I'll probably get the faces ones anyway; i have the most nostalgia for them.

Now i can focus on condition and not pressing. Pretty sure there is no real difference in quality between Pioneer/Kurraray pressing unless anyone can prove otherwise, seeing as both probably used the same master and neither are superntsc.

Seems like Fox Technidisc, along with CAV Definitive Box set are the winners for top quality LD USA/NA releases.

Thanks all, really interesting exercise.

I mean the Japanese releases have better art, much like PAL VHS faces have better art.
The US art on those versions looks crap.

I have a soft spot for the John Alvin art. It was used on the Marvel comic adaptations too when Dark Horse re-released them in the mid-90s.

The Faces covers look good displayed on my media shelf... otherwise, I'll watch 4K77/4K83 and 4K80 when it's complete (and Despecialized ESB until then).

My original recommendation that the OP pickup the Faces disc (easier to come by, best pre-SE sound quality) and a cheap player locally was mostly to get him to NOT go down an expensive LD rabbit hole for Star Wars . It wasn't recommend the best quality LD version (which I'm really not convinced there is one).

Thanks man, I forgot (I know, duh) who did the art work and couldn't be bothered looking it up last night
I know the PAL VHS set is considered inferior (because, PAL) but I really like the presentation. I think I have like 3 complete sets atm
For the Japanese LD versions I unfortunately only have the first film though (missing obi), the others I haven't been able to find cheap and in clean condition.

I like PAL better. It is higher resolution, it is easier to color decode, and it is easier to get back into 24p. I have this set: Star Wars: Coffret Trilogie [168035] as well.

THX
CAV
English audio (French subs, but out of picture)

The problem with PAL laserdisc is finding a good player to play them, but that is where ld-decode comes in.

I do want that. I’m also told Babe (1995) was re-dubbed for world release but I don’t know if that’s true.

Mad Max DVD R4 is still easy enough to find.
It's R18 widescreen and has DTS audio.
There is one frame drop at one point for the transfer, there are some film marks here and there as no full on restoration was done (around 2002 iirc).
No extras like the US release and I think it's even missing commentary (but maybe I'm remembering wrong atm).

The Aussie PAL VHS full version is a bit harder to find (and probably impossible to find brand new now), there are two cover versions...both are Roadshow iirc, the early one is blue and a distinct Aussie version. Second (later) has US style cover art but the tape is still the same as the early release. Both of these are 4:3 P&S.


Mad Max 2 (aka The Road Warrior) is more difficult to find both DVD R4 and VHS versions. I don't have either of them myself right now, I have had the VHS in the past but sold it years ago. Never had the DVD but I have borrowed it and dumped a copy (it's somewhere on a HDD).


For the local BD releases (region B) I can't comment atm. I do have the region B anthology set but haven't watched the first two films.


If you do some googling you can see some info about the VHS and DVD releases.
Don't bother looking for UK/EU versions, they were always edited back in the day afaik even if only minor edits.

I have this Terminator, The (1984) [2535]
I swear my Aspergers brain remembers this audio from when we first rented it on VHS or when I first saw it on cable TV.

The film sound was a different pitch, I did have a widescreen version at one time and did compare but sold that off to keep this one.
Maybe we should start the mono Terminator topic?????

But that's the problem, apparently the Aussie mono included on a lot of DVD releases is actually a fold-down of the 5.1 remix which features altered or missing sound effects:

Mad Max DVD R4 doesn't have original mono. That's why I mentioned Aussie VHS.
There are issues with the original mono track though, some dialogue is very difficult to hear. This was basically a B film when it was made.

A lot of people complained about the mono mix of The Terminator too, but look how that turned out for us.

Does anyone here have access to myspleen content (an existing account, know of someone that has a login, or access to myspleen content on another site) ?
From what I understand new registrations and even invites have stopped for quite some time now


My apologies if this is violating any rules, I'm interested in getting hold of some preservation projects.

Got the Technidisc Fox discs in (all 3 are Made in USA Technidisc)! Including the 1993 Pressing of A New Hope! Stoked; thanks all!

https://twitter.com/RickValenta/status/ ... 6996728835

Well you won't notice a difference, I had both and A-B'd them there was NO difference in the shrinking aspect ratio.
But other than that enjoy the discs.

I saw you mentioned this on the lddb entry, but my technidisc pressing does not have a shrinking aspect ratio. Are you positive you checked the mint marks on the disc?

From the LDDB entry:

It isn't enough to just check a CBS/FOX vs FOX VIDEO, it has to be the technidisc pressing and not the Mitsubishi pressing.

p.s i don't have the non technidisc version, so i can't A|B them, but the AR stays the same throughout the movie on mine. Earlier in this thread, i posted link to comparison pictures: SWANH COMPARE

If you compare the technidisc to the others, the AR is actually "bigger" (not shrinking). All the shots are from the end of the film.

Yeah, I bought a few versions to make sure, it was years ago and I was pissed that I spent money on extra copies of the same film.

Don't remember all the details now but yes, I had both technidisc and mitsubishi or whatever it was supposed to be, I can check my copy later but did
own at one time the supposed version that has no shrinking aspect ratio.

Guess its on some but not others?? Wonder what the deal was with the copy I had, again this was almost 15 years ago or longer, when I posted that.

EDIT: Just looked at the two versions on lddb, I know I own the Mitusbishi version,
back in 2007 when I posted that I had the CBS and CBS/FOX versions.

I know I had 2 different versions but now it seems that there are actually 4 versions, 1 mitsubishi, 1 pioneer and 2 technidisc.
So I know I had 2 