Sun Music to 4K Resolution

For many middle class families from the 1990s to 2010, the CRT TV was a window into the external world. Unlike today's 40-inch plasma screens, these narrow televisions shaped our view of movies and TV shows. I vividly remember that even the largest TV couldn’t deliver the detailed resolution that modern displays offer what seemed big was simply scaled up, often lacking clarity.

It was during my Visual Communication studies in 2010 that I realized the resolution of the content we were watching was far from today's Full HD standard of 1920x1080 pixels. Instead, we were watching at 720x576 pixels, A Total of just 4.14 megapixels. The black cable wire that carried these signals could only support that size and the image quality was defined by its bright colors rather than intricate details.

Perhaps this is why people still gravitate toward theaters, even in the age of advanced television. The precision and immersive experience of cinema has always been unmatched.

Growing up, I remember missing out on watching Youth in theaters as I relied on my parents for tickets. However, songs like All Thotta Boopathi were frequently played on Prime Time TV, and 'Sarkkarai Nilave' was another fan favorite. As a school student back then, my interest was often in dynamic, beat driven songs like Naan Autokkaran, En Peru Padaiyappa, Devuda Devuda and ilamai Itho, which brought a special energy to college events.

It is fascinating to see how our consumption of media has evolved over the years from pixelated CRT screens to high-definition cinema and beyond.

Growing up, certain melodious songs like 'Muthal Muthal Paarthein' from Aha (1998) and 'Kanne Kalaimaane' from 'Moondram Pirai (1982)' felt somewhat distant when watched on the small screens of our CRT televisions. Among them was Sarkkarai Nilave, a song that resonated with me back then, especially the poignant lines.

I said I’d dance beneath November’s rain,

You whispered, I love the rain just the same.

I spoke of bathing in moonlight's glow,

You smiled, That’s a bath I already know.

Who is the voice that soothes and sings?

Susheela’s melody, your soft heart brings.

It spins my world, you murmured low,

Like Buddha’s calm in a gentle flow.

I dreamt of a statue with eyes shut tight,

You said, It's me you dream of at night.

No hesitation, just you and I,

Yet why, in the end, did you say goodbye?

Even as a school student, I was drawn to the hero’s subtle emotions. We had often seen portrayals of love and heartbreak in cinema, but this was different. The hero, even after facing rejection, doesn't lose his sense of self. His suffering is expressed in a restrained and profound way—his moral stance intact, yet his pain deeply felt.

The scene where Vijay leans against a rock, framed like a painting, singing four lines without any cuts, is etched in my memory:

1. "Love is something like God

2. You can feel it, but it has no form.”

He seems like 'You don’t understand my feelings; you don't recognize them when you do.' And then he continues...

3. "A wounded heart is like a child..."

As he sings, we witness a sudden shift—a shadow of sadness crossing his face as he reflects on his lost love,

4. "There are no words to express the pain... "

and then, wiping away his tears, he hides his sorrow with a smile.

I often think that I missed experiencing such moments in a theater. For years, we watched these powerful scenes compressed into 4.14 megapixels on our 720x576 resolution TVs. Yet, if we were able to grasp the hero’s subtle emotions on those small screens, it speaks volumes about the brilliance of cinematographer Natty (N. Nataraja Subramanian) in crafting such an intimate scene.

Today, revisiting this scene in its remastered 4K version, where the resolution is six times higher, the depth and detail of the visuals become even more striking. For those who, like me, first saw this song on channels like K TV and Sun TV, the 4K version will undoubtedly offer a fresh experience.

With today's 4K resolution at 3840x2160 pixels—over 23 million pixels—the ability to capture these cinematic nuances has reached new heights.