Goofyernmost
Well-Known Member
Sooo.... Is it done yet? 
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Soarin' Expansion and new Soarin' Around the World film
- Thread starter danlb_2000
- Start date
TP2000
Well-Known Member
DCA's Soarin' had all new screens installed, actually. They had to for the 4K system. You can tell they are brand new and slightly different after the ride when you can walk up to the edge of the theater.
I'm not a cinematographer, but I think the new digital 4K version of Soarin' Over California at DCA is a HUGE IMPROVEMENT over the old film version. The film was just looking really cheesy, and obviously film, even if there weren't dust bunnies floating around. Most people's eyes are now adjusted to expect HD digital images, and an old film looks just... old.
TP2000
Well-Known Member
This is obviously not going to be anything like experiencing the new digital version in person, even if you have a HD computer screen and watch this in 1080p speed from YouTube, but...
It does give a good idea of how crisp and clear the new HD Soarin' Over California is at Disneyland. Not a dust bunny, or scratch, or blotch, or flicker to be found. Watch in at least 720p for best effect.
It does give a good idea of how crisp and clear the new HD Soarin' Over California is at Disneyland. Not a dust bunny, or scratch, or blotch, or flicker to be found. Watch in at least 720p for best effect.
TP2000
Well-Known Member
That's not the first time I've heard that comment, either regarding Soarin' or other "digital" conversions.
But what does that mean to us amateurs?
I've ridden the new HD Soarin' a couple times now since it reopened last week, after riding both versions in WDW and Disneyland many, many times since the attraction opened in 2001. And I'm just a guy with average vision, but don't wear glasses, and I upgraded my home TV's to digital years ago and now have a big 4K Samsung in the TV room. But all I can see when I ride the new digital version of this attraction is a radically clearer and crisper and more vibrant picture. It looks dramatically improved to my eye, and I hear similar chatter from other people about how great it now looks each time I've exited the theater.
The only thing that looks bad to my eye in the digital update are the CGI additions from the 1999 version of the original film; the fake hang glider over Yosemite, and Tinkerbell at the end. Those look really fake now because they are so clear and crisp and the rest of the picture looks so great.
What am I missing that I was supposed to see in the old OmniMax film version? All I see is dramatic, crystal clear improvement.
George Lucas on a Bench
Well-Known Member
It's too dark and the black levels/contrast are bad. I really didn't like how the surfing scene looked and the LA/Disneyland scenes at the end had crushed blacks galore. You can actually see what I'm talking about in that video. Most people probably won't be bothered by it, but I was.
My bigger issue with Soarin' that has never been addressed and probably never will be is that they never attempted to hide the fact that you go into a room and watch a movie on a screen in chairs that rise on a mechanism. I mean, you can literally see how everything works and there's never an attempt at an illusion. Star Tours maintains the illusion that you're going in a starship, for instance. The lighting as you board the vehicle doesn't make the technology behind it apparent. A door opens to reveal the cockpit/windshield when the time is right. Back to the Future: The Ride (RIP) had you in this garage enclosure with smoke, which you rose out of as the film started, again never making the technology behind it obvious. Why didn't they bother with Soarin'?
My bigger issue with Soarin' that has never been addressed and probably never will be is that they never attempted to hide the fact that you go into a room and watch a movie on a screen in chairs that rise on a mechanism. I mean, you can literally see how everything works and there's never an attempt at an illusion. Star Tours maintains the illusion that you're going in a starship, for instance. The lighting as you board the vehicle doesn't make the technology behind it apparent. A door opens to reveal the cockpit/windshield when the time is right. Back to the Future: The Ride (RIP) had you in this garage enclosure with smoke, which you rose out of as the film started, again never making the technology behind it obvious. Why didn't they bother with Soarin'?
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TP2000
Well-Known Member
Two words: Paul Pressler.
Goofyernmost
Well-Known Member
Taking into consideration that the only exposure that I have had to the new technology is the video above, one thing that I really did notice as that if it is darker and not just a product of reproduction over the internet a very good plus came out of it. The dangling feet in front of you are no where near as prominent as in the past. If Soarin has a flaw, the foot fence is the main one for me. So if that took care of the problem, count me in as a supporter.
It is, and it did not.
ford91exploder
Resident Curmudgeon
Erm no it will not take maintenance out of the picture the lenses and the imager still need to be cleaned the imager especially, but it will not happen so the dust bunnies will be back, the lamps will not be replaced until they burn out etc
DisneyCane
Well-Known Member
The imagers are sealed. There is no regular cleaning of those. Also, if you don't replace a high power xenon bulb before it actually burns out, you are risking VERY expensive projector damage from the bulb exploding.
DisneyCane
Well-Known Member
You are missing tons of detail in the black levels. It is especially true in dark scenes but just as important in dark areas of bright scenes. The shame is that currently available laser projectors can get incredible black levels but Disney (and this is Anaheim) decided to cheap out on this "upgrade."
I don't think Tinkerbell exactly looked "real" in the film version either!
ford91exploder
Resident Curmudgeon
No the images are not sealed they have forced air cooling otherwise they would melt, as to not replacing bulbs in projectors. Disney traditionally seems to run projector bulbs beyond their expected lifetime
Is the imager a user maintenance item no it's not but it still needs maintenance which it will not get at WDW if the condition of the IMAX system is any indicator
RSoxNo1
Well-Known Member
Uncle Orville invented Air Cooling.
Mike S
Well-Known Member
"No privacy at all around this place!!!!!"
DisneyCane
Well-Known Member
The DLP chips are cooled using heat sinks on the back. The cooling air is filtered as well. I have to check the particular Barco projectors that IMAX uses but I'm pretty sure the light engine is sealed. I've seen what dust looks like with much less magnification on a 65" DLP TV (when I changed my chip). If dust is on the imager chips of a DLP projector being magnified to movie screen size, there will be giant blotches all over the place. I know that movie theatres don't go above an beyond for maintenance and I have never seen this on any movie screen and I've seen at least 30 movies in digital projection in the last few years.
DisneyCane
Well-Known Member
One thing that sticks out is that unless California lights the screen blue during liftoff, you can clearly see how horrible the black levels are.
I just wish that they would have done this upgrade right and used laser projectors. Who knows, maybe the price will come down enough by the time they upgrade Epcot and they will do it. Disney should push the envelope for the best possible picture quality, especially in a ride that is supposed to simulate reality.
