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Amazing Spider-Man, Taxi Driver in 4K free with Sony UHD TV

Buy a £15,000 Sony 4K TV and Sony will sort you out with a selection of classic (and not so classic) movies in ultra high definition.

Richard Trenholm Former Movie and TV Senior Editor
Richard Trenholm was CNET's film and TV editor, covering the big screen, small screen and streaming. A member of the Film Critic's Circle, he's covered technology and culture from London's tech scene to Europe's refugee camps to the Sundance film festival.
Expertise Films, TV, Movies, Television, Technology
Richard Trenholm
2 min read

Eye-scorching 4K ultra high definition is the next big thing, and now you can see Angelina Jolie, Robert DeNiro and Jackie Chan in eye-popping detail -- and all you have to do is fork out £15,590. Buy a Sony 4K TV and Sony will sort you out with a selection of classic -- and, er, not so classic -- movies in ultra high definition.

The films come free with the 84-inch Sony XBR-84X900 4K Ultra HD TV. Leading the 4K pack is a brace of bona fide classics: Martin Scorsese's slow-burning Taxi Driver and David Lean's lushly epic The Bridge on the River Kwai, both lovingly restored from the original 35mm negative to glorious 4K quality.

After that, however, only the most charitable soul will be able to justify the rest of the crop appearing in 4K. I suppose, on the basis that special effects-laden extravaganzas would benefit most from all that extra detail, The Amazing Spider-Man and Battle Los Angeles should look great. And who wouldn't want to gaze upon Angeline Jolie in lifelike detail in Salt?

But I wonder who needs to see high-resolution versions of the remake of The Karate Kid or the gadget-packed new take on Total Recall?

Rounding out the list we have forgettable comedies The Other Guys and Bad Teacher. Neither are visually outstanding, so lord knows why they need to be seen in 4K. And scraping the absolute bottom of the barrel we have That's My Boy. Adam Sandler 'doing a voice', in a mullet wig, at a resolution of 3,840x2,160 pixels. Thank you, Sony. Thank you so much.

The films come on a server box that's loaned to you when you buy the TV. More films and clips will be added in future.

Which films should get the 4K treatment? Project your thoughts on 4K in the comments or on our low-res Facebook page.