The Matrix 4K UHD (1999)

[nick4Knight]

Originally Posted by jabba359

Don't you mean, "Looks like it was shot on film and intended to be exhibited on film projectors with low peak brightness and limited dynamic range"?

Conversion to HDR can certainly exacerbate grain definition far beyond what appears naturally on film and what would have been seen theatrically back in 1999. I don't know if this is what's occurring with this disc (I don't have it yet), but complaints about graininess aren't mutually exclusive with liking natural film grain.

This post QFT 100x over...

I think it's widely known (unless you're a grain addict; seriously some of you the word "grain" sounds like your codeword for cocaine) even Sony, for all their praise, are not just slapping a raw grain structure up on your screen. So they are also sacrificing small percentages of detail to give the lauded veneer of grain in their presentation.

But of course -- A raw scanned image was not meant to be presented this way in the first place (at least catalog before the digital era). It's not more accurate, at all. Stop saying that -- As many rightly state, film projection is not only generations removed from the OCN, but additionally was softened by a staggering majority of theatres worldwide. It's highly unlikely what you see on this disc is the grain structure you experienced in 1999.

[Khronikos]

Can someone tell me what is up here. Do all Matrix UHDs come wrapped. I had a BB guy go get one from the back, and I tried to make sure he grabbed a good one with a perfect slipcover. It turns out he grabs one with a big crease on the bottom lol. No probs I will just take it back. But this was full price 34.99, and the bluray is absolute garbage.

I was hoping this is a release like the Batmans where they are all wrapped, because I would just take this back. I was scared I would not find a Matrix release with a slipcover if I did not buy now.

[TpFox]

Originally Posted by Khronikos

Can someone tell me what is up here. Do all Matrix UHDs come wrapped. I had a BB guy go get one from the back, and I tried to make sure he grabbed a good one with a perfect slipcover. It turns out he grabs one with a big crease on the bottom lol. No probs I will just take it back. But this was full price 34.99, and the bluray is absolute garbage.

I was hoping this is a release like the Batmans where they are all wrapped, because I would just take this back. I was scared I would not find a Matrix release with a slipcover if I did not buy now.

I ordered mine from amazon and mine was wrapped like the batman movies

[Geoff D]

Originally Posted by nick4amber

highly unlikely what you see on this disc is the grain structure you experienced in 1999.

I didn't see anyone saying that it was? Look, I KNOW that the grain we see on home video has little in common with the grain of the theatrical presentation, but for my money that applies just as much to regular Blu as much as it does for 4K. Video is not film, and vice versa. Certain things have to be done to translate the image from one medium to another and grain is very much a part of that equation. The modern trend for transferring directly from the camera original means that the genie's out of the box, you get all that high frequency detail (I'd say that many Blus resolve way more detail than theatrical prints but I rarely saw people campaigning against that being an act of sacrilege) but also the grain along with it.

So what do we do? I'd be open for a properly transparent grain reduction that maintained a healthy filmic veneer without going Full Sony (or Full Nolan, for that matter) but this then becomes a question of the tools and the skill & taste of the people using them. Alas, most of the "grain management" I've seen on UHD thus far consists of some very heavy handed applications that don't leave it looking like a print nor a cherry camera original, more like some bastard child that belongs to neither. In those scenarios, if you offered me SonyGrain™ or UniversalGrain™ then I'd pick the former every time until they can properly get a handle on bringing the grain under control without wrecking it.

[StingingVelvet]

Even if you take accuracy out of it I just think Sony grain/detail looks better. It's more appealing to me, visually. That could be because I love 70s/80s cult flicks and whatnot, which (accurate or not) tend to be super grainy on home video and were mostly watched on VHS by me originally, but hey... it is what it is.

I wouldn't say I'm big on accuracy to the theatrical prints, more accuracy to the director's intent. Where that line is drawn I dunno, and I doubt Verhoven was involved in making the amazing Starship Troopers UHD, but I guess at some point you just gotta go with what looks good to you. After watching like 100 UHDs at this point I know what I like, and I like Sony stuff the best. fin.

[CSM101]

Originally Posted by mr anderson

love hearing all the praise for this release, but i'll probably not be able to watch this until sunday night at the earliest. Can't wait though!

