STAR WARS: A NEW HOPE 4K ULTRAHD BLU-RAY REVIEW | DOLBY ATMOS + HDR10 

There is a lot of debate in the comments regarding who did the transfer. Here is what I know as fact from Fox employees: Lucasfilm was bought by Disney in 2012. Lucasfilm worked on 4K transfers after the purchase by Disney (with Disney oversight) on the 6 existing movies. A New Hope was owned by Fox 100%, so they had complete and total oversight and final approval on the 4K transfer of that particular movie. Article here on the rights battle before Disney bought Fox: screenrant.com/star-wars-movie-tv-rights-explained/ That makes A New Hope a Fox supervised transfer, done in tandem with Lucasfilm, but since Lucasfilm DID NOT own A New Hope, Fox had final say in the transfer. Disney had no final approval or input on the transfer. It was Fox working with Lucas, as Fox owned A New Hope in perpetuity until they were bought out and it was their film.

What surprised me, apart from the ‘sparkle’ in Carrie Fisher’s eyes is the dirt, the droids look filthy, the Falcon looks positively unsanitary. The 4k bump is extraordinarily immersive, check out the scene in the sandcrawler when R2D2 wakes up, so much detail, then compare that with the Blu-ray, nothing in the background is visible. Also observe the surfaces inside the Death Star, the set design is spectacular and the enhanced clarity is amazing.

In a perfect world Criterion would be in charge of releasing the UNALTERED Original Star Wars Trilogy on 4K (or 8K even?) with all the special features from every release (including VHS and Laserdisc) and *all* the originally unreleased deleted scenes. It would have a spectacular video and audio transfer as only Criterion could do along with packaging that had the original theatrical artwork and a large booklet with great info in each one. It would be the crown jewel of home video. One can dream--and I'll send that dream out to the Universe!

Just wanted to say I appreciated your message and approach of communicating your judgement of visual and HDR by using your eyes and impressions of the presentation vs. Nit measuring equipment. Ultimately that resonates well for the hobbyists in all of us and that is the sweet spot for most of us as collectors of physical media to be able to share feelings like this of our impressions of the disc presentation. Keep up the good work and I appreciate your content. Subscribed

Lots of detail watching this film in 4K, mind-blowing to the point of it feeling like I was back in '77 on set.

I want a pure representation of the film, grain and all. Original release also.

I am old enough to remember seeing the theatrical version over eight times in the cinemas back in early 1978. I was in my final year at high school in Australia and a big SFF and Trekkie too. The movie blew me away. It was awesome to watch it in a new cinema complex and in the Dolby Surround system. I also saw it in my old local movie theatre which had an old sound system.

I was blown away by this 4K transfer on my lg cx. So good.

I think a lot of us have been rebought these movies so many times we're now saying no more. Yes, every release puts some new extras on to convince us to get them, but we've got to draw the line somewhere. I got the despecialised editions and to be honest I don't see myself ever going back to the official releases. I've put up with those crazy additions and alterations for 20 years now, it's time to go back to enjoying the ones I originally fell in love with. (Plus, ironically, the special editions look VERY dated now with the blurry CGI, if they are gonna keep reissuing them they should at least make the 97 effects look a bit more believable)

BOUGHT THIS AS SOON AS IT CAME OUT AS ITS BEEN MY FAVOURITE FILM SINCE IT CAME OUT IN 1977. SINCE OBTAINED THE FAN MADE 4K77 4K80 4K83 AND WILL NEVER WATCH THE TINKERED WITH VERSIONS AGAIN.

This is the type of guy you would love to spend the night watching movies with :D

From what I understand and have read'ed over the years The 2004 DVDs / 2011 Blu-Ray Discs / 2015 Blu-Ray Discs of The Original Trilogy had rushed color grading on those releases and on these newer 4K UHD Blu-Ray Disc releases the color grading is closer to what the films originally looked in 77 , 80 and 83 and what they looked liked back when the Special Editions came out in 1997.

