- Joined
- Feb 8, 1999
- Messages
- 18,416
- Real Name
- Robert Harris
The Hunger Games, to me, the best YA series in recent memory, is of interest here, as during the few years in which it was in production, technology advanced on both visual as well as aural fronts.
The original Blu-rays of the four films (The Hunger Games - 2012, Catching Fire - 2013, Mockingjay 1 - 2014, and finally Mockingjay 2 - 2015) gave us audio in DTS-HD MA 7.1 for the first two films, and Dolby Atmos for parts three and four.
The Hunger Games was shot on film on an Arri in 35/3, and completed as a 2k DI, before being taken to HD,
Catching Fire was also film-based, shot with an Arri in 35/3, but finished as a 4k DI.
Mockingjay - Part 1 was fully digital. Shot with an Array Alexa in 2.8k, and also finished in 4k
Mockingjay - Part 2 - ditto.
Now that the four films have been released in 4k UHD / HDR by Lionsgate, one really has the chance to take a close look at the four, compare and contrast, and find the technical differences.
And they are visible.
For audio, the four 4k releases give us full Dolby Atmos for the first time on all four films.
I've spent some quality time examining the new 4ks, and here's what I've come away with .
The apparent up-rez from films 2-4, is visibly greater than that of 1.
While HDR helps all four, adding a bit of extra "pop," 2-4 are far more highly resolved overall.
The addition of Dolby Atmos, also adds that extra bit of visceral involvement to the first two, and yes, you can hear the difference in the specific placement across the proscenium.
The bottom line here, is that fans of the series will find an absolute, and very obvious, uptick in image quality across all four films, and audio for the first two.
For the uninitiated Lionsgate has made the series a bit more user friendly by annotating the packaging with a small 1,2,3,4, just so that new viewers get the films in the correct order.
Those purchasing the entire set, may initially find Catching Fire in short supply, but one must presume that very shortly, enough copies will be available to service immediate needs. If you're looking for the series, and don't find Fire, I'd grab 1, 3 and 4, and pick up 2 next week, if you can't find it with immediacy.
Technically, the films look superb via Sony projection, especially with the latest firmware, with all flags properly initiating 4k, HDR and other tech specs to perfection.
Upgrade from Blu-ray is recommended.
Image - 5
Audio - 5 (Dolby Atmos)
4k - 5
Upgrade from Blu-ray - 5
Pass / Fail - Pass
Recommended
RAH
The original Blu-rays of the four films (The Hunger Games - 2012, Catching Fire - 2013, Mockingjay 1 - 2014, and finally Mockingjay 2 - 2015) gave us audio in DTS-HD MA 7.1 for the first two films, and Dolby Atmos for parts three and four.
The Hunger Games was shot on film on an Arri in 35/3, and completed as a 2k DI, before being taken to HD,
Catching Fire was also film-based, shot with an Arri in 35/3, but finished as a 4k DI.
Mockingjay - Part 1 was fully digital. Shot with an Array Alexa in 2.8k, and also finished in 4k
Mockingjay - Part 2 - ditto.
Now that the four films have been released in 4k UHD / HDR by Lionsgate, one really has the chance to take a close look at the four, compare and contrast, and find the technical differences.
And they are visible.
For audio, the four 4k releases give us full Dolby Atmos for the first time on all four films.
I've spent some quality time examining the new 4ks, and here's what I've come away with .
The apparent up-rez from films 2-4, is visibly greater than that of 1.
While HDR helps all four, adding a bit of extra "pop," 2-4 are far more highly resolved overall.
The addition of Dolby Atmos, also adds that extra bit of visceral involvement to the first two, and yes, you can hear the difference in the specific placement across the proscenium.
The bottom line here, is that fans of the series will find an absolute, and very obvious, uptick in image quality across all four films, and audio for the first two.
For the uninitiated Lionsgate has made the series a bit more user friendly by annotating the packaging with a small 1,2,3,4, just so that new viewers get the films in the correct order.
Those purchasing the entire set, may initially find Catching Fire in short supply, but one must presume that very shortly, enough copies will be available to service immediate needs. If you're looking for the series, and don't find Fire, I'd grab 1, 3 and 4, and pick up 2 next week, if you can't find it with immediacy.
Technically, the films look superb via Sony projection, especially with the latest firmware, with all flags properly initiating 4k, HDR and other tech specs to perfection.
Upgrade from Blu-ray is recommended.
Image - 5
Audio - 5 (Dolby Atmos)
4k - 5
Upgrade from Blu-ray - 5
Pass / Fail - Pass
Recommended
RAH
