2001: A Space Odyssey [4K Ultra HD] [1968] [Blu-ray] [2023] [Region Free]

Product Information

Here’s some additional information on the mastering process for this 4K Ultra HD release from a technical brief prepared by the studio. It’s shared here by permission.] Key kit used for this test: Oppo UDP-203 4K Blu-ray player, LG OLED77C8 TV, Samsung QN65Q9FN TV, Panasonic UB900 4K Blu-ray player

The best way I can describe the way the HDR and wide color work on 2001: A Space Odyssey is that it feels like what happens when restoration experts remove centuries of grime from old paintings to reveal the intensity and beauty of the original painting again. None of the serious fans of cinema has any doubt that this film is not just an outstanding work, but a real milestone in both the science fiction genre and the history of world cinema. Presented in its original 2.20:1 aspect ratio, the video also arrives with significantly improved contrast and brightness, making the entire film seem sparkling new and rejuvenated. The hallways of the massive space station and the Discovery One spacecraft shine a brilliant, immaculate white and the stars radiate against the darkness of space. In fact, this is arguably the most noteworthy difference between this 4K remaster and the 2007 edition where the older Blu-ray came with the yellowish tint expected of an antiquated source. Now, the various lights come in a true white and the highlights throughout are intensely dazzling.is on UK 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray as a standalone 4K release and as part of the Warner Bros. 100th Anniversary Studio Collection from 16th October 2023. Also, the 2018 release contains correct picture aspect ratio as it was scanned directly from the 65mm original negative which is spherical (flat) versus anamorphic (scope). The 35mm anamorphic (scope) reduction that was scanned for the 2000 and 2007 releases contained a little more information on the left and right of the frame then was intended for 2.2 70mm projection aspect ratio. Also, the optical scope reduction added a slight amount of linear image distortion, which is not present in the 65mm spherical camera negative. Maybe even more exceptional than the sensitivity but also drama of the HDR and wide color work, though, is the 4K grading. The increase in detail, depth and, for want of a better word, granularity in the picture is just gorgeous. The 4K Blu-ray release of 2001: A Space Odyssey is a masterclass in how the AV world’s latest video technology can - under a suitably caring and watchful eye - rejuvenate classics of the past for a whole new generation of movie fans. Stunning.

Rather like the Apollo Moon missions themselves, 2001 seemingly fell out of the future, fully formed, into the late 1960s. Cinema audiences had never seen anything like it before and not all the initial reactions were good with many people famously walking out of the film’s premiere during the interval. Vision of a Future Passed (HD, 22 min): An entertaining look at the technologies that the film predicted (or inspired) and the visions that have yet to transpire.

2001: A Space Odyssey 4K Sound

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