Tags
/
DVD

DVD

1046 films on Best Blurays

Type: Format

Page 45 of 53

Films where DVD is in a pick or an upcoming release.

Director: Joe Dante

4K · Solid

Sources: slow.pics (opens in a new tab)

Best Audio:

MCA 1989 LaserDisc or Universal 1999 NTSC DVD

Director: Jonathan Wacks

Best Video:

Image Entertainment or Anchor Bay OOP DVD

Director: John Woo

4K · Excellent

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab) · Blu-ray.com (opens in a new tab)

Upcoming Release:

Plaion Germany 4K Blu-ray

Video Notes:

Arrow has a different grade and a better encode than the Shout! Factory, though the difference in either is not major. Imprint release, which leaves Shout! Factory's master and subtitles as is, is encoded by FiM. https://forum.blu-ray.com/showpost.php?p=24473097&postcount=56

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.

Imprint presumably used the Shout! Factory original mix and left it as is, though no official confirmation.

Additional Info:

Arrow has a much better translation.

Arrow LE has the Taiwan Extended Cut which will not be present on the standard edition. However, Imprint is FiM and has its own archival extras not present on the Arrow.

Director: Michael A. Simpson

Video format: Only Unofficial Sources

Best Video:

Unofficial DVD

Director: Steven Spielberg

Video format: UHD Blu-ray

4K · Worse Than BD
Best English-Friendly:

35mm scan, Blu-ray, DVD or LaserDisc

Sources: YouTube (opens in a new tab)

Best Video:

Paramount 4K Blu-ray heavily revisionist. Purist option: 35mm scan, Blu-ray, DVD or LaserDisc

Best Audio:

LaserDisc 2.0 matrix stereo, DVD 5.1, Blu-ray 5.1

Additional Info:

The Paramount 4K master is HEAVILY revisionist in that all of the effects and opticals were redone and tweaked with errors and issues. There has been grain management (moments of stagnating grain and haloing) and the encoding isn't great hence the typical Paramount noise in the image. (especially skies) The HDR is a bit bright in the highlights. The Blu-ray is showing its age but does not have any of these digital alterations. It is from the scan done by Laser Pacific and is the highest quality unaltered master we have. The DVD was done by Lowry Digital and had much scrubbing and processing of grain in addition to edge enhancement. The letterbox LaserDisc was the first widescreen release and is very good for its time. There was also a rare SVHS release using the letterbox LaserDisc master.
The 4K Blu-ray audio is seemingly an Atmos remix of the 5.1 found on the Blu-ray which itself is very similar to the DVD 5.1. All are presumably based on the 70mm Dolby six track mix. The Atmos is more processed and moves the sound around more so it is inferior to the older 5.1 iterations. On release, Last Crusade had Dolby 70mm with stereo surrounds, Dolby Stereo SR for 35mm and was mixed in a THX sound theater to ensure the ultimate in technical quality in 1989. The DVD was supposedly made from the 70mm mix and the Blu-ray 5.1 seems to bring that into lossless. This is unconfirmed but each seems to be a healthy and accurate version of the original audio. However, the LaserDisc despite only having matrix PCM stereo is punchier and livelier as a listening experience. Despite not being discrete it arguably sounds better than the 5.1 versions. Some who remember seeing each of the original release versions claim to remember the 35mm Dolby DR as sounding better than the 70mm Dolby.  This is a case where both sound great and it's up to fans to decide which they prefer. Both are essential for any Indy collection and the LaserDisc is very cheap. The VHS hifi seems to be the same 2.0 matrix with format differences so it can also be compared against the DVD and Blu-ray 5.1 versions.

DFIC extensive review: https://youtu.be/evsrJOTIjdA?si=wtdWGxZBfhPYTIeW

Director: Peter Weir

Video format: 4K Streaming

Best Video:

Theatrical: Disney+ Streaming has a new 4K restoration

Extended: Disney LaserDisc

Upcoming Release:

Disney 4K Blu-ray announced for September 29, 2026

Best Audio:

Theatrical: Japan Disney DVD has the original 70mm 6-track mix in 4.0, all other releases save for Disney+ only have a 5.1 remix. Disney+ Streaming has a new Dolby Atmos remix that nonetheless is truer to the original 6-track mix than the past 5.1 remix.

