Eli is a journalist who lives in Detroit, MI. He got his start in journalism covering video games and sports for Heavy before branching out into greater esports coverage at Dexerto. He also has bylines at SlashGear, Sports Illustrated, and more.
He added technology coverage to his plate over his years of writing, and it's something he continues to cover at Pocket-lint. He's interviewed numerous game developers and covered several live events, such as the launch of Destiny 2 and Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 in Los Angeles.
He has written more than 5,000 articles and looks to continue adding to that number in the years to come. For Pocket-lint, he specializes in home theater audio/video formats, and he loves streaming devices like the Roku Ultra and Apple TV 4K. He is also a lifelong collector of physical media, and he's a huge fan of 4K UHD Blu-ray, Dolby Vision, and Dolby Atmos.
He has a degree in Journalism from Central Michigan University.
The jump from DVD to 4K Blu-ray is a big one, and comparably, the leap from Blu-ray to 4K Blu-ray isn't nearly as large. 1080p content still looks great on a 4K TV in a way that 480p content just doesn't. That doesn't mean you don't see gains from Blu-ray to 4K, because you very much do. The big one, especially if you have a nice TV, is HDR. This is a transformative experience, and it helps make those black levels actually look black, and the bright scenes pop off the screen. This is something only available on the 4K UHD format.
Again, it's not worth it to solely upgrade for these reasons, but I don't see a problem with upgrading your favorites to the format. It's what I've done, and the discs I've chosen to do this with have been well worth the upgrade. Honestly, it's hard to go wrong with this, barring some exceptions, but I don't want to spend hundreds of dollars replacing my collection if I don't have to. These are four discs you can upgrade to 4K that I think are worth the price.
Quiz
8 Questions · Test Your Knowledge
UHD Blu-ray technology
Trivia challenge
4K discs, Dolby Vision, and beyond — how much do you really know about UHD Blu-ray?
4K VideoAudioHardwareFormatsStandards
01 / 8
Standards
What is the maximum video resolution supported by the UHD Blu-ray format?
Correct! UHD Blu-ray supports a maximum resolution of 3840 x 2160, commonly known as 4K UHD. This is four times the pixel count of standard 1080p Full HD Blu-ray, delivering stunning on-screen detail.
Not quite. The answer is 3840 x 2160, which is standard 4K UHD resolution. While 8K (7680 x 4320) exists as a consumer format, UHD Blu-ray tops out at 4K — still a massive leap over traditional Full HD discs.
02 / 8
Formats
What is the typical maximum data capacity of a dual-layer UHD Blu-ray disc?
Correct! A dual-layer UHD Blu-ray disc can hold up to 100GB of data. This extra capacity over standard Blu-ray's 50GB ceiling allows studios to pack in high-bitrate 4K video alongside lossless audio tracks and bonus features.
Not quite. The correct answer is 100GB for a dual-layer UHD Blu-ray disc. Standard Blu-ray maxes out at 50GB on a dual-layer disc, but UHD Blu-ray needed more headroom to accommodate the much larger 4K video files and premium audio formats.
03 / 8
Audio
Which of the following lossless audio formats is natively supported on UHD Blu-ray discs?
Correct! DTS-HD Master Audio is one of the lossless audio formats officially supported by the UHD Blu-ray specification. It delivers bit-for-bit identical audio to the studio master, making it a favourite among home cinema enthusiasts.
Not quite. DTS-HD Master Audio is the correct answer. Dolby Digital Plus is actually a lossy compressed format, not lossless, while MP3 Surround and AAC 5.1 are not part of the UHD Blu-ray audio specification at all.
04 / 8
4K Video
Which High Dynamic Range (HDR) format was mandatory in the original UHD Blu-ray specification?
Correct! HDR10 is the mandatory baseline HDR format for all UHD Blu-ray discs. It uses static metadata and supports up to 10-bit colour depth with a peak brightness of 10,000 nits, significantly improving contrast and colour range over SDR content.
Not quite. HDR10 is the mandatory HDR format in the UHD Blu-ray spec. Dolby Vision and HDR10+ are optional enhancements that some studios add on top, but every UHD Blu-ray player and disc must support HDR10 as the baseline standard.
05 / 8
Hardware
What laser colour is used in UHD Blu-ray players to read discs?
Correct! UHD Blu-ray players use a violet (blue-violet) laser with a wavelength of 405nm, the same as standard Blu-ray. This shorter wavelength compared to the red laser used in DVDs allows data to be packed much more densely on the disc surface.
Not quite. The answer is violet — specifically a blue-violet laser at 405nm. DVDs use a red laser at 650nm, and CDs use an infrared laser at 780nm. The shorter the wavelength, the more data can be stored, which is why Blu-ray outpaces its predecessors.
06 / 8
Standards
What maximum video bitrate does the UHD Blu-ray specification allow for video content?
