Alien - 40th Anniversary Screenings

[dvdmike]

That looks artificially brightened

[Stamper]

I love that U Matic look!

[marin888]

HDR-X: Published on Apr 7, 2018



Tools used:
- Proprietary LUTs - ProRes 422 10-bit HQ source from the Blu-Ray SDR 1080p Disc.
- Davinci Resolve in Rec. 2020 / ST 2084 4000 nit with Re-Grade work in Parametric Color Transform Tone Mapping.
- Proprietary ST. 2084 Curve. - Output to DNxHR 12-bit 444 HQ HDR.
- HEVC Encoding in HDR10 Standards with VUI Commercial Metadata.

[marin888]

[marin888]

[Stamper]

What are the pictures? More U-Matic regrade?

Yes that book also had stills from the film and that's how the film was as far as I remember.

[marin888]

Yes, U-Matic regrade, only Test.

[Stamper]

So this very interesting summary post on the crazy board

From Widescreen Review:

"The "Alien" soundtrack, while encoded in the DTS-HD Master Audio™ 5.1-channel format, still is dramatically less dynamic and sounds dated. The previous DVD's Dolby® Digital soundtrack had no split surrounds and very weak .1 LFE enhancement, making it a 4.1 mix. Our reference Dorrough meter bridge showed aggressive split surround signals on the discrete LaserDisc version reviewed in Issue 18, but monaural surround on the DVD version. Both were THX digitally mastered for "optimum performance," but the THX standard of quality was not heard on the previous DVD. This new encoding has electronically enhanced split surrounds, but they still are at subtle, inconsequential levels.

The DVD Dolby Digital 5.1 audio on the Alien Director's Cut reviewed in Issue 81 was a new remastering effort, sounding a bit louder in overall level than the previous DVD. There was also some more low-end content and refinement in spatial articulation, but the .1 LFE presence was inconsequential. Otherwise, the general characteristics of the audio were similar to the previous soundtrack remastering. The fidelity is certainly dated, and some distortion is to be expected. The soundstage tends to be conservative in nature, with an adequately compelling sense of holosonic® spaciousness throughout. The low end is inherently reserved and weak. The Dolby Digital version seemed to have just a bit more to offer in the low end, but the DTS® Digital Surround™ audio (new to that release) sounded a little more “open” in the midrange and articulated in dimension. Dialogue sounded natural and spatially integrated, with a spread across the three front channels, with emphasis on the center channel.

On D-VHS® D-Theater™, the Dolby Digital soundtrack sounded just slightly smoother in the midrange than the DVD "Alien" Quadrilogy version reviewed in Issue 81. Like the DTS version for the DVD, the DTS audio for the D-VHS D-Theater (encoded at the full 1509 kbps) sounds a little more “open” in the midrange and articulated in dimension. The Blu-ray Disc version is that remastered soundtrack encoded in the lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1-channel format. The enhanced refinement in fidelity, clarity, low-level resolution, and spatiality are evident, but .1 LFE impact is virtually nonexistent and distortion is heard throughout. The sound is inferior to the subsequent three films sonics, always sounding dimensionaly and dynamically reserved." (Gary Reber)
____

Alien original audio mix had a 70mm 6-track and Dolby Stereo.
...Which means 4.2 ... the three front channels, mono surround and two sub channels.
Alien 4K here I believe is NOT from the original 70mm mix; it has been tampered with.
You can Google all around and good luck.

"Early 70mm 6-track mixes were actually 4.2 - 3 front, mono surround and 2 LFE channels. You can't encode 2 LFE channels into AC3 hence it becomes 4.1"
_____

Alien

"Theatrical release - 70mm 6-track and Dolby Stereo

1992 special edition laserdisc - Dolby Surround (probably from Dolby Stereo master)

1995 THX laserdisc - 5.1 AC-3 and 2.0 PCM (based on 6-track 70mm master)

1999 DVD - 5.1 (actually 4.1) and 2.0 AC-3 (based on Dolby Stereo master - both mixes sound exactly the same)

2003 DVD - 5.1 AC-3 and DTS (new mix with Director's Cut variation)

2010 Blu-ray - 5.1 DTS (new mix with Director's Cut variation), 4.1 AC-3 (who knows?) and 2.0 AC-3 (very 'smooth' sounding - since it's available for both Theatrical and Director's cuts, it's probably a compatibility-minded downmix of the new version)."

2019 UHD (4K) Blu-ray - 5.1 English: DTS-HD Master Audio
4.1 English: DTS-HD Master Audio
2.0 English: DTS-HD Master Audio

Plus:

Spanish: Dolby Digital 5.1
French: DTS 5.1
Spanish: DTS 5.1
German: DTS 5.1
Italian: DTS 5.1
Czech: Dolby Digital 5.1
Thai: Dolby Digital 5.1

[jonno]

I wrote that last summary years ago on OT. More info has come to light since then, so a more accurate rundown would be:


1979 Theatrical release - 70mm 6-track and Dolby Stereo

1992 special edition laserdisc - 2.0 PCM Dolby Surround (probably from Dolby Stereo master)

1995 THX laserdisc - 5.1 AC-3 and 2.0 PCM (both derived from an unused 'Sensurround' test mix)

1999 DVD - 5.1 (actually 4.1, since the surrounds are identical) and 2.0 AC-3 (based on Dolby Stereo master - both mixes sound exactly the same)

2003 DVD - 5.1 AC-3 and DTS (new mix with Director's Cut variation)

2010 Blu-ray - 5.1 DTS-HD Master (new mix with Director's Cut variation), 4.1 AC-3 (theatrical 70mm 6-track mix) and 2.0 AC-3 (probably a downmix of the new mix).

2019 UHD (4K) - 5.1 DTS-HD Master (new mix with Director's Cut variation), 4.1 DTS-HD Master (theatrical 70mm 6-track mix) and 2.0 DTS-HD Master (probably a downmix of the new mix)

[Stamper]

Thank you Jonno, all these look very ace on the 4K disc!