LORD OF THE RINGS TRILOGY 4K UHD BLU-RAY REVIEW - Bad 4K DNR and a 2K UPSCALE? Screencaps Comparison

Note - some people have picked up on my referring to Super 35 as Super Cine. My apologies if that is incorrect. I've always used the two terms interchangeably. Please do not let this take away from the issues I'm presenting in this video. Thanks!

You saved me from buying these. I went for the Blu Ray versions instead. I love HDR as much as the next guy, but the loss of detail is a no go for me!

i want to buy this and play it on my x box series X but there are people compaying that sboc series x doesnt play the 3 layers blue ray , does any body knows if this problem is fixed ?

I really don't trust Peter Jackson and his digital 4K "restorations" after seeing this and his Beatles' 'Get Back' with everything looking waxy. I was excited for Braindead aka Dead Alive but seeing what he's doing to his films really took the wind out of my sails. The German release of The Frighteners is fantastic though.

Thank you. You saved me 70 dollars. Im keeping my Blu-ray editions

Just bought this 4K edition and so far I'm thoroughly enjoying the film in Dolby vision and Dolby atmos.

Imagine wanting film grain instead of a clearer picture

On the 4K of Fellowship, when Aragorn walks up to Frodo to say “you have my sword”, they changed Frodo from the short actor stand it to Elijah Wood himself. They didn’t do the same with some of the next shots

Sorry its nit picking if you didn't watch this video most people wouldn't even notice i didn't notice it looks great and it really doesn't matter that much when your watching the movie overall its a big improvment

I actually transferred my 4K copies of the movies onto my computer and added a film emulation as well as grain and a warmer color tone, this improves the “clean”, digital look of the 4K master

Is this version different from the Steelbook version? Apart from the boxes, of course. I want to know if the movies are the same, if they are I'll get this version and not the steelbook one

I watch the trilogy every year for Christmas. I bought these 4 years ago and wasn’t impressed and in the intervening years I watched the Blu-rays. Well earlier this year I upgraded to an LG C3 and a UB820 and I thought I’d give the 4K discs another chance. Yes, the HDR is fantastic but overall it looked terrible. Wax people, plastic looking sets, it was awful. I switched back to the Blu-rays and funnily enough the setup I have does a great job at upscaling so they looked fantastic. Yeah the HDR wasn’t as good but it looked like how I remember it looking in theaters. I pretty much have a paperweight in the form of a 4K boxset

You obviously know your shit, and communicate it well. Subscribed!

Those Hobbit movies are just....mid, LotR movie trilogy obviously had more content to draw from but there can be no comparison, they just don't hold a candle to LotR, wasn't bad by any means but LotR is a masterpiece in both media forms.

2k is still 80% more pixels than 1k but it doesnt show at all. I fear they used the 1k master.

LOTR should have stayed in HD not 4k.

I've stumbled on this. loved your passions and can see the video is made with care. Perhaps we can get the grain back when digital restoration codes improved, I hope.

DNR = Disaster Now Rendered

People will not notice any of this when they are not zoomed in stills but moving 24 frames per second. Don't get me wrong, all of your points are valid and these movies deserve the best treatment. But I think the vast majority of people would choose the 4K version with its HDR and Dolby Atmos over the 1080p blurays. Both have their flaws but the HDR and the Atmos seals the deal. Hopefully they will get an even better treatment in the future.

You and Shane Lee were the real ones for going against other so called "reviewers" and calling out Peter Jackson's overuse of digital scrubbing and artificial sharpening on this 4K set. Much respect.

So, buy 1080 bluray editions got it.

Couldn't the remaster use the film that was played at theatres? Unless theatres played the digital version back then.

Why can't they just scan one of the 35mm prints that were made for theaters?

Watched the HBO max version of these and man was the DNR realllly noticable. So many waxy faces and smeared landscapes, I was really disappointed but also happy I didn't purchase the blu rays.

Low end here. The moment when Sauron dies at the beginning of fellowship feels bloody amazing on the old DTS track. On the Atmos track is easily reduced down at least by half of the intensity. A complete bummer

Peter Jackson getting that George Lucas syndrome 😭 just because technology says you can doesn't mean you should 😢

Thanks for this channel. Do informative and interesting. We'll done sir 👏

How do u know these films are 2k upscales? Not 4k

Compared the Remastered 4K and it’s Remastered 1080p of Two Towers on my BenQ projector and I’m shocked how the 1080p has more detail and the faces are not as waxy as the 4K. Like WTF happened. I’d say just get the Blu rays and not bother with the 4Ks since the HDR even if it’s good doesn’t ban aid the atrocious DNR

You can see the waxiness in the 4K trailers. One advantage of intensive DNR is that it makes the data compress much better. Maybe that's a reason they do it?

