Universal Pictures' home-video division, based in Universal City, California, started in 1980 as MCA Videocassette and has used its current name since 2016. It releases the studio's library, from the 1930s monster films and Hitchcock's later work to new releases, on DVD, Blu-ray and 4K UHD. Since 2021 North American discs have gone through Studio Distribution Services, the Warner Bros. joint venture that disc maker Conectiv bought in August 2026.
Universal
Best 4K release by tier:
- Excellent62
- Solid39
- Disappointing3
- Worse Than BD10
How we pick the best Universal releases
172 in 4K
Best video release on UHD Blu-ray or 4K streaming
Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Director: Martin Scorsese
Best Video & English-Friendly:
2019 Universal 4K Blu-ray
Video Notes:
France Seven7 has Dolby Vision and Atmos unlike the US disc but was most likely encoded in the wrong color space
Best Audio:
Cinema DTS, Blu-ray 5.1, DVD 5.1
Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Best Video & English-Friendly:
Universal 4K Blu-ray
Best Audio:
2005 Universal DVD
Best Video & English-Friendly:
Universal 4K Blu-ray
Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Best Video & English-Friendly:
Universal 4K Blu-ray
Best Audio:
1985 MCA LaserDisc
Director: Joel Coen
Best Video & English-Friendly:
2018 Universal 4K Blu-ray
Best Audio:
Cinema DTS, DVD 5.1
87 in HD
Best video release on Blu-ray or HD streaming · by Letterboxd rating
Director: Edgar Wright
Best Video & English-Friendly:
Old Universal Blu-ray
Video Notes:
Old Universal Blu-ray is better than 2019 4K Blu-ray: black crush, color is off, DNR has been applied whereas on Shaun and World's End it has not
Best Video & English-Friendly:
DreamWorks/Universal Blu-ray
Director: Leo McCarey
Best English-Friendly:
Universal Blu-ray
Best Video:
Universal - The Marx Brothers Silver Screen Collection
Best Audio:
1999 Image Entertainment DVD
Director: Norman Z. McLeod
Director: Doug Liman
Best Video & English-Friendly:
International Cut: International Universal HD-DVD
Video Notes:
The Universal Blu-ray is slightly filtered and DNR'd compared to the HD-DVD, and the Universal 4K Blu-ray, on top of being upscaled, adds additional DNR and is softer than both previous HD releases.
Best Audio:
Universal Blu-ray DTS-HD 5.1
Additional Info:
Versions:
- The International version contains a short additional scene (part of the "Farmhouse" extended scene from the special features). See additional detail below.
- The US version does not contain this scene during the film. Director Doug Liman confirms in his audio commentary that the scene was cut from the original US theatrical release "for time".
- "The Explosive Extended Edition" found on some DVD releases is not an alternate cut of the film, simply an access mode that plays "The Bookend Scenes" features via non-seamless branching.
Deck the Halls scene:
The U.S. release is 118:17 while the European/Australian/Japanese releases are 118:36. There is no difference between the two running times from the start, but at 81:21, the U.S. version cuts from a kitchen scene of Marie and Eamon washing dishes, to a scene of Eamon bringing blankets to Jason and Marie. On the European/Australian releases, at the same point, there is a scene of Jason, Marie, Eamon and his children eating dinner while "Deck the Halls" plays in the background. There is no dialogue, the characters just each exchange uncomfortable glances. The scene goes to 81:40, then picks up the same scene of Eamon bringing blankets. This scene is included as an extra ("Farmhouse" extended scene) albeit sans the holiday themed music. Many thanks to Rewind user Mark Bowen for comparing these releases and letting us know the difference.
14 in SD
Best video release on DVD, SD streaming, LaserDisc or VHS · by Letterboxd rating
Additional Info:
Mainframe Entertainment, one of the co-producers of this movie, while based in Canada, made their content for 25 FPS/the PAL standard, making the 2002 Australian PAL Universal DVD release the one closest to the original intent (and it also has a higher resolution of 576i compared to the 480i of the NTSC offerings).
Note, for the NTSC DVD offers, not all have the correct aspect ratio. The 2015 US and Canadian Universal releases have the intended 1.78:1, while the 2010 Universal and 2001 Lionsgate are both shown in 1.85:1.
Director: Leo McCarey
13 with a weaker 4K
Best 4K release rated Disappointing or Worse Than BD · by Letterboxd rating
Director: Edgar Wright
Best Video & English-Friendly:
Old Universal Blu-ray
Video Notes:
Old Universal Blu-ray is better than 2019 4K Blu-ray: black crush, color is off, DNR has been applied whereas on Shaun and World's End it has not
Director: Joel Coen
Best Video & English-Friendly:
Director's Cut: Disappointing UK StudioCanal/US Criterion 4K Blu-ray
Theatrical Cut: LaserDisc or 2001 UK Universal DVD
Video Notes:
https://forum.blu-ray.com/showthread.php?p=21782879#post21782879 - comparison. StudioCanal is a massive improvement to the Criterion but still flawed in some areas (chroma noise)
Director: Steven Spielberg
Best Video & English-Friendly:
"Director's Cut" (Theatrical cut with minor changes): Universal 4K Blu-ray
Theatrical Cut: VHS
TV Cut: Fan restoration
Best Audio:
1993 MCA LaserDisc (with EQ adjusted)
Director: Doug Liman
Best Video & English-Friendly:
International Cut: International Universal HD-DVD
Video Notes:
The Universal Blu-ray is slightly filtered and DNR'd compared to the HD-DVD, and the Universal 4K Blu-ray, on top of being upscaled, adds additional DNR and is softer than both previous HD releases.
