Host (and many of you) have the misfortune of not having experienced the reference version of this film; the 70mm prints. I saw this film scores of times in the finer 70mm houses across the country in 1980 in order to study the cinematography in preparation for my career in that field. The 2011 BD grade has tinkering that jacked up the saturation, skin tone hues, and contrast successfully making it a digital product rather than being faithful to the 70mm prints. Fortunately, the new UHD/HDR grade restores those picture quality factors to their original glory. The HDR grade makes no attempt to "look like HDR." Instead, it uses the new technology to faithfully reproduce the latitude of the original film. By the way, even your screen shots don't agree with your description on the color of whites. The new grade is now appropriately neutral. As for sharpness/resolution, the popular trend among directors of photography of that era was to intentionally not deliver super sharp images. ESB was one of the earliest films to shoot with sharp lenses (the C-Series anamorphics, although not razor sharp) mostly without softening camera filters, but use soft lighting extensively. This was a big step back then because the Eastman 5247 stock was rated at 100 ASA tungsten, the C-Series lenses needed about a T4 stop to look sharp enough, and efficient output HMI lighting had not arrived yet. That took a lot of power, lighting hardware, additional time and expense. At the time of release, ESB was relatively bright and sharp by comparison to the standard fare of the time, and that alone made quite a visual impression. I agree that the HDR picture tone is a bit low overall, but that is easily adjusted. Raising that a bit will get rid of your concern over perceived black crush. The image you chose of Vader in the carbon freeze chamber is virtually a silhouette, so no significant detail is intended. One might also prefer one notch up on saturation, but fortunately gone are pinkish skin tones and near clipped highlights. This new version is extremely close to being a clone of the 70mm prints, and that is about as good as we could ever hope for. FYI, the included BD has the same new color grade. Reference viewing via calibrated JVC RS640 projecting onto a 10' wide scope screen. Cheers.

Most people don't understand that HDR is there to make the images more accurate and accuracy is not what most people are used to seeing. Most are used to tv's set on torch mode (Vivid or Sports) in their local Best Buy or whatever. The Cinema or Movie settings in tv's are much more color and light accurate. I general the most accurate you can get set it straight out of the box and a lot of times people believe that to be to dark and flat. Which is why they're disappointing when they see images that are more correct.

Remember the good ole days when THX calibration was included on each disk to calibrate for each disk in case your TV was not right?

Here's an issue that was not brought up: the 4K version of Empire is at times, too crystal clear. For instance the initial battle in the snow on Blu-ray looks very real but on 4K, it looks less real because of the ultra fine detail of the visual special effects. Just my 2 cents. 🤷‍♂️

Great review, well done. I'm gonna disagree with you about Hoth. Snow looks real with texture not bluish like in the original VHS or Blu-ray. The detail on the Empire's galactic fleet looks amazing. You can appreciate the vessels' blue lights and amber red exhausts. Look closely and you'll appreciate Luke's facial scars on his right cheek and upper lip from the near fatal car accident he had just before the release of A New Hope. Skin complexions look natural and not over saturated like in the Blu-ray. The holograms blush textures looks awesome.

Grrrrrrreat review! Screenshots addition is a big plus my friend.

At 7:00 (ish), to me, the BlueRay coloring on the AT-AT walkers combined with the mountains and sky have a gorgeous contrast, while the 4k looks like someone took a gray paint-roller over everything. I thank you for being open to your viewer’s opinions! Some youtube reviewers don’t like any opinion but their own!

Nice review Jeff, Bluray does seem to have issues displaying primary and even secondary colors accurately. I don't understand how a franchise this large gets an average transfer, Overall I'm really disappointed that Disney have taken on the Star Wars franchise, because pretty much all of Disney's transfers on 4K have been poor. Their baby is now streaming, and these transfers just prove that.

Love your reviews. While I do have a 4K tv and player, I’ve had the original SW trilogy on VHS, DVD and BlueRay. I’m done upgrading.

Going off of your screenshots it seems like everything on the old Blu-ray has a blue color shift and the new one has a more neutral color.