I still refuse to purchase the 4K because of how the transfer was done, and the lack of bonus content.

Is the The Lord of the Rings Trilogy: Extended Editions (hmv Exclusive) version any good?

The hobbit movies are some of the ugliest movies ever made

What they have allowed to be done is an atrocity! These are some of the most important films that Warner Bros. have ever produced and deserve to be preserved in the most pristine and perfect versions that money can buy. Excusing the lack of effort to restore these masterpieces to their best versions via proper 4K transfers because of how much it would cost is absolutely laughable! Do you realize how much these films have made these people over the years, from the ticket sales, to the DVD sales, to the Blu Ray sales, to the digital video sales and finally with the 4K Blu Ray sales? LOTS of money. There is absolutely ZERO excuse for Warner Bros. and especially Peter Jackson to have allowed this to happen other than they just don't care enough about it now to do what needs to be done! Thank you for your honest take on this travesty!

Its decided I'm saving the $40 and getting the 1080p blue ray version.

so other than some things that most people wouldn't have noticed anyways, the overall experience is still better?

Kudos as you saved me from returning my just purchased BD remasters with the UHD BDs. Realizing the BD remasters have the Atmos soundtrack the remaster BD is sufficient. Even for no other reason than I don’t want the theatrical release and now they only sell the 4k remasters with extended and theatrical release.
If ever they actually rerender the CGI and scan the negatives in 4K and then also insert the deleted scenes, then I’ll be I the market for that version

For now it seems Jackson did a Lucas on the films. Stop changing things you damn bastards.

Hi Elliot! I wonder if you have had the time to see a 35mm restoration of the trilogy? I just watched one and decided to everyone review and a few others on the official 4K releases. Of course your review holds up, but it was interesting to rewatch with an updated knowledge of the original film and how it actually looked.

A certain group have restored this trilogy’s theatrical cuts, and also the extended 35mm version of Fellowship, and I believe the extended version of Two Towers is coming.. all in 4K. The extended Fellowship even includes a HDR version, which I thought looked fantastic. Return of the King never had a 35mm Extended cut, which is unfortunate, but these restorations are beautiful and you get a really accurate representation of the original film. If you need help finding them, please get in touch.

One thing I would say is that they haven’t been DNR’d, and I barely noticed the film grain. The film stock was very clean looking as its reputation suggests.

I hope you have or get the chance to check them out, they really are a treat as a film enthusiast and fan of Jackson’s LOTR.

Film grain is not detail. Film grain doesn't exist in real life unless you are in a pitch black room.

Is this thread still open for discussion?

Middle-Earth: The Ultimate Collector's Edition 2022 [4K Ultra HD] £134.99

Middle-earth: 6-film Collection [Remastered Extended ] [Region Free] [Blu-ray] [2001] £51.99

The Lord of the Rings Trilogy: Steelbook Collection [Theatrical and Extended Edition] [4K Ultra HD] [2001] [Blu-ray] £170?

The Lord of The Rings Trilogy: [Theatrical and Extended Edition] [4K Ultra-HD] [2001] [Blu-ray] £54.99

Which one is best?

I think the old DVD is the best version to watch the extended editions as it has pretty accurate colors and it doesn’t have the problems of 4K. Also I watch movies on a 1080p monitor usually so the 720p isn’t that much of a problem

But it's in HDR and Dolby Atmos DNR or not. The Blu rays have better grain on the extended cut original releases yes. HDR and Atmos make a huge difference everyone says they don't, but they do.

Its ok it doesnt matter i just finished watching your video, thanks for good info x

Debating still wether to get the Blu-ray or the 4k but putting my order in within then next day or two? Can I just confirm you don't get a Blu-ray and a 4k version with this set? I would much appreciate your reply it would be such a great help. Xx

The problem is not necessarily the use of DNR itself but how it was used. The frustrating thing is that they could've used DNR in a way that made a modest improvement if they really felt it necessary. But instead it was done not just in a heavy handed way but in a careless way. Imagine being entrusted with working on the 4k version of this film and being so lazy as to resort to using DNR presets and/or not noticing how drastic the negative effects of the settings were. It really boggles the mind.

What version has the best sound quality? I have a high end sound system

what's so good about grain? i want to watch a fantasy world, not an ugly limitation of the medium