As a Single Edition:

2.40 Original Aspect Ratio

16X9 enhanced
Average Bitrate: 6.43 mb/s
NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s

Aspect Ratio:
Widescreen anamorphic - 2.40

Edition Details:
• Audio commentary (128 kbps) by Dr Cornel West & Ken Wilber
• Audio commentary (128 kbps) by critics Todd McCarthy, John Powers & David Thomson
• Written introduction to the commentaries by the Wachowski Brothers
• Region 1, 2, 3, 4
 

DVD Release Date: December 7, 2004
Digipack

Chapters 38

Feature: 27.76 Gig, Dual-layered

Blu-ray 1080P, VC-1 encode,

2.4: 1 aspect ratio

DVD Release Date: October 14th, 2008
5 slim keep cases inside a cardboard box

Edition Details:

Disc 1 – The Matrix (4K Ultra HD)
• Commentaries: Both the UHD disc and the standard Blu-ray contain the assorted commentaries from previous editions.
• Written Introduction by the Wachowskis
Philosophers Commentary by Dr. Cornel West and Ken Wilber
• Critics Commentary by Todd McCarthy, John Powers and David Thomson
• Cast and Crew Commentary by Carrie-Anne Moss, Zach Staenberg and John Gaeta
• Composer Commentary by Don Davis and Music-Only Track

• In-Movie Experience: This combination of commentary and inset video appears as an option on the remastered 1080p  Blu-ray. The 2008 Blu-ray offered the same option.


All of the remaining extras appear on a separate Supplements disc.
• Behind the Story
The Matrix Revisited (480p; 1.33:1; 2:02:50).
• Behind the Matrix (480i; 1.33:1; 43:06): A "play all" function is included.
Making The Matrix
The Dance of the Master: Yuen Wo Ping's Blocking Tapes
The Bathroom Fight and Wet Wall
The Code of the Red Dress
The Old Exit: Wabash and Lake
Agent Down
But Wait—There's More
• Follow the White Rabbit (480i; 1.33:1; 22:51): A "play all" function is included.
Trinity Escapes
Pod
Kung Fu
The Wall
Bathroom Fight
Government Lobby
Government Roof
Helicopter
Subway
• Take the Red Pill (480i; 1.33:1; 17:42): A "play all" function is included.
What Is Bullet Time?
What Is the Concept?
• Music
The Music Revisited (3:14:51): A 41-song playlist. A "play all" function is included.
• Rock Is Dead (480p; 1.33:1; 3:20): The Marilyn Manson music video.
• Trailers
The Matrix Teaser (480p; 1.33:1; 1:01)
The Matrix Trailer (480p; 1.33:1; 2:33)
The Matrix TV Spots (480p; 1.33:1; 3:54): A "play all" function is included.
Manson
Reality
Forget Everything
Mystery
Buckle Up
The Answer
Kung Fu
Whoa

UHD Release Date: May 22nd, 2018
Standard Black UHD case inside cardboard slipcase

ADDITION: Warner - Region FREE - 4K UHD - (June 2019): Lilly and Lana Wachowski's 1999 Blockbuster comes to 4K UHD with a bang, thanks to this new package from Warner Bros. The 3-disc set contains the 4k disc, and a Blu-ray with a new transfer.

