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
269 films on Best BluraysBest video release: 170 in 4K86 in HD13 in SD20 more for audio only1 more announced
Best 4K release by tier:
- Excellent61
- Solid38
- Disappointing3
- Worse Than BD10
Films where Universal's release is the pick. How picks are made
170 of 269 films match
Films where Universal's release is the pick. How picks are made
170 in 4K
Best video release on UHD Blu-ray or 4K streaming
Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Director: Alfred Hitchcock
Best English-Friendly & Video:
Universal 4K Blu-ray
Best Audio:
2005 Universal DVD
Best English-Friendly & Video:
Universal 4K Blu-ray
Director: Martin Scorsese
Best English-Friendly & Video:
2019 Universal 4K Blu-ray
Sources: slow.pics (opens in a new tab)
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: Joel Coen
Best English-Friendly & Video:
2018 Universal 4K Blu-ray
Best Audio:
Cinema DTS, DVD 5.1
Directors: Steve Hickner & Brenda Chapman & Simon Wells
Best English-Friendly & Video:
Universal 4K Blu-ray
4 with a weaker 4K
Best 4K release rated Disappointing or Worse Than BD · by Letterboxd rating
Director: Steven Spielberg
Best English-Friendly & Video:
"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: Richard Curtis
Best English-Friendly & Video:
Universal 4K Blu-ray replacement disc only or AVC encoded StudioCanal Blu-ray?
Director: Jon Favreau
Best English-Friendly & Video:
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.
Sources: Blu-ray.com (opens in a new tab)
Video Notes:
Kino Lorber 4K Blu-ray disappointing review
Director: Joel Coen
Best English-Friendly & Video:
Director's Cut: Disappointing UK StudioCanal/US Criterion 4K Blu-ray
Theatrical Cut: LaserDisc or 2001 UK Universal DVD
Sources: Blu-ray.com (opens in a new tab)
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)
17 for audio only
The best audio is Universal's; the video and English-friendly picks are other releases · by Letterboxd rating
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
Director: Joseph Losey
Best Audio:
Alternative: Universal DVD
Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)
Best English-Friendly & Video:
Director: Joel Coen
Best Audio:
Universal Blu-ray
Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)
Best English-Friendly & Video:
Best Audio:
2007 R2 Universal DVD
Best English-Friendly & Video:
Director: Joe Dante
Sources: slow.pics (opens in a new tab)
Best English-Friendly & Video:
Video Notes:
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)
Sources: slow.pics (opens in a new tab)
Best English-Friendly & Video:
Video Notes:
But it is not well-compressed see caps
Director: Sam Raimi
Best Audio:
Universal LaserDisc [40978]
Best English-Friendly & Video:
Scream Factory 4K Blu-ray
Director: David Twohy
Best Audio:
Original 5.1 is included on the Arrow 4K Blu-ray and the Old Universal Blu-ray
Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)
Best English-Friendly & Video:
Director: Ivan Reitman
Best Audio:
Original matrixed Dolby Stereo: Universal US Blu-ray
Dolby Atmos remix: Plaion DE 4K Blu-ray
Sources: slow.pics (opens in a new tab) · Blu-ray.com (opens in a new tab)
Audio Notes:
Universal's BD uses the same transfer as the old LaserDisc and sounds a bit better than Plaion's, which has worse dynamics.
Plaion's Atmos remix is tastefully done and preserves the original mix's characteristics, the 5.1 track on Kino's release is overly aggressive and unbalanced.
Best English-Friendly & Video:
Video Notes:
> US Kino Lorber see comparison and caps
Kino Lorber has an exceedingly poor encode, only slightly improved by the DV layer.
Director: Peter Berg
Director: David Lynch
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)
Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)
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
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
Director: Brian De Palma
Best Audio:
1993 Universal LaserDisc
Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)
Best English-Friendly & Video:
Director: Vincent Ward
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
Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab) · Blu-ray.com (opens in a new tab)
Best English-Friendly & Video:
Criterion 2026 4K Blu-ray (UPC 715515334617)
Video Notes:
> 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
Audio Notes:
(caveat: it's missing a minute of footage, plus usual PAL speed-up)
All Blu-ray tracks originate from the same transfer, but with strong noise gating and terrible EQ, adding a compensatory bass and treble boost, sounding boomy and accentuating the hiss despite less detail.
Best English-Friendly & Video:
Know a film where the Universal release is the one to buy? Suggest it