The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies are coming to 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray in December

[midian182]

Something to look forward to: Can you name the hill where Frodo was stabbed with a Morgul-knife*? Have you read The Silmarillion? If you're a hardcore Tolkien fan, here's some good news: On December 1, both The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies are being released on 4K UHD Blu-ray for the first time.

Sean Astin, who played Samwise Gamgee in the original trilogy, made the announcement. He revealed that director Peter Jackson oversaw the remastering process, which was carried out by Weta Digital—the Oscar-winning digital effects company co-founded by Jackson.

In the case of the first three movies, new 4K scans of original camera negatives and new 4K scans of the original VFX film outs were used. The Hobbit trilogy was shot digitally in 5K. There's also Dolby Vision, HDR10, and Dolby Atmos support.

“Now, because it’s in 4K UHD, you know it’s going to be the most incredible home-viewing experience possible,” said the actor.

The two collections comprise both the theatrical releases and the extended editions of the movies.

There have already been numerous versions of the LOTR released over the years, and these upcoming 4K UHD Blu-rays won’t be the last. Next summer, a Middle-earth Ultimate Collectors’ Edition featuring the theatrical and extended versions of all six films in 4K UHD, along with new bonus content, will be released.

Next year also marks the twentieth anniversary of The Fellowship of the Ring, incredibly, so Warner Bros will be releasing a remastered Blu-ray version of the first trilogy in the final quarter of 2021.

Both Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit 4K Blu-ray box sets can now be pre-ordered on Amazon for $89. There’s also a version of LOTR with a one ring replica for $139.99. Best Buy, meanwhile, has SteelBook editions of both trilogies for $119.

*Frodo was stabbed at Weathertop, aka Amon Sûl

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https://www.techspot.com/news/87027-lord-rings-trilogy-hobbit-trilogy-coming-4k-ultra.html

 

[DDG4005]

Something to look forward to this year and next.

 

[Irata]

Ouch, the price. Good thing about physical media is that there's always a used market.

But yes, that's something I'm definitely looking forward to.

 

[Squid Surprise]

I still remember when I got the blu-rays of the first trilogy... watched them straight through - while my wife laughed at me and went to bed...

I know it's dumb... but I'll be buying this and most likely "wasting" 20 hours watching them....

 

[DDG4005]

I guess this means I'll have to spring for a pair of 4K monitors eventually (one per PC), but I don't want to remove my graphics cards just to play the movies either.

Maybe it's time to invest in a supported Blu-ray player and flat-screen television instead; currently I use my PCs for watching movies.

 

[Irata]

I guess this means I'll have to spring for a pair of 4K monitors eventually (one per PC), but I don't want to remove my graphics cards just to play the movies either.

Maybe it's time to invest in a supported Blu-ray player and flat-screen television instead; currently I use my PCs for watching movies.

Getting a console on close out or used may be an alternative to getting a 4k Blu-Ray player. Even the one S can play 4K Blu Ray.

 

[Squid Surprise]

Getting a console on close out or used may be an alternative to getting a 4k Blu-Ray player. Even the one S can play 4K Blu Ray.

Pretty much the only reason I bought a PS3 and then a PS4 Pro - I figured they'd have guaranteed support far longer than any other Blu-Ray and UHD Blu-Ray players.... And of course, the games are a nice bonus

 

[Klambar]

4k of Lord of the Rings & The Hobbit on Amazon listed at $94.99 pre-order not $89.00 as article states.

 

[dob_1]

"A rough rule of thumb is that if you are further away than 1.5 times the diagonal screen size, then you will struggle to tell the difference between the various HD resolutions." <https://www.the-home-cinema-guide.com/tv-resolution.html>

Most 4K vs FHD is illusory. Our eyes simply can't see the pixels, it's physically impossible unless you have a very big screen or sit very close! The difference we do see is in things like depth of 'black', contrast and colour saturation which is usually better on newer higher quality sets. I'll be sticking with my DVD and Bluray discs!

 

[Axiarus]

"A rough rule of thumb is that if you are further away than 1.5 times the diagonal screen size, then you will struggle to tell the difference between the various HD resolutions." <https://www.the-home-cinema-guide.com/tv-resolution.html>

Most 4K vs FHD is illusory. Our eyes simply can't see the pixels, it's physically impossible unless you have a very big screen or sit very close! The difference we do see is in things like depth of 'black', contrast and colour saturation which is usually better on newer higher quality sets. I'll be sticking with my DVD and Bluray discs!

Lol DVD's. Dunno, I live in an apartment and have a 65" 4K HDR QLED TV and it is a massive difference over my old 55" FHD TV.

 

[dob_1]

Lol DVD's. Dunno, I live in an apartment and have a 65" 4K HDR QLED TV and it is a massive difference over my old 55" FHD TV.

Yep no doubt it is, and maybe you are less that 3 yards from the screen, but if you are sitting more than about 100" from the screen it's not the pixels that are making that difference, it's the QLED and HDR.

 

[darkzelda]

Well, I'll be getting this, one way or the other, This will be around my 15th time to watch my favorite movies of all time.

 

[McMurdeR]

I heard the original movies weren't shot in 4k

 

[Endymio]

I heard the original movies weren't shot in 4k

They were shot on film, analog style, then mastered to HD. That's why they need to be remastered for 4K now.

 

[Reehahs]

Why is the price rising faster than the resolution?

 

[Burty117]

Pretty much the only reason I bought a PS3 and then a PS4 Pro - I figured they'd have guaranteed support far longer than any other Blu-Ray and UHD Blu-Ray players.... And of course, the games are a nice bonus

But the PS4 Pro can't play UHD Blu-Rays?

 

[Squid Surprise]

But the PS4 Pro can't play UHD Blu-Rays?

It can... which is why I bought it...

 

[Burty117]

It can... which is why I bought it...

First bit of trolling in a while I actually fell for! 100% cannot play UHD Blu-rays, Not only did I Google it and absolutely confirmed it can't, I actually went downstairs, turned it all on, threw in a UHD and nope, it just spins the disc a few times then gives up.

Strong work! Rare someone gets me that hard