The CG effects looked clumsy/bad in '97, on the DVDs in '04, the Blus in '11, and I'm sure even now in 2020 on 4K. But, I trust your judgement that this is the best they've looked and will have to check it out. Tempted by the box set but it does look like a pain to remove the discs (and the last two episodes were ass).

I was pleasantly surprised with this disc as well. I think it's worth it for the improved colors alone, which are much truer to the film's original look, in my opinion. And I agree, it bugs me when discs come stacked! I usually buy a bunch of empty 3 disc cases and put the discs in there.

I have to agree, this is the best the film has ever looked. It's been hit with DNR nicely which gets rid of most of the film grain and the colour is more subdued and natural. In the opening scenes of A New Hope 3PO always looked over-saturated and a horrible, almost greenish yellow at times - now he looks much better. Same with things like the sky of Tatooine, which used to look all blotchy and over-blown, that's all been fixed. The Rebel troops in the opening gun battle now all have a natural looking skin instead of looking like beetroots. The HDR does wonders for some of the darker scenes. All very nicely done. All in all I was very impressed - Disney FINALLY has done something right with Star Wars! Even the new bluray copies looked amazing. Fortunately, here in Aus I seem to have gotten a better deal than you did - I paid $AUS21 each for episodes I - VI plus Rogue One (less than $US14 , I can't keep up with the exchange rate at the mo). The Disney Sequel trilogy will never EVER defile my shelves. We didn't get the slipcovers but at least they had a proper disc holder for the 3rd disc. My only real gripe was the spines of the cases - the stylized 'Star Wars' logo is unevenly written on each spine so they don't line up when on the shelf - I don't understand that myself but I guess I'll have to live with it. Other than that - I highly recommend!

I’ve noticed the audio drops in the special editions but when I watch 4k77 all the dialogue sounds perfect

it is the best 4K ever! i know this film from 1977 and watched all versions a dozen times. this last one is the best, and no pink/purple haze anymore.

My only real gripe with this (and the other OT releases) ist that I think the classic Making of documentaries and Empire of Dreams should have been included in this set/ these sets. And, of course, having the original theatrical release in here would also have been great, but I understand that’s probably not gonna happen anytime soon.

Why cant we have the theatrical cut? I hate tampering with films. Nice vid though 👍

Great video, very informative and easy to understand for someone like me who isn't that in the know when it comes to the technical side. Thanks man.

Can't believe my chosen format for these films are the DVD special features from almost 20 years ago that came packaged with the original version of the film.

In your AVR or processor, turn up your center channel 1dB or 1.5dB. It helps with most movies as it's a bit easier to hear dialogue.

Finally! A solid detailed review of New Hope! Big hugs buddy!

Native 4k! yea. Thanks for the new hope. Now we got hope.

Just recently subscribed to this channel. You really do great reiviews. Keep up the good work!

Why can we get 5 different versions of Bladerunner, but can't get the original 1977 version of Star Wars? WHY!!!

There are five versions of the Star Wars original trilogy: • Original theatrical version • 1997 Special Edition theatrical version • 2004 DVD version • 2011 Fox Blu-Ray version • 2019 Disney+ version (contained in the 4K box set)

I bought the 4k digital set from Vudu. Thought the transfers looked pretty good, the Atmos soundtracks sounded pretty good. HDR is awesome. Gave my 5.1.2 system a great workout. I also picked up Rogue One on 4k digital. I think it is the best looking, and sounding out of them all. I purchased the 4K 9 movie pack up for 99.99. I think I will be staying with the digital 4K copies for the time being. Picking them up on disc is rather expensive right now.

So, to be clear, and to cut to the chase for some, this version is yet another that IS NOT the original theatrical, unaltered version?

Turn on the Auto Volume feature on your AVR. Each manufacturer calls it something different and it digitally compresses the audio. But, for older movies, it helps a great deal. I turn it on every once in a while. It really helps with the differences in volume between dialogue and action scenes.

