RoboCop 4K UHD Screenshots (Patreon)

Video

A hefty grain structure asks a lot of Arrow's compression routine. Hazy police station interiors add to the challenge. While teetering, the encode holds up, maintaining a filmic aesthetic. The digital nature only shows if closely looking. It's pleasing, and even when grain spikes via the multiple exposures in the visual effects, clarity is held together.

From a 4K scan, texture and sharpness make only marginal gains over the Blu-ray. RoboCop still makes use of this format, drawing out facial definition, the steely RoboCop suit, and the Detroit exteriors. Given the cinematography, there's only so much to see.

The bigger gains, as usual, come from the new Dolby Vision pass. While not consistent (again, the cinematography chooses to overexpose the film stock in places), overall the depth looks stellar. Black levels bring greater shadows into the frame, with marginal gains to detail, if much at all. A crisp boost to brightness emboldens highlights, newly enhanced by the tech. Better though is the color saturation, giving new life to flesh tones, accentuating primaries, and finding the blues/purples on Robo's metal.

Audio

Mirroring the Blu-ray, three (!) DTS-HD options apply to either version, but there's also a new Dolby Atmos track too. This sports enhanced low-end, immediately powerful as ED-209 takes the first steps. They're thundering, tight, and naturally added to this otherwise vintage audio. Same with the gas station explosion. It's an improvement over the boomy 5.1 track created prior, offering calibrated range that doesn't push too far while preserving the source's purity. In terms of Atmos effects, the focus stays primarily on the score, lifting the music to expand an already wide track.

As for the DTS-HD mixes, the most natural is arguably the 4.0, an organic step up from 2.0, and without the artificial boldness in the 5.1 track (although the latter has positives too). Listen as technicians screw the final pieces into RoboCop’s head. Each position brings the drill sound to a different channel. Club music stretches outward, and gunfire pops from the available speakers.

Basil Poledouris’ awesome score is expertly balanced and flawlessly clean. It’s wide and bold, while dialog isn’t limited by the older analog source.