It seems like just yesterday that we celebrated the 5-year Anniversary of Ultra HD Blu-ray, the disc format that is still is still state-of-the-art in home media entertainment. The first 4k Blu-ray discs arrived on February 23, 2016 and included Hancock, Pineapple Express, Salt, The Amazing Spider-Man 2, and The Smurfs 2.
The first five 4k Blu-rays released on February 23, 2016, and included Hancock, Pineapple Express, Salt, The Amazing Spider-Man 2, and The Smurfs 2.
A week later on March 1, 2016 almost twenty new 4k sBlu-ray titles arrived from a combination of FOX, Lionsgate, and Warner Home Video. It was the dawn of a new home entertainment experience, promising improved resolution, color, and sound.
4k Blu-ray Disc remains the home theater enthusiast’s choice, as the quality is still unrivaled with the exception of premium digital services such as Kaleidescape and Sony Pictures Core. 4k Blu-ray double or triples the bitrates of streaming services, even Apple TV 4k which offers the highest quality among competitors. (See a bitrates comparison.)
But the market physical media has stayed strong, with collector’s choosing to own their movies and shows rather than rent them. What happens when your internet goes down? Unless you’ve got your own hard drive full of movies, you’re not watching anything! 4k Blu-rays are yours for life.
Along with traditional studio distributers such as Disney, Lionsgate, Paramount, Sony, and Warner Bros., we’ve seen a substantial increase in titles released from so called “boutique” distributers such as Arrow Video, Kino Lorber, Severin, Second Sight, Shout! Studios, Vinegar Syndrome, and of course, Criterion. And, market share has increased to the point where 4k Blu-rays often surpass HD Blu-ray in sales. However, both Blu-ray and 4k Blu-ray still pale in comparison to traditional DVD.
What are the best 4k Blu-ray discs for home theater? There are so many exceptional 4k Blu-rays to mention since premiering in 2016. Some of the best 4k restorations include Alien, Blade Runner, Jaws, Glory, Lawrence of Arabia, Spartacus, The Abyss, The Shining, Titanic, and The Sound of Music.
Newer titles including 1917, Alita: Battle Angel, Blade Runner 2049, Dune, Dune: Part Two, Joker, One Battle After Another, Oppenheimer, Sinners, Tenet and Wicked must be mentioned as top notch 4k Blu-ray releases that in our opinion, are so far unmatched.
In longer runs movies and TV series, Game of Thrones: The Complete Series, House of the Dragon, The Hobbit Trilogy, and The Lord of the Rings Trilogy all provide reference-quality video and audio.
For more suggested 4k Blu-rays see our Best 4k Blu-rays of All Time and complete List of 4k Blu-ray Titles since 2016.
