also all Nolan films always include the IMAX scenes on disc. I really hope we will get the IMAX version after part 2 comes out.

[@Celestialrob]

Thanks Elliot. I’d love to hear your thoughts on some of the recent Criterion 4Ks. It’s great having you back.

[@gyunex4889]

I also think they are waiting for the sequel to come out to include a lot of extras for a giant (expensive) box set. As far as IMAX is concerned, i could imagine they pull a disney and make it solely available for HBO max streaming, which would suck of course.

[@ThierryRocksTV]

Got it on standard BluRay from my local HMV! I loved watching it in cinemas and so happy to be able to watch it again :)

[@ElliotCoen]

I'm glad to hear it :)

[@BT-xv8xh]

How's the picture and sound quality on standard Blu ray?

[@SamLovesMovies25]

I read the book, then watched the David Lynch film, then watched the miniseries, then watched this film. I enjoyed all of them and I though each of them had various strengths and weaknesses (Lynch's was probably the farthest away from the book from a purely *adaptation* standpoint). In the book, there is a LOT of political scheming and all that between the different houses and organizations and such, and people trying to manipulate people and situations to their advantage and such. That was a large part of what made the book interesting (along with the rich culture of Arrakis/the Fremen), BUT I do think that that is a large part of why the book is so difficult to adapt into film because that kind of thing is often more difficult to convey in film. I think that this new film *still* didn't really capture the political stuff *quite* right, but it's still the best of the adaptations IMO. And one other thing, the *second* half of the book is really where Paul becomes an interesting character, because that's where he goes through his development and changes and such, so I'm excited to see how they do that in part 2.

[@baraka99]

Lynch's Dune is a total disaster in all aspects. Glad Villeneuve did an outstanding job.

[@fahad.2924]

Yeah , plus in the book , there is a bigger focus in the Fremen from the second of the first novel to later in the series , I am sure we will see more of them in Part Two

[@Downhuman74]

The stuttering you saw might be due to your display. If you have an OLED, they're known to stutter with 24fps material. Very noticeable on long pans like you showed.

[@logancoleman3915]

The stutters you are referencing are from a lack of smearing on panels with high pixel response times and are always at regular, consistent intervals. The stuttering shown here is more akin to 3:2 pull-down or frame drops. Most likely an issue that occurred during the rendering process in that scene.

[@Downhuman74]

@@logancoleman3915 I still have a plasma so I'll have to check that out on there when I pick this up.

[@jefffan171]

@@Downhuman74 your plasma screen should be fine. They have a natural 600htz cycle per second to replace/refresh the image. The newer "sample and hold" displays LCD/LED and especially OLED are now trying to recreate this with "Black Frame Insertion" with Sony and Panasonic pushing 120 frames per second to look much more "natural" like a Plasma and a CRT screen allowing for the judder to be removed. Check out HDTV test videos for more information

[@Downhuman74]

@@jefffan171 Fully aware of the particulars of this issue, but thanks for the information anyway. I was trying to determine if the issue Elliot was seeing was due to him viewing on an OLED or if it was inherent to the source. That's why I mentioned my plasma -- if the problem shows up there as well then when we know what's causing it. Simple troubleshooting.

[@Johnny_Sobczak]

Regarding why they shot digital: Villeneuve and Fraser considered shooting on film because they thought of how the old Hollywood epics, like Lawrence of Arabia, were of course shot on film. After doing tests, they realized the image felt a bit too nostalgic and of the past for a story set tens of thousands of years in our future, so they opted for the more clean, antiseptic look of digital. But as you pointed out, they did the unique print to film and then scanned it back digitally to get a more unique, otherworldly aesthetic, which I think they nailed.

[@sandite26]

Dune 2021 is going to be regarded as one of the greatest films of all time.

[@iliumboy]

Don't you mean the greatest half movie of all time? :-)

[@sandite26]

@@iliumboy True, but with the part I&II set, including IMAX format... everyone will have a copy of that. If Villeneuve and Zimmer can make lightning strike twice, we will have a timeless "complete" film on our hands.

[@Mike_v_E]

Your framerate issues could be caused by the response time of the pixels on your tv. Do you happen to have an OLED?

[@naderzein2435]

7:45 the juddering you are getting is due to 3:2 pulldown at 60fps. Something in your system isn't using 24p playback. A few different people on Twitter have confirmed this in response to this video, and I've done so myself on my own system as well.

[@ElliotCoen]

Hi. I've tested it multiple times, on multiple machines, everything is playing at 24 frames as should be. It could be an erroneous disc. I've seen some others say they can see it, but I'm glad to hear it isn't affecting everyone.

[@blu-rayswithnathanjones]

Great release! I've yet to crack into my own copy, but will be doing so soon. Appreciate the review, Elliot. Cheers!

[@ElliotCoen]

Cheers, Nathan. Enjoy the disc when you get round to it!