The reason for the dialogue being low in some scenes as you say when the character is off to the left or right is because in these new transfers the dialogue has been forced through the centre channel like all new remastered movies, But whereas before these were originally mixed with 6 track Dolby Stereo and had Voices or dialogue panning across the front the soundstage and not fixed to a centre channel.

Is the included Bluray also from the new 4K Master? Haven't upgraded to 4K yet.

Hey Jeff, did you hear the Maclunky greedo said before dying? 😂 Great video!

I here a lot of people complaining that they want the original version. Sorry to burst that bubble. There are no such things as the original. In 1977 there were already different versions in different theaters. So, which version do you guys want? The original one is George his vision and those are the special ones.

Jeff- fantastic review. I really appreciate you stating that you just like to watch the movies and you’re not an expert on calibration (just like me and I imagine many others who follow you). The sound issue of having to turn up and down quite helpful based on dialogue vs music. Finally, I understand that Jeff’s reviews may not be for everyone but giving a thumbs down for disliking video is weak sauce.

Thanks so much for the review. I appreciate it. May have to get this now.

Loved this video and agree with you totally!! I also debated about getting the complete set package--I bought the one of Big Bang Theory because all my loose seasons were on DVD and I wanted to upgrade to Blu-ray--its a nice set, don't get me wrong, but it has the same difficulty that the Star Wars one would have-removing the discs from the cardboard sleeves. I did figure out an easy way--I grab them with a disc clesning cloth and no fingerprints! Anyone, I did the same thing you did and bought the original trilogy of Star Wars because that is also my favorite--The Empire Strikes Back also being my favorite in this trilogy. I also had already received the latest, The Rise of Skywalker, on 4K from the DMC. All of these movies in the original trilogy just remind me how smart it was to convert all my stuff to 4K! Recently found your channel, and as a fellow physical media collector, I loved it and subscribed. Keep up the good work!

Also the Standard blu ray is remastered too. It looks way better than 2011 BD. Those remasters were made by Fox with Lucas before Lucasfilm owned by Disney.

I didn't have any blue Rey films when I got my 4k DVD so when I watched scream and Jaws I thought it looked dark and thought it was something wrong but when I switched to Blue Rey I can see the difference

My biggest question is...is this the BEST Star Wars could possibly look, was EVERYTHING possible done to make it look as good as possible? Is there ANY room for improvement or is this as good as it could get?

I just bought rise of skywalker and the feature is stacked on top of the bonus disc like on your disc, did not know these were out, thanks.

Hey discovered your channel today. Just starting my 4K collection (gremlins is the first movie I've got). Can't wait to see Star Wars in 4K in the next few days. Shame about the volume issues

Jeff, just found your channel, great stuff & Incredible collection!!! Planning to start upgrading my favorites to 4K - can you do a video on the best 4K players and what we should look for when choosing a player (without going broke) - several options would be great, thanks! keep the videos coming

None of these were done by Disney..the 4K restorations were done back when Lucas was preparing these for 3D years ago. The prequels and OG trilogy.

"In the wake of Disney’s purchase in 2012, a decision was made to protect the studio’s investment by creating new 4K Digital Intermediates of the films and to ensure that all of the photochemical and digital assets were properly cataloged and preserved (a process that continued through 2014). For Star Wars, Empire, and Jedi, all of the original camera neg, the VistaVision effects footage, and SE film-outs was scanned in 16-bit 4K by Reliance MediaWorks (formerly Lowry Digital). Lucas once again took the opportunity to tweak the editing, digital VFX, and color timing. In addition to the new 4K DIs, new film-out protection master interpositives were created. New cut negatives were created as well, combining the original camera negative with film-out internegative of the new VFX. (This is why it’s often said that the original theatrical versions technically no longer exist-the OCN has been conformed to the new versions. However, I’ve confirmed with individuals directly responsible that everything-including all theatrical film trims-is well preserved and protected by Disney.) The studio’s new Ultra HD releases (and the recent Disney+ versions) were mastered from these 4K DIs, complete with color grading for high dynamic range (only HDR10 is available on the discs, but Dolby Vision is available on the Digital version)." -- The Digital Bits

