|
|
|
||||||||||||||||||||
|
Best Blu-ray Movie Deals |
Best Blu-ray Movie Deals, See All the Deals » |
Top deals |
New deals
|
$62.49 2 hrs ago
| $24.99 3 hrs ago
| $9.99 9 hrs ago
| $29.99 5 hrs ago
| $9.99 9 hrs ago
| $24.99 4 hrs ago
| $9.99 13 hrs ago
| $19.99 6 hrs ago
| $9.99 18 hrs ago
| $9.99 12 hrs ago
| $9.99 10 hrs ago
| $34.99 15 hrs ago
|
|
|
|
|
Stranger Things: Season 2 4K(TV) (2017)It's been nearly a year since Will's strange disappearance. But life's hardly back to normal in Hawkins. Not even close. For more about Stranger Things: Season 2 4K and the Stranger Things: Season 2 4K Blu-ray release, see Stranger Things: Season 2 4K Blu-ray Review published by Martin Liebman on November 26, 2018 where this Blu-ray release scored 3.5 out of 5. Directors: Matt Duffer, Ross Duffer, Shawn Levy, Andrew Stanton, Rebecca Thomas, Nimr�d Antal Writers: Matt Duffer, Ross Duffer Starring: Winona Ryder, David Harbour, Finn Wolfhard, Millie Bobby Brown, Gaten Matarazzo, Caleb McLaughlin Producers: Matt Duffer, Ross Duffer, Shawn Levy » See full cast & crew Stranger Things: Season 2 4K Blu-ray, Video Quality 4K1080pThe included screenshots are sourced from a 1080p Blu-ray disc. Watch for 4K screenshots at a later date. When Stranger Things' first season UHD release randomly started hitting Target shelves only weeks after the Blu-ray set dropped almost as quietly, fans were understandably delighted and angered at the same time, happy that the show received the 4K treatment and upset that it debuted after everyone had purchased the Blu-ray in good faith. Those who bit the bullet were downright aghast to discover that the UHD set didn't include HDR colors, didn't feature a lossless soundtrack on the audio side, and that 2160p resolution by itself really did little, if anything, to improve on the Blu-ray's already near-perfect video presentation. That made the Blu-ray the obvious choice between the two when considering which to purchase. That's not the case here. The studio has, for this release, included both lossless audio and HDR colors to compliment the 2160p video resolution. The result is a picture that is a solid, sometimes significant, step forward from the Blu-ray, which is good but problematic. This UHD tightens the image, manages noise much better, and fends off many of the same compression artifacts that plagued the Blu-ray, not entirely erasing many of them but handling them with more finesse. While noise is still intact, particularly in lower light situations, the better management reduces intensity and well-lit scenes often pass for film in terms of textural integrity, image depth, and overall clarity. The HDR colors solidify black levels, which were often all over the map on the Blu-ray but that are here much more centrist in terms of holding faithful to deep, intensive shading. The white letters, appearing over the black background with the maneuvering red letters, during the opening title sequence almost look like they are made of TV signal snow, which was not at all obvious when watching the Blu-ray (and that title sequence nine times) and only really obvious at all upon further review where comparing and contrasting it to the UHD. The red lettering is a much more intense, more brilliant, boundless red that really jumps off the screen. Such improvements hold true throughout. The level of clarity, light saturation and distribution, brightness, and black level depth -- all of the aforementioned beneficiaries -- are all greatly improved in a collection of illuminated tombstone Halloween decorations seen right after the opening titles in episode one. A bold, bright, orange and white arcade sign seen at the 9:31 mark is another example of the tremendous boost to brilliance and saturation. It's intense but not at all blinding, a terrific example of of HDR's superiority, particularly as it contrasts with a perfectly dark nighttime background. Colors are more stabilized in general, rendering shades firmer, a little less gaudy in comparison, more nuanced and accurate throughout, with special attention paid to the warmer orange and bronze fall colors that are critical to defining the mood in many of the season's daytime exteriors. Skin tones enjoy a healthy boost in terms of shading and gradations as well. Texturally, the improvements over the Blu-ray are not as dramatic as the HDR colors. There's a modest, but very welcome and sometimes critical, increase to general scene sharpness, overall clarity, and definition of foreground and background elements alike. Skin textures and clothing fabrics are beneficiaries of, primarily, slight increases in raw visibility but greater improvements to sharpness and clarity that also extend to environments in any lighting condition, from dreary nighttime shots inside Hopper's isolated cabin or brightly lit scenes on the school playground. The UHD, which is sourced from a 4K digital intermediate that has been downscaled from 6K and 8K source photography, is quite the looker. It's a solid, oftentimes dramatic, improvement over the Blu-ray, no two ways about it. Stranger Things: Season 2 4K Blu-ray, Audio QualityLast year, fans weren't too happy about the season one UHD set foregoing the lossless audio from the Blu-ray in favor of a Dolby Digital 5.1 presentation, and Netflix has thankfully learned from the outcry and included the same DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 lossless track from the Blu-ray on this UHD. No, it's not Dolby Atmos or DTS:X, but it is, at least, a remedy of one of last season's most glaring UHD omissions and makes this the definitive home video physical media presentation of Stranger Things 2. The lossless presentation is largely terrific. The show's synth/electronic score features prominently throughout the season, of course, and notably over the opening titles. It's often accompanied by extreme surround saturation which sometimes (early on in particular) overpowers surrounding elements, including dialogue. There is also some deliberate distortion to some of the score which adds to a retro feel that's not ever-present but that does punctuate some key moments. The track is also comprised of various 80s Pop and Rock tunes that don't miss a beat and deliver energetic guitar riffs, Rock You Like a Hurricane being a terrific example. The track folds in various, and high quality, discrete effects, from more mundane details like rustling corn stalks in episode one to buzzing flies in a few scenes around the mysteriously rotted pumpkin patches. Open, airy dialogue in chapter three of episode six also creates a sense of sonic expanse within the listening area. More prominent effects like swirling thunder and electrical storm type sounds when Will experiences his visions of the Upside Down engulf the listener in the frights and madness of each occurrence. Gunshots engage from around the listener in the opening minutes of the seasons' penultimate episode, but shots in the final minutes of the final episode want for added depth and power. A few instances of dialogue sounding a little shallow are obvious but the spoken word is generally clear, distortion-free, and well prioritized. Most shortcomings are usually infrequent and intermittent. Generally, sounds command the stage with rich clarity, wide and deep engagement, and usually a complimentary, balanced, and well defined low end accompaniment. Stranger Things: Other Seasons
Similar titles suggested by members
Stranger Things: Season 2 4K Blu-ray, News and UpdatesNo related news posts for Stranger Things: Season 2 4K Blu-ray yet. Movie Discussions
4K Ultra HD
North America Blu-ray Discussions
Packaging Discussions
|
Trending Blu-ray Movies
Trending in Theaters
|
This web site is not affiliated with the Blu-ray Disc Association. All trademarks are the property of the respective trademark owners. © 2002-2023 Blu-ray.com. All rights reserved. Registration problems | Business/Advertising Inquiries | Privacy Policy | Legal Notices |