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LaserDisc

LaserDisc

245 films on Best Blurays

Type: Format

Page 8 of 13

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

Director: John G. Avildsen

4K · Excellent
Best Video:

Sony 2022 boxset or 2024 VHS packaging 4K Blu-ray

Video Notes:

Sony 2022 boxset or 2024 VHS packaging has Dolby Vision, 2019 Sony 4K Blu-ray is HDR10 only.

Best Audio:

Original Stereo mix: Columbia Pictures LaserDisc, Sony 4K Blu-ray (any) 

5.1 remix: Sony 4K Blu-ray, Sony Blu-ray 

Dolby Atmos remix: Sony 4K Blu-ray (any)

Director: James Cameron

4K · Worse Than BD
Best English-Friendly:

2013 MGM Blu-ray, or 4K Blu-ray if you MUST have the mono mix, 1997 Image DVD/2001 MGM DVD for a purist version with original colors and the international mono mix

Sources: vimeo.com (opens in a new tab) · facebook.com (opens in a new tab)

Upcoming Release:

Capelight 4K Steelbook and Mediabook announced for 2026

Best Video:

2013 MGM Blu-ray for non AI transfer, 1997 Image DVD/2001 MGM DVD for a purist version with original colors and the international mono mix

Best Audio:

1991 Image Entertainment LaserDisc for the US mono mix, 2001 MGM DVD for the International mono mix

Audio Notes:

Comparison between the US and International mixes: https://vimeo.com/246332731

Additional Info:

The 4K Blu-Ray and the 2001 MGM DVD have exclusive extras.

Director: Martin Brest

4K · Excellent
Best English-Friendly:

Paramount Spain/Italy 4K Blu-ray

Best Audio:

Paramount Home Video US LaserDisc [LV 1134-WS]

Director: John Glen

Best English-Friendly:

MGM Blu-ray 

Best Video:

MGM Blu-ray despite Lowry master issues

Best Audio:

1990 MGM LaserDisc

Audio Notes:

All versions since 2000 use MGM’s heavily bass filtered remix

Director: Richard Donner

4K · Excellent
Best Audio:

1992 Warner Bros LaserDisc

Director: George A. Romero

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

Best Audio:

Mono: 35mm scan, old Shout! Factory and Australia Umbrella Blu-ray sounds better than the rest of the discs, but has noise reduction

Stereo: Shout! Factory 4K Blu-ray has a transfer of the 1986 Japan LaserDisc Stereo

Director: Robert Zemeckis

4K · Solid
Best Video:

2020 Universal 4K Blu-ray

Best Audio:

LaserDisc

Director: Gavin Millar

Best Video:

Kino Lorber Blu-ray

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

Best Audio:

Japan Tohokushinsha Home Video LaserDisc [K88L-5085]

Audio Notes:

Japan Tohokushinsha Home Video LaserDisc [K88L-5085] possibly?

Director: William Friedkin

4K · Excellent
Best English-Friendly:

Arrow UK 4K Blu-ray (damage removed, improved color/HDR, and best audio) or Capelight DE 4K Blu-ray (best compression but no damage removal and LaserDisc audio from Arrow)

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

Best Video:

Arrow UK /Capelight DE 4K Blu-ray

Video Notes:

Arrow UK /Capelight DE 4K Blu-ray > Kino Lorber US 4K Blu-ray, see caps

Arrow has done additional cleanup work removing nearly all the damage in the transfer. They have massaged the color timing and HDR to try and improve what they could. The Capelight may have better encoding but it does not have these improvements. The Arrow encoding is solid and in motion there are no issues whatsoever. The Kino Lorber release has the damage and other issues plus frequent noise due to the lesser encoding.

Some scenes in the Arrow transfer are better, some are better in the Capelight.

Best Audio:

Original matrixed Dolby Stereo: Arrow  4K Blu-ray or Image Entertainment LaserDisc

Audio Notes:

(Arrow is a port of the LaserDisc track, see spectrograms) This track has the best fidelity of any release but does have some channel bleeding baked in. The 2017 2.0 on the Arrow and Shout! Factory Blu-rays was the Dolby Stereo original mix without channel bleeding but that had heavy noise reduction resulting in a very flat and underwhelming presentation. The surround winds up being lessened as well due to the processing. It's a tough choice between the two but the Image LaserDisc audio wins out because it hasn't been messed with and the impact is so unrestrained that no other version hits in the same way.

Capelight and old Arrow Blu-ray included the original stereo mix, but with excessive noise reduction rendering it much less detailed. Kino Lorber only included a painfully defective 2.0 track sourced from somewhere with limited fidelity, volume spikes and screechy high end which frequently ruins the music. The 5.1 remix on most modern release is a processed version that does not sound as good as it once did.

The best and most accurate of the 5.1 mixes is the original version from the 2003 Special Edition DVD in lossy AC3 form.

The best source for the commentaries are from the 2003 Special Edition DVD.

