LaserDisc
Type: Format
Page 3 of 13
Films where LaserDisc is in a pick or an upcoming release.
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)
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.
1992 Republic Pictures LaserDisc PCM Mono
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
Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab) · slow.pics (opens in a new tab)
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.
1991 Daiei LaserDisc
Director: Ingmar Bergman
Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab) · blah-ray.blogspot.com (opens in a new tab)
MCA LaserDisc
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: William Wyler
Kino Lorber Blu-ray/Final Cut Blu-ray
1996 Image Entertainment LaserDisc
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
Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)
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
1992 MGM LaserDisc [ML102699]
But still a bit overly noise-managed.
1984 CBS/Fox Hi-Fi VHS maybe better?
Director: Otto Preminger
Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)
Sony 4K Blu-ray Columbia Classics Vol 2
1986 RCA/Columbia LaserDisc
Director: William Wyler
1991 MGM LaserDisc
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.
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
Director: Vincent J. Donehue
1990 Image Entertainment/GoodTimes LaserDisc or 1999 GoodTimes DVD
1990 Image Entertainment/GoodTimes LaserDisc
Director: Robert Rossen
Director: Terence Young
WB 4K Blu-ray, despite prevalent frozen grain
Criterion LaserDisc includes an exclusive commentary, which was later banned by EON and caused the release to be recalled.
Director: Akira Kurosawa
Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab) · slow.pics (opens in a new tab)
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.
Toho 1993 LaserDisc
BFI Player used to have the same mastering available to stream in 2019.
WB 4K Blu-ray despite some frozen grain
1992/1993 MGM LaserDisc
Criterion LaserDisc includes an exclusive commentary, which was later banned by EON and caused the release to be recalled.
Director: Blake Edwards
88 Films 4K Blu-ray scheduled for August 24, 2026 release
Kino Lorber 4K Blu-ray fixes stretched ratio problem
MGM Letterbox LaserDisc PCM mono
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.
Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab) · slow.pics (opens in a new tab)
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.
Mono: 1994 LaserDisc (marginally, unfiltered) or Criterion 4K Blu-ray (filtered)
5.1 Remix: Criterion 4K Blu-ray
Director: Blake Edwards
Kino Lorber 4K Blu-ray with audio issues
MGM Letterbox LaserDisc, 2004 DVD mono, or Shout! Factory Blu-ray mono
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
Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)
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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