Easy way to correct volume of Center Channel on your Denon, just hit Option button on remote, click on Channel Level Adjust and go to Center and increase volume on it. Works great for Movies with Poor Balanced Mixes. I use it quite frequently to boost Center channel in many movies. Can easily put it back to 0 after that particular movie without screwing up your overall calibrated Dolby Atmos Sound

Are the Blu-ray discs the same transfers as the 2011 Blu-ray releases or are they sourced from the new 4K transfers?

Been waiting for your review before making a decision on purchasing. Thank you for this! Great channel! Now I can finally have these physically in my library in 4k as well as add them to my digital library :-)

The one thing that must be said about this 4K format is that I'm finding that quite a lot of the movies freeze up usually around the halfway point ,and I have a good player it's not top of the line, but I did invest 400 dollars ,also been doing some research and I'm not the only one who's experiencing this problem, so whether it's a glitch or whatever people need to know abut this!

I hate how manufacturers on Blu Rays stack disc on top of each other!!! Disney is the best at it!

I just got Project 4K77 and 4K83 no-DNR and look forward to watching it on May the 4th But from what I've skimmed through, I like the grain, no noise shouldn't be too bad on my projector but it isn't clean I know they did the best they could with what they had, so my wish list is 4K HDR/DV with atmos, clean, natural with grain

Ooh, nice embossed slip cover. Thanks for the review, really helpful

Jeff i always trust your reviews bro 100%, it's nice to see you enjoyed this one and that Fox did a good job on the restoration. I know you said its an upgrade on the disney plus version but is it upgraded enough to make a disc purchase worth it? Disney plus has just come out here in the UK and i'm debating with myself whether to watch all the Star Wars on there or enjoy them on the discs instead

Thanks for the review. And man...stacking 3 discs in a 2 discs case... c'mon Disney!

Just sating that I was in the theater in '77 and the movie was dark. I thought the projector could use a brighter lamp for this movie. Nice review.

Good review keep up the good work bud!

Thanks so much for the review! I can't wait for more star wars reviews.

Is it the inflight cut we have on Disney +?

Great video as always. Zavvi are currently doing 3 Disney 4K for £36 so I just picked up the original trilogy for that bargain price! Cant wait to watch them.

love the great original trilogy movies and a new hope before all the changes came in and would love to see the originals released in 4K or on blu ray but loved seeing this version in 4K after seeing it at a friend’s house on Disney plus before I got these in 4K blu ray

Im just waiting for them to release the unedited version, not buying another star wars disc until they do. Well that's what I tell myself anyway, well see haha !

Great review as always. I don’t have a 4K tv, I do have a 1080p 3-D TV. I do have a 4K player. I bought all the Star Wars movies on 4K each sold separately. I watched the new hope 4K disc. I still do see the difference between the 4K and the blu ray. It’s not as nice without HDR. The dinner scene I was able to see what they were eating, you know the scene where we first discovered the blue milk. I noticed for the first time that one bowl looked like there was stew in it. Also, you’re right, the stormtroopers did look whiter. Keep up the good work.

Hey do u know where or if the special edition trailers are included anywhere in the 4k editions of the original trilogy?

