Watching in 4K
More than two years have past since I purchased my first 4K OLED TV. My 4K film collection has grown to more than 100 titles, spanning across a variety of genres (such as horror, mystery, action, drama, adventure, thriller, comedy, and romance) and multiple decades going back as far as the 1930's. Over time, I began to realize that I missed out so many great films I never got the chance to watch...until now. Misery (1990), My Fair Lady (1964), Citizen Kane (1941), The Sting (1973), The Green Mile (1999), The Shining (1980), Big Fish (2003), and Anatomy of a Murder (1959) are just a few examples. On top of what already made them so great, I was mesmerized by their remarkable image quality. The sharp resolution, the wide colour range, the deep contrasts. All these visual attributes left me pondering, "How is it possible for these old grainy films to look so good in 4K?" Well, before the advent of digital cameras, films were previously shot on 35mm film. Each film had what was called the original camera negative (OCN). The OCN was the master record because it captured the original image, making it highly valuable for studios when they're working on their 4K transfers. What they would do is make a 4K scan out of it to get the best image quality possible. It's ironic how a technology considered to be outdated still somehow manages to be futureproof. Of course, there's more to the 4K restoration process that includes procedures like applying high dynamic range (HDR), color grading, etc.
Stumbling upon great films I hadn't seen before wasn't the only delight I indulged in; I also had the opportunity to rewatch films I had previously seen before. To watch them again with higher image quality allowed me to spot more details than ever before. Whether that'd be the individual strands in someone's hair, the buttons on someone's jacket, the colour tones in someone's skin, or the textures of furniture materials. As much as I enjoyed watching these films in 4K, I couldn't help but notice discrepancies in image quality. These can be attributed to flaws in the filmmaking process and/or the 4K restoration process, but are not limited to the following:
- The OCN couldn't be found, so the studio is forced to take a 4K scan from a lower-quality scan of the OCN.
- The OCN suffered some damage.
- A lower resolution scan (e.g. 2K) was captured from the OCN and upscaled to 4K.
- Certain visual effects couldn't translate to higher resolutions, so studios are either forced to leave them alone as they are or try to digitally enhance them but risk of making them they turn out worse than they already have.
- The unevenness of the camera's focus; some shots would look clear, others would look blurry.
- High Dynamic Range (HDR) was applied too aggressively.
Depending on the magnitude of these flaws, they can either add a little bit of charm to the film or they can make it downright unwatchable. Most of the 4K films I've watched so far fell into the former than the latter. When I did watch a great film with a terrible 4K transfer, I was left tremendously disappointed because it was robbed of the chance to look spectacular on my 4K TV and I was also robbed of the chance to appreciate more of the little details that make up the film. This is a reason why I do my best to weed out the films with terrible image quality and keep ones that do have good image quality in my collection. Now having said all that, I still look forward to watching more 4K films in the days to come. Who knows what I will discover and add to my collection?
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