LaserDisc
Type: Format
Page 10 of 13
Films where LaserDisc is in a pick or an upcoming release.
Directors: John Musker & Ron Clements
Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)
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
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
LaserDisc
Director: Edward Zwick
Sony 2024 steelbook with added Dolby Vision
JPN LaserDisc [PILR-7013]
Director: Luc Besson
Sources: Blu-ray.com (opens in a new tab)
LaserDisc
LaserDisc is best for stereo.
While Sony 4K Blu-ray has Original Stereo, it is compressed like the 5.1 on the 4K Blu-ray.
The TrueHD 5.1 from the 2008 Sony Blu-ray is free of compression. https://forum.blu-ray.com/showpost.php?p=22484238&postcount=94
Sources: caps-a-holic (opens in a new tab)
Arrow 4K Blu-ray see caps
New Line LaserDisc
LaserDisc
Director: Paul Verhoeven
Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)
US LaserDisc 2.0, or Eagle Pictures 4K Blu-ray 5.1
Director: Martin Scorsese
1991 WB LaserDisc
But Warner Bros 4K Blu-ray is very similar.
Director: John Mark Robinson
US Image Entertainment LaserDisc
US Image Entertainment LaserDisc is pan-and-scan, but is the best quality release of the film. Widescreen version never released on home video.
US Image Entertainment LaserDisc has the original Dolby Stereo mix.
Director: Chris Columbus
2020 30th Anniversary Edition 4K Blu-ray
1991 Fox Video LaserDisc
Director: Rob Reiner
Sources: Blu-ray.com (opens in a new tab) · instagram.com (opens in a new tab)
UK Arrow 4K Blu-ray > US Kino Lorber/Germany Capelight - caps and audio comparison on this page. Discussion is still ongoing about the 2.0 but as none of the three 4Ks seem to have the true original mix, I think it's fair to leave them all in the blue tier for now and only note that Kino Lorber has the worst PQ.
Nelson Entertainment USA LaserDisc
The initial release of the Capelight 4K mediabook had some playback issues with Dolby Vision on Panasonic devices due to an encoding error, the HDR10 apparently works fine, see Capelight’s official response here.
The 4K master has a shot at the very end of the movie (on James Caan's face) that looks incredibly soft and not good at all. This was visible on the DCP as well so it might just be a source issue rather than being the fault of Kino, Capelight or Arrow.
Director: Tim Burton
Sources: Blu-ray.com (opens in a new tab)
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The compression is poor, but it still beats the previous Blu-ray. (Luminance plot)
1991 Fox Video LaserDisc
?
The 4K Blu-ray only has Atmos which is possibly the original mix, but the previous Blu-ray’s 4.0 sounds good too.
1991 Home Video Cut: Paramount 2008 Blu-ray
Theatrical Cut: Paramount 4K Blu-ray, but it has problems described below in the additional info section, and worse encoding than the Coda cut.
Coda Cut: Paramount 4K Blu-ray, but it has problems described below in the additional info section, and also has slightly better encoding than the Theatrical/1991 Home Video cuts on 4K.
Sources: YouTube (opens in a new tab)
LaserDisc for original mix
The Paramount 4K "restoration" is a desecration. It has completely revisionist color timing, harsh HDR, treatment of stock footage, bad encoding, selective DNR and grain management so bad that the entire screen frequently freezes up with only characters moving around in grain soup. It is so bad that the film's restorer Robert Harris publicly washed his hands of it saying essentially the 2007 restoration (with Willis and Coppola supervising) is how the film was intended and made. This is Paramount's modern version done their way. The new 1080p SDR Blu-rays in print are the crap 4K desecration master with the same problems still there just harder to spot and with crap encodes. Part III fares best of the three and these issues are at their most minimal-but they're still there. The new Coda version is given prominence with lesser encodes for the other two versions. The original mix was remixed into 5.1 decades ago and we have yet another version of this instead of the original Dolby Stereo SR as heard on the LaserDisc release.
The 2008 Blu-ray of the 2007 restoration, while an imperfect outdated disc, is LIGHT YEARS better than this 4K desecration. The only truly major issue is that it is very slightly redder than the 2007 finished master as seen on DCPs.
DFIC review of the hideous crap 4K Blu-rays: https://youtu.be/0uw6-Kcy_UA?si=ob1nDg0wTCvemjH0
Despite being restored alongside the Coppola Restorations of The Godfather: Parts I and II, the Part III restoration is not officially labelled a Coppola Restoration.
Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)
Arrow 4K Blu-ray > Criterion 4K Blu-ray > Kino Lorber 4K Blu-ray
1991 Orion LaserDisc vs 2024 Arrow 4K Blu-ray vs Criterion
Three masterings of the original Dolby Stereo SR mix exist: the original Orion video releases, the Criterion (which is from their LD) and the Arrow. All three are excellent with slight mastering differences between them. The original Orion still is probably the one with the most fidelity, the Criterion is the cleanest with a kind of warm feel to it and the Arrow has a bit of both aspects. The Arrow mastering has a tiny almost imperceptible bit of audio bleeding into the surround that isn't on the Criterion. Each has their own pluses and minuses but you can't go wrong with any of them. Whatever you do though: DO NOT WATCH WITH THE 5.1 REMIX. It is another MGM botch job that fundamentally alters the impact of many scenes. It is vastly inferior to the original mix in every way.
Sources: caps-a-holic (opens in a new tab) · arrowfilms.com (opens in a new tab)
Arrow 4K Blu-ray see caps
Dolby Stereo: Arrow 4K Blu-ray or New Line LaserDisc
Dolby Stereo: Arrow 4K Blu-ray or New Line LaserDisc for line absent on VHS, DVD, and Blu-ray releases
Info: Arrow 4K Blu-ray is scanned from interpositive film, thus having a softer than the first title.
Sources: fanrestore.com (opens in a new tab) · originaltrilogy.com (opens in a new tab)
2017 StudioCanal 4K Blu-ray and subsequent 4K Blu-rays are notorius for being heavily denoised and smoothened. Alternatively, 35mm scans for the theatrical cut is also available.
For the Ultimate Edition with the T-1000 searching John's room and the happy future ending, the 2009 Skynet Blu-ray, which is the older pre-2017 transfer, but has DNR.
Original Dolby Stereo SR: USA Widescreen LaserDisc and others.
Missing a LaserDisc film? Suggest it



