Just wondering how you would compare these new 4K reissues with the 4K77 / 80 / 83 releases? I have seen 1080P hard copies of 4K77 that I would consider buying, but is there a degree of frustration that they are not (at least in hard form) not as full in terms of resolution? Or is 4K upscale enough to get around this?

if sound balancing is the issue would it be the tv or is it the sound quality of the movie, cause me and my sister do our yearly harry potter marathon on blu ray and the sound balancing happens on all the movies and i keep thinking its my tv cause the same thing happens when i watched godzilla king of the monsters. but would it be my tv or what

Best Buy has reduced the price on each 4K to $12.99 US Dollar, I asked Santa to get it for Christmas. 🤣

I just got a 4K player and 4K tv and I have been watching a lot of your videos so thank you for all that you do. I will say this though. I am a huge Star Wars fan but I don’t feel the need to get the 4K releases of this unless they release the ORIGINAL Theatrical movie 🍿

Good job bro. I always appreciate your take

I watched it on Disney + and it looks great. I do agree the 4k media DVD will most likely look better. So I will definitely buy this one.

Would you say that episodes 1,2,3 on Blu-ray now look older than episodes 4,5,6 on 4k? I’m looking to buy episodes 4,5,6 on 4k only if they look newer. I want to keep episodes 1,2,3 on Blu-ray, buy 4,5,6 on 4k and keep 7,8,9 on 4k. I have just never liked how 1,2,3 looked newer than 4,5,6! I think it would make the transition much smoother! Hope you understand what I mean! 👍🏻👍🏻

Thanks for the Target deal intel - put my order in today!

jeff, since people hated this new version of the special edition of a new hope ONLY for the addition of greedo saying Maclunkey if they are going to keep reissuing these, at Least Get Rid of The Greedo Line where he says Maclunkey it would then be a respectful version of the special edition of the film on dvd, blu and 4k and digital but adding the Maclunkey bit is kinda the last straw they have to do something about it and fix it so that a redo of the 4k releases is on par with the 2011 fox bluray version, the 2004 dvd version , and the 1997 special edition and that instead of greedo saying maclunkey to han, you let the Han line "i'll bet you have" cut to shooting greedo where han shoots first

I feel the same way when older movies get a 4k upgrade. Yeah it looks super sharp but some older movies almost feel like they're meant to have that "patina" and removing those scuffs seems to do the movie more harm than good. Idk it's hard to describe.

How does it stack up against the 4K1977 project? Could you elaborate on that, please? I bought the 4K77 earlier this year. Thank you! Big fan.

jeff, there is appropiate times when a film needs to be tinkered to make it good Adding that Macklunkey line is Not appropiate and at times childish at this point , people should be putting up Meme's telling lucas to remove the Macklunkey line in favor of the previous cut of the special editions, the previous cut in terms of sound is better if you can easily try to take the 4k image of this cut and pair it with the earlier cuts of the special editions that do not need the macklunkey line, lucasfilm may be able to please the fans adding that Macklunkey line is Garbage, even if people did tolerate the film for what it is, people would rather see that macklunkey line Removed from the digital to own and 4k/ bluray releases to keep it seperated from the disney plus version i do not like it when this trilogy gets tampered with at the wrong time , for innapropiate reasons there is appropiate reasons to tinker with it that add to the story, like the jabba sequence and then there is just plain garbage reasons , like the greedo macklunkey line, what i think they should do, is Restore the HAN SHOT FIRST sequence in the special edition, and just shoot greedo already, han is supposed to be this mercenary that doesnt give two shits about jabba's henchmen , like clint eastwood in his westerns

Bravo! Excellent clarification video. Thank you.

Vinegar syndrome has Rad coming to blu ray 4K in May and I just pre ordered my copy, I can't wait.

Great review Jeff as always , Out of all the transfers of The Star Wars Original Trilogy Films Star Wars (A New Hope) looks the best on 4K UHD Blu-Ray Disc.

When you say that the SDR Bluray is too dark, is this because your tv is calibrated to 100 nits?

i got this 4k from the box set...so it might be different... does your's have the 'infamous mcklunky'? cuz mine does

Using a Dolby atmos soundbar I’ve had similar dialogue issues, overall very minor but dialogue is outdated in some respects. Every thing else with the mix is perfect,the best audio honestly so far from all the films may be phantom menace (worst visual transfer though)

I own it all with this film, and was holding out for this 4k release. Guess I'll give it a chance.

