The Birds 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		3.0
Audio		4.5
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.0

The Birds 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Universal has released Alfred Hitchcock's 1963 film 'The Birds' to the UHD format. This new presentation includes 2160p/HDR video output. The UHD disc recycles the existing 2014 Blu-ray's two-channel lossless soundtrack and also brings over most of the Blu-ray extras (the two missing supplements are found on the bundled Blu-ray, which is identical to the linked 2014 disc). At time of publication, this UHD disc is only available as part of a four-film Hitchcock UHD boxed set which also includes 'Rear Window,' 'Vertigo,' and 'Psycho.'

The Birds 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The included screenshots are sourced from a 1080p Blu-ray disc.

The Birds swoops onto UHD with a 2160p/HDR presentation. The opening title sequence is not quite so dramatic an experience, either in isolation or compared to the Blu-ray, particularly when considering against and comparing with that found on Vertigo, but the improved while levels (with a twinge of gray on the UHD) and the added depth afforded to the blue titles certainly see it stand above the standard dynamic range limitations for intensity and clarity. It's a good omen for the remainder, and quite often The Birds does border on UHD excellence. There are a number of shots of exceptional clarity. Look at the near-camera terrain as Melanie's car races around a zigzagging road at the 11-minute mark. It's as sharp and tactile as most anything on the UHD format. Explore a densely populated Bodega Bay exterior shot at 19:25 and discover gorgeous clarity, superior color rendition, a perfectly filmic and true example of UHD at its best. Grain management is superior on the UHD. Mostly, it's very fine and complimentary, not quite so clumpy as it appears on the Blu-ray.

But the image is not always quite so excellent. The Birds is packed with a number of optical effects shots that tend to put a damper on the proceedings, though they're innate to the finished product and not the result of any fault on the UHD's end of the equation. At the same time, however, there are some shots in which it's difficult to discern what's just photographically soft or flat and smudgy from processing. Look at Melanie at the 3:17 mark. Her face is smooth and flat, hardly organic or intimately complex and sharp. The scene in which she tries to leave the birds outside Brenner's apartment in the 11 minute mark shows more of those smooth, pasty faces. It's not a scene that should pose any challenge for the image; it's straightforward, a little tight, maybe, but nothing that would necessarily leave one to believe there should be any difficulty in rendering it properly. The picture wavers between bountiful and beautiful and pasty and peculiar, the opticals notwithstanding. In his Blu-ray review, Ken Brown said, "this is a tough one all around." Ditto the UHD. The UHD definitely improves on the Blu-ray from a textural perspective. It's overall sharper, more efficient, with superior grain management. But it's far from perfect at the same time.

On the plus side, the HDR color output is just fine, offering the usual array of added depth, superior contrast, fuller flesh tones, solidified black levels, and purer whites. Examples abound of shots, scenes, and sequences; characters, clothes, and cars; people, places, and things which offer beautiful color expressiveness that solidifies the image well beyond what the older Blu-ray can achieve. In that regard alone this is a worthwhile upgrade. And even as parts of the image struggle, it is still, texturally, superior to the Blu-ray. Add in the absence of any troubling encode bugaboos and fans will find this easily the finest the film has ever, and likely will ever for quite some time, look for home consumption.

The Birds 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

For the UHD release of The Birds, Universal has simply chosen to stick with the existing DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 lossless soundtrack. Please click here for a full review from the 2014 Blu-ray.

The Birds 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Universal's UHD release of The Birds includes almost all of the Blu-ray extras on the UHD disc. See below for a breakdown of what's included and please click here for full coverage. Extras which are only on the Blu-ray are marked as such. As it ships in the Alfred Hitchcock Classics Collection, a Blu-ray copy of the film and a Movies Anywhere digital copy code are included with purchase.

• The Birds: Hitchcock's Monster Movie
• All About The Birds
• Tippi Hedren's Screen Test
• Deleted Scene
• Original Ending
• Hitchcock/Truffaut
• The Birds Is Coming (Universal International Newsreel)
• Suspense Story: National Press Club Hears Hitchcock (Universal International Newsreel)
• Theatrical Trailer
• 100 Years of Universal: Restoring the Classics
• 100 Years of Universal: The Lot
• Storyboard Sequence (Blu-ray Only)
• Production Photographs (Blu-ray Only)

The Birds 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

The Birds may not be remembered as Hitchcock's finest, but it's nevertheless a quality product with a blend of balanced elements that produce a very watchable film. Universal's UHD, exclusive to the Alfred Hitchcock Classics Collection, delivers spotty but largely good 4K/HDR video. The carryover audio and extras are fine. Recommended.