The newly-remastered Avatar will be available on 4K Ultra HD Combo (4K + Blu-ray + Digital Code), Blu-ray Combo (Blu-ray + Digital Code), and DVD. (Note that the film has previously been made available on Blu-ray 3D.)
After a successful return to IMAX theaters in 2022, the remastered Avatar arrives on home video with a three-disc 4K UHD + Blu-ray + Digital release. The 4K is pressed on a BD-100 disc with the 1080p scoring a BD-50, and another BD-50 disc for bonus features.
Avatar 2 will be available on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-ray, Blu-ray 3D, and DVD from June 20, 2023.
Until recently Disney Plus was only streaming Avatar in HD, but it's now available in 4K UHD with HDR 10 and Dolby Atmos, making it more than enough of a reason to revisit this classic.
Avatar was shot digitally using PACE Fusion 3-D, Sony CineAlta F23, Sony CineAlta HDC-1500, and Sony CineAlta HDC-F950 and originally finished as a 2K DI, but has, in 2022, had a new native 4K DI produced, from with this UHD is sourced.
Clarity/Detail: Avatar sadly arrives as a 4K upscale title. However, you probably won't even notice that when watching it with what good skills have been crafted in creating this transfer. This is a wildly impressive image that has stunning scale and depth with beautiful colors.
The 4k image is smoother and has more detail than the 1080p image. Look closely and you'll see that the edges around objects in the 1080p picture are a bit more blurry, and text looks clearer on the 4k TV.
The primary audio mix on the 4K disc is an English 7.1. 4 Dolby Atmos mix. It's as immersive as the visuals, turning your home theater's sound field into a link to your own personal avatar on Pandora.
Again, 3D was pretty popular in general in the 2000s, but it added something to the Avatar film that it didn't necessarily bring to other movies that used it. Avatar is a film that explores an entirely new world, with new creatures and beings. Because of this, the 3D feature makes the world feel more immersive.
4K refers to a specific screen resolution, and HDR has nothing to do with resolution. While HDR has competing standards, some of which specify a minimum 4K resolution, the term generally describes any video or display with a higher contrast or dynamic range than SDR content.
In a slight departure from the original Avatar (reviewed here), which was presented on disc at the 1.78:1 aspect ratio, The Way of Water is framed at 1.85:1 for its Blu-ray and 4K UHD release.
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In the case of the “Avatar” sequel, the action and underwater sequences will run at a higher frame rate, allowing the motion to look better and more realistic, while dramatic scenes have been adjusted to look like the traditional 24 frames per second standard that audiences are accustomed to.
The Way of Water is a great movie and what helped the experience was watching in 4DX. The seats moved throughout the film, at times it could be jolty, and other times felt smooth and fast. It's less intense than a theme park ride, and the seats stay in the same position.
The remaster of the James Cameron classic is set to release on February 10, 2023, and will be presented in theaters in 3D 4K HDR and with a new higher frame rate. It's unclear exactly how long the film will be in theaters for upon its release.
The freshly remastered 4K HDR version of Avatar opens in theaters this week, followed by Avatar: The Way of Water on December 16th. And for more on Avatar, check out James Cameron's thoughts on why 3D TVs died out, and Ubisoft's upcoming video game, Avatar: Frontiers of Pandora.
Typically, dual laser would be better, but for Avatar specifically, you want the single laser IMAX because it can achieve Avatar's special high frame rate at 4K rather than 2K.
Why? Firstly, James Cameron has ensured the movie's IMAX presentation will be in 1.90:1 aspect ratio – simply put, you'll see more of the movie as the screen is taller, and it's designed for a PLF (premium large format) like IMAX. Do you need to watch it in 3D? No, but it's the way Cameron has intended.
Regardless of whether you want to see the movie in HFR, you should do your best to see it in 3D if that's at all possible for you.
So, any easy win for IMAX Single-Laser then? Not quite. Dolby Cinema will show the film in 3D, 4K, and HFR, and raise IMAX in two areas – it can do high dynamic range (HDR), giving even more contrast, deeper blacks, and color richness to the image, and also Dolby Atmos sound which delivers even more sonic precision.
Because not all IMAX screens are created equally, you should not only aim to see it in IMAX but IMAX with Lasers, as that will offer a better all-around experience; IMAX with Lasers includes sharper images, richer colors, high-grade visuals, and more brightness. The next best option is Dolby Cinema 3D.
When compared to Dolby Atmos, Dolby Digital employs the software and suitable hardware to deliver sound through your current speaker system. Accordingly, Dolby Atmos produces a better audio experience than Dolby Digital due to the necessary gear.
Cons of 4K TVs
Though it doesn't necessarily mean that a 4K TV is the gold standard, it means there's a minimum to the screen size available. You're likely to pay a higher upfront cost than buying a TV that only offers FHD.
If we translate this calculation to a TV, it turns out that for a screen 60" wide viewed from five feet away, the limit of our resolution is 4K. At this distance, we would be able to tell the difference between HD and 4K, but any increase beyond 4K (say, to 8K) would not be noticeable.