4k Anime & Dolby Atmos

AgeOfBoredom

AgeOfBoredom

Great Teacher
I’m curious, people with Dolby Atmos and 4k bluray set ups: do you notice a large difference with 4k discs to normal discs? I’m talking specifically for anime releases rather than Hollywood films.

I can imagine classics/blockbuster films like Akira and Ghost in the Shell would be worth it, but say things like Nadia or Future Boy Conan? Would the advantages of a 4k disc be worth the additional price on normal anime series compared to films with larger set pieces?
 
I have a fairly swanky setup with a 4k oled tv and player to match, as well as a receiver that can push atmos (only have the headphones for that though, a proper speaker system is a little beyond me).

Most anime is going to be an upscale due to the way its produced, but its possible to add stuff like HDR or an atmos track to differentiate from the bluray, just a generally higher bitrate is an advantage too. Some of the films you mentioned like Ghost in the Shell or even the Nadia series will see an improvement in 4k, due to the fact they were actually scanned in 4k from their original 35mm format. I still think its a personal preference thing if you can notice the difference without them being side by side though.

So with that said, I'd say no objectively, it's not worth the additional cost of entry. However, if you're a bit of an idiot like me and have the expendable income, I wouldn't hesitate to pick up the 'better' version of a film/series no matter how small the improvements, as it all adds to the immersion.

Feel the need to call out The Violet Evergarden movie as an example of a lot of these elements coming together without the film technically being '4k'.
 
I saw the most recent re-release of Akira at the cinema and I really disliked it. Felt like a lot of noise reduction was taken to it and while it looked clean, it caused it to feel a bit too modern.

I missed the dust and such which was part of Akira's charm as an early 90s anime.
 
NoSurprises said:
I have a fairly swanky setup with a 4k oled tv and player to match, as well as a receiver that can push atmos (only have the headphones for that though, a proper speaker system is a little beyond me).
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Have you tried any of the newer stuff with the headphones? I have an ok Sonos setup up (beam 2, two One SLs and a sub mini) so I was just curious if the atmos was noticeable.

I assume if I watched John Wick or something then it would be rather obvious with stuff all around me, but on something older like Future Boy Conan, would the Atmos be noticeable?
 
AgeOfBoredom said:
Have you tried any of the newer stuff with the headphones? I have an ok Sonos setup up (beam 2, two One SLs and a sub mini) so I was just curious if the atmos was noticeable.

I assume if I watched John Wick or something then it would be rather obvious with stuff all around me, but on something older like Future Boy Conan, would the Atmos be noticeable?
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I think it really depends on how it's been mixed, but you're probably right in that there's a lot less call for spacial sounds in Conan, so it'd probably be less noticable, alas I don't own it or I'd try and give you an idea.
 
NoSurprises said:
I think it really depends on how it's been mixed, but you're probably right in that there's a lot less call for spacial sounds in Conan, so it'd probably be less noticable, alas I don't own it or I'd try and give you an idea.
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No worries, for some reason that and Nadia are always the 4k releases that spring to mind. I can’t think of many other releases (other than the more modern movies) that are 4k discs.
 
I did start making a list of English friendly 4k anime releases in this thread that I should probably update at some point.

forums.animeuknews.net

Anime in 4K

Since it cropped up in one of the other threads. Only very recently have I acquired a 4k player (I've had a 4k TV for a while now, it's not exactly a newer model so it doesn't support fancy stuff like Dolby Vision, but it does a fine job of HDR). I've always been kinda sceptical of 4k releases...
forums.animeuknews.net forums.animeuknews.net
 
NoSurprises said:
I did start making a list of English friendly 4k anime releases in this thread that I should probably update at some point.

forums.animeuknews.net

Anime in 4K

Since it cropped up in one of the other threads. Only very recently have I acquired a 4k player (I've had a 4k TV for a while now, it's not exactly a newer model so it doesn't support fancy stuff like Dolby Vision, but it does a fine job of HDR). I've always been kinda sceptical of 4k releases...
forums.animeuknews.net forums.animeuknews.net
Click to expand...
Oh nice, I’ll check it out.
 
Updating that 4K anime list would be great! I'm always searching for good releases to check out in the newer formats. Even if some older series may not benefit hugely from the upgrades, as a quality junkie, I still enjoy seeing what's out there.
 
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