[@madhousenetwork]

But it's disappointing that it won't play on full screen (16:9) for the imax shots

[@dante19890]

The overly soft filmic look together with the grain structure really doesn't make 4k any favours. 4k looks best in digital.. Very clean and very sharp

[@C--A]

I saw Dune at the Cinema last year. The sound mix and bass effects were the best I have experienced yet at a commercial cinema. My Dune 4k blu ray arrives tomorrow. Just got a new 15inch woofer sealed subwoofer that goes down to 16hz (that's lower than the 30hz frequency cap commercial cinemas have) I will see if I can recreate the Dune cinema experience at home. Is a very small room with a very capable subwoofer so hopefully I will!

[@brewt1mer]

The 4k disc looked superb on my projection system and the dolby atmos sound was incredible

[@tompoynton]

I got the HMV steelbook, really nice. Utterly unfussed about the lack of Imax, I prefer a consistent aspect ratio. I thought it was a gimmick at the time but printing it onto negative and rescanning it actually looks great, and stops it from having that horrible over sharp look that most digitally shot film has.

[@C--A]

Yep I prefer a constant aspect ratio too. Instead of movies Dark Knight etc filming a few scenes on digital IMAX they should film every scene on digital IMAX. You didn't get that with the old large format movies Lawrence Of Arabia, It's A Mad Mad Mad Mad World etc. They were filmed entirely with 65mm film. They weren't a few scenes in 65mm film and the rest in 35mm film. Just use one aspect ratio instead of two as a marketing gimmick!

[@reflexfine8267]

Absolutely, constant aspect ratio is preferred, everything else is mocking the film art. And I also agree about printing to avoid overly sharp and artificial digital look.

[@rawbeanuk]

Dune's IMAX aspect ratio shifts were used as storytelling though. Fantastically done. Exterior establishing shots (and *everything* in the desert) were full-frame, which contrasted nicely with the constrained interiors. But even more importantly, every one of Paul's visions was full frame. I felt immersed and absorbed in his visions and dreams.

[@rawbeanuk]

@@C--A Dune was different though. Not a gimmick but a carefully considered storytelling tool. The IMAX presentation was incredible, every time we moved from the constraints of brutalist architecture to the expansive desert in full-frame the effect was intoxicating, and Paul's visions were all full frame and incredibly immersive.

[@tompoynton]

@@rawbeanuk I can absolutely see why they did that from a theatrical pov but I don’t miss it on a home tv screen tbh

[@matt00794]

I know with all the movies we all have to watch it’s hard to sit down and read a whole book but I do suggest reading it. They did a great job and you don’t need to but the extra detail is fantastic and makes the story even crazier

[@jonhezequiel]

The stutter of the scene is from your display, probably you have an OLED right? Stutter is a normal thing on those displays due to almost instantaneous response time of the pixels. Great video of a masterful film.

[@southendonseaarts]

Couldn’t wait so I got the Italian release last month it’s identical in picture and sound quality to the US/UK version but it had a different cover art.

[@lovishthecoverking]

are u billy batson from shazam ?

[@jwalkrr]

I hate that they didnt put the imax AR shots on the disc. Seems like the standard is to not include imax scenes in physical media upon release. Is it to pump up the streaming versions numbers? Edit: i guess there arent a ton of ppl that prefer streaming that are looking for the imax scenes so that must not be why

[@NomNomd3Plume]

There is talk of Denis Villeneuve wanting to shoot the whole Paul Atreides story including Dune Messiah and that would be 3 films in total.

[@tristanmayer5373]

Your facial hair is looking so good in this

[@NikstSWE]

Note on the reason for filming it digitally. Its not a logistical decision. They tested all kinds of cameras and the digital one looked the best to them. Digital cameras shoot darker scenes allot better since they let allot more light in then film cameras. So they got the best result in the type of scenes they were going to shoot during pre-production when they tested it out. But they still came up with the transfer to film and then back to digital to give it a little more of a filmic look. So they got the best of both worlds in their opinion.

[@doozledumbler5393]

Not to mention the movie would be 90% CGI. Makes zero sense to use film with these modern movies.

[@C--A]

@@doozledumbler5393 There isn't 90% CGI in Dune. They only used CGI where it was impossible to use practical effects. The dessert scenes were filmed in a actual desert. Of course with some CGI interwoven on top.

[@doozledumbler5393]

@@C--A '...with some CGI interwoven on top'. Exactly.

[@adriannn3720]

@@doozledumbler5393 putting CGI onto movies shot on film is not much more difficult... You just scan it and edit the effects onto the film afterwards. The LotR trilogy has something like 2000 SFX shots, and it was shot on film. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull was shot on film and has CGI. Christopher Nolan's films, too, I think.

[@southendonseaarts]

Check you don’t have a judder setting on your tv when you play the disc.

