The Lord of the Rings: The Motion Picture Trilogy (Extended Edition) (2001-2003)

[AVfile]

Originally Posted by Rolling Dice

Does it look "fake" and too digital? That's my main concern, I can put up with DNR but if it looks digital like The Hobbit, that's a no go for me.

Suggest you rewind the thread starting here:
https://forum.blu-ray.com/showthread...7#post20563267

I know it's just one scene but that loss of shadow detail is bloody atrocious.

Then watch this on a 4K TV if you want the "full truth":

Lord of The Rings: The Two Towers 4K Blu-ray Review - DNR Spoils Great HDR - YouTube

Despite what he says the HDR even looks bad to me. More like a video game than a movie.

[Rolling Dice]

Originally Posted by AVfile

Suggest you rewind the thread starting here:
https://forum.blu-ray.com/showthread...7#post20563267

I know it's just one scene but that loss of shadow detail is bloody atrocious.

Then watch this on a 4K TV if you want the "full truth":
Lord of The Rings: The Two Towers 4K Blu-ray Review - DNR Spoils Great HDR - YouTube

Despite what he says the HDR even looks bad to me. More like a video game than a movie.

That is exactly what worries me. The UHDs are ridiculously expensive and I don't feel like spending all this money on something that may disappoint me, especially since the BDs are not included. Caps and YouTube videos don't help much, unfortunately.

It seems the remastered BDs are a pretty good compromise. They're just like the UHDs, the only differences being no HDR and less DNR, right?

[HD Goofnut]

Originally Posted by Rolling Dice

That is exactly what worries me. The UHDs are ridiculously expensive and I don't feel like spending all this money on something that may disappoint me, especially since the BDs are not included. Caps and YouTube videos don't help much, unfortunately.

It seems the remastered BDs are a pretty good compromise. They're just like the UHDs, the only differences being no HDR and less DNR, right?

No, the DNR is still present.

[DukeTogo84]

Originally Posted by Rolling Dice

It seems the remastered BDs are a pretty good compromise. They're just like the UHDs, the only differences being no HDR and less DNR, right?

You are correct. There is less DNR, but there is still DNR.

[HD Goofnut]

Originally Posted by DukeTogo84

You are correct. There is less DNR, but there is still DNR.

If there's a difference it's imperceptible.

[deadheadbill]

I apologize for not combing thru 703 pages of comments and I think my question has been answered in the last few pages.

But, based on what I have read it appears that since I already have the Bluray boxset for LOTR, there is no need to buy the 4k box given its extensive DNR and edge enhancement?

[HD Goofnut]

Originally Posted by deadheadbill

I apologize for not combing thru 703 pages of comments and I think my question has been answered in the last few pages.

But, based on what I have read it appears that since I already have the Bluray boxset for LOTR, there is no need to buy the 4k box given its extensive DNR and edge enhancement?

No, sir. If you have a UHD player and display the UHD set is definitely worth the upgrade.

[The Collector FX]

Originally Posted by HD Goofnut

No, sir. If you have a UHD player and display the UHD set is definitely worth the upgrade.

I have a Sony A9 OLED UHD TV and just watched the 4K versions Two Towers EE and Return of the King EE for first time and can confirm they look like ass. The inconsistent shots of DNR, no DNR, grain, and then no grain, and random noise throughout is baffling and outright distracting. For how long it took for them to get this trilogy into the 4K market, they sure did a bang up job. I mean shit, they didn't even do a 4K scan of the elements, it was a 2K scan.

The 2011 Blu Ray trilogy box set of the extended editions, and subsequent picture quality, is vastly superior - even WITH the controversial Fellowship tint...

[James Freeman]

To me it looks like Fellowship is the only movie that was not downscaled from the heavily processed 4k job but was remastered properly in 2k first with extra attention to detail.

The latter two movies have exactly the same artifacts, DNR, colors, and sharpening as the 4k uhd releases.
Why didn't they put the same effort into TTT and ROTK?
I dunno, maybe money or time constraints.

Out of the three Remastered 1080p movies, FOTR is the only one I would call a worthy upgrade to the 2011 extended release.

