You might think all 4K discs have the same quality, but that’s not the case. There are a few things you need to know about discs, and the big one is that they are dual-layer or triple-layer. The difference between these is sheer size, and those triple-layer 100 GB discs can run at a higher bitrate than the smaller 66 GB discs.
What you might not know is that there’s another factor in play, and it’s the studio that distributes the disc. That’s right, there are certain studios where you have to cross your fingers and hope for the best, and Disney is one of them. You’d think that a big studio like Disney would have high quality, but it’s pretty hit or miss. Recent releases seem to have righted the ship, and you see things like Dolby Vision included in The Fantastic Four: First Steps. That’s a step in the right direction, but many of the other films in the Marvel Cinematic Universe aren’t so lucky.
Disney releases leave a lot to be desired
Just be aware of the limitations
There are varying stages of 4K Blu-ray collectors, and if you don’t have a fancy TV or sound system, you might not notice the problems as much as somebody who’s invested heavily in their setup. What you’ll find with a lot of older Disney discs, particularly the MCU, is that they don’t have Dolby Vision. In some cases, The Last Jedi, for example, you’ll have discs that launched with Dolby Vision and later printings got rid of it. On top of that, the IMAX Enhanced ratios are, for the most part, locked behind the Disney+ paywall. The point is, you’re getting a worse experience at home than you should be.
Not having a modern HDR format like Dolby Vision isn’t all that bad, however, because you’ll still get HDR10. While it’s not as good as Dolby Vision, HDR10 is better than nothing, and it still looks excellent. The bigger problem lies in the Dolby Atmos mix. A lot of Disney 4Ks come with Atmos, which should be a great thing, but it’s not. The problem with a lot of Disney Atmos mixes, dubbed Atmouse by some, is that they are quiet and don’t really showcase how good Atmos can be. Don’t get me wrong, many of them are still solid, but I feel like I have to turn up the volume a bit more than I should to really experience them.
It’s a bit frustrating to see such a major studio often lacking both visually and with the audio, but that’s where we’re at. Again, people with more modest setups might not notice the difference, but you’ll notice how held back it feels when you compare it to other Atmos mixes. Nothing’s been enough to ruin my experience, mind you, but it’s something that stands out when you watch enough movies. I’m glad the ship is being righted if newer releases are anything to go by, but that doesn’t mean a whole lot to my vast collection of MCU movies that I already have.
A great example of this is the MCU Spider-Man trilogy — three of many movies you should watch before Brand New Day. These are MCU films, but Sony handles their home releases, and that means you don’t have the same limitations. No Way Home is printed on a 100 GB disc, has a great Atmos soundtrack, and it has Dolby Vision. You can’t say the same about things like Avengers: Infinity War or Endgame, sadly.
Don’t let it deter you
It’s still the best quality
If you want to experience the best quality that Disney has to offer at home, that’s still done on 4K Blu-ray. I wouldn’t really recommend opting for the Blu-ray version of Doctor Strange over the 4K, so there’s no reason to do that. Sure, there are obvious limitations when compared to other 4K discs in your collection, but that doesn’t mean these options aren’t better than their Blu-ray counterparts.
I’m glad Disney seems to be showing some improvements as of late, because it’ll be nice to experience things like a quality Atmos mix and Dolby Vision on their discs again. I also hope they continue to dive deep into their back catalog and continue updating their films for 4K. The Cinderella 4K looks fantastic, and it’s one of the last movies I picked up from the Disney Movie Club before it shut down for good. With Disney+ seemingly slowing down with show cancellations coming left and right, it’d be nice to see Disney reinvest in physical media. It feels like there’s a bit of an uptick in interest again, and Disney has such a vast collection of movies that I’m dying to see released on 4K, especially with the Fox merger. The only thing left to do is for Disney to release them — and hopefully they come with a good Dolby Atmos track and Dolby Vision.
