LOTR UHD discs through Panasonic UB820 and 1080p projector, WOW

Soldato
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Yeh you read that right, I bought the LOTR UHD collection that just came out (via the WB store as 10% off for new customers, they were short on stock but shipped with next day courier vs 2-3working days like they said they would).

They scanned the 35mm film and raw CGI at 4k Vs 2k when the film's first released. They colour graded to make the film's more consistent (fellowship has a crazy blue green tint now removed) and pulled out more detail though not TOO much as per Jackson's direction. There's a YT video interviewing PJ and other comparison clips available, I'm going to make a video too I think.

I got the UB820 yesterday from Curry's and set it to the SDR/BT2020 setting but didn't change anything else. When I play the UHD disc to my non HDR, 1080p projector (HW40ES Sony) it strips the HDR data and gives me an SDR image.

Well we were both gawping throughout, it's a revelation. The player is downsampling four pixels to one so fine details like hairs are confidently there on screen. You see minutiae on minutiae and it's just beautiful for want of a better one size fits all descriptor.

Contrast is much improved as well with scenes popping and looking HDR in some cases even on a low luminence device such as a Projector, an SDR one at that! You now see capillaries in the subsurface of skin on actors and fine details in clothes previously not visible.

The Atmos soundtrack is amazing with deep thundering bass, can't wait for battles in the later films! The score sounds great with that blackfloor separation/space effect I find you have with individual instruments eminating from your speakers Vs a levelled mix being played through them in non object based audio.

Conclusion: very glad I got the UB820 and the LOTR UHD set for my 1080p projector. Yeh I'd take a faux k or 4k projector but really wonder then if I'd even know what was happening in the film without critiquing every scene lol.

Highly recommended for anyone on the fence. No weird colours or crushed or blown highlights with the Panasonic player, with it outputting a reference SDR image.
 
Soldato
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Good stuff, I'm just a bit annoyed I'd be buying these for the 3rd time lol... but suppose it is what it is... if you want the best... theyre a complete rip off though price wise, they need to be careful as you can buy them for peanuts on ATV yet the discs are 75 quid for each set... a lot of money that when I've owned them twice now...

Great news that they're worth it and the ting that makes me want to add them onto santas list is that the CGI has been remastered... in some places looked dodgy on bluray so, hopefully it's bang upto date now!

*EDIT, so they didn't remaster the CGI... shame
 
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Soldato
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I try to not focus on the CG but it's hard not to. It's looking the best it ever will due to colour grading and it is matched really well. You'll see the cave troll is well matched and the ENTs. There are times when I think the CG is close to a moderate high budget blockbuster these days, so nothing bad at all considering they're twenty years old?

Dark scenes are just mutch easier to see and some scenes are just plain different esp for example detail retrieval in the orc mining area around the tower.

Go to WB site get 10% off that takes it to £67.50 /3 = £20 something quid for extended edition films that are over three hrs long each, it's nothing too bad.

If you care though, 2021 they will release a deluxe set of sorts with all the extras and things, this current package is the films bare bones which I don't care about + can watch them now. we are just over half way.
 
Soldato
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Good stuff, I'm just a bit annoyed I'd be buying these for the 3rd time lol... but suppose it is what it is... if you want the best... theyre a complete rip off though price wise, they need to be careful as you can buy them for peanuts on ATV yet the discs are 75 quid for each set... a lot of money that when I've owned them twice now...

Great news that they're worth it and the ting that makes me want to add them onto santas list is that the CGI has been remastered... in some places looked dodgy on bluray so, hopefully it's bang upto date now!

*EDIT, so they didn't remaster the CGI... shame

There's a super dooper final edition coming next year, might even have some new footage, so if not too bothered this time round, I would wait for that. Could be pricey, but should be one one master edition to rule them all ;)
 
Soldato
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Good stuff, I'm just a bit annoyed I'd be buying these for the 3rd time lol... but suppose it is what it is... if you want the best... theyre a complete rip off though price wise, they need to be careful as you can buy them for peanuts on ATV yet the discs are 75 quid for each set... a lot of money that when I've owned them twice now...

