William Meader

Brand new HD master by Paramount Pictures – from a 6K Scan of the 35mm VistaVision Original Camera Negative

Arrow 4K Blu-ray > Kino Lorber > Capelight Germany

(transfer of the 1989 MGM LaserDisc, without problems plaguing Kino Lorber's release)

Arrow UHD is an update of the original 4K scan done for their BD. It is also visually far superior to the Kino version and adds Dolby Vision HDR. The Arrow UHD uses a new LD mono capture and has none of the issues or processing found in the Kino UHD which also used an LD mono capture and somehow mucked it up. Short of a brand new scan, the Arrow UHD is as good as it possibly can be.

UK BFI Blu-ray is very similar to Germany Capelight Blu-ray but Capelight is slightly more sharpened see caps

Both Kino Lorber and Twilight Time OOP Blu-ray suffer from Quicktime Gamma Bug see caps

Kino Lorber Blu-ray > MoC. Kino Lorber is made from a 4K scan of negative, the older MoC have crushed black levels.

Criterion Blu-ray upgrade removes the pictureboxing of their old DVD transfer. New HD discussion extra added to the DVD supplements package and reprints the rare out of print source novel as a paperback.

Paramount 4K Blu-ray. See caps
HDR/grading: nice, but some blown out
Encoding: inconsistent, smeared motion
DNR: inconsistent, frozen
Old Paramount Blu-ray is arguably a solid alternative choice

Paramount 4K Blu-ray mono is different version of the Blu-ray mono from the same old 2000 DVD transfer.

The 5.1 remix on the 4K Blu-ray is an appalling remix done by going wild with artificially generated stems from Park Road Post who were given the surviving mono to separate. The experience is jarring and fidelity to original mix in terms of level balance, directionality and impact is nonexistent. Not only does this sound painfully weird, but the Paramount mixers then did whatever they wanted in terms of LFE, sound pans and effect changes.
The original mono mix was not restored and still needs it badly. The 4K master is filled with frozen grain examples coming and going plus some HDR issues in addition to the usual Paramount problems. It is simultaneously better and worse than the Blu-ray master.

BFI significantly better than Kino Lorber even though same restoration http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film5/blu-ray_reviews_64/pocketful_of_miracles_blu-ray.htm