Really want to hear the sound on this mother. On that note, would i appreciate the sound better using a 5.1.2(dual front presence), or opting for engaging my rear surrounds, and going with a more encompassing effect by using my 7.1 setup (i can opt for neural:x and the presense fronts, or straight 7.1 using the core dts-hd master audio portion of the atmos mix).

I'm leaning towards the presense setup being that it'll be more like the original 5.1 with some added height to the soundscape, but i'm waffling a bit here.

41BD5F46-8020-47F8-9728-A0289A776E7E.jpg

[benhoppel]

Originally Posted by Geoff D

So what do we do? I'd be open for a properly transparent grain reduction that maintained a healthy filmic veneer without going Full Sony (or Full Nolan, for that matter) but this then becomes a question of the tools and the skill & taste of the people using them. .

Scan the 35mm negatives at at least 8K or higher to avoid any possibility of grain aliasing (e.g. not the standard ARRI 6K) and downsample to 4K. This should render the grain less objectionable since aliasing free. No DNR at all unless a shot has too much grain due to technical error during photography or it is needed for esthetic reasons intended by the film makers to mimick the analogue printing process losses, but that requires not DNR but MTF chain simulation by appropriate filters.

[seannyd]

I couldn't tell you much about what this is "supposed" to look like and I know my TV definitely needs a bit of calibration in HDR/Dolby Vision mode, but regardless, I watched this last night and I thought it looked incredible. Such a great movie. Looking better than I've ever seen it before. Given that it was one of the first DVDs I ever bought, it's amazing how far we've come.

[TheSweetieMan]

his transfer is an absolute beast.

If I had any complaints, it's that the lips can sometimes appear like they have a deep shade of red lipstick on.

But other than that, spot-freaking-on. I loved the more subdued green. I loved the new shades of blue. I loved the grain structure, the depth, the detail, and overall collective presentation.

This baby really hums during the third act!

[Optimus]

I watched this earlier in the evening, superb transfer, absolutely superb.

[acua]

Originally Posted by Khronikos

Can someone tell me what is up here. Do all Matrix UHDs come wrapped. I had a BB guy go get one from the back, and I tried to make sure he grabbed a good one with a perfect slipcover. It turns out he grabs one with a big crease on the bottom lol. No probs I will just take it back. But this was full price 34.99, and the bluray is absolute garbage.

I was hoping this is a release like the Batmans where they are all wrapped, because I would just take this back. I was scared I would not find a Matrix release with a slipcover if I did not buy now.

Mine came from Amz wrapped.

[acua]

Originally Posted by TheSweetieMan

My girlfriend just sent me photos of my copy waiting for me at home.

Can’t wait to get home from work!

That's what my GF does too! haha, she's very understanding of my movie madness.

[bguzman]

Originally Posted by bguzman

Came in the mail today. Just finished it and it was freakin’ awesome in both sight and sound. Tomorrow I’m going to watch it in HDR10 to check and see if there is any difference in black levels for S’s and G’s.

Black bars seem darker with HDR10 on my display, confirmed identical settings. YMMV

[bguzman]

Originally Posted by acua

Mine came from Amz wrapped.

Same here. No damage.

[dylserx]

Just finished watching,
Fantastic transfer, loved the grain really nice natural image, definitely one of the best for me!

[RodChester]

And now it’s finally time for me to take the red pill. This is going to be awesome.

[DJR662]

Originally Posted by dylserx

Just finished watching,
Fantastic transfer, loved the grain really nice natural image, definitely one of the best for me!

I also just finished watching and thought it looked great too. Now begins the wait for October when the sequels are released...

[Juan127]

I watched this again last night and its a 5 star all the way. Im so happy they hit a home run with this film.

Everything about this movie was just next level. I still catch something I didnt catch back in the day.

[RustinCohle]

For everyone wondering about ordering from Walmart, I placed an order yesterday for another copy, and it's already out for delivery. That was even faster than Amazon.

[Vertizontal]

Originally Posted by RustinCohle

For everyone wondering about ordering from Walmart, I placed an order yesterday for another copy, and it's already out for delivery. That was even faster than Amazon.

That was a good move I think. B & M is not this time lol...as of right now, none of the big three in my town have this on shelves. Suppose I'm ordering from WM too...hope I get that slip (normally could care less about slips, but that rabbit...)