The Hobbit Trilogy 4K UHD Extended & Theatrical (2012-2014)

[Hedrox]

Originally Posted by Mierzwiak

The amount of nasty waxy crazy upscaling / sharpening on those UHDs is insane. They're DISGUSTING.

Let's remember what Bill Hunt wrote about them:

Let's remember this one too: At Long Last, ‘The Hobbit’ Trilogy Finally Looks Like Real Movies | 4K Review

Sitting there watching The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, I was kinda dumbfounded at how fantastic this thing looked and how – most importantly – it looked like a movie. The gorgeous 4K remaster (overseen by Jackson) maintains the painterly details of the CG background work while seamlessly combining them with the practical sets and actors, a juggling act that was bungled in the previous releases of these movies. Something always felt “off,” but now they finally feel like they somewhat fit into the world Jackson first created with the Lord of the Rings trilogy.

[TheHutt]

Originally Posted by Geoff D

Why is that? Is it because turbine are doing a special sauce upscale of a tired old transfer which is what Jackson loves to do anyway?

Nope.

[NeoTechnicJ]

While I enjoyed the 4ks well enough, they absolutely laid bare some of the ‘magic’ used to make it. I always thought the Gandalf with the Dwarves in Bags End looked great, but with the 4k I could tell the scene was composted (perhaps due to sharpening?) and it kind of took me out of it. I still like the 4ks over the old blu rays, but damnit I wish I pulled the trigger on the Middle Earth 4k set when Amazon had it on sale for $100 to get the new blus. I feel like WB knew this and is counting on double purchases like in the old days when the extended versions released months after the theatrical, but went super skimpy on the special features.

[Geoff D]

I tell thee what though, the more I look at the caps of the remastered Hobbitses the more excited I'm getting. Yes, the compression is garbage in some spots (though bitrates are still a smidgen higher than the previous discs) but that oily, smudgy and wholly oversharpened look of the UHDs has been eradicated. It's got some texture back, texture which should never have been removed in the first place as it was specifically put there by Andrew Lesnie, god rest him.

When I reviewed the first two UHDs I loved the new grading (aside from all that prologue silliness) and the recovery of highlight range but the sharpening always stood out. On the first two movies I gave it a pass because the new grading and HDR was so good but when I watched Five Armies and even did a load of photo comparisons I couldn't bring myself to review it because the sharpening is downright painful on that one. And that's not Geoffy revisionism spurred by the caps of the new BDs, I said it a while ago that Five Armies was the worstest: https://forum.blu-ray.com/showthread...s#post19634394

But the more and more caps I click on the more I see that the sheer amount of range and colour brought back is not exclusive to the HDR grades, it's right there on the new BDs e.g. https://caps-a-holic.com/c.php?go=1&...56780&i=12&l=0 and https://caps-a-holic.com/c.php?go=1&...156824&i=8&l=0 (though the SDR conversion of the UHDs for their respective caps is knocking out colour and highlights which makes the UHDs look duller and more blown out vs the new BDs, I doubt that'll hold up but I'll check one against the other in native SDR vs native HDR anyway). So if I can get most of the benefits of the HDR without the sharpening then holy shit I'll take it! I won't get dat HDR brightness but these aren't Light Cannons™ to start with and I'm starting to find HDR slightly distasteful lately anyway.

The compression of these BDs may yet be of greater disappointment than the rampant sharpening of the UHDs but goddamn I can't wait to see them.

[Mierzwiak]

Originally Posted by Geoff D

I tell thee what though, the more I look at the caps of the remastered Hobbitses the more excited I'm getting.

I checked all three today (along with LOTR remasters) and I gotta say they look very, very nice, even the Five Armies (I hated the look of it on the big screen) now has some lovely colors and pleasant warmness.

Even that weird shot...
https://caps-a-holic.com/c.php?go=1&...198407&i=2&l=1
...looks much better in motion.

[zzap64]

Have a look at this new screenshot showing it's very pixelated on the furnace. It's not just on this frame but during the scene as the object appears to have been rendered at a low resolution.

Also some of the flying debris is opaque including part of the dragons tail.

https://caps-a-holic.com/c.php?a=2&x...&l=0&i=13&go=1

[Geoff D]

Originally Posted by zzap64

Have a look at this new screenshot showing it's very pixelated on the furnace. It's not just on this frame but during the scene as the object appears to have been rendered at a low resolution.

Also some of the flying debris is opaque including part of the dragons tail.

https://caps-a-holic.com/c.php?a=2&x...&l=0&i=13&go=1

Just as jaggy on the previous BD so yeah, it’s been rendered out that way…which the UHD with its mega-sharpening just makes worse.

[AVX]

Originally Posted by zzap64

Have a look at this new screenshot showing it's very pixelated on the furnace. It's not just on this frame but during the scene as the object appears to have been rendered at a low resolution.

Also some of the flying debris is opaque including part of the dragons tail.

https://caps-a-holic.com/c.php?a=2&x...&l=0&i=13&go=1

Good lord. What is that pixelation...

