Meh, can't post links without 5+ posts, so you will have to search Amazon for "Matrix Ultimate Collection" to see what I'm talking about. I did a search and couldn't find any info about it's quality on the forum. Was wondering if the quality was as good as / better than the original Matrix DVD's that were so good. Amazon says that each movie is a "new digital transfer". This means that they were made from a different digital master than the original DVD's, but from the same film/analog master, right? The Amazon page doesn't say, so I assume there is no DTS track. Have any of the Matrix movies been released on DVD with a DTS track anyway?

Thanks for help,
Oline61

Seems like the original Matrix disc gets kinda bad marks for its video...I certainly don't ever see it listed as "reference."

But then, it was one of the first titles out back in 99...definitely one of the top sellers early on anyway...

This "Ultimate Collection" has been out awhile now, at least a year, so you shouldn't have any trouble finding reviews either here or elsewhere.

It's surprisingly difficult to find reviews on the forum. Searching on "Ultimate Matrix" brings up only 5 threads, all of which just make mention of the movie, but no review. I'm glad you mentioned searching for a review elsewhere though, because I had neglected to do so. At IGN they had side by side comparison shots that sold me on the new transfers.

When I say "original Matrix DVD's that were so good" I am, of course, talking about reloaded and revolutions :).

Thanks for help,
Oline61

Was wondering if the quality was as good as / better than the original Matrix DVD's that were so good. Amazon says that each movie is a "new digital transfer". This means that they were made from a different digital master than the original DVD's, but from the same film/analog master, right? The Amazon page doesn't say, so I assume there is no DTS track. Have any of the Matrix movies been released on DVD with a DTS track anyway?
[Oline61

I have the Ultimate Matrix collection and I had the original Matrix DVD as well(have since traded it in). IMO, the original 'Matrix' looks darn good, but the re-master for the Ultimate collection is superior. It's cleaned up, sharp and the color palette is more in line with both Reloaded and Revolutions. Reloaded and Revolutions from the Ultimate collection look the same as when they were released individually as 2-disc sets. Reloaded and Revolutions are reference-type discs, with 'The Matrix' being VERY close to that.

The sound on all of them is DD 5.1, no DTS. Surround sound on all 3 are wonderful.
I am not aware of any of the 3 being released with a DTS track. At least in Region 1.

When I say "original Matrix DVD's that were so good" I am, of course, talking about reloaded and revolutions :).


Thanks for clearing it up...you're right, they are excellent.

I have the Ultimate Matrix collection and I had the original Matrix DVD as well(have since traded it in). IMO, the original 'Matrix' looks darn good, but the re-master for the Ultimate collection is superior. It's cleaned up, sharp and the color palette is more in line with both Reloaded and Revolutions. Reloaded and Revolutions from the Ultimate collection look the same as when they were released individually as 2-disc sets. Reloaded and Revolutions are reference-type discs, with 'The Matrix' being VERY close to that.


You reminded me now of why I didn't opt to buy the "Ultimate" collection when it came out, even though I'm a huge fan of the whole franchise.

I don't like the whole "changing the color palette of the original to match the sequels" part.

Maybe I could pick up the series though and just sell/trade my Animatrix & Sequel DVD's...keeping the original.

The box set is awesome, just LOADED with features. The only thing missing is the hilariously awkward Matrix fan featurette from The Matrix Revisited. Those people were FREAKS!

Anyway I just sold mine because the Matrix trilogy is coming to HD DVD probably by Christmas. It will probably debut on Blu-ray at some point as well since WB supports both. Right now HD DVD has FAR superior picture quality however so that's the one to get.

The sound on all of them is DD 5.1, no DTS. Surround sound on all 3 are wonderful.
I am not aware of any of the 3 being released with a DTS track. At least in Region 1.
Oh well, I was kind of hoping for a DTS track. Still, it's probably 448 kbit/s, whereas my old Matrix DVD had 384 kbit/s AC3.

I don't like the whole "changing the color palette of the original to match the sequels" part.
I like the idea of making it more in line with the other two movies, but based on the screencaps at IGN I think a few scenes are weakened by the color changing. Most notably the interregation where Neo's mouth is (sewn?) shut, which was previously in a yellowish tint and is now in a cooler blue tint. I'll have to watch it, but I think I like the yellow better.

I like the idea of making it more in line with the other two movies, but based on the screencaps at IGN I think a few scenes are weakened by the color changing. Most notably the interregation where Neo's mouth is (sewn?) shut, which was previously in a yellowish tint and is now in a cooler blue tint. I'll have to watch it, but I think I like the yellow better.

See, that's exactly what I mean. The original, to me, was perfect as is...no tinkering necessary.

