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THE MATRIX BY ALXCIA

The Matrix Home Video Releases Comparison
 * The Matrix (1999) Home Video Releases Comparison


THE MATRIX (1999) HOME VIDEO RELEASES COMPARISON

Side-by-side visual comparison of screen shots of almost all home video releases
(incl. HDTV broadcast) of The Matrix from 1999 to 2018. This comparison doesn’t
include: VHS, LaserDisc, VCD, PSP, HD-DVD, digital releases (iTunes, Amazon,
etc.), streaming (Netflix, HBO Max, etc.) or analog TV broadcasts.

by Alexi (@alxcia)

Click here: https://bit.ly/MatrixVersions to open the full Microsoft Sway site


THE MATRIX (1999)

Official Home Video Releases:

 * 1999: DVD (SD) – Original Digital Transfer (a.k.a. Original version)
 * 2004: DVD (SD) – New Digital Transfer (a.k.a. Recolored) [released with
   Ultimate Matrix Collection (UMC)]
 * 2008: Blu-ray (HD) – New Digital Transfer (a.k.a. Recolored) [1st release in
   HD)
 * 2018: Blu-ray (HD) – 4K Scan and HDR Remaster (a.k.a. Remastered) [2nd
   release in HD]
 * 2018: UHD Blu-ray (HDR) – 4K Scan and HDR Remaster (a.k.a. Remastered) [1st
   release in HDR10 & Dolby Vision]

HDTV Broadcast:

 * HDTV – Digital TV Capture (a.k.a. Open Matte) (Original version) – HD 1080i
 * HDTV – Digital TV Capture (a.k.a. Open Matte) (Recolored) – HD 1080p

The screenshots below are some examples of the comparisons you can see in the
full website. On the Matrix Comparison Sway website you can actually move the
slider of the overlayed images.

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BACKGROUND…



The story of The Matrix home releases is long, complicated, and full of
misconceptions. Anyone can go into a rabbit hole of discussion board posts,
articles, blogs, etc. and solve the puzzle: which is the true version of The
Matrix? I’m not going to do that here, but I cannot avoid saying a few words
after putting so much time and effort into creating this site.

You and I are big fans of The Matrix and we both know why; and all our reasons
don’t need any justification (although it’s still fun to discuss and share
opinions). What you probably should know is that I’m a collector and very
interested in image & sound quality and upgrades, so I have every single home
video release of The Matrix and have watched them all numerous times to the
point I have my favourites; and I also know what version I like to watch when
and on which device. I do not have the technical expertise required to explain
what makes each release different or why one is arguably better than the other,
but I figured that if a picture is worth more than 1000 words, then the hundreds
of pictures on this site should be enough.

I must confess I didn’t really follow a very strict/unbiased/error-proof
procedure, I simply took screenshots of roughly the same frames across the most
telling/revealing scenes throughout the movie, from 7 different versions of The
Matrix. Then I made this little site with image comparison slides so you can see
the difference in colour, quality, and aspect ratios.

My hope is that all these samples help you figure out which your preferred
version to watch is, or maybe even discover a version you didn’t know existed.
What’s important to remember is that your preference is subjective and the
version you like the most may not be a popular choice.


HOW ARE THE DIFFERENT VERSIONS DESCRIBED?

Ultimate Matrix Collection

“New Digital Transfer featuring a new coloring tint, matching the film with the
visual look of its sequels.”

“The Matrix was given a brand new digital transfer in order to give it an
appearance far closer to the look of the sequels than the original release. The
contrast was improved, film grain was reduced, brightness was elevated in many
scenes, and some CG shots revealed more detail. Also, colors were much more
vibrant than the original DVD release. The most noticeable change was in the
color timing, especially within the Matrix.”

“[…] both The Matrix Reloaded and The Matrix Revolutions have received new
transfers as well. The images are slightly cleaner and crisper than the original
releases, with improved color and detail.”