Extended: Disney LaserDisc

Director: Ellen Bruno

Best English-Friendly:

Bruno Films DVD

Sources: brunofilms.com (opens in a new tab)

Best Video:

Bruno Films DVD or SD Streaming 

Director: Spike Lee

4K · Solid

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)

Best Audio:

Criterion DVD for the original Dolby Stereo

Audio Notes:

Criterion DVD for the original Dolby Stereo (lossless). 5.1 upmix on BDs is fine, DTS:X is revisionistic

Additional Info:

Criterion Blu-ray has extras not found on the Universal 4K Blu-ray

Director: Tim Burton

Best Video:

WB 4K Blu-ray

Video Notes:

WB 4K Blu-ray but with notable color timing issues

Best Audio:

Dolby Stereo mix: WB LaserDisc PCM

Original Mix in 5.1 Discrete: 1997 WB DVD, 1.33:1 version for this track uncut

Original mix in 2005 5.1 new transfer: 2005 WB DVD in Dolby and DTS, 2008 WB Blu-ray for TrueHD.

Additional Info:

Original mix on VHS, LaserDisc and DVD is significantly warmer and more impactful sounding. These nuances are lost on the 2005 remaster audio found on DVD and Blu-ray which due have a tinge of extra clarity in contrast.

The Atmos mix is excruciatingly bad as it removes original sound effects and wrecks the original sound design. Music is prioritized and dominates in a bad way. The sound library effects used to create a specific sound signature as part of the mix of time period production design is completely lost. Fidelity is also lowered due to noise reduction and processing.

Director: Ron Howard

Best Video:

Universal 4K Blu-ray

Best Audio:

1998 Universal DVD

Director: Pat O'Neill

Best Video:

Lookout Mountain Pat O'Neill Collection OOP DVD

Director: Hou Hsiao-hsien

Best Video:

DVD

Sources: YouTube (opens in a new tab) · web.theculvertheater.com (opens in a new tab)

Additional Info:

4k restoration was done in 2023 (see 4K trailer) and is having north america premiere so hopefully a home release is coming soon

Directors: John Musker & Ron Clements

Video format: UHD Blu-ray

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)

Best Video:

Original Theatrical Version: Any of the Disney LaserDiscs or Disney Limited Issue DVD (caveat: Limited Issue DVD has compression issues)

Restored Versions: Disney Platinum Edition DVD or Disney Diamond Edition Blu-ray

3D Restored Version: Disney Diamond Edition 3D Blu-ray

Video Notes:

The 3D Blu-ray has most of the grain kept

The Disney 4K Blu-ray, while improving slightly on resolution, has significant DNR applied; see Blu-ray

Best Audio:

1990 Disney LaserDisc for OG stereo mix

1997 Disney LaserDisc for proper 5.1 mix (caveat: "Part of Your World" instrumental in the end credits is replaced with regular version)

Director: Kira Muratova

Best English-Friendly:

DVD

Sources: filmlinc.org (opens in a new tab) · janusfilms.com (opens in a new tab)

Best Video:

4K restoration is done! and Janus seems to have the rights, but no releases yet.

Director: Adam Davidson

Best Video:

Cinema 16 - American Short Films DVD

TV series

Best Video:

TV Cuts: 2016 Arrow Blu-ray

Extended Cuts of Eps 5 & 6: 2016 Criterion Blu-ray

Best Audio:

TV Cuts: WB PL DVD

A Short Film About Killing: 2004 Kino Lorber DVD

Director: Micky Dolenz

Video format: SD Streaming

Best Video:

OOP Hollywood Entertainment DVD or SD Streaming

Director: Clive Barker

4K · Solid
Best Video:

Arrow 4K Blu-ray

Cabal Cut: Very rare Blu-ray self-released by Clive Barker

Sources: Blu-ray.com (opens in a new tab)

Video Notes:

Arrow 4K Blu-ray > Shout! Factory see caps

Best Audio:

Theatrical Cut: Arrow 4K Blu-ray (stereo), Warner Bros NTSC DVD (5.1 remix)
Director's Cut: Arrow Blu-ray (stereo), 5.1 is the same on all discs

Director: Abbas Kiarostami

Best English-Friendly:

Criterion Blu-ray

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)

Best Video:

Criterion best HD transfer

Best Audio:

2007 Soda Pictures DVD

Director: Jean-Luc Godard

Best English-Friendly:

DVD

Best Video:

DVD only

Missing a DVD film? Suggest it