Great news that they're worth it and the ting that makes me want to add them onto santas list is that the CGI has been remastered... in some places looked dodgy on bluray so, hopefully it's bang upto date now!

*EDIT, so they didn't remaster the CGI... shame

I was all set to buy these until I saw that they didn't remaster the CGI. It looks terrible in places on the Blu Ray. It's going to look even worse in 4K!!
 
Soldato
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How can they remaster the CGI without doing it again?

I read a lot of the time CGI doesn't look convincing is colour grading. Beside what you going to do remaster it yourself and never watch them again? It really isn't that bad and there's still great film making in there.
 
Soldato
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How can they remaster the CGI without doing it again?

I read a lot of the time CGI doesn't look convincing is colour grading. Beside what you going to do remaster it yourself and never watch them again? It really isn't that bad and there's still great film making in there.

I never said I would never watch them again, and where did I say they were bad films? I have bought the DVDs and I bought the BluRays. The Blu Ray was worse for me than the DVDs because of the colours and the how noticeable the CGI was.

They were reporting that the CGI was going to be remastered for this 4K release, but, now it seems you have to wait until the release next year for the remastered CGI. That's the version I will buy.
 
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They were reporting that the CGI was going to be remastered for this 4K release
That's exactly what I'd heard, obviously just a load of crap on forums again and slightly disappointing in a way BUT then again that would've cost a fortune and millions to do that lot again, suppose it is what it is... as long as the colour looks right this time around as yeah I could never ever get the blurays looking how I expected them to be the white of the snow was never white for me... now I know why... the colour spec was right off... bit like Expendables on 4k disc, I actually prefer the Bluray... there's something about Expendables 2 I think it is, and the colour is all over the place!
 
Soldato
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So, the current UHD release doesn't have rematered CGI - and that version is coming in 2021? I'm sure I am reading in tis very thread that the current release both has and doesn't have the remastered CGI.

While I'm not tempted at the current price, would have got it - but not if there is yet another version coming.
 
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So, the current UHD release doesn't have rematered CGI - and that version is coming in 2021? I'm sure I am reading in tis very thread that the current release both has and doesn't have the remastered CGI.

While I'm not tempted at the current price, would have got it - but not if there is yet another version coming.

The current box sets do NOT have remastered CGI. Peter Jackson has stated this himself. What they have done is touch-in any imperfections and brought the colour palette more in line.

The boxsets planned in the summer still have quite a few unknowns. Remastered CGI has NOT been confirmed, (and tbh its probably not going to happen at all). Extra scenes have NOT been confirmed. Most of it is pure internet speculation at this point, (unless I've missed something recently).
 
Soldato
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as long as the colour looks right this time around as yeah I could never ever get the blurays looking how I expected them to be the white of the snow was never white for me

I am Irish and even I don't like Green as much as Peter Jackson :p He wanted that green tinge on everything!!!
 
Soldato
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The Hobbit, the final fight, everyone blowing their load when the elf archers rock up and procede not to fire a single arrow. Just me?
 
Soldato
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Where’s the source for the supposed ‘remastered CGI’ in 2021 please?
Sounds like a load of hokum to me as I can’t find any hard facts about it. All I’ve read so far is that 2021 is just going to be extra bonus materials in addition to this years 4K releases as the sets at the moment are just the films.
Peter Jackson hasn’t said anything about remastered cgi in any interviews either?
 
Soldato
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Where’s the source for the supposed ‘remastered CGI’ in 2021 please?

There isn't. What we know is that there's a full complete edition that will include all the extra crap that this edition doesn't have (bonus features, extras etc). Perhaps some additional unreleased stuff.

As for the CGI being redone for only that edition next year, don't count on it. People would be in uproar after paying so much for this one. It's a huge task and would have been done for this edition if true.
 
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