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LaserDisc

LaserDisc

245 films on Best Blurays

Type: Format

Page 3 of 13

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

Director: Don Siegel

4K · Disappointing
Best Video:

Kino Lorber 4K Blu-ray or 2018 Olive Films/BFI or 2012 Olive Films/Italy Sinister Films Blu-ray

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)

Video Notes:

All three are not ideal.

All three are not ideal.

  • Kino Lorber 4K Blu-ray has frozen grain, sharpening, lots of debris, and handles lesser materials. The supposed non-Superscope version is false advertising. It merely reveals more picture information. 

  • Criterion CAV LaserDisc is the most consistent due to a lack of image processing.

Best Audio:

1992 Republic Pictures LaserDisc PCM Mono

Additional Info:

Criterion LaserDisc has exclusive commentary. Olive Films Signature Blu-ray and BFI Blu-ray each have exclusive extras. Kino Lorber 4K Blu-ray has exclusive commentary.

Director: Kenji Mizoguchi

Best Video:

Eureka MoC Blu-ray

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

Video Notes:

Eureka MoC Blu-ray, see caps

MoC is sourced from an earlier scan, but still looks more detailed than the later 4K restoration released by Kadokawa in Japan, which has some black crush and DNR. French Capricci disc is sourced from the same scan as MoC but with much worse encoding and wrong levels.

Best Audio:

1991 Daiei LaserDisc

Director: Ingmar Bergman

4K · Excellent
Best Video:

BFI 4K Blu-ray

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)

Best Audio:

1993 Japan LaserDisc

Director: Jack Arnold

Best Video:

Criterion Blu-ray

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

Video Notes:

Criterion Blu-ray is a newer 4K restoration

Best Audio:

MCA LaserDisc

Audio Notes:

Criterion Blu-ray generally has more noise reduction than the DVDs and the other two blu-rays, but its EQ more closely matches the LaserDisc - though dialogue still sounds a bit comparatively hollow. See blah-ray review

Director: Alexander Mackendrick

Best Video:

Criterion or Arrow Blu-ray

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)

Video Notes:

Not sure about France

Best Audio:

1989 MGM LaserDisc

Director: William Wyler

Best Video:

Kino Lorber Blu-ray/Final Cut Blu-ray

Best Audio:

1996 Image Entertainment LaserDisc

Additional Info:

The Kino BD has additional extras but the Laserdisc still has exclusive extras and commentary not included on the Kino release. AVOID the MGM Blu-ray for the stretched aspect ratio error that was only finally corrected for the Kino Lorber reissue after much fan outcry.

Director: Billy Wilder

4K · Excellent

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)

Video Notes:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray > Capelight/Kino Lorber which has heavy noise reduction and opening snare hit is missing, Capelight is slightly better encoded than Kino Lorber

Best Audio:

1992 MGM LaserDisc [ML102699]

Audio Notes:

But still a bit overly noise-managed.

1984 CBS/Fox Hi-Fi VHS maybe better?

Director: Otto Preminger

4K · Excellent
Best English-Friendly:

Sony 4K Blu-ray

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)

Best Video:

Sony 4K Blu-ray Columbia Classics Vol 2

Best Audio:

1986 RCA/Columbia LaserDisc

Director: William Wyler

4K · Excellent
Best Audio:

1991 MGM LaserDisc

Audio Notes:

The 4K Blu-ray 5.0 is the original mix, but more muffled than LaserDisc and even the previous Blu-ray's gentle remix. The Atmos mix is revisionist.

Additional Info:

The 50th Anniversary box set has some exclusive extras.

1991 LaserDisc is Dolby Stereo matrix encoded from the original six track master and this was later upgraded to a 5.1 Dolby Digital version prepared for the first DVD. The 5.1 version may have had some slight tweaking in the process. This was reused for the DVD CE boxset and then the 5.1 on Blu-ray seems like a slight upgrade of the DVD track. (The first pressing from the UCE boxset had audio defects rampant on the Blu-ray. These were corrected for standalone pressings.) All 5.1s sound roughly the same as the LaserDisc 2.0 in terms of the mix, but the LaserDisc PCM mastering seems like the only one that is direct without any major processing.

