The Lord of the Rings Trilogy 4K UHD Extended & Theatrical (2001-2003)

[pawel86ck]

I have watched the first 30 minutes and I'm genuinely impressed. From normal viewing distance from my 55inch screen not even DNR bothered me (surprisingly). Color grading, contrast and blacks levels looks just PERFECT. TLOTR color grading has this artistic old look now, but there's still plenty of well saturated colors (especially green fields of grass looks stunning). I'm a photographer who studied color theory and I think they have done amazing job with color grading. I guess TLOTR could get even better transfer (without DNR) but it's still a MASSIVE upgrade over BD.

[dcowboy7]

Is there any difference in picture quality comparing the 4k theatrical vs 4k extended ??

[Brian81]

Just browsing caps as both of my sets sit sealed (not opening them yet). Some of the 4K shots look favorable to the old BDs while others look like bottom of the barrel quality. Quality so poor, they belong with the worst DNR offenders of all time. 'Sword in the Stone', 'Gulliver's Travels', etc. The caps of the blasted material look worse than 'Predator UHE'. It's not just a wax statue appearance, but as if the entire image is smeared down to SD level detail.


Well, maybe not THAT bad, but bad enough that I found it worth checking. https://caps-a-holic.com/c.php?go=1&...49003&i=10&l=0 Damn, those DVDs were bad.

[Ernest Rister]

Is there any difference in picture quality comparing the 4k theatrical vs 4k extended ??

Allegedly no, but I don't know what to believe anymore.

Amazon says the set is supposed to arrive tomorrow, but it hasn't even shipped yet.

[Ernest Rister]

â–¶ Comparison of TLOTR: The Fellowship of the Ring 4K (4K DI) HDR10 vs Regular Version - YouTube

[DigitalDeluge24]

Originally Posted by Ernest Rister

â–¶ Comparison of TLOTR: The Fellowship of the Ring 4K (4K DI) HDR10 vs Regular Version - YouTube

Oof! The comments on that video are brutal. Only one person seems to question the narrative and they are being pummelled.

[Brian81]

Originally Posted by androcell

Minor if any. This one should as well, but does the opposite. Legolas now gained one eyebrow.
https://caps-a-holic.com/c.php?go=1&...48925&i=13&l=0

Damn, it looks like an oil painting!

[punisher]

Originally Posted by philthehip

Haha first thing I changed when looking at the sets.

It's worse in the regular 4K set..3 theatricals on the first three spindles, then the 6 extended discs..I placed them together properly by film

[Pyoko]

Originally Posted by Brian81

Well, maybe not THAT bad, but bad enough that I found it worth checking. https://caps-a-holic.com/c.php?go=1&...49003&i=10&l=0 Damn, those DVDs were bad.

This shot is interesting since the EE previously had an obvious power window from the grade with the beam of light shining down on the stone bridge. The fact that the EE now looks like the theatrical, without that light, leads me to believe these were rebuilds perhaps not from any new scan, but at least from some earlier source that was pre-grading/mastering. But in all likelihood it also means that any poor mastering decisions or tweaks and changes will be reflected the same in both versions.

[Brian81]

Films are a bunch of changing still images. If grain and detail is blasted out of a frame and blasted out of all subsequent frames, that grain and detail isn't going to reappear somehow when they're displayed in sequence.

[androcell]

Weird logic. WB should care, because we're giving them our money. You think if there would be no demand for such costly 4K versions they would release them either way? The films are already out, we can enjoy them even without these...

[Tlen]

As long as you'll give them money on pre-order no matter what the results, why they should care?

[morphinapg]

Originally Posted by Tlen

As long as you'll give them money on pre-order no matter what the results, why they should care?

Most of the money they get wouldn't come from preorders

[James Freeman]

Originally Posted by Tlen

As long as you'll give them money on pre-order no matter what the results, why they should care?

WB should care if they want more money in 2021 or following LOTR releases.
People waited 10 years with high hopes, but WB delivered sub-par release compared to other 35mm 4k WB releases of that time.
Next time people WILL wait for the screenshots of the 2021 release before preordering.

Might I remind us we are talking about LOTR here, one of the highest rated movies of all time, a timeless masterpiece with astonishing cinematography.
This deserved the absolute best treatment a 35mm movie should have, but was a mere 2k upscale mutilated with DNR and edge enhancement.