Does the included standard Blu-ray include Greedo's 'Maclunkey' like the 4K version? I ask because the 2019 Disney Blu-ray doesn't. It's the exact same as 2011 boxed set.

Great review, thanks mate! 👍

I’m about to watch it my self. I bought the box set.

Watched the 4k disc. you were very right sir. stunning in every way!!

I think episode 4-6 will really benift from the 4k format, can really see the detail on it.

Thanks for this review man. I have been wondering about this disc.

Does it still have the new edits in it? If it does then ill still with my included Disney+ version. How does it differ from the Disney+ version?

TheDigitalBits: "For Star Wars, Empire, and Jedi, all of the original camera neg, the VistaVision effects footage, and SE film-outs was scanned in 16-bit 4K by Reliance MediaWorks (formerly Lowry Digital). Lucas once again took the opportunity to tweak the editing, digital VFX, and color timing. In addition to the new 4K DIs, new film-out protection master interpositives were created. New cut negatives were created as well, combining the original camera negative with film-out internegative of the new VFX. (This is why it’s often said that the original theatrical versions technically no longer exist-the OCN has been conformed to the new versions. However. . .everything-including all theatrical film trims-is well preserved and protected by Disney.) The studio’s new Ultra HD releases (and the recent Disney+ versions) were mastered from these 4K DIs, complete with color grading for high dynamic range (. . . HDR10. . . on the discs, . . .Dolby Vision. . . on the Digital version).

Good review and information. Thanks!

Just wanted to follow up, thanks to Jeff for the tip I did a pick-up order at Target - the three original Star Wars films (buy two get one free). I then sold the digital codes as a set for the trilogy. Bottom line - I'm paying about $13 per title ($4 per physical disc)!

I believe the packaging has no reference to Episode numbers. Is this true? The reason I ask is currently on Sky Satellite TV in the UK they have recently dedicated a film channel to SW films and I noticed the descriptions in the EPG had NO Ep references in the titles; eg: Star Wars: A New Hope” instead of “Star Wars: Episode IV: A New Hope” etc.

Had an issue with the star field as the Millennium Falcon approached the moon of Yavin. Everything center of picture and to the left of center was perfect, but the right hand side of the star field was blurry and jaggy and clearly messed up. Everything else looked great.

Love your videos Jeff!

Great review very informative thank you 👍🏻 I will definitely be buying the 4K boxset but they will be the only films I upgrade from Blu-ray 🤷🏼‍♂️👌🏻😁

The standard Blu-Ray version (which is secondary to the 4K Ultra HD version) contained in the 4K Ultra HD box set differs from the 2011 Fox Blu-Ray version. It’s the same as the Disney+ version; hence the Disney Blu-Ray version. The Disney Blu-Ray version of the first six installments of the Skywalker Saga contains two audio commentary tracks: the audio commentary by George Lucas and a few others (originally recorded for the DVD version in the 2000s) and the archival commentary by the cast and crew (originally featured in the Fox Blu-Ray version).

I FINALLY bought it, even though I bought the Amazon Prime Video 4K offering as well! Only difference is there is no BONUS Disc. The Original Theatrical Version I AM STILL WAITING FOR!!! From a Screenwriter inspired by that film at the age of 5 way back from Memorial Day Weekend, 1977, outing!!!

I bought the skywalker saga boxset on bluray (before my recent 4k upgrade) before I bought the skywalker saga boxset in 4k and it blows my mind that the new bluray set is a better box than the 4k set. I'm 100% swapping the discs around so the 4k discs are in the bluray boxset and I'm literally going to use the 4k box for display purposes. If I didn't save £60 on the 4k set and bought it at full price I'd be pretty pissed, the way the discs are stored in a sleeve are prone to scratches and fingerprints and are just unacceptable.

I have the 2011 Complete Saga Blu-ray Digi Book. I actually got the UK version. The UK set includes disc art instead of just the generic title like the US version. I might grab these new 4ks around $10 price someday.