Source France | Publisher : Warner Bros. | Release date : 19 July 2023
Video format
2160p24 – Ratio 1.78
Dolby Vision / BT.2020 – HEVC encoding
Master intermediate 4K
Soundtrack
English Dolby Atmos
Dolby Digital 5.1 English
Subtitles
English
French
Rated 4.5 out of 5
Artistic : 9 | Video : 9 | Audio : 9
It is brought to the attention of our dear readers that, in addition to the specified and used viewing equipment, the rendering may differ from one installation to another, whether or not it is calibrated, as well as personal preferences and expectations may influence notation. Moreover, the images in the article are not representative of the edition tested.
Test equipment and condition (Config. HP: 5.1.4)
Video broadcaster : Philips 65OLED908 (Dolby Vision Filmmaker)
Sources : Oppo UDP-203 Audiocom Reference | Zappiti Reference
Pregnant : Sennheiser Ambeo Soundbar (Dolby Atmos | Dolby Surround), SVS SB-4000
WORK - The price of survival
Twenty years after the destruction of modern civilization, Joel, a hardened survivor, is engaged to get Ellie, a 14-year-old girl, out of an oppressive quarantine area...
Apart from perhaps the discretion of the infected (while at the heart of the game) in favor of another threat (the human being), this series survives in a post-apocalyptic world of an incredible blackness successful adaptation, between action and emotion, even when it emerges from the path traced by its video material (to better deepen its universe). The duo Bella Ramsey / Pedro Pascal (Ellie and Joel) works, the plot that does not forget nothing nor anyone on the way is well built, the staging with raw realism is visceral, the secondary characters are brilliantly written, the artistic paw is singular and the scenes of anguish memorable. A model of the kind.
IMAGE - Apocalypse Now
A few tracks of compression (a little color banding on the 3rd disc that contains three episodes and not two like the others), it's a superb UHD Dolby Vision transfer we're dealing with.
The increase in resolution is notable (the most distant backgrounds gain in sharpness), the details gain to a completely different refinement (the facial hairiness of a part of the male casting, the makeup of the infected, the costumes, the natural scenery or not) both day and night (the very dark 3rd episode lets you better understand its shadows), and the depth of field is amazing during the scenes shot in the middle of nature.
The colorimetric palette is enriched with its primers (green grass, blue sky, red shirt from Ellie), while the greys are full of shades and the whites (snow) catch a new shine, the contrasts have been slightly improved (an advantage since the series is very regularly immersed in darkness) and the light sources are clearly more intense (such as indoor lamps, reflections on metal objects, sun breakthroughs and shop windows).
SON - I'm afraid to end up alone
Well balanced, nuanced and spectacular as needed, the Dolby Atmos soundtrack reserved for the VO systematically uses all the channels at its disposal for an excellent level of immersion regardless of the environment visited.
The dynamic range is particularly robust, the horrific effects (the Clicker) as well as the realistic atmospheres (the breeze) are really well restored, the sound scene which is very spacious benefits from a remarkable separation of the enclosures, the surround base is widely exploited (a special mention at the end of episode 5), the height elements always coincide with the narration (reverberation in the underground spaces or inside the mall, a break in branches, debris falls, etc.) even if few, the music signed Gustavo Santaolalla (the composer of the original video game) which adds to the suspense and drama is enveloping, the dialogues are returned with great clarity and the channel LFE, a little less punchy than expected, nevertheless exempts tight and striking bass.
Available in simple Dolby Digital 5.1, the VF lacks precision and breadth. But at its level, it has a good distribution and remains quite powerful.
CONCLUSION - The game is just starting
Produced by Craig Mazin, creator of the mini-series Chernobyland by Neil Druckmann, writer and creative director of games, this prestigious post-apocalyptic series HBO is largely up to the saga videoludic phenomenon developed by Naughty Dog. And with its best equipment (Coding Dolby Vision + VO Dolby Atmos), the present 4K Ultra HD with healthy A/V services is the preferred format for adventure on this devastated land!
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