Compelling results across all three films, especially in the scenes that suffer the most from DNR in the 4K release. It’s sad we see superior results from a compressed 1080p source upscaled with AI compared to what the creator and studio produced with access to the best available materials.
I also like the new HDR grades overall (TTT not so much, doesn’t fit the tone), just sad about the scrubbed detail.
Yeah, I would be ashamed if I were Peter Jackson, but my guess is that he is really pleased with the way the 4k-Bluray turned out so he does not care.
One major problem is that the 2k-DI, which all releases are based on, already has some horrible DNR applied so you cannot get rid of it unless you rescan the camera negatives. My dreams would come true if someone decides to rescan the original camera negatives and VFX-negatives in 4k.