Let's get this out of the way first, if you are not a 4K adopter and already own The Matrix on Blu-ray, you still may want to pick up this package since the included Blu-ray is an all new transfer, not the same as the previously released discs. The framing in this new transfer is just slightly different than the previous releases. The 4K UHD disc (with a bitrate pushing 50 kbps!) features both Dolby Vision and HDR10, depending on your setup. My home theatre-setup is limited to the HDR, which looks incredible, though sometimes a shade too dark for my liking. After witnessing the film on the DVDBeaver office TV (with Dolby vision) I am convinced that the folks at Dolby should send out this disc as a demo to anyone considering purchasing a Dolby Vision capable television. The early neo-noir (Neo, get it?) sequences truly benefit from the ability to show a huge contrast between the peak brightness right beside truly inky-dark blacks, with no haloing effects or bleeding at all, like I said; demo-worthy. Certain visual-effects shots show a momentary lack of clarity, not surprising given the digital effects limitations of the late 90s. What really surprised me was the precise amount of detail discernible in the live-action shots, which are more plentiful than I recalled (it is easy to think back on this film as mainly consisting of CGI and camera trickery). Certain moments have ditched the green look (including the title in the opening credits) and some moments have adopted a bluer tint (see our animated GIF of Trinity in front of the exploding building). This is most noticeable during the climactic fight between Neo and Agent Smith (see our last comparison capture, the one of Keanu). Those slight tinting differences are probably the biggest change here over the previous releases. I, for one, welcome these changes though you may disagree. Overall, this is one of the finest 4K UHD transfers that we have yet seen, especially with regards to the Dolby Vision option.

NOTE: 26 more full resolution (3840 X 2160) captures for Patrons are available HERE.

We have reviewed the following 4K UHD packages to date: Alien (software uniformly simulated HDR), Toy Story (software uniformly simulated HDR),  A Few Good Men (software uniformly simulated HDR),  2001: A Space Odyssey (HDR caps udated), Schindler's List (simulated HDR), The Neon Demon (No HDR), Dawn of the Dead (No HDR), Saving Private Ryan (simulated HDR and 'raw' captures), Suspiria (No HDR), The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (No HDR), The Big Lebowski, and I Am Legend (simulated and 'raw' HDR captures).

The Dolby Vision on the 4K UHD may be demo-worthy, but that feature is not the only reason that you may want to pop this disc on and wow your friends. If you are lucky enough to have a setup that allows for Dolby TrueHD 7.1, or Dolby Atmos in particular, this may be your new go-to demo disc. The object-based 3D surround sound (especially with the upper channels) blasts into action during the many mind-blowing set pieces scattered throughout the film. The iconic "Bullet-Time" camera effects are now matched by a swooping immersive audio movement. Scenes with rainfall (just as in other recent Atmos enabled releases such as Blade Runner) also showcase the enveloping sounds from the upper channels. If you do not have the Atmos setup there are other options here, including 5.1 variations (with alternate languages), not to mention a slew of subtitle options. As with all 4K UHD discs, this is Region 'Free'.

There are many previously released extras carried over to the supplements disc on this 3-disc package from Warner Bros, including; 5 commentaries (and a music-only option), the 'In-Movie Experience'. The various making-of features and featurettes are also here, joined by trailers, radio spots, Marilyn Manson music video, and the kitchen sink.

This new 4K format, especially with HDR/Dobly Vision, can certainly be a little confusing to the average consumer. For example, some films shot in 4K are then tinkered with (CGI effects and whatnot) on a 2K digital intermediate, then upconverted back to 4K to varying degrees of success. The average resolution of a 4K TV for the home theatre is 3840 pixels by 2160, which is a little shy of the 4,096 x 2,160 that we would see in the cineplex (Cinema 4K). HDR and Dolby Vision, with their stunning utilization of nits (a screens measurement of brightness) and increased color spectrum, are the real selling point of new TVs, 4K, receivers, etc. Even more impressive than the uptick in pixels from Blu-ray to 4K UHD, this new color/light enhancement typically improves a film's look, though not without some controversy. An interesting debate with regards to all of these technical advances is; what qualifies as revisionism and what is merely an attempt to present a film as originally intended. This opening up of color spectrums, especially with regards to brightness (and darkness) allows the studios? /directors? /cinematographers? /producers? (surely different on a case by case basis) some space to play with the visuals (without even getting into the Dolby Atmos' sonic tinkering). It would be easy to assume that most consumers would feel entirely overwhelmed by all of this, especially with 8K whisperings coming over the horizon. Let me just say this, if you have the right setup, recent UHD discs like "The Matrix" and "Alien" and "Blade Runner" (and possibly "2001: A Space Odyssey", depending on who you ask) showcase the right way to present older films, without sacrificing the integrity of the original image.