4K UHD Remaster

“[…] new 4K scan of the original camera negative created by Warner’s Motion
Picture Imaging facility. Color correction and HDR grading were performed by
MPI’s senior colorist, Jan Yarbrough, and overseen by Bill Pope, director of
photography on all three Matrix films.” (blu-ray.com)

“The Wachowskis have entrusted the creation of the HDR mastering with the
original Director of Photography Bill Pope, ASC. Working with Bill I have come
to realize that he has a full understanding and appreciation for the dynamics of
the HDR format. The Matrix is created in two worlds: the “real” world in cool
blue tones; and the “data” world in ever present green. Now with HDR, this film
can be viewed in its futuristic and data centric realm more accurately than
previous formats would allow. HDR with its huge dynamic range of luminance and
color gamut allows for a true film gamma replication while adding additional
dynamic range for accurate highlights and deep detailed blacks. DP Bill Pope has
taken advantage of this to create a version with color timing as it was
originally intended, crafting a high resolution digital master that is more
accurate than the original theatrical release.” (Warner Bros.)




MY OPINION AND PREFERENCE (STORY TIME):

I watched The Matrix VHS countless times and even more times the old [snapper]
DVD, so that was the way The Matrix looked for me. When the UMC was announced, I
was really excited and curious about how the movie would look like. I loved
Reloaded and Revolutions, so the idea of The Matrix looking like those, was very
compelling. I absolutely loved the new transfer for the UMC because everything
popped so much and it just felt “better”, in terms of image and sound quality.
And I always focused on the image quality aspect (sharpness, etc.) because the
colour timing for me was more of a TV colour calibration issue. Back then I used
to have a CRT TV, and I would usually adjust the colour settings on a per-movie
basis, and without knowing that many people online were being very vocal about
Matrix colour timing. I just didn’t know it was an issue back then.

By the time the first Blu-ray was released, the UMC version was “my version”,
but when I first saw The Matrix in high definition, my eyes were opened. I loved
the HD version so much that to this day, it is the version I watch the most. My
favourite release is the 10th Anniversary Book edition; it’s the same disc, but
the case and book are just beautiful.

Years after, the “4K revolution” came about, but no signs of a Matrix release in
4K. Then when it was announced and on top of that it would be a complete
remaster, I was hyped like back when the HD version came out. Funnily enough, I
didn’t buy it immediately after its release because I didn’t have a 4K TV at the
time, and not only did I want to see this new version in 4K instead of HD, but I
wanted to see it in Dolby Vision with Dolby Atmos on an OLED TV. Furthermore,
the announcement of an anniversary theatrical release came out, and that was way
more than I could’ve wished for. So, the first time I saw the new 4K remaster
was at a Dolby Theatre and it was an amazing experience. The remaster truly paid
off, but it had some glaring flaws that to this date, I don’t know how they
happened. I bet most people would agree that there are several scenes
overexposed to a fault, namely the Constructor and the Roof Top scenes. I
understand that brightness and exposure were tuned based on HDR, but I still
think they dropped the ball. That being said, the remaster of the sound saved
the day. The Dolby Atmos track is just unbelievable and the Imax version
screened last December blew me away even more. Unfortunately, no-one can be told
how great the new sound mix is, you have to hear it for yourself.

When the theatres closed during the pandemic, I got an OLED TV, the Sony A8 to
be specific, and that was when I got to see the remastered version at home with
the best possible quality available. My opinion didn’t change much from the
theatre experience, if anything, it worsened. The main reason is that the
theatre experience is so much more special, but also the fact that the upscaling
algorithm of my TV is just so damn good that the Blu-ray version looks even
better. Btw, at this point I had never even once popped in the HD Blu-ray that
comes in the 4K package and boy am I happy not to have ever seen that version.
It wasn’t until I read a comment on the blu- ray.com forum where someone said
something along the lines of “using those discs as drink coasters”, that I
played back that god-forsaken Blu-ray. It is simply trash, and after putting
this comparison website together, it would be very hard for me to understand
anyone who would prefer that version over any other.

If you’ve read this far, you probably also noted that my rating is on the
releases list in the form of emojis, so this is just the story of how I got
here.

Thank you for visiting the site and I hope you find something useful,
educational, or entertaining to do with it.

Cheers. Alexi.

For any feedback or queries, you can comment below or reach out on
Twitter: @alxcia and Reddit /u/alxcia

PS: I do like to watch the open matte version from time to time because it’s
nice to see parts of the image that were captured but never officially released.

60 years after The Matrix




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