The Last Starfighter 4K UHD Screenshots (Patreon)

Video

Copy everything said about the gloriously beautiful Blu-ray, but then add a rich, dazzling Dolby Vision pass on top of it. Color makes the most gains. Shots of the actual Starfighter game show incredible vividness. Surrounding environments bring dense, natural greens, and flesh tone accuracy (with an occasional warm push brought on via lighting) is unreal. Splendid contrast amps up, while black levels effectively mirror the Blu-ray; there's only so much true black to achieve.

Grain reproduction isn't perfect, but not far from it. Spikes in the source's grain structure can introduce noise, if limited. Mostly, Last Starfighter maintains the filmic look, untouched by digitally introduced flubs. In that case, resolution can produce superlative sharpness, and detail pops in close. Medium shots look just as elegant in their definition.

Is it worth the upgrade? For a videophile, unquestionably. For more casual viewers, since the Blu-ray is identical in every way other than video quality, it's a release for Last Starfighter super fans only.

Audio

Options come in triplicate, all DTS-HD, same as the Blu-ray. Stereo, 4.1, and 5.1 cram into the sound selection menu. Any of those three produce well managed audio. Fidelity between them doesn’t present any striking difference, although the score’s boomy low-end is better captured by the surround tracks, logically so. Explosions rarely rattle anything (although engines nicely rumble as they pass).

Rear channels pan things around as needed, also offering ambiance. Listen for a hearbeat-like effect in Xur’s command center. Craig Safan’s awesome score spread outward, making full use of the soundstage. There’s slightly better discrete work in the modern 5.1 track, but it’s a negligible upgrade.