The box set is awesome, just LOADED with features. The only thing missing is the hilariously awkward Matrix fan featurette from The Matrix Revisited. Those people were FREAKS!

One other thing missing was the Matrix:Reloaded spoof from Saturday Night Live
with Shawn Scott, Justin Timberlake and Will Farrell as The Architect! It was on the 2nd disc of extras from the original 2-disc Matrix Reloaded DVD. I kept that 2nd disc just to have that spoof since it's not on the Ultimate Matrix Collection. Very funny, imo.

One other thing missing was the Matrix:Reloaded spoof from Saturday Night Live
with Shawn Scott, Justin Timberlake and Will Farrell as The Architect! It was on the 2nd disc of extras from the original 2-disc Matrix Reloaded DVD. I kept that 2nd disc just to have that spoof since it's not on the Ultimate Matrix Collection. Very funny, imo.

Absolutely...very funny stuff...

I need to pull these discs out to watch them again...

One other thing missing was the Matrix:Reloaded spoof from Saturday Night Live
with Shawn Scott, Justin Timberlake and Will Farrell as The Architect!

One of my all time favorite matrix special features!

The original Matrix DVD was horrible. I couldn't stand watching it. The remaster is great quality but they went a little nuts with the green tint.

The Reloaded DVD has slightly less compression than the original Reloaded DVD.

They include the "missing movie" made up from the scenes from Enter the Matrix. Great watch. If only they weren't in non-anamorphic widescreen and could be incorporated into Reloaded.

BTW, the parody was from the MTV Movie Awards, not SNL. Several of their parodies have made it to various DVD's.

The new digital transfer of The Matrix in the Ultimate Collection is without a doubt an improvement PQ-wise over the original DVD, but the color correction makes it near unwatchable in some parts of the movie. A subtle green shade would have easily matched it to the look of the sequels, but the pumped up greens when scenes are happening inside the Matrix are too much, I found it to be too much on the eyes. Hopefully they will balance the color better for the HD-DVD.

Is there any way to get this "sucks less" (silly colors but way better quality) version of the first film without buying the giant box o' discs?

Not that I'm complaining, since it looks like it's down to under $40 now, but I don't ever need to see the other two films again and I already own The Animatrix so I'm just curious.

Someone might be selling it on one of the auction sites.

BTW, the parody was from the MTV Movie Awards, not SNL. Several of their parodies have made it to various DVD's.
Thanks for the correction. As I typed that yesterday, I was thinking it wasn't from SNL, but I couldn't think of where it WAS from! :D

I like all the films and definately think this is the best box set out, ever the artwork is amazing.

Well, it got here today :). It shipped pretty fast with the free shipping. There was minor crumpling of cardboard on one corner of the box, and a few of the individual DVD foldovers had crumpled corners. The actual media is fine, and only one case had a minor crack in the plastic disc holder. Nothing major, just more proof that you need to ship everything in bulletproof cases these days.

I haven't watched any yet, but the artwork on the cases is really great.

I'll post back with my impressions after viewing.

The new digital transfer of The Matrix in the Ultimate Collection is without a doubt an improvement PQ-wise over the original DVD, but the color correction makes it near unwatchable in some parts of the movie. A subtle green shade would have easily matched it to the look of the sequels, but the pumped up greens when scenes are happening inside the Matrix are too much, I found it to be too much on the eyes. Hopefully they will balance the color better for the HD-DVD.

Yeah this is true. The effect in the original film as it played in theaters and on the original DVD was nearly unnoticable. In the box set it's like dayglow green! They kind of pulled a George Lucas there.

They tried to play it off as a limitation in the original DVD was that was just a ******** excuse to alter it.

Yeah this is true. The effect in the original film as it played in theaters and on the original DVD was nearly unnoticable. In the box set it's like dayglow green! They kind of pulled a George Lucas there.

They tried to play it off as a limitation in the original DVD was that was just a ******** excuse to alter it.


I agree to a point. There are places where the new green is too much and others where it works fine. Black is much improved on the new version. For such a dark movie, I like the improvements, but again, moments like Neo's green beard kinda bug me in places.

E

s there any way to get this "sucks less" (silly colors but way better quality) version of the first film without buying the giant box o' discs? Nope. The only way to get it is in the boxset.

The fancy plexiglass boxset was available at that crappy mall chain (what is it called again?) for $39.00. Nice set. Of course, Woot.com had it for $29.00 not too long ago.

I recently re-watched the original Matrix DVD on my calibrated DLP and Denon 2910. I thought the PQ was outstanding throughout most of the movie, and near-HD in some of the parts. I had just got my 2910 as well, but there were a few shots where I was blown away by the detail and 3D-like the 2910 brought out. And this is coming from a guy who used a tweaked-out HTPC exclusively before this.

