I got a 4K Blu-ray player, and now I'm thinking of ditching Netflix Premium

Date:
Tue, 30 Dec 2025 20:00:00 +0000

Description:
Ive been using 4K UHD Blu-rays instead of Netflix Premium for a few weeks,
but is it really worth it?

FULL STORY ======================================================================

Over the last few weeks, Ive made a radical change to the way that I enjoy movies at home. Thats right: despite holding a Netflix Premium subscription,
I decided to take a break from the service for a while, and change over to 4K UHD Blu-rays.

Why? Well, above all, I wanted to see if the improvement in audio and picture quality was truly worth switching for. But I also wanted to know if physical media could genuinely suffice as an alternative to streaming services, after Ive enjoyed years of instant access to all kinds of TV shows and movies.

How did it all go? Ill get to that in due course! But for those interested in my setup, I made use of the Sony UBP-X700K Blu-ray player for this experiment
a model that supports video standards such as Dolby Vision and HDR10, as
well as audio formats like Dolby Atmos and DTS:X. I had it hooked up via the HDMI passthrough port on the Marshall Heston 120 soundbar, which is connected to a Sky Glass Gen 2 television.

Now thats out of the way, heres everything I learned after ditching Netflix Premium for 4K Blu-ray! An unrivalled audio-visual delight (Image credit: Future)

As I mentioned, the aspect I was most interested to assess was the audio and visual upgrade 4K UHD Blu-rays could provide over streaming services like Netflix. And in honesty, the difference was greater than Id expected.

One movie I watched on the Sony UBP-X700K was The Boy and the Heron a visual and sonic masterpiece from Studio Ghiblis Hayao Miyazaki. Mere seconds into this movie, I was struck by the incredible increase in quality 4K Blu-ray could deliver. Vibrant forest environments had a far more rich, natural look to them, while beautifully detailed characters appeared sharper, and motion was handled brilliantly with their every movement.

Just generally, 4K HDR content has superior contrast, and colors look richer and less artificial. When I tried tuning into the same movie over on Netflix where Premium opens up Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos access I felt that some colors could look oversaturated, and that black levels didnt have the same degree of depth.

Arguably the biggest difference-maker, though, was the improvement I realized in audio quality. With 4K discs, I picked up on far better Dolby Atmos effects, with improved tracking and height as well as cleaner all-round dialogue and bass output. Overall, that meant that the audio-visual
experience on 4K was leagues above whatever Netflix could produce even
though it uses the same formats.

So, if you get Dolby Vision, Dolby Atmos, and all that good stuff with a Premium Netflix subscription, why is the quality significantly lesser
compared to 4K Blu-rays? Well, thats down to a couple of things.

First of all, 4K discs are run locally with bitrates typically ranging anywhere from 72Mbps up to 144Mbps, depending on the size of the disc.
Netflix Premium, Amazon Prime Video, and a lot of major streaming services, have around 15-25Mbps to work with. And due to streaming services delivering content over the internet, video and audio gets compressed to ensure smooth, consistent playback.

That combination of higher bit-depth and less compression means that 4K UHD Blu-rays can serve up cinematic experiences that are far-easier on the eye, and even sweeter to listen to as well. Physical media and the importance of ownership (Image credit: Future)

Getting better quality wasnt the only benefit Ive enjoyed from switching to
4K Blu-ray. Something that Ive really appreciated is the beauty of owning a movie for good.

Im sure youve been there before. You go back to re-watch one of your
favorites on Netflix, only to find that its been removed. Perhaps you see another one of your go-to flicks is leaving soon. Or maybe, just maybe, the movie you love is still available, but you can no longer enjoy it in Dolby Vision or with Dolby Atmos audio. Whatever the case, all of this can be frustrating.

Of course, by owning movies yourself, this is no longer an issue. You also dont have to subscribe to lots of different streaming services to get the movies and TV shows you want you can purchase them directly, and in better quality!

Theres an emotional side of this conversation that also deserves a mention. The feeling of walking into a store, picking out a new movie or an old
classic you want to watch, taking it home, and adding it to your collection its something that cant be replicated.

I have an extensive video game collection, and to me, its more than a pile of discs and cases its a physical manifestation of my love, nostalgia, and reverence for the art form. The same goes for 4K discs, and Im looking
forward to adding more to expanding my collection in coming years. My
verdict: is it really worth it? (Image credit: Future)

So, after all of this, can I see myself hanging onto my Netflix Premium subscription? Will I move entirely over to 4K? Well the answer may be more nuanced.

On one hand, I think that the prices of subscription services are a little hard to swallow. For instance, Netflix Premium costs $24.99 / 18.99 / AU$28.99. That cost has increased significantly in recent years, and I dont expect it will come down any time soon!

Sure, there are cheaper subscription tiers, but these leave out Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos surely I want to make the best of my 4K TV and Marshall soundbar combo? Oh, and of course, were only talking about one subscription here. If you take into account the additional cost of Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV, and more, things get expensive very quickly. As someone who also loves Smiling Friends , Ive been tempted by HBO Max, which is set to come to the UK in March 2026 .

However, 4K UHD Blu-rays are expensive. New discs typically cost around $30 / 25 / AU$40, which means that one film usually costs more than a month of Netflix Premium. But when I add the price of the various subscription
services I have together, the cost of discs seems less daunting. Pair that with the increased quality and the permanence that physical media provides, and it still feels like youre getting plenty of value from 4K UHD discs.

Despite all of this, Im not sure if Im quite ready to entirely leave Netflix, at least for the moment. Ultimately, the ability to discover new movies, and spontaneously throw on whatever Im feeling like in a split second, is something Id struggle to lose entirely.

Still, Ive had a blast with the Sony UBP-X700K, and I plan to keep purchasing 4K discs when theres a movie I want to enjoy at its very best or if I want
to keep one of my favorites for good. Since viewing it at the TV testing
space in Future Labs, Ive well and truly got my eyes set on the 4K UHD
release of The Mask , which stunned me with its awe-inspiring Atmos effects
on the JBL Bar 1300MK2 . If youd like some recommendations for a new disc, though, you can discover some tasty picks in our roundup of the best discs to add to your collection this month .

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Link to news story: https://www.techradar.com/televisions/blu-ray/i-got-a-4k-blu-ray-player-and-no w-im-thinking-of-ditching-netflix-premium


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