First, page 29-31 of this document are worth reading.
The 5.1 track on the DVDs, the blu-ray, and the UHD release is a discrete mix, but I don't care for it. It's been subjected to noise reduction (confirmed as NoNoise - see link), especially its centre channel. It also sounds metallic and 'pinched', presumably an attempt to increase clarity through EQ. The 5.1 AC-3 track on the UHD sounds the same, but the Atmos track is a bit more naturally EQed (yet it has additional generic ambient sound added to certain scenes).
It seems the original mono mix was last available on home video in the '80s. Despite a pretty loud buzz in the opening scene (see comparison clip) and a constant hum that's easily ignored after a minute, the 1983 Columbia LaserDisc sounds more natural and immersive, less like an old film overlaid with new stereo effects.
Update (4/12/2022):
The mono track on Sony's 2019 UHD blu-ray is indeed the same mono mix on the old LaserDisc, but it sounds poor.
The 1983 LaserDisc is by no means perfect (not least because of the loud intermittent hum on the capture I have - another pressing might be cleaner, and I suspect the ~1985 RCA/Columbia Hi-Fi VHS tape is superior anyway), but the strong noise reduction on the UHD track renders everything murky.
Apparently, they re-issued the UHD Blu-ray silently- With the original Mono.
ReplyDeleteMy transfer of the '83 LD doesn't have particularly bad hum, at least any that I've noticed. I think it's just the transfer. I also just transferred my new copy of the '85 tape. Both sound quite clean.
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