I also remember the screenshot comparisons on IGN when the Ultimate Collection came out. The cost of the collection wasn't enough to justify a different color pallette in the 1st movie for me. IIRC, it was about $50-60 at Fry's when it came out and I was considering getting it.

Cyber,

I just can't bring myself to buying the dvd UC...will wait for the Hi-Resolution disk set.

BTW, any probs with the 2910?
Good to hear you are enjoying it...it does put out a very good pic.
I recently moved mine to my audio-only setup.

Cyber,

I just can't bring myself to buying the dvd UC...will wait for the Hi-Resolution disk set.

BTW, any probs with the 2910?
Good to hear you are enjoying it...it does put out a very good pic.
I recently moved mine to my audio-only setup.


Nope, no problems with the 2910. And I play a lot of music on it too, like all day on the weekends sometimes. Some of the load/seek times are a tad bit long, but other load/seek times are shorter than normal, so it averages out. The PQ is phenomenal, and the sound is as well. I use the analog outs to take advantage of its internal DACs and crossovers, which are better than in my own receiver.

What are you using for a DVD player now, if you have the 2910 doing audio only?

I found the original Matrix DVD release to be lacking in the PQ dept. Black level was deficient, some compression and sharpness issues. Just not a rock solid picture by any means, compared to the other two installments. The remaster of the first film, exclusive to the box, improves in all these areas. On a large screen (>90 in) it is a dramatic improvement. I believe Reloaded and Revolutions in the box are identical in PQ, compared to the individual releases.

I previously owned only #1 and Animatrix, and I got a good deal on the box over a year ago, so it was worth it for me. The real Q now is whether to buy the box or wait for a HD version.

Has anyone figured out how to take the music from the menus on the Matrix Revisited DVD and transform them to .mp3 or .wav files. I have been looking everywhere to get these tracks, but only found like 3 of them. I was about to buy a stereo mic and record them myself, but I wanted a second opinion. Any help would be great. :(

The easier way that I would do it:

Play dvd from computer DVD drive.
Set my input in the record settings to "stereo mix" (or something like it) in the main playback/record menu for any windows based system....dont need a special audio card. I use the built in card.
Ready Windows audio recorder
Cue up menu or whatever...
Hit record
Hit play

Could you tell me exactly how to do that. I am kinda new to the whole computer audio thing. If you can that would be greatly appreciated. Also can I use Audacity to record the audio

Ive never used Audacity, myself. Heard it was pretty easy to use.

Okay. Right-click on the speaker down on the bottom right corner (usually). Go to 'Volume control" then click on "options". Then hit "properties" and click on the "adjust volume for" button to record mode. Scroll down the list and see if there is an option like "stereo mix"...something like that. When this input is used for recording, anything that would output to your speakers is what is being recorded...

Playing an mp3 from winamp? You can record straight off that. Oh crap! There was a windows error and it chimned...ahaha! Well, your recording came out but in the middle of your song you hear a "Dun!".

Get what I mean? Use this method to rip sound from the menu of the dvd.

Good luck!

Okay one more question. I know this might seem like a stupid question, but will this method work if I am playing the dvd from InterActual Player. Sorry that I am asking so many questions, but I want to be sure now and not have to bug you later. Again thanks in advance.

Yes. If you have a record option like I mentioned then ANYTHING that would be output to your speakers will be recorded. So if you have the dvd playing and you have some music playing at the same time using some other program...you will record both. So just play your menu with the music you like and hit record. Should work...

Thanks

Not music, but a little comedy in the Matrix is always good. Enjoy ;)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4qF9vTc2DDw

I have one more question. I started recording the tracks that are on the DVD, but I have one minor problem. They are only recording in MONO. Is there anyway to change that when using "Stereo Mixer"? If not I think that I can live with them being MONO format, but Stereo just sounds so much better. Again thanks in advance for the reply.

Ok I was fiddling around with Audacity this morning and figured out how to get the tracks into stereo instead of mono. I was just stupid at the start and forgot to set my preferences to make stereo tracks instead of mono. I was a little frustrated because that should be something that is auto in these kinds of things. I went and recorded all 41 tracks last night all in mono and then I figured out this morning that I could record in Stereo. Ugh. I was so mad.

So for any of you out there that are using Audacity make sure that you check your preferences before you start recording.

Audacity is a really good audio editing tool and I would recomend it to all who want to play around with audio. I have been using it mainly to create ringtones for my phone. It works really well.

Again thanks Scott for letting me in on "Stereo Mix". I knew that there was someway of doing it, I just didn't know how.
If anyone wants the music let me know and in a few days I will be able to send it to you.