Thanks for the heads-up on the Target 3 for 2 deal. I thought your comments on sound levels and black level were spot on. I noticed those things before I watched your review.

Fantastic review. Thanks for the depth.

I just bought the Star Wars 4k box set that is available from Best Buy. I never owned any of the Star Wars movies on dvd or Blu-Ray until now. The set is awesome!

After your review of Star Wars A New Hope on 4K. I went to Target and bought New Hope, Empire Strikes Back, and Return of the Jedi on 4k for the buy two get one free. I am so happy I did. A New Hope looked amazing, and so did The Empire Strikes Back. Everything was clear and detailed with no noise. The HDR highlighting all of the lights on the spaceships and the Death Star. The fight scene between Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker was a little dark, but only where it really needed to be. And I think it added to it by having small parts of the scene darker with HDR highlights. So glad I saw your review. I was going to wait until they came down in price, I'm happy I didn't wait. They're so good, I'm tempted to go by 1, 2 and 3. Thanks again for all your reviews.

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.

Always a good review man. I guess it's a person's preference because I like that the blue color shift is gone and hoth looks very Natural along with the rest of the pallet. Thanks for the review. Keep them coming

Really nice job. Love these reviews. Thank you.

Great review buddy! Was very tempted to double dip (think we’ve all dipped many times now, with Star Wars over the years) and pick up the 4K, but I think I’ll hang onto my Blu Ray set. Sending big hugs from Ireland! ☘️ The channel is fantastic!!

The screenshots make your reviews more in depth. Would recommend you use this going forward. Great video.

Subscribed. I really like your honest, normal guy, approach.

Agree Hoth part seemed dark, increased brightness on my projector which I never do until now. Spot on review.

Let me tell you one thing I live in an area that has snow almost year round and the 4K has got it right, blue ray version is way to blue, doesn’t look realistic.

The case looks beautiful.

Thanks for the in-depth review buddy! Great job

I think the white change here is an improvement. The original blu-ray seems to have "retail display mode syndrome" where the blue levels are way too high for color accuracy. Harmy's tweaks for the unofficial "despecialized" version also reduces the blue level to positive effect and many people have been wanting an official release to have this sort of color correction for years. I agree about the black levels though and also think there is a bit of detail lost in that instance.

picking this 4k trilogy up off Amazon for a great price. Love these , thx for your amazing knowledge it helps alot and its fun to watch your videos.

Hey, Jeff--how about reviewing the Harmy Despecialized versions of IV-VI as well as the 4K77, 80 and 83 projects?

As a Canadian I think the snow in with hdr looks a LOT more like I'm used to seeing outside

I'm probably going to wait until the price drops on the individual releases or buy the UK blu-ray boxset!

Great review Jeff as always , Out of all the transfers of The Star Wars Original Trilogy Films The Empire Strikes Back looks good on 4K UHD Blu-Ray Disc but could be better.

I was really impressed with the 4k of Empire. For a movie that came out in 1980 its pretty great.

Subscribed! Great review!

I just got all 9 episodes for £108 I thought that was a good deal. I’m new to your channel and enjoying it 👍🏼

Thanks for the blu ray comparison. great review

Very helpful review. I went to see it in the cinema yesterday. I presume the dcp the cinema used was based on this 4k release. It definitely had the same audio issues that you mentioned in your review. The centre channels were just way too low. It was awful. Dialogue was way too low and really couldn't be made out at all at times. While left and right channels sounded great. A lot reviews are complementing the improved colour grading, particularly the skin tones. The colour grading overall was okay, (I thought Hoth looked much better than the previous release) but in relation to the skin tones, I thought it was disastrous. Way too pink/red, particularly in the millennium falcon. Han Solo looked like he was wearing lipstick. This may have been related to another prevalent issue: it seemed like they lifted the exposure to make the picture overall brighter. Some shots were just ridiculously bright. Empire is suppose to be a dark looking film. Also there was ridiculous use of noise reduction and smoothing effects. The AT-AT pilot was a case in point. Also something about the aspect ratio was way off. It seemed like it was zoomed in. A considerable amount of the frame was missing. I hadn't see Empire on the big screen in over 20 years. It was my first visit to the cinema since the lockdown ended and I must say it was a very disappointing experience considering it should have been a slam dunk given that it is one of my favourite films of all time. Disney should be ashamed.

