From HD to 4K: Upscaling movies.

Over the long weekend, while I was watching the Original X-Men trilogy movies with my family on Disney+ I noticed that some of these movies are in 4K even though the technology wasn't available when they were originally released in the 2000s so I thought I should find out how they got upscaled and this is what I found. A fascinating process that involves a lot of hard work and cutting-edge technology.

First of all, it's important to understand that not all old movies can be converted into 4K HDR. The quality of the original film is a significant factor. If the original film is in good condition, the restoration process is much more straightforward and, if the film is damaged or degraded, it can be much more challenging to restore and convert it into a 4K HDR.

So, how do they do that? The process of converting old movies into 4K HDR starts by scanning the original film using a high-resolution scanner. This scanner can capture the film's details in much greater detail than a standard scanner, allowing for a more accurate restoration.

Once the film has been scanned, it's time to start the restoration process. This process involves removing any dirt, scratches, or other imperfections that may have accumulated in the film over time. It's critical to remove these imperfections as they can have a significant impact on the final quality of the restored film.

After the restoration process is complete, it's time to start the conversion process. This process involves using specialized software to upscale the resolution of the film in its original format to 4K HDR. While this process is relatively straightforward, it can take a lot of time and computing power to complete, depending on the length of the film.

It's worth noting that not all movies are converted into 4K HDR. Some movies are only converted into 2K resolutions, which is still a significant improvement over the original format. This is because the majority of modern movies are still made in 2K resolutions.

In conclusion, as I said before, the process of converting old movies into 4K HDR is a fascinating one that involves cutting-edge technology and a lot of hard work. While not all movies can be converted into this format, those can be truly spectacular to watch. So, if you're a fan of old movies, be sure to check out the latest digitally restored films to see the magic for yourself.