The Matrix 4K UHD (1999)

[Jumpman]

Originally Posted by OutOfBoose

SDR can do only so much, unfortunately. Either you crush blacks, make image flat or blowout highlights. I'd say, blown-out highlights is the lesser evil in a contrasty case like this. I think they could do a finer job balancing shadows and highlights on this new blu-ray, deepen shadows a bit without crushing them, darken image so there's more information visible in bright areas, but it's still a compromise. Given improvement in all other departments - resolution, colors, SOUND - I wouldn't stress over highlights too much. If you don't have UHD equipment for now.

Thanks for the insight. That was kind of my conclusion after watching the new BEGINS/DARK KNIGHT/RISES transfers on iTunes. They were clearly better but the blown out parts bothered. But, given that on UHD, this is not a problem, I’ll endure it for now until I upgrade.

[ilovewaterslides]

@OutOfBoose: I'm pretty sure the overexposure is done on purpose because we're not supposed to see the clouds inside the Matrix for instance.

[OutOfBoose]

Originally Posted by ilovewaterslides

@OutOfBoose: I'm pretty sure the overexposure is done on purpose because we're not supposed to see the clouds inside the Matrix for instance.

I think I remember reading something about that, that clouds should be in the sky, but the new blu-ray is over-exposed in other shots as well, indoors.

[chip75]

The Matrix New Remaster Blu-ray



The Matrix Blu-ray

[RustinCohle]

I have to say, I am going to miss the green.

[ilovewaterslides]

Well, stick to your old BD then. It doesn't look that bad after all.

[imsounoriginal]

Not feeling the look on some of these new ones, hopefully HDR saves the day.

[OutOfBoose]

New BD almost makes her look "woman in pink", lol.

I agree that some shots look too blue/cyan.

[Geoff D]

Originally Posted by OutOfBoose

No wonder people who saw it theatrically don't remember heavy green tint over everything.

Man, The Matrix is Bill Pope's finest work.

I really don't. I remember the blue in the real world scenes but a constant green drench over everything else? Nah. There was an original intent to have a green tinge to be sure, using coloured gels on lighting and tweaking it further in the colour timing (photochemically, I might add) but it just didn't look as garish and overcooked as what the last transfer looked like. Apart from what the flat green tinge did to skin tones (which has long been a bugbear of mine with the revised 2003 transfer) it's always looked oversharpened to me, it has its fans precisely for that reason but you can plainly see in the caps how noisy and video-esque it looks when stacked up against the new transfer.

[Geoff D]

Originally Posted by OutOfBoose

New BD almost makes her look "woman in pink", lol.

I agree that some shots look too blue/cyan.

Nah, I'm lovin' it.

[OutOfBoose]

Originally Posted by Geoff D

Nah, I'm lovin' it.

I'm loving everything except for 2 screens: woman in red (overly elevated blacks and the image is too cool), Morpheus gathering strength (dat cyan is hardcore). I need to see more of the rooftop sequence, but so far cyan feels a bit exaggerated.

[Pieter V]

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[Geoff D]

TBH the new transfer looks like Bill Pope's idea of a big FU to the Wachowskis drenching the 2003 transfer in green.

LOVE that shot of Joey Pants above, the 'real world' blue is back baby!!

[ROSS.T.G.]

The new BD looks more pleasing to me. The dress on the old disc looks orange. Looks red now.

[Geoff D]

Originally Posted by ROSS.T.G.

The new BD looks more pleasing to me. The dress on the old disc looks orange. Looks red now.

It looks more easing to me too, people can whinge about the colour of the dress but it doesn't look red red in either version, the old one is too orangey because of the green tinge and in the new one it's got more of a pinky hue because of the blue tinge. I prefer the latter.

There's so much more fine detail and texture in the new one, it makes the old one look hilariously outdated. I'm not surprised that some reviewers of the new BD are saying it looks softer, it's because the sharpening is wrecking the old one and making people think they're seeing more detail when they're clearly not.

[OutOfBoose]

I can agree her dress wasn't RED on the old version too. Thanks to everpresent green, it leaned into orange indeed.

[Pieter V]

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[ROSS.T.G.]

I think we have a winner folks. Get your lube ready...

[Pieter V]

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[Geoff D]

I still can't get over how shitty the old transfer is, colour aside. It looks like a DVD in comparison, and I'm not being hyperbolic.

They've nuked the highlights on the new BD though, as we've seen on quite a few new BDs derived from simultaneous HDR remasters, but that's where the HDR will hopefully come into play on the UHD...