NOTE: The below Blu-ray and 4K Ultra HD captures were taken directly from the disc

ADDITION: Koch Media - 2-disc - Region FREE -  4K Ultra HD (May 2018): The captures we have taken are native resolution: 3,840 by 2,160 pixels which you can see when you click on them.

NOTE: The resolution in 4K movie theaters is marginally higher at 4,096 by 2,160 pixels. To appreciate the advancement mathematically it is 4X the number of pixels on a 1080p Blu-ray display, and almost 24X times the resolution of your old SD Sony Trinitron tube television (standard definition). The resolution translated here to a larger image.

We are using an LG B6 65" 4K UHD HDR OLED TV display supporting both HDR & Dolby Vision:

and an Oppo UDP-203 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Disc Player with HDR & Dolby Vision (UHD, Blu-ray, 3D, DVD, DVD-Audio, SACD and CD).

The Koch Media 4K Ultra HD Neon Demon does not have HDR (High Dynamic Range). The film was shot in 3.4K but has a 4K Master (Digital Intermediate at 4K) and has approximately 3X the pixels of 1080P. The 4K Ultra HD disc size is 60,021,342,208 bytes and the feature itself fills 38,147,754,108 bytes - only a bit more than the Blu-rays. The bitrate shows as high as 74.91 Mbps, but average seems to be around 48.0 Mbps which is more than Blu-rays. (which it requires as the 3,840 by 2,160 image has more bits.)

I think the improvement exists but is not as prominent as in our first review - Saving Private Ryan. For many this will represents the law of diminishing returns. Far more notable is playing the discs on a superior system like our LG B6 65" 4K UHD HDR OLED TV and the Oppo UDP-203 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray Disc Player. All three look amazing. The 4K Ultra HD looks the best - more in-motion than anything else - but you would have to be very discerning or have a very large system (or project) to embrace the benefit.

The Koch 4K Ultra HD includes their Blu-ray (reviewed below) but not the DVD or CD soundtrack. It does not have the issue of the US Broadgreen and the audio is rich, full and loud via the 4K Ultra HD DTS-HD Master 5.1 (English) still offering a, similarly encoded, German DUB. I can't emphasize how important this is as the electronic-based film score, by Cliff Martinez (King of the Hill, Contagion, Traffic, sex, lies and videotape) is such a large part of the film experience that the bass is meaningful. The 4K Ultra HD disc is, like all of this format, Region FREE.

Extras duplicate Koch's Blu-ray Mediabook with the audio commentary by director Nicolas Winding Refn and Elle Fanning etc. (see comments below.) and the Region 'B' BD disc.

Like the US Broadgreen Blu-ray - which we suggest a 'pass' due to the noted audio inferiorities - not all 4K Ultra HD discs are created equal. Without the HDR component on the 4K Ultra HD transfer, I suggest it is not worth the upgrade if you, already, own the Koch Mediabook - that includes the CD soundtrack. If you don't it looks like the 4K Ultra HD is only a bit more expensive at present but, like all 4K Ultra HD discs it is Region FREE. The film's rich visuals are incredible and this is hypnotic demo-material. For both cinema fans and home theatre enthusiasts - this HD or Ultra HD visual experience is an absolute must-own.    

ON THE Blu-ray: The Neon Demon is a fascinating and very special work of cinema and I was extremely pleased to finally compare these releases. From our 2016 Year End Poll - one participant, L. Ross Fenstermaker (I don't believe he is the racehorse trainer) thought the Koch Mediabook was the best 'package of the year'! I hadn't seen the North American Blu-ray, but decided to pick it up. I purchased it from Amazon Canada for only $10 CAN. I am making an assumption that it is the same package as the US release (same cover, same release date etc.) I was blown away by the film and indulged in the impressive German Mediabook Blu-ray to seek out differences.

For the transfer - there are virtually none, almost the exact same technical transfer - dual-layered with a high bitrate. I compared a few captures below without noting any strong differences. It's a modern film and this is common. It looks excellent - the art direction is brilliant and the film's visuals are mesmerizing - often cold, sanitized with beautiful colors. Not dissimilar to the world of fashion, no?

When I upgrade to 4K UHD, this is definitely a film I will purchase. The eye-candy makes it demo material:

The audio, however, goes to the US release. Although both utilize a DTS-HD Master, the Koch is only 16-bit while the Broadgreen is 24-bit.  The Koch offers a German DUB and German subtitles. Their disc is region 'B'-locked and the Broadgreen has optional English (SDH) - see sample - and Spanish subtitles on their region 'A'-locked Blu-ray disc.

NOTE: Ross tells us in FB: "I wanted to mention that there were some complaints about the sound mix on the US release, something about the music being too low. I got the German mediabook for the packaging and extras, but apparently the mix is better as well with appropriate music levels." (Thanks Ross!)

Andrew also tells us : "Gary, I too used to own the Broadgreen disc and thought it sounded awful in DTS-HD 5.1. For whatever reason, and the US BD of "Pulp Fiction" has this problem too, the sound mix has some sort of smart sound volume control which makes all the loud sounds quiet and the quiet sounds loud, imbalancing the whole mix. Whenever a loud music beat occurs or a loud sound occurs, it gets unnaturally quiet and it's definitely not a problem with my home theater because
I compared the discs and the German release edition doesn't have these volume dropouts.

I'm not sure why this happens with home video releases but it happened with the DVD and BD of "Pulp Fiction" (compared to the Criterion Laserdisc which doesn't have audio dropouts) and it happened with the US Tartan DVD release of "Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance" which was not present on the original Region 3 Korean DVD or the subsequent Tartan BD." (Thanks Andrew!)

Both offer the audio commentary with director Nicolas Winding Refn and Elle Fanning which isn't in-depth but they seem to be enjoying chatting and Elle is much like the 'innocent' side of her character. There are some relevant details to the production that some may find interesting. The Broadgreen adds a brief piece "Behind the Soundtrack of The Neon Demon" and even shorter "About The Neon Demon". So while Koch include the, same, English commentary their extras are far more in-depth. They include a 1/2 hour interview with Nicolas Winding Refn and 24-minutes with composer Cliff Martinez - both in English with German subtitles. There is also a 22-minute Nicolas Winding - Storyteller - but the host speaks in Italian, Refn in English, and there are German subtitles. The rest of the Blu-ray extras are brief; trailers, teasers, a gallery. Koch add a second DVD of extras - a 40-minute conference at The Munich Film Festival with Nicolas Winding Refn and Alejandro Jodorowsky (English with German subtitles) and a 38-minute Nicolas Winding Refn Masterclass at the same event - also in English with German subs. There is also a DVD of the film and a wonderful 23-track CD of the film's music.   

Both Blu-ray packages have unique offerings. I'd lean away from the US with the noted audio issues plus the included CD on the Mediabook is an excellent addition. The film gets a very strong recommendation - don't judge it on its title or US cover - this is, in no way, some slap-dash slasher horror (it's more like an art film.) There are strong, subtly expressed, themes here and the visual and aural experience is not to be missed. A very strong recommendation!

 - Gary Tooze

2) Koch Media - Region 'B' - Blu-ray - MIDDLE