Best Audio:
Universal Blu-ray DTS-HD 5.1
Additional Info:
Versions:
- The International version contains a short additional scene (part of the "Farmhouse" extended scene from the special features). See additional detail below.
- The US version does not contain this scene during the film. Director Doug Liman confirms in his audio commentary that the scene was cut from the original US theatrical release "for time".
- "The Explosive Extended Edition" found on some DVD releases is not an alternate cut of the film, simply an access mode that plays "The Bookend Scenes" features via non-seamless branching.
Deck the Halls scene:
The U.S. release is 118:17 while the European/Australian/Japanese releases are 118:36. There is no difference between the two running times from the start, but at 81:21, the U.S. version cuts from a kitchen scene of Marie and Eamon washing dishes, to a scene of Eamon bringing blankets to Jason and Marie. On the European/Australian releases, at the same point, there is a scene of Jason, Marie, Eamon and his children eating dinner while "Deck the Halls" plays in the background. There is no dialogue, the characters just each exchange uncomfortable glances. The scene goes to 81:40, then picks up the same scene of Eamon bringing blankets. This scene is included as an extra ("Farmhouse" extended scene) albeit sans the holiday themed music. Many thanks to Rewind user Mark Bowen for comparing these releases and letting us know the difference.
Director: Joss Whedon
Best Video & English-Friendly:
Universal Blu-ray
Video Notes:
(4K Blu-ray has DNR)
Best Video & English-Friendly:
2015 Universal Blu-ray
Video Notes:
The new Universal 4K is AI upscaled https://slow.pics/c/5jD2BjKT and sharpened, see discussion on BR https://forum.blu-ray.com/showthread.php?t=377660&page=9
Director: Richard Curtis
Best Video & English-Friendly:
Universal 4K Blu-ray replacement disc only or AVC encoded StudioCanal Blu-ray?
Director: Peter Jackson
Best Video & English-Friendly:
Old Universal Blu-ray
Video Notes:
Old Universal Blu-ray is better than new 4K Blu-ray which has excessive DNR
Best Video & English-Friendly:
Universal Blu-ray
Video Notes:
(4K Blu-ray has DNR)
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Best Video & English-Friendly:
Universal Blu-ray
Video Notes:
4K Blu-ray has DNR, see caps https://caps-a-holic.com/c.php?go=1&a=0&d1=11748&d2=11747&s1=115760&s2=115776&i=0&l=0
Additional Info:
Best Buy Blu-ray has a bonus disc
Director: Jon Favreau
Best Video & English-Friendly:
US Universal Blu-ray with both cuts, Kino Lorber Blu-ray (extended cut only) included in the disappointing 4K Blu-ray and International Paramount Blu-ray (both Theatrical and Extended Blu-rays in different countries) have similar encoding.
Video Notes:
Kino Lorber 4K Blu-ray disappointing review
21 for audio only
The best audio is Universal's; the video and English-friendly picks are other releases · by Letterboxd rating
Director: Danny Boyle
Best Audio:
5.1: Universal EU Blu-ray - Criterion and Lionsgate are missing LFE, otherwise the same
Stereo: Criterion 4K Blu-ray
Best Video & English-Friendly:
Criterion 2026 4K Blu-ray (UPC 715515334617)
Video Notes:
Criterion 2026 4K Blu-ray (UPC 715515334617) > Criterion 2024 4K Blu-ray > Film4 4K Blu-ray
Additional Info:
Film4 4K Blu-ray is on a BD-66, both Criterion releases are on BD-100 discs.
Criterion 2024 release bitrate: 94.67 mbps
Criterion 2026 release bitrate: 93.66 mbps
Film4 bitrate: 62.00 mbps
Director: Michael Cimino
Best Audio:
35mm mix: 1991 Universal LaserDisc
70mm mix: StudioCanal 4K Blu-ray
Audio Notes:
35mm mix: 1991 Universal LaserDisc marginally better than StudioCanal 4K Blu-ray. Shout! Factory 4K Blu-ray is downmix.
70mm mix: StudioCanal 4K Blu-ray. Shout! Factory 4K Blu-ray is remix.
Best English-Friendly:
Best Video:
2020 Shout! Factory 4K
Video Notes:
2020 Shout! Factory 4K slightly better than StudioCanal in HDR10. Similar in DV
Best Audio:
2007 R2 Universal DVD
Best Video & English-Friendly:
Director: Vincent Ward
Director: Chris Noonan
Best Audio:
(The Kino Lorber 4K Blu-ray 5.1 was not well-handled, contains inaudible artifacts but is largely the same with the last Universal Blu-ray)
Best Video & English-Friendly:
Video Notes:
But it is not well-compressed see caps
1 announced
Universal's release is announced; until it is out, the picks are other releases · by Letterboxd rating
Directors: Andrew Adamson & Vicky Jenson
Upcoming Release:
Universal 25th Anniversary 4K Blu-ray with Dolby Vision and Atmos
Best Video & English-Friendly:
2011 Blu-ray
Video Notes:
(4K Blu-ray is upscaled; former PDI animator Jonathan Gibbs confirms the film was originally rendered at 1828 pixels wide to save space)
Best Audio:
Additional Info:
The old 2 disc DVD has extras missing from 4K Blu-ray
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