Great review it’s it worth getting on digital? Been thinking about it. Looks and sound clean.

In New Zealand, the 4K has a tray with the 4K and BD disc 1, with disc 2 on the right side of the case, same with the other movies and trilogy’s.

$12.99 Best Buy this week. I’m getting all 3!

How good is the Blu-ray included in this version? I have 2011 version on Bluray

Great breakdown of the disc. I got episode 2,3,8&9. I’m pretty happy so far. I definitely will be buying the others. Thanks for the video brother it’s awesome as always!

Thanks for the review

Thanks....good review.

This is available for pre-order as a limited edition steelbook here in the UK, so I've pre ordered it although I own it already on blu ray haha

I know these videos are two to three years old, great shout out for Vincent Teoh of HDTV test, I didn't know he did a video relating to the DV of streaming, I'll look that up.

Good honest review 👌

Random question Jeff, but what do you do with your original Blu Rays / DVDs after you've upgraded?

On the Atmos track for ESB, does anybody have issues with the hyperdrive failure sound effects during the escape scene as the falcon heads into the asteroid field? (37:00) I do not know if it is just my system or the atmos track that masks it

The best Star Wars movie deserves every version thats ever been released in one ultimate Blu-ray 4k

I don't have physical copies of any Star Wars films and was originally saving up for the Skywalker box set. After seeing mixed/poor reviews for it, I'm leaning towards buying the new individual 4k releases. Do you think that's the better approach, especially for someone who wants all the bonus features possible??

I thought this was a great pic and even when I kept my eye out for the well noted frozen grain structure during scenes on Hoth, I didnt notice!

I’ve learned that I’m not getting any more Disney 4K movies. I have all the Marvel movies on 4K and I don’t even bother putting in those discs anymore, I end up swapping it for the blu ray disc. I just don’t get how a film like Batman Returns on 4K can look clear and bright (even in dark scenes I can see everything) but Civil War looks like mud is covering the entire screen. It’s just so dark and blah looking. At least on blu ray it brightens up the picture

I’m Still Waiting On My 4K Blu-rays From Target! I Took Advantage Of The Buy 2 Get 1 Free Deal!!

I'm going to wait on these. I want them but I'd rather wait for a lower price, and I doubt they'll ever go out of print.

Your reviews are awesome

you should check out 4K77 and 4K83, and 4K80 when available.

Thanks for the review with screenshots! At 5:28 why did they change the original blue to the split pea soup hue? That's definitely a new change. The remastered remastered remastered remastered edition?

Jeff- great review and thanks for saying wait until ESB is $10-15 to buy. I apologize if you’ve already answered but how do you get this BTGO special via Target. I’m having a hard time locating.

I upgraded from no movies. I've seen it before online and on dvd before, but honestly can't tell the difference besides the cleaner look on these movies.

5:03 It's about time! 'Always hated that blueness! :)

Love your videos!

I came here to see what you would say about the atmos track. IDK, Disney plus 4k/atmos didn't look or sound too bad at all. The asteroid scene really shined with atmos!

Loving it.

Are the lightsaber colours consistent throughout now? I noticed that in the BD and earlier versions they were all over the shop, and at times Vader's lightsaber was pink, which really isn't all that great.

I have the complete saga on dvd. I recently upgraded A New Hope to 4K. I might pick up the other films also on 4K

Great review for Star Wars: Episode V - The Empire Strikes Back (1980) on 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray. It has the 20th Century-Fox logo and fanfare.

Is it cheaper to buy each episode separately?

Hey man I'm shocked you haven't done a video yet about the news that Jaws is coming to 4K June this year! The news was announced last week.

