The new master of FOTR has already hit iTunes in both 4K HDR and 1080p. Not to purchase, but if you already own the HD versions and stream them it’s the new version that plays. Looks as if someone just may have put them up early.
In any event, the green tint is GONE!
WOW, you’re right! I just checked my iTunes copy, and it looks REALLY good! It’s still only HD for me (hopefully it upgrades to 4K for me eventually – iTunes usually does!), but it’s definitely the new master. It looks WAY better than the old green extended Blu-ray master!
It’s still quite different from the original DVD/theatrical release, but it looks amazing nonetheless. In fact, it’s actually an improvement in many ways (unlike the ugly green extended Blu-ray) to that original version. For example, it no longer has the fairly prominent magenta shift that the original DVD/theatrical release had in the highlights. So it now looks closer to The Two Towers and The Return of the King. And the green tint IS TOTALLY GONE!!
In other areas, I think it’s still a tiny bit worse than the original grade, though. I think it’s a tad undersaturated in some scenes. And some of the more warm, tungsteny scenes (such as Bilbo writing in his office) are a tad too warm to my taste. I liked the original version that was a bit more balanced and had some more color separation. And the scene in Bilbo’s house when he has a panic attack because he can’t find the ring, is still fairly dark as well. But at least you can actually see the colors in that scene again! His vest is actually red again! (In the old extended Blu-ray, that scene was much darker and his vest was black).
And the Rivendell scene is much less saturated than the original DVD/theatrical release. But I’m actually ok with it. It’s still warm, unlike the green version. I might even like this scene a tad more than the original version, because that scene was always very saturated in the original. But I don’t know. I’m kind of conflicted. I’m still married to the original look, I suppose.
Overall, most of the daylight exteriors look VERY close to the original release, though! It looks SO GOOD! I can’t verify this, but I would almost bet money that Peter Doyle returned to do this new color grade. It definitely looks like his handiwork!
I can’t wait to see this in HDR! I bet some of my saturation complaints won’t be quite as relevant with the HDR version, due to the wider gamut of the grade. I’m SO EXCITED!
I’m seriously SO HAPPY that it looks this good! It’s not perfect IMO, but it’s a thousand times better than the old green Blu-ray. It’s definitely at an acceptable state now, and I’m excited to watch it once I can get it in HDR. 😃
Also, for what it’s worth, I just scrubbed through The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey as well, and it also has a new grade. It’s a bit more analogue/film-print-like, and looks a tiny bit closer to the style of The Lord of the Rings trilogy! It’s less saturated than the original Blu-ray, which is great because I always thought the Hobbit films were a bit oversaturated compared to LOTR! I haven’t watched the Hobbit films since the third one was in theaters, so this might give me an excuse to rewatch those!
Thanks for letting me know, Nick66! This is FANTASTIC NEWS!