[HD Goofnut]

Originally Posted by The Collector FX

I have a Sony A9 OLED UHD TV and just watched the 4K versions Two Towers EE and Return of the King EE for first time and can confirm they look like ass. The inconsistent shots of DNR, no DNR, grain, and then no grain, and random noise throughout is baffling and outright distracting. For how long it took for them to get this trilogy into the 4K market, they sure did a bang up job. I mean shit, they didn't even do a 4K scan of the elements, it was a 2K scan.

The 2011 Blu Ray trilogy box set of the extended editions, and subsequent picture quality, is vastly superior - even WITH the controversial Fellowship tint...

This is absolutely false. The chunky grain that borders on noise and lack of HDR make these inferior.

[James Freeman]

False false, grain and lack of HDR make these superior.
I will say though, I find it amusing how they put so much effort into fixing VFX shots, color grading and highlight clipping in ROTK but then went ahead to obliterate it with DNR.

I kind of expect the 30th anniversary release to look like this:

[MrGarmonbozia]

Foolish DNRes...false, false.
Grain is . . . precioussssss.

[James Freeman]

There are many VFX and artistic fixes and less black clipping/crushing in the Remastered FOTR which I think are great.
We are very lucky there isn't much of the ugly DNR the two latter movies suffer from, I think FOTR is the only movie in the trilogy that got remastered with care.

This scene in the Mines of Moria when they are looking down into the abyss for example.

2011


2021

[The Collector FX]

Originally Posted by HD Goofnut

This is absolutely false. The chunky grain that borders on noise and lack of HDR make these inferior.

You clearly don't have much experience with 4K films that actually look like what they're supposed to. Now don't get me wrong, the HDR on the 4K discs of LOTR is on point. However, everything else is a mixed bag in terms of PQ.

I have stellar 4K movies like Predator (1987) and The Fifth Element and the PQ on those is embarrassingly better than anything the LOTR UHD discs offer. Who ever did the 4K discs for LOTR didn't do their job and fell asleep at the wheel. Plain and simple.

[Egons Ghost]

I was going to ask about the Two Towers, the "vision" scenes, I take it are altered visually (color, etc) as in the UHDs, but the hell with it, I'm set with the 2011 Extended box and the old BDs. I'm too old for this ***t.

[omarchafa]

I was planning to get the extended trilogy on UHD BD, but after doing some research and found out that it wasn't done with care, I'm avoiding it.

So I want to get the standard BDs instead, should I just get the 2011 release?

[karsten]

Originally Posted by omarchafa

So I want to get the standard BDs instead, should I just get the 2011 release?

I strongly recommend the remastered blu-rays (this being one of the very rare occasions where a recent remastering improved the colour spectrum of a release rather than ruined it).

As you may have read earlier in this thread, the original blu-rays soaked FOTR (my favourite film of the trilogy) in an Exorcist-puke-like green tint that renders the film unwatchable. It's truly gross. The remastered blu-ray, however, features vastly improved colours; the best since the DVD; perhaps even better.

IMO the other two films also look far better with their remastered colours. But for FOTR, it's night and day. The film went from being colour-ruined to again looking beautiful.

[RobertR]

Wow, I'm amazed at all the differing opinions about which version looks best. I do wish people would provide information about their viewing conditions, namely:

Type of display

Whether their display is calibrated, and by whom

Viewing conditions (completely light controlled, etc).


I watch on a JVC projector calibrated by a professional in a dedicated room, ie a "batcave". I did check out the capsaholic comparison between the remastered blu and the UHD. The UHD appears to be a bit more smoothed over in most shots. The only big color difference I saw was with the Balrog. Brighter on the blu.

[rogbngp]

Any fans here of the Charlie Hokpinson “Not Gandalf” YT humorous deepfake videos? I think they’re great goofy fun.

[Craigy1976]

I'm sorry If this question has been asked before but i cant go through 793 pages but do the the New Blu Rays Extended edition from the US which contains 15 discs, Is it region coded? The blu rays and DVD I have no Idea if the American ones are region free.
The UK version is completely region free blu rays and the DVD special features.