Correct! The UHD Blu-ray specification allows a maximum video bitrate of 82 Mbps. This is substantially higher than standard Blu-ray's 40 Mbps ceiling, enabling richer detail, smoother gradients, and less compression artefacts in 4K content.
Not quite. The correct maximum video bitrate is 82 Mbps. Standard Blu-ray tops out at 40 Mbps, and while streaming services like Netflix offer 4K, they typically deliver it at just 15–25 Mbps — making physical UHD Blu-ray the highest quality option available to consumers.
07 / 8
Formats
Which video codec is most commonly used to encode 4K content on UHD Blu-ray discs?
Correct! H.265, also known as HEVC (High Efficiency Video Coding), is the dominant codec used on UHD Blu-ray. It offers roughly twice the compression efficiency of H.264, meaning studios can deliver 4K footage at high quality without exhausting the disc's storage capacity.
Not quite. H.265 (HEVC) is the correct answer. While H.264 was the workhorse of standard Blu-ray, it simply isn't efficient enough to handle 4K video at acceptable quality levels within the disc's bitrate limits. AV1 is a newer codec but isn't part of the UHD Blu-ray spec.
08 / 8
Hardware
Which of the following connection types is required to pass a UHD Blu-ray signal at full 4K HDR quality from a player to a TV?
Correct! HDMI 2.0 or higher is required to carry a 4K HDR signal from a UHD Blu-ray player to a display. HDMI 2.0 supports the 18 Gbps bandwidth needed for 4K at 60fps with HDR, whereas HDMI 1.4 maxes out at 4K/30fps without HDR support.
Not quite. HDMI 2.0 or higher is the correct answer. HDMI 1.4 can technically carry a 4K signal but only at 30fps and without HDR, making it insufficient for the full UHD Blu-ray experience. Component video is an analogue connection and cannot carry 4K signals at all.
Challenge Complete
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/ 8
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Interstellar is great in 4K, and it's worth upgrading from any format
One of Nolan's best
Interstellar is often called one of the best Sci-Fi films of all time, and it's hard to argue with that. It's managed to stand the test of time, and I still see memes of it to this day, which isn't always an indication of good quality, but I'm using it as one here. The 4K UHD version of this movie has all the IMAX scenes intact, it comes to you with a beautiful HDR scan, and it has great audio, although an Atmos track is missing. The lack of Atmos is something that's common with Christopher Nolan releases, so I won't dock it too hard.
There's really not much to complain about with a Nolan 4K release, as you know you're getting something that's high-quality. I'm excited for Memento to get the 4K upgrade. This is a movie that's worthy of the 100 GB 4K Blu-ray disc it's printed on.
Both of the new Dune movies
And the third one is on the way
Dune Part One and Two are absolute spectacles, and the 4K Blu-ray versions are massive upgrades from their Blu-ray and DVD counterparts. Sadly, these releases don't include any at-home IMAX scenes, but they still look great. Dolby Vision does a lot of heavy lifting for these movies, and I'd say it's well worth the upgrade price if you have a Dolby Vision-capable TV. These movies are also an excellent example of how a movie can still look great if it's shot digitally instead of on film.
The Atmos track is also an all-timer. If you have a good subwoofer that can handle LFE (low-frequency effects), you'll be blown away by how good the sandworm scenes sound in both of the movies. One thing I'm afraid of is a box set that bundles all three of the movies together and includes the IMAX scenes. I don't want to double-dip on movies if I don't have to, but this would be a case where I think it's worth it. These are some of my favorite discs in my entire 4K collection.
2001: A Space Odyssey should be on your list of upgrades
An oldie, but a very, very goodie
It's hard to believe that 2001: A Space Odyssey came out in 1968, because it looks like a brand-new movie on 4K Blu-ray. I love popping in these old movies when they get a 4K upgrade, because it's proof to me that this is all worth it. Not only is a movie that came out nearly 60 years ago perfectly preserved, but it's also available in the best format available.
It looks great, it sounds great, and it's an extremely influential movie for the Sci-Fi genre. It's easy to find this movie in any movie lover's collection, regardless of whether Sci-Fi is one of your favorite genres or not. The good news is that this movie goes on sale quite a bit, so you don't have to pay full price if you're patient enough.
Alien feels like a cop out, but it's really one of the best
An easy recommendation
Pretty much everything I said about 2001 applies to Alien. We're talking about a several-decades-old movie that feels as modern as ever, and with the Alien franchise still continuing to this day, there's no reason not to have the original in your collection. I'm of the mind that all of the Alien movies have a reason to be watched, even if some of the later entries are lacking compared to the earlier ones.
Alien is also one of the increasingly rare 4K Blu-ray movies to have an HDR10+ scan, so it's worth grabbing for that reason if you have an HDR10+ TV. The main reason is this is also one of the best and most influential movies of all time, and it's why I can never hate Ridley Scott, even if his output has become rather questionable over the years.