Imprint is the boutique arm of Via Vision Entertainment, an Australian independent distributor, and began in 2020 with The War of the Worlds, The Duellists and Waterloo. Its numbered Imprint Collection issues studio-library classics and long-unreleased titles in limited hardbox and slipcase editions on Blu-ray and 4K UHD, with new transfers and commentaries. Sub-lines include Imprint Television, Imprint Asia and cheaper Standard Editions.
Imprint
43 films on Best BluraysBest video release: 20 in 4K23 in HD5 more for audio only6 more announced
Best 4K release by tier:
- Excellent13
- Solid2
Films where Imprint's release is the pick. How picks are made
Also known as: Via Vision
20 of 43 films match
Films where Imprint's release is the pick. How picks are made
20 in 4K
Best video release on UHD Blu-ray or 4K streaming
Directors: Emeric Pressburger & Michael Powell
Best English-Friendly & Video:
Imprint 4K Blu-ray
Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab) · filmalert101.blogspot.com (opens in a new tab) · slow.pics (opens in a new tab)
Video Notes:
FiM encode and none of the low-pass filtering present on the Criterion 4K, resulting in more detail and better handling of highlights on Imprint
Review, comparisons
Audio Notes:
All HD and 4K sources use the same 2009 restoration. Criterion's master (also used by Imprint) is a bit more rolled off, though the difference is minor.
Director: Spike Lee
Best English-Friendly & Video:
Imprint 4K Blu-ray
Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab) · Blu-ray.com (opens in a new tab)
Video Notes:
Imprint is same master as Criterion but encoded by Fidelity in Motion without Pixelogic’s filtering.
See: https://forum.blu-ray.com/showpost.php?p=23389310&postcount=10 and https://criterionforum.org/forum/viewtopic.php?p=844792#p844792
Director: John Carpenter
Best English-Friendly & Video:
Australia Imprint 4K Blu-ray
Upcoming Release:
UK Arrow 4K Blu-ray possibly teased?
Video Notes:
Best English-Friendly & Video:
Australia Imprint 4K Blu-ray
Sources: Blu-ray.com (opens in a new tab)
Additional Info:
Kino Lorber has a exclusive commentary
Best English-Friendly, Video & Audio:
Australia Imprint 4K Blu-ray
Sources: slow.pics (opens in a new tab)
Video Notes:
> 2025 Germany Constantin Film 4K Blu-ray > 2021 Germany Constantin Film 4K Blu-ray caps
Imprint has a FiM encode, DV and lossless audio.
Constantin 2025 has a solid encode, DV but lossy DTS-HD HR audio.
Constantin 2021 has bad encoding, HDR10 only and lossy audio.
Audio Notes:
Imprint 4K Blu-ray has the best audio among all UHDs
Director: Rick Rosenthal
Best English-Friendly & Video:
Australia Imprint 4K Blu-ray
Upcoming Release:
UK Arrow 4K Blu-ray possibly teased?
Video Notes:
Director: Michael Mann
Best English-Friendly, Video & Audio:
Imprint 4K Blu-ray
Sources: slow.pics (opens in a new tab)
Video Notes:
Imprint 4K Blu-ray is slightly better than the Vinegar Syndrome 4K Blu-ray see caps https://slow.pics/c/E1WBYjTH
See also this Vinegar Syndrome 4K Blu-ray vs Blu-ray caps https://slow.pics/c/OzvKrEEl
Audio Notes:
Imprint 4K Blu-ray has the same audio as Vinegar Syndrome
Director: David Lynch
Best English-Friendly:
Theatrical: Arrow 4K Blu-ray or Australia Imprint 4K Blu-ray?
TV Cut: Australia Imprint Blu-ray included in their 4K Blu-ray set?
Spicediver Cut: Germany Plaion Blu-ray included in their Ultimate Edition release
Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)
Best Video:
Theatrical: Arrow 4K Blu-ray or Australian Imprint 4K Blu-ray?
TV Cut: Australia Imprint Blu-ray included in their 4K Blu-ray set?
Spicediver Cut: Germany Plaion Blu-ray included in their Ultimate Edition release
Best Audio:
Universal 1998 DVD has the original 70mm 6-track mix in Dolby Digital 5.1
Dolby Stereo: Arrow 4K Blu-ray (5.1 mix is an inferior remix)
Best English-Friendly & Video:
Australia Imprint 4K Blu-ray
Upcoming Release:
UK Arrow 4K Blu-ray possibly teased?
Video Notes:
Best English-Friendly & Video:
Australia Imprint 4K Blu-ray
Upcoming Release:
UK Arrow 4K Blu-ray possibly teased?
Video Notes:
Director: Martin Scorsese
Best English-Friendly & Video:
Imprint Australia 4K Blu-ray
Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab) · blah-ray.blogspot.com (opens in a new tab) · facebook.com (opens in a new tab)
Video Notes:
Imprint Australia 4K Blu-ray has slightly better compression than Criterion 4K Blu-ray.