[Steel76]

Damn that's some shitty CGI.
Looks like temp FX, which they forgot to finish.

[Roonan]

https://caps-a-holic.com/c.php?a=1&x...7&l=0&i=2&go=1

[bga84]

Took the plunge and got the 30 disc remastered set available here in the UK (decent price at the moment!) and yep, I prefer the look of the Hobbit films over the UHD versions.

All the benefits of the new colour grading are there but they don't look like someone has applied an emboss filter from a late 90s photo editor*

Overall, think the standard BDs might be the way to go!

*only a slight exaggeration

[Mierzwiak]

Originally Posted by Roonan

https://caps-a-holic.com/c.php?a=1&x...7&l=0&i=2&go=1

It's not that bad in motion, actually.

[singhcr]

Originally Posted by Geoff D

I tell thee what though, the more I look at the caps of the remastered Hobbitses the more excited I'm getting. Yes, the compression is garbage in some spots (though bitrates are still a smidgen higher than the previous discs) but that oily, smudgy and wholly oversharpened look of the UHDs has been eradicated. It's got some texture back, texture which should never have been removed in the first place as it was specifically put there by Andrew Lesnie, god rest him.

When I reviewed the first two UHDs I loved the new grading (aside from all that prologue silliness) and the recovery of highlight range but the sharpening always stood out. On the first two movies I gave it a pass because the new grading and HDR was so good but when I watched Five Armies and even did a load of photo comparisons I couldn't bring myself to review it because the sharpening is downright painful on that one. And that's not Geoffy revisionism spurred by the caps of the new BDs, I said it a while ago that Five Armies was the worstest: https://forum.blu-ray.com/showthread...s#post19634394

But the more and more caps I click on the more I see that the sheer amount of range and colour brought back is not exclusive to the HDR grades, it's right there on the new BDs e.g. https://caps-a-holic.com/c.php?go=1&...56780&i=12&l=0 and https://caps-a-holic.com/c.php?go=1&...156824&i=8&l=0 (though the SDR conversion of the UHDs for their respective caps is knocking out colour and highlights which makes the UHDs look duller and more blown out vs the new BDs, I doubt that'll hold up but I'll check one against the other in native SDR vs native HDR anyway). So if I can get most of the benefits of the HDR without the sharpening then holy shit I'll take it! I won't get dat HDR brightness but these aren't Light Cannons™ to start with and I'm starting to find HDR slightly distasteful lately anyway.

The compression of these BDs may yet be of greater disappointment than the rampant sharpening of the UHDs but goddamn I can't wait to see them.

PJ is truly reaching insane levels of DNR hardons if sensor noise or perhaps even a tad of grain added in post on an all digital shoot gives him issues. The man simply doesn't like detail. Well, all those fancy cameras he has for his movies can be improved by setting the lenses out of focus. There! No more nasty details.

[Geoff D]

Originally Posted by Mierzwiak

It's not that bad in motion, actually.

It looks like a different effect full stop. Having already seen the UHDs and managed to live through it then I’m fine with it.

[lgans316]

I managed to live through these by clicking the fast forward button.

For me, this whole middle earth plus PJ's King Kong are butchered. HDR is okay but this oil painting type of look combined with DNR + EE ruins the experience.

[Geoff D]

Originally Posted by singhcr

PJ is truly reaching insane levels of DNR hardons if sensor noise or perhaps even a tad of grain added in post on an all digital shoot gives him issues. The man simply doesn't like detail. Well, all those fancy cameras he has for his movies can be improved by setting the lenses out of focus. There! No more nasty details.

Lesnie said to AmCin that he added a dab of noise in post and softened it a little, he knew he wasn’t going to match the film look of LOTR but he was still conscious of there being some kind of texture there. And Jackson took his deceased DP’s wishes and pissed on them for the UHDs. Charming man.

Originally Posted by lgans316

I managed to live through these by clicking the fast forward button.

For me, this whole middle earth plus PJ's King Kong are butchered. HDR is okay but this oil painting type of look combined with DNR + EE ruins the experience.

I watched Kong again recently and enjoyed the presentation in spite of its many many faults (might even do a re-review in defence of it) but the Hobbitses UHDs go too far.

[Mierzwiak]

Originally Posted by Geoff D

I watched Kong again recently and enjoyed the presentation in spite of its many many faults (might even do a re-review in defence of it)

[Geoff D]

My remastered Blu set has arrived! EEEEEEEEEEEK!

[bga84]

Just had a bit more of a look at Battle of the Five armies. Ugh. It really is one of the ugliest movies I've seen. I watched scenes from the UHD and remastered BD back to back and while I maintain that the BD is less objectionable, it's still horribly over-processed at the source level.

On the other hand I have the "good morning" scene from AUJ on now and the remastered BD is really quite lovely.

Such a frustrating mixed bag.

[Mierzwiak]

Originally Posted by bga84

I maintain that the BD is less objectionable, it's still horribly over-processed at the source level.

True. I remember how disgusted I was by the look of it when I was watching it on the big screen back in 2014. At least the remaster has much better colors now. If only there was a way to fix the script