I'm not sure which version I prefer-Harmy's seems closer to what my memory thinks the movies were like, but there's no denying the appeal of a 4K version to watch on our big screen TV. (I can't share where I found my versions, but I will say that it wasn't on usenet.)Īgain, as with Harmy's Despecialized Editions, these are fan-made creations that you should never buy or sell, and it is technically illegal to have them, even if you do (as you should) own the original movies on another medium.
The 4K77 project page suggests that usenet is the best source for their versions, and they're probably available in torrent form if you're willing to go that route. Unfortunately, there's not a nice "How to get 4K77" guide for you to follow, as their is with Harmy's Despecialized Editions. Keep in mind this is a 4K resolution image, though I scaled it down here-so it should look much better than would Harmy's version if you're watching on a big screen. (It's a bit too white in the windows near the top of the photo the details are getting blown out.) Due to the cut direction I used, you can't see it, but the red color on the background equipment is much richer on the 4K77 version. There's a lot more detail in Chewie's fur, and the scene is much lighter than in Harmy's version. Without looking back at the other blog post, it may not be obvious just how different these two versions are…but this composite photo makes it obvious: More advent of Rey, Finn and Poe Dameron. As an example, here's the same still as I used in my prior post, but this one was taken from 4K77 (again, click to see the larger version): Lucas’s film with director Abrams once again joins forces to take viewers on a far-off gala to Star Wars: The Skywalker Break, a thrilling ending to the fallen Skywalker saga in which a new story is born and the final battle for independence remains you must come.
…97% of project 4K77 is from a single, original 1977 35mm Technicolor release print, scanned at full 4K, cleaned at 4K, and rendered at 4K.īecause this is a scan of the original film, it's grainier than the Harmy releases-and there may be some actual film effects like scratches visible at times (I haven't yet watched the full movie, so I'm not sure).īut it is a full 4K, and it's a very different experience than is Harmy's version.
What's really amazing about the 4K77 project is that it is not an upscale of lower-resolution footage. The group has also completed Project 4K83 (Return of the Jedi), and is now working on Project 4K80 (The Empire Strikes Back). Project 4K77 is, as you might guess from the name, a 4K version of the 1977 Star Wars movie. Hot on the heels of my weekend post about Harmy's Despecialized Editions of the original Star Wars Trilogy movies, Six Colors maven and all-around good guy (and my ex-boss) Jason Snell pointed me to something I'd previously only seen briefly referenced in a few spots: Project 4K77.