The master in DV looks all but identical to the Criterion’s HDR grade. Detail-wise, FiM’s encode looks like it uncovered a tiny bit of extra high-frequency information that got filtered on the Criterion. See nicolas review
Audio Notes:
1990 Criterion LaserDisc/1993 MGM LaserDisc/2002 R2 MGM DVD are the best. See blah-ray https://blah-ray.blogspot.com/2018/01/raging-bull-1980.html
Imprint Australia 4K Blu-ray has better audio than Criterion 4K Blu-ray, from nicolas:
I believe that what’s on Imprint’s 4K is one of the good mixes MGM and Criterion released during the LaserDisc days. Music is powerful and detailed, dialogues have excellent fidelity and ambient sounds have perceptible depth. I compared the "new" 2.0 with the anemic 5.1 as well as the Criterion 4K mix and could clearly hear the improvements.
Best English-Friendly & Video:
Australia Imprint 4K Blu-ray
4 for audio only
The best audio is Imprint's; the video and English-friendly picks are other releases · by Letterboxd rating
Director: Kathryn Bigelow
Best Audio:
5.1 mix is flawed on Shout! Factory/ICON, a phasey upmix instead of the proper discrete surround. The UHD 2.0 tracks are downmixes of that track.
2008 Fox Blu-ray sounds great, very close to the original 70mm mix, only with split surround.
2001 DVD has the original mix as 4.1 and matrixed 2.0.
Imprint 4K has a 4.0 track. The StudioCanal 4K Blu-ray has a different 5.1, unclear if it's the same as Fox BD.
Sources: Blu-ray.com (opens in a new tab) · slow.pics (opens in a new tab)
Best English-Friendly & Video:
Video Notes:
UK ICON 4K Blu-ray (caps)
UK 4K Blu-ray has a slightly better encode than US Shout! Factory 4K Blu-ray and Germany StudioCanal 4K Blu-ray
Best English-Friendly & Video:
Lionsgate Limited 4K Blu-ray
Director: Roman Polanski
Best Audio:
Atmos Remix: Lionsgate 4K Blu-ray
Original 5.1: Imprint Australia Blu-ray or StudioCanal Germany/France Blu-ray
Sources: Blu-ray.com (opens in a new tab)
Audio Notes:
Lionsgate 4K Blu-ray encoded the "Original 5.1" as lossy Dolby Digital, which is very different from the AC3 on the original DVD. This new "Original 5.1" may in fact be a downmix of the Atmos track. FWIW, the original DVD AC3 still sounds very good.
Best English-Friendly & Video:
Lionsgate Limited 4K Blu-ray
Video Notes:
Lionsgate Limited 4K Blu-ray see caps. Much better contrast and grain exposure but the grade is a bit questionable as it skews heavily towards magenta in some caps and the encode looks low-pass filtered.
Lionsgate and the upcoming Imprint have the same discs.
5 announced
Imprint's release is announced; until it is out, the picks are other releases · by Letterboxd rating
Director: John Woo
Upcoming Release:
Imprint 4K Blu-ray
Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab) · Blu-ray.com (opens in a new tab)
Best English-Friendly & Video:
Video Notes:
Correct grade and archival extras missing from the Shout! Factory 4K Blu-ray
Audio Notes:
Both Arrow 4K Blu-ray and Shout! Factory 4K Blu-ray are worse.
Additional Info:
Criterion USA LaserDisc [CC1397L]: Original Cantonese mono.
Best Cantonese mono still was from Criterion LaserDisc, as the Shout one was boosted with clipping, with some filtering and losing dynamic range over the Criterion LD.
There’s no need for other Cantonese audio, as all 5.1 remixes are extremely bad and not worth including.
For English Dub the Shout offered the best, it was pure mono. All other 5.1 remixed of said dub are also terrible and offer no value, only less fidelity and more echo.
Director: John Woo
Upcoming Release:
Imprint 4K Blu-ray
Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)
Best English-Friendly:
Best Video:
Video Notes:
Arrow has a different grade and a better encode, though the difference in either is not major.
Best Audio:
Original mix: Shout! Factory 4K Blu-ray
Alternate mix: Scanbox Nordic PAL DVD
Surround remix: HK Video France 4K Blu-ray (5.0)
Audio Notes:
Original mix: Shout! Factory 4K Blu-ray (similar to Criterion LaserDisc, but less distorted)
Alternate mix: Scanbox Nordic PAL DVD
Surround remix: HK Video France 4K Blu-ray (5.0)
Arrow used the alternate mix, but with extra filtering and lowered dynamic range. The alternate mix has much better fidelity.
Directors: Lana Wachowski & Lilly Wachowski
Upcoming Release:
Australia Imprint 4K Blu-ray
Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)
Best English-Friendly & Video:
Director: Roger Donaldson
Upcoming Release:
Imprint 4K Blu-ray scheduled for August 2026 release
Best English-Friendly & Video:
88 Films & Scream Factory 4K Blu-ray
Video Notes:
(88 Films is FiM encoded)
Additional Info:
88 Films and Scream Factory have exclusive extras
Director: Peter Medak
Upcoming Release:
Imprint 4K Blu-ray scheduled for August 2026 release
Best English-Friendly & Video:
Know a film where the Imprint release is the one to buy? Suggest it