Official: The Matrix 4K

[Lithium]

It's official The Matrix is getting a 4K HDR release in May with a newly 4K scanned negative and Dolby Atmos sound-mix upgrade! The new 4K remaster is being supervised by director of photography Bill Pope.

Full press release: http://www.blu-ray.com/news/?id=23011

No word on the sequels yet but I would imagine they (and possibly The Animatrix) will follow later in the year if the release is successful.

[Tbone]

Hmm. My girlfriend hasn't seen all of them yet. Maybe we should wait for this release (if they end up doing them all).

[Lithium]

Hmm. My girlfriend hasn't seen all of them yet. Maybe we should wait for this release (if they end up doing them all).

Keep in mind you need a 4K blu-ray player and a TV capable of 4K and HDR for the full benefit. However, the regular 1080p blu-ray included is also getting a remaster from the new scan so it will hopefully be an improvement over the already excellent blu-ray.

[Tbone]

Yeah, my hope would be that it would end up on Netflix as 4k streaming or something. Or I can find a copy and deal with the downsampling and still get the other benefits.

[Lithium]

Just went up for preorder at Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07BF1Z37P/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Yeah, I'm sure it'll end up on Netflix someday and be available on Vudu for the digital copy. However, the quality comparison is not even close. Netflix 4K at most is 15-18mbps. Standard bluray is around 20-30mbps and UHD bluray is upwards of 80-100mbps.

And streaming sound is always lossy and equivalent to DVD quality. Although Vudu now supports Atmos, but I believe it's a special extension of DolbyDigital+ for streaming with metadata to place certain sounds. Underneath it's still a lossy format, unlike the majority of blu-ray disks.

[Lithium]

Price has dropped to $24.99 on Amazon. Was originally above $40.

[Lithium]

This is one of several reviews that have come in. Then general consensus is a 5-star release.

The big highlight is that the aggressive color grading seen on the old BD has been toned way down and a more natural coloring is allowed to emerge. This color grading effect should be maximized even further on the 4k version which supports the HDR and importantly the wider color gamut.

Review: http://www.blu-ray.com/movies/The-Matrix-4K-Blu-ray/198328/#Review

Screenshots from 1080p remaster: http://www.blu-ray.com/movies/The-Matrix-4K-Blu-ray/198328/#Screenshots

Someone who compared a few shots: http://forum.blu-ray.com/showpost.php?p=15075226&postcount=1629
And here: http://forum.blu-ray.com/showpost.php?p=15075016&postcount=1608 (just look at that lobby floor!)

[Tbone]

I JUST rewatched all these movies, too!

[Lithium]

Here is a great example of the "evolution" of The Matrix on disk over the years. The UHD looks phenomenal given we can't experience the WCG and HDR from a camera capture. The BD remaster looks a little blown out (and the camera probably only adds to it) which might be a result of the HDR transfer down to SDR. It probably wasn't given as much attention. But I imagine it still looks great compared to the last BD release. It's shocking how much green they added to the 2008 release. You can even make out the red safety on the gun in the new shots.

http://forum.blu-ray.com/showpost.php?p=15086150&postcount=1926

[Lithium]

Rumored cover art for the complete UHD collection. Matrix 2 and 3 are expected to be released this fall.

[Lithium]

Trilogy boxset is coming in October!

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07G2CJP6C/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Reloaded: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07G1YZ9WM/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Revolutions: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07G1YZ9WN/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I'm sure the prices on the individuals will drop into the $25-$30 range by release.

[Lithium]

In anticipation of The Matrix Trilogy 4K releases later this month my YouTube knew me well and highlighted a cool little video review from someone who didn't like the movies as a kid but has a new found appreciation for them after re-watching years later.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=ZvyCyyFRpfE

[LesterMi]

Did you watch it in 4k, Lithium? Was your mind blown? haha

[Lithium]

Did you watch it in 4k, Lithium? Was your mind blown? haha

Yup, the 4K releases of The Matrix are some of the best content available on disk today. The Morpheus Rescue from the first movie is now my quintessential theater room demo. I have a 150" screen with 4k rear-projection and a 7.2 surround sound setup.

Even the sequels contain a healthy dose of un-greening and visual effects like the hovercraft battle look amazing. Maybe my only gripe is the final showdown in Revolutions, which is much darker now, or just much darker than I am used to. But, there are some great visuals that were blown out on the old releases that really shine in 4k. I'll post a video below with one such example, it starts at the 6min mark. Neo almost looks like an angel! Was he a member of FA at one time maybe?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=367&v=JUZC1F3TSrs&t=6m