[@MarkTallen]

I have the UK 4K bluray edition and I noticed macroblocking at around the 1 hour 54 minute mark. It appears in a dark scene when Keens is about to walk into the desert. The bit rate drops to a very low 6 mbps. Maybe the US release has a better encode and doesn't suffer with compression issues?

[@gyunex4889]

Have you watched it on an HDR display or DolbyVision? Heard that DV migth look better in those scenes.

[@MarkTallen]

@@gyunex4889 -- Thank you. I only have hdr 10 available on my tv, so I can't check the Dolby Vision layer. It would be interesting to see or read about a comparison between the two, from someone who can test both.

[@jefffan171]

Wow 6mbs is crazy low! Even DVD's went higher. Don't think anyone has picked up on this as the reviews all focus on the DV edition but that is certainly intriguing. Well spotted

[@MarkTallen]

@@jefffan171 -- Thanks. It is very disappointing, there should be no reason for macroblocking on a 4k bluray if it has been given a good encode. I'm surprised that no professional reviews haven't mentioned it.

[@Prettytony0627]

What is the time stamp that you noticed the judder/frame rate drops?

[@foxyfoxtrot4233]

The judder you showed is also visible on my TV but way less pronounced. Smooth motion is the only weakness of my OLED, not even as good as my 2013 plasma tv. But the film itself is amazing!

[@hildamontes6146]

Simply put an exellent review

[@ElliotCoen]

Thanks so much Hilda!

[@danboy77]

Have you ever thought of buying a projector for all those movies you own? I did, best audio/visual purchase I ever made.

[@ElliotCoen]

I'd love to go for a projector. We sadly don't have the space in our current home! Maybe in a few years time.

[@TheChosen2030]

I got 4k disk of dune and a 4k hdr video file which is 3gb, there is not difference between the 4k disk and the video file, I think I did a mistake getting a 4k player and all the 4k movie disk.

[@rikaardyyz3039]

Thanks nice content, Yeah for some reason they only do IMAX on the Streaming version which as you know they do time again, although I really Don't know why. Is it going to make me sign up to another streaming service for what I consider something that is not a game changer . It's like Nolan's Tenet and Interstellar it's nice to see but often if you're engrossed in the film you don't notice, but yeah there's no reason they can't release it in IMAX ?!??

[@cburg]

Hans turned it up to 11 in this movie. Really disappointed that we didn't get the IMAX aspect ratio on this disk. I'm with you that they're planning a special edition for IMAX when part 2 comes out.

[@andrzejgootagoota7237]

Great review - greetings from Poland:)

[@ElliotCoen]

Thanks :)

[@bradybarrett5354]

Greetings from America, my disc gets jittery at the exact same time yours did as they are flying over the city. It was very noticeable and only during that scene as far as I can tell.

[@travisspazz1624]

Villeneuve is definitely a pro digital director like Fincher. But filming in the desert was also probably part of it regardless.

[@roberthuntley1090]

Have to agree about the brilliance of the film, and the care taken to build a realistic illusion of another world. As an engineer, the ornithopters look like they would really fly. For anyone who hasn't read the book some aspects of the plot might be a bit confusing (e.g. why so many swords and knives in a space age scenario, the background politics between the great houses etc.) and might have been explained a bit more clearly, but that's the nature of the Dune universe. I was initially disappointed with the disc itself. In my case the disc played perfectly for the first two hours, and then suddenly started stuttering, stalling and skipping (from about half way through chapter 14). I cleaned the disc with an optical cloth, and it played all the way through the next day, so the problem resolved itself but I'm a bit suspicious that it might come back. Is the 2 hour point where the film changes layers on the disc?

[@chrisburns7979]

no IMAX scenes on home release is due to licensing costs

[@Onmysheet]

The steelbook looks sick. The standard Blu Ray will be ok for me.

[@PawPads2]

Your tv works best if it's 120hrz for 24fps content. 24 x 5 is 120. Most people purchase there TV's not realizing it's 60hrz, which most TV's have.

[@rcordiner]

You have to watch Memoria immediately!

[@fmulder1989]

apart from the lacking imax enlarged scenes, its perfect !

[@u2popmofo]

Great looking and sounding disc!

[@stuffandnonsense8528]

I didn't see this in the cinema, could get a chance, so bought an oled tv and 4k player to watch this. Got a steelbook in the post yesterday but have been poorly so haven't been able to watch it yet.

[@URBONED]

Kind of dig the steel book design which is of course sold out everywhere - however here in Australia we haven’t even had it announced for bluray yet so I’m hoping we might get an additional print of the steel books. Otherwise I think I’ll hold out for the inevitable boxset once part 2 comes out which I hope will be worth the wait - chances are I won’t watch it again in the next couple of years anyway. (I did absolutely love the film though)

[@aceofhearts8507]

Love youre video's

[@ElliotCoen]

Thank you!