Director: John Sturges

4K · Excellent

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)

Best Audio:

1989 MGM LaserDisc

Director: Vincent J. Donehue

Best Video:

1990 Image Entertainment/GoodTimes LaserDisc or 1999 GoodTimes DVD

Best Audio:

1990 Image Entertainment/GoodTimes LaserDisc

Director: Robert Rossen

Best Video:

Fox Blu-ray

Video Notes:

Fox but low bitrate

Best Audio:

1990 Fox LaserDisc

Director: Terence Young

4K · Solid
Best English-Friendly:

WB 4K Blu-ray

Best Video:

WB 4K Blu-ray, despite prevalent frozen grain

Best Audio:

1991 Criterion LaserDisc with end credits from 1992 MGM LaserDisc

Additional Info:

Criterion LaserDisc includes an exclusive commentary, which was later banned by EON and caused the release to be recalled.

Director: Akira Kurosawa

4K · Excellent
Best English-Friendly:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray

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

Best Video:

France Carlotta

Video Notes:

France Carlotta > Criterion 4K Blu-ray see caps: https://slow.pics/c/s7AfL3XW

Grain is sharper/clearer on the new Carlotta/Criterion 4K; BFI's grain resolves slightly worse and more so in motion, being a standard Blu-ray; The Toho 4K's grain is softer, probably DNR'd.

Best Audio:

Toho 1993 LaserDisc

Audio Notes:

BFI Player used to have the same mastering available to stream in 2019.

Director: Terence Young

4K · Solid
Best English-Friendly:

WB 4K Blu-ray

Best Video:

WB 4K Blu-ray despite some frozen grain

Best Audio:

1992/1993 MGM LaserDisc

Additional Info:

Criterion LaserDisc includes an exclusive commentary, which was later banned by EON and caused the release to be recalled.

Director: Blake Edwards

Best English-Friendly:

Kino Lorber 4K Blu-ray

Upcoming Release:

88 Films 4K Blu-ray scheduled for August 24, 2026 release

Best Video:

Kino Lorber 4K Blu-ray fixes stretched ratio problem

Best Audio:

MGM Letterbox LaserDisc PCM mono

Additional Info:

Kino Lorber 4K Blu-ray fixes ratio issue due to new scan but has no original audio, only remixes. The MGM and Shout! Factory Blu-ray use the same HD master with stretched image and horrible muffled processed to death mono. The PCM mono on the MGM letterbox LaserDisc reissue is the only untouched original mix audio and sounds incredible.

Director: Wolfgang Reitherman

Video format: 4K Streaming

Best Video:

Apple TV/Disney+ 4K Streaming

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)

Best Audio:

1995 Disney CAV LaserDisc

Director: Stanley Kubrick

4K · Excellent
Best Video:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray 

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

Video Notes:

Included in the Complete Kubrick box set with FiM encode of the same master from the Sony release without the filtering; Comparison between Sony and Criterion.

Best Audio:

Mono: 1994 LaserDisc (marginally, unfiltered) or Criterion 4K Blu-ray (filtered)
5.1 Remix: Criterion 4K Blu-ray

Director: Blake Edwards

Best English-Friendly:

Kino Lorber 4K Blu-ray with audio issues

Best Audio:

MGM Letterbox LaserDisc, 2004 DVD mono, or Shout! Factory Blu-ray mono

Additional Info:

Kino Lorber 4K Blu-ray introduces pitch issues on the mono mix. LaserDisc mono is from worn element but sounds mostly natural with possibly some attempts at noise reduction. MGM 2004 DVD mono transfer is higher quality without the wear but may have some processing applied. Shout! Factory Blu-ray is the same MGM mono now in lossless but seems to be EQ'd a bit differently. LaserDisc, DVD or Blu-ray is a toss up but those are your three options. The Kino Lorber 4K Blu-ray is useless due to the pitch issues. The remixes are very poor.

Director: Sergio Leone

4K · Excellent
Best Video:

Arrow 4K Blu-ray

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)

Best Audio:
  • Arrow's English mono is from the soundtrack negatives, with light noise reduction but still the highest quality anywhere. The main title is restored from the 1985 LaserDisc analog mono.

  • The 1985 CBS/Fox LaserDisc for untouched English mono despite element defects and an incomplete print used. The main title on this LaserDisc is the highest quality version known to exist.

    The Arrow 5.1 is a careful upmix from their mono restoration to create a purist multichannel mix.

  • The Italy mono exists in lesser quality but Arrow performed additional restoration work to improve what they could.

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