Snow is white, looks like the 4k is spot on, that bluray looked blue which I never seen blue snow

Good review

My AppleTV 4K is doing it for me

Nice Review good luck with 50K Struggling to gt to 1K

For someone that doesn't own either version, would you recommend the 4k over the hd?

Thanks for the videos and reviews! Just a quick question, do you think it’s worth it to get the Skywalker Collector set from Best Buy for $249.99???? Thanks again!

I have the original trilogy on Blu Ray from 2013 with no desire or interest in replacing them for these Disney "4ks." Fox's mastering with THX certs is beautiful with the 4k upscale.👍

Still holding out for the theatricals...until then, my blu rays will suffice

Are you doing your comparisons on a screen that is calibrated to HDR10 (With P3 / BT.2020 color space and 1000 nits)?

Please compare the standard Blu-ray in this release vs the 4K and the old Blu. Thanks!

Yeah I’m going to stick with my Star Wars Complete saga (2011) box set Blu-ray copies but I do have The Force Awakens and The Last Jedi as well as Rogue One and Solo on Blu- Ray but are they worth a upgrade to 4K ?As well as getting the new The Rise of Skywalker on 4K is that worth it? I’m guessing not but just wanted to see what others think.

I see no point in buying the OT on 4K until they do the original theatrical cuts since in recent years I have been watching the original version DVDs as opposed to the BD ones. Cool review.

Is the blu-ray that is included with these 4k transfers the same as the old blu-ray releases???? Meaning can I sell my old blu-rays once the 4k package comes out.

I’ll stack the Extras disc on top of the Blu-Ray & leave the 4K disc on its own & scratch-risk free.

Your information and links are not showing up for me today. Great review. I get so much information from yuor channel!

How does the included blu-ray compare to the 4k disc? Same issues?

Staaahhhhhhh wars. Love the Boston accent 😂

Got them last year Black Friday on Amazon for $12.00 a piece.

Hey - what is the best collection for the Alien series to binge watch?

From that quick picture you show on the imperial walkers on hoth, I would respectfully disagree. It is much better. It is closer to the original. Accurate is not always same as what people like. I completelly agree with Joe Bagadoughnuts, lower. And yes to me it's worth the upgrade.

From the screenshots, it looks like they did a universal colour-correction, rather than a scene-by-scene colour-correction. I am guessing this was to save time.

That’s unfortunate to hear. I just picked up the trilogy but haven’t had time to watch them. But at least I bought durning the buy 2 get 1 free Target sale.

Right now on Best Buy they're all $23 I'm wondering if they're even worth that much I was really hoping to have these movies in 4K it's one of my favorite movies

One question. I have the blue Ray version and I can see some details on that seen on my TV is a TV a influence to that. I have a oled c8

At the 1:43 mark, I opted out immediately. I keep hoping they release the original theatrical versions - without any of the needless 1997-tinkering - but it seems Disney is purposely reluctant to ever put those out there. Good thing I still have an old original VHS trilogy collection from the late '80s that I found at a thrift store one time.

On the Bespin duel the color behind Vader was always blue not gray like in 4k release. I watched the movie 400+ times and i remember exactly. Why the hell would they alter the colour? This sucks!

Contrary to labelling, Disney's 4k edition of Empire does not preserve the original 2.39:1 aspect ratio of the movie. The picture frame only measures to be in the aforementioned format, but is in fact cropped about 4% on all sides (yes even top and bottom). Just make a comparison with older laserdisc editions or the Blu-ray's to detect this substantial problem, wich to date has largely been overseen by reviewers.

Ouch...I keep my Despecialized Editions BR's !!

Return of the Jedi looks FANTASTIC!!!!

4:59 As for this image you've pulled up for the Blu-ray, that doesn't look white to me. It looks blue. As opposed to the next image... 5:04 This looks closer to white, though it's more off-white, or grayish, which would be expected because of the shadow detail in the tiny ridges of the snow.

will you be reviewing eps 123 really liking your reviews bro

Awesome

Cant wait for your review of The Snyder Cut on bluray