How in the world this movie didn't get a proper 4k scanning like The Matrix, Harry Potter, or even goddamn Spiderman.
Beyond disappointing.

[Ernest Rister]

Play nice, no need for insults. Don't like what's in the newspaper editorials? Stop reading them. Don't like the opinions on a cable news network? Change the channel. Don't like a song on the radio? Turn it off. Don't like what people are saying on a message board? Ignore them or stop reading it. No need to yell at the newspaper, the tv, the radio, or the people on a message board. Move on. Go walk the dog or kiss your wife and make her breakfast, do something positive that makes you and everyone else happy. It's not hard, and you'll feel a lot better and enjoy your day.

[Pyoko]

Originally Posted by cgpublic

Bunch of words

In essence nothing matters, no one cares, don't review things, don't critique things, just pay for the movies again and shut up, ignoring that those shots look plain awful, mar the experience, were a poor decision, and revisionist to boot. Or better yet let's all go back to viewing DVDs because the film is what's important.

Since you seem to place some stock in "actual professionals" would it ease your mind to know that I am an "actual professional" and would have some notion of picture quality and that it would take more time and effort to do what they've done here than to just let it be? (Not that it would be required to assess something as obvious as this.)

I would also like to add that I don't complain just to complain, but in the hope that in some tiny butterfly effect-manner it would help prevent it from happening on future titles. Some people don't care, but to me this matters and I'm sorry if that's such an offensive idea to you. A lot of people will be able to watch these completely unfazed by the processed shots if they notice them at all, and good for them, but by that logic they would probably not be overly bothered if they had left the shots as they were either, and assuming that then who exactly was this done for? It's simply not needed, doesn't really benefit anyone, while doing the exact opposite for a lot of people.

[Todd Smith]

Originally Posted by Ernest Rister

â–¶ Comparison of TLOTR: The Fellowship of the Ring 4K (4K DI) HDR10 vs Regular Version - YouTube

Wow, the new color grading alone is such a massive upgrade from the BD. Makes you realize just how awful that green tint was. Cant wait to get my set!

[Tlen]

Don't like what's in the newspaper editorials? Stop reading them. Don't like the opinions on a cable news network? Change the channel. Don't like a song on the radio? Turn it off. Don't like what people are saying on a message board? Ignore them or stop reading it.

The most funny thing is that only people "happy" like you, come here and say "go away, don't write, don't read"

[Tuc0]

Anybody who has this set and the old Blu EE set;
Any chance the standard 4K box would fit inside the gold big hardcase cover if you take some cases out?

[NYorker]

Originally Posted by cgpublic

Sample what? Please don't tell me you are basing your opinions on screenshots.

More screenshots?

Tired? Me too. Tired of a bunch of self-determined 'experts.'

How a film 'looks' is a subjective personal opinion. That's a fact. As such, your opinion is your problem, not mine or anyone else's.

If you are suggesting that Peter Jackson and his team, along with the actual filmmakers of the world, need your permission to release their work, let's set aside your personal delusions of grandeur and let me suggest that you refrain from viewing future UHD releases.

Here's a head's up for all the 'professional video people' and rank and file 'picture experts' with their words without wisdom.

No one cares. No one cares about your opinion other than other those who are incapable of viewing and enjoying a film without someone telling them if it is good or not.

My advice to them is to use your own eyes, preferably to enjoy the film.

So spare us your 'knows enough acronyms to be dangerous' self-aggrandizing posts and go back to whatever meaningless job and related life you inhabit.

Your opinions are worthless. And not only because of your slavish addiction to screenshots.

Worthless because it is clear based on your posts that you have absolutely no idea what a project such as bringing the LOTR & Hobbit Trilogies to UHD represents from a management perspective, including timeline, budget and staffing.

In your personal fantasy world, none of the above matters, and you are smarter and more capable than the actual professionals who are actually completing the work, all without actually viewing the source.

Your delusions are so great, it leaves you and your kind incapable of enjoying the actual art of filmmaking, preferring to identify each flaw as if there was some value in your quest.

Sad. As one grey wizard once said, “Go back to the abyss! Fall into nothingness that awaits you and your master!”

Nicely put. I will add that LOTR is not a 'real' WB movie (it was New Line), like HP, The Matrix, etc. Maybe that affected the process? Maybe that's why the studio wanted it to look more like the Hobbit trilogy? Who knows.