Director: Mamoru Oshii

4K · Excellent
Best English-Friendly:

US GKIDS 4K Blu-ray authored by FiM

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

Best Video:

US GKIDS/Australia Umbrella 4K Blu-ray authored by FiM

Video Notes:

US GKIDS/Australia Umbrella 4K Blu-ray authored by FiM with identical encodes

UHD vs BD comparisons

Best Audio:

4K restoration includes a high-fidelity Dolby Atmos remix sourced from new transfers of original magnetic elements, with inconsequential content differences from the original mono mix. Umbrella 4K Blu-ray only includes a 5.1 mixdown of the remix, other discs have it in Dolby Atmos.

Umbrella/GKIDS 4K Blu-ray's 2.0 track is a stereo downmix. Older BDs and LDs have the original mono mix in varying quality, but are all inferior in fidelity to the new Dolby Atmos remix. The digital track on the Bandai/Emotion Japan LaserDisc BELL-942 is the best of the bunch.

https://forum.blu-ray.com/showpost.php?p=23714400&postcount=159

Only the GKIDS 4K Blu-ray has the English dub.

Director: Tony Scott

Best Audio:

70mm 6-track mix in 5.1: Paramount THX LaserDisc

Dolby Stereo mix in 2.0: Paramount THX LaserDisc

Additional Info:

The 70mm 6-track mix has a higher bitrate on the Paramount 1998 DVD, but is more limited than on the THX LaserDisc The Paramount 1998 DVD also has open matte versions in fullscreen 1.33:1 and widescreen 2.00:1 instead of the theatrical aspect ratio of 2.39:1, but the 2.00:1 widescreen presentation is non-anamorphic. The THX LaserDisc is available in both fullscreen 1.33:1 and widescreen 2.00:1 variants.

Director: John Irvin

4K · Solid

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

Best Audio:

(not the 4K Blu-ray, previous LaserDisc could be better)

Director: John Hughes

4K · Solid
Best Audio:

1995 Paramount LaserDisc

Director: John G. Avildsen

4K · Excellent
Best Video:

Sony 4K Blu-ray

Best Audio:

Original Stereo mix: Columbia Pictures LaserDisc, Sony 4K Blu-ray 

5.1 remix: Sony 4K Blu-ray, Sony Blu-ray 

Dolby Atmos remix: Sony 4K Blu-ray 

Director: Jim Henson

4K · Excellent
Best Video:

Shout! Factory replacement 4K Blu-ray

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

Video Notes:

Shout! Factory doesn't have the low-pass filter that's on the Sony US 4K Blu-ray from 2021 with Dolby Vision (or the worse HDR10 only release from 2016). Shout! Factory retains more high-frequency grain and detail.

Best Audio:

Embassy Home Entertainment JPN LaserDisc or 1999 Sony US DVD 2.0

Director: Rob Reiner

4K · Solid
Best English-Friendly:

US Sony 2023 Steelbook 4K Blu-ray

Best Video:

US Sony 2023 Steelbook Edition 4K Blu-ray

Video Notes:

US Sony 2023 Steelbook Edition 4K Blu-ray > Sony 2019 Standard Edition 4K Blu-ray

US Sony 2023 Steelbook 4K Blu-ray added Dolby Vision and more extras

Best Audio:

Original Mono mix: Columbia Pictures LaserDisc, Sony 4K Blu-ray

5.1 remix: Sony 4K Blu-ray Sony Blu-ray

Audio Notes:

DVD and Blu-ray both have lossy Mono

Additional Info:

The DVD has an isolated score track 
In addition to the new Atmos track, both 4K Blu-ray releases have ported over the previous lossless 5.1 remix from the older 1080p Blu-ray in DTS-HD MA 5.1 and also include the original theatrical mono mix in lossless DTS-HD MA 2.0 Mono

Only the US Steelbook has Dolby Vision

Director: David Lynch

4K · Solid

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

Upcoming Release:

UK Arrow 4K Blu-ray in December

Video Notes:

Subtle difference in encoding to the Criterion in encoding, trading blows in different shots, with Plaion taking a slight edge with less highlight blocking

Best Audio:

1993 MGM LaserDisc/2000 Region 1 MGM DVD

Audio Notes:

Criterion's 2.0 sounds muffled due to noise reduction and EQ.
Plaion's 2.0 lacks bass and has a very bright EQ, more resembling the 5.1 remix. Plaion’s 2.0 doesn't have any filtering unlike the Criterion, see https://forum.blu-ray.com/showpost.php?p=23831289&postcount=110

Director: Don Bluth

Best English-Friendly:

Universal Blu-ray

Best Video:

Universal Blu-ray
Universal DVD for 4:3 open matte version

Best Audio:

Universal LaserDisc

Audio Notes:

Universal LaserDisc for the original Dolby Stereo mix

Blu-ray only has a 5.1 remix that alters some dialogue and sound effects

Director: Brian De Palma

4K · Excellent
Best Audio:

LaserDisc

Director: John Glen

Best English-Friendly:

MGM Blu-ray 

Best Video:

MGM Blu-ray despite Lowry master issues

Best Audio:

1992 MGM LaserDisc

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