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Minoru Chiaki

Minoru Chiaki

8 Films

Minoru Chiaki

8 Included Films

Minoru Chiaki photo

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Minoru Chiaki (千秋 実 Chiaki Minoru) was a Japanese actor who appeared in such films as Akira Kurosawa's Seven Samurai and The Hidden Fortress. In Seven Samurai he was the good-natured samurai Heihachi. Later in his career he appeared as a secondary actor in many Toei films. In 1986 he was given the Best Actor prize at the Japan Academy Prize ceremony for his performance in Toei's Gray Sunset (1985). Description above from the Wikipedia article Minoru Chiaki, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

UHD Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray

Best Video:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray, caps

As with other Kurosawa 4K's, Criterion has a less processed master than Toho and BFI.

Best Audio:

Criterion NTSC DVD overall. The 4K restoration's track is denoised and sounds muffled, but has a few of moments where it edges out in detail

Audio analysis between the Criterion 4K Blu-ray, BFI Blu-ray and Toho 4K Blu-ray

Best English-Friendly:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray

Best Video:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray, caps

As with other Kurosawa 4K's, Criterion has a less processed master than Toho and BFI.

Best Audio:

Criterion NTSC DVD overall. The 4K restoration's track is denoised and sounds muffled, but has a few of moments where it edges out in detail

Audio analysis between the Criterion 4K Blu-ray, BFI Blu-ray and Toho 4K Blu-ray

1080p Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

BFI Blu-ray

Best Video:

2015 BFI Blu-ray

Additional Info:

(A 4K restoration was shown 2019-2021-2025, but no signs of a home video release so far)

Rashomon poster
1080p Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

BFI Blu-ray

Best Video:

2015 BFI Blu-ray

Additional Info:

(A 4K restoration was shown 2019-2021-2025, but no signs of a home video release so far)

UHD Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

BFI Blu-ray

Best Video:

Japan 4K Blu-ray

Best Audio:

BFI Blu-ray (second audio track, not included in the menu)

Ikiru poster
UHD Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

BFI Blu-ray

Best Video:

Japan 4K Blu-ray

Best Audio:

BFI Blu-ray (second audio track, not included in the menu)

UHD Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray or BFI 4K Blu-ray

Best Video:

No clear winner, Criterion SDR 4K Blu-ray has better defined grain and is cleaned-up more thoroughly. But looks grayer and flatter in daytime scenes. BFI 4K Blu-ray's HDR/DV is better in contrast but the grading can be debatable.

Best Audio:

BFI Streaming

Additional Info:

The subtitles of Criterion  and BFI are translated differently. See BR forum.

Best English-Friendly:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray or BFI 4K Blu-ray

Best Video:

No clear winner, Criterion SDR 4K Blu-ray has better defined grain and is cleaned-up more thoroughly. But looks grayer and flatter in daytime scenes. BFI 4K Blu-ray's HDR/DV is better in contrast but the grading can be debatable.

Best Audio:

BFI Streaming

Additional Info:

The subtitles of Criterion  and BFI are translated differently. See BR forum.

UHD Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

BFI 4K Blu-ray for video or Criterion Blu-ray for subtitles

Best Video:

BFI 4K Blu-ray, see detailed review However Criterion has better subtitles

Best English-Friendly:

BFI 4K Blu-ray for video or Criterion Blu-ray for subtitles

Best Video:

BFI 4K Blu-ray, see detailed review However Criterion has better subtitles

UHD Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

BFI 4K Blu-ray

Best Video:

BFI 4K Blu-ray has excellent master and grade, no DNR and tasteful HDR

Best Audio:

Restored original mono mix: Toho Japan 4K Blu-ray
Unrestored original mono: 2014 BFI Blu-ray

BFI 4K Blu-ray has OG Perspecta (in 5.1 container) and a stereo downmix of it; no original mono.

Additional Info:

The unrestored track on BFI's earlier release appears to be an almost entirely unmanipulated transfer of the original mix. It suffers from a distracting low-frequency hum. The 4K restoration comes with a restored track, which appears to be the same transfer, but which appears to be cleaned up with a moderate amount of noise reduction and some EQ, nicely opening up the high-end, and which is likely to be preferable to most listeners. All earlier releases sound poor.

Perspecta isn't a discrete surround format, instead only relying on manipulating volume and panning of the mono track across L/C/R channels, based on embedded control tones. As such, even the Perspecta track is technically just the mono mix, though the omission of the proper mono on BFI's 4K is still unfortunate.

Best English-Friendly:

BFI 4K Blu-ray

Best Video:

BFI 4K Blu-ray has excellent master and grade, no DNR and tasteful HDR

Best Audio:

Restored original mono mix: Toho Japan 4K Blu-ray
Unrestored original mono: 2014 BFI Blu-ray

BFI 4K Blu-ray has OG Perspecta (in 5.1 container) and a stereo downmix of it; no original mono.

Additional Info:

The unrestored track on BFI's earlier release appears to be an almost entirely unmanipulated transfer of the original mix. It suffers from a distracting low-frequency hum. The 4K restoration comes with a restored track, which appears to be the same transfer, but which appears to be cleaned up with a moderate amount of noise reduction and some EQ, nicely opening up the high-end, and which is likely to be preferable to most listeners. All earlier releases sound poor.

Perspecta isn't a discrete surround format, instead only relying on manipulating volume and panning of the mono track across L/C/R channels, based on embedded control tones. As such, even the Perspecta track is technically just the mono mix, though the omission of the proper mono on BFI's 4K is still unfortunate.

1080p Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

Criterion Blu-ray

Best Video:

Criterion Blu-ray > Arrow Blu-ray > Japan Blu-ray

Both Arrow and Japan Blu-ray seem to suffer from the Quicktime Gamma Bug

Best English-Friendly:

Criterion Blu-ray

Best Video:

Criterion Blu-ray > Arrow Blu-ray > Japan Blu-ray

Both Arrow and Japan Blu-ray seem to suffer from the Quicktime Gamma Bug

UHD Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray

Best Video:

France Carlotta > Criterion 4K Blu-ray see caps: https://slow.pics/c/s7AfL3XW

Grain is sharper/clearer on the new Carlotta/Criterion 4K; BFI's grain resolves slightly worse and more so in motion, being a standard Blu-ray; The Toho 4K's grain is softer, probably DNR'd.

Best Audio:

Toho 1993 LaserDisc

BFI Player used to have the same mastering available to stream in 2019.

Best English-Friendly:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray

Best Video:

France Carlotta > Criterion 4K Blu-ray see caps: https://slow.pics/c/s7AfL3XW

Grain is sharper/clearer on the new Carlotta/Criterion 4K; BFI's grain resolves slightly worse and more so in motion, being a standard Blu-ray; The Toho 4K's grain is softer, probably DNR'd.

Best Audio:

Toho 1993 LaserDisc

BFI Player used to have the same mastering available to stream in 2019.

8 films

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