[@eggsandchips91]

It is a shame that IMAX scenes are no longer included on Blu rays but not a deal breaker by any means.

[@24beeldjes]

I'm waiting on buying this when part 2 comes out. A nice steelbook with both will do ;-) And who knows they will do IMAX by then. Cheers!

[@C--A]

You will be waiting a very long time as a final part 3 is also planned.

[@24beeldjes]

@@C--A 'Dune Messiah'. I knew and forgot about that. Even better and I'm a patient man ;)

[@C--A]

@@24beeldjes Hopefully (if part 3 does materialise) it turns out to be one of the great movie trilogies like LOTR & BTTF.

[@unityoc]

As noted elsewhere, the IMAX cinema release of Dune is in fact a blow-up of the 4.5K Arri Alexa LF source. IMAX was not a source format and therefore keeping the aspect ratio the same for the entire disk was the right way to go.

[@rolithesecond]

But there is still parts of the image seen in the imax version cropped off so no, this is not the way to go.

[@unityoc]

@@rolithesecond More isn't always better. Given that the cinematographer knew the 2.39:1 was going to be the main distribution format, it likely represents his (and the director's) creative vision while IMAX aspect ratio was merely "preserved for".

[@rolithesecond]

@@unityoc no they shot and cut it for the cinematic release. Denis Villeneuve is not a home video guy.

[@unityoc]

@@rolithesecond Exactly my point, the cinematic release was 2.39:1!

[@rolithesecond]

@@unityoc the cinematic release was intended for imax aspect ratio and cropped for regular cinema screens.

[@ericdanielski4802]

Nice video.

[@ElliotCoen]

Thanks Eric!

[@enriquecabada8841]

to bad you missed imax version it was awesome

[@Essexviix]

Just got this disk, gutted it wasn’t in the expanded IMAX ratio. Even with an 85in tv, the black bars are a let down for a movie like this.

[@stevemuzak8526]

Is a stunnig 4K movie. One if the greatest ever

[@treewisps4085]

IMO it was the best comedy of the year.

[@rhumash5977]

Best Science fiction film since the first matrix

[@breadordecide]

I mean. Only If you’ve watched nothing in the last 23 years. Arrival blade runner 2046 Live Die Repeat

[@logancoleman3915]

@@breadordecide I’d add Looper and Ex Machina to that list as well.

[@C--A]

@@logancoleman3915 And I'll add to that cult sci-fi classic Donnie Darko. And the much lesser known budget indie sci-fi classics Primer, & Coherence.

[@rolithesecond]

@@breadordecide 2049 you mean? :D

[@rhumash5977]

@@breadordecide Great movies but don't come close to Dune. This is a best picture oscar contender

[@ElDukeo]

No IMAX scenes, NO DEAL

[@garyharper2943]

Best way to watch is in 3D.

[@naderzein2435]

@Physical media agent if you have the 4K there is a way to rip the Atmos track and watch the 3D version with the Atmos audio. Best of both worlds lol.

[@naderzein2435]

@Physical media agent if you have the 4K there is a way to rip the Atmos track and watch the 3D version with the Atmos audio. Best of both worlds lol.

[@SifsSwag]

I purchased Dune 4k HDR on apple…..There was terrible (ink) blotching throughout the film in dark scenes……very distracting. I hope the disc doesnt do this!

[@huanma3979]

no 1.43:1?beybey👋

[@DarthHater100]

Meh. Wouldn't make my top 10. A disappointment, considering the 4K digital intermediate and modern digital photography. Movie itself was what I expected. . . lifeless.

[@reflexfine8267]

In this case, who cares about disc when the movie sucks so hard.

[@ElliotCoen]

What sucks about it?

[@reflexfine8267]

@@ElliotCoen dv is director that doesn't have much to offer and masks his films with decor to hide emptiness. Dune part I have half an hour of story stretched into two and a half hours, no world or character development whatsoever. Film stands on shaky feet i.e. decor. I could write more in-depth bit it's a waste of time. Btw, keep on with the channel. We strongly disagree about IMAX aspect ratio gimmick, changing aspect rations during a movie just looks like a half-baked product and it's insulting to film as an art form.

[@C--A]

@@reflexfine8267 Denis Villeneuve is one of the best film directors of the last 10 years. Tons of other directors, actors and critics have all said he's in the top 5 film directors around. Just because you personally don't like his movies doesn't mean they aren't good. Certain style of movies I don't like but I'm smart enough to know some of them are good movies for people who enjoy that style. Prisoners, Sicario, Arrival are all great movies regardless of whether you like Villeneuve's film style or not!

[@birgerolovsson5203]

New Dune is a real lousy movie, for me, so my tip is: STAY AWAY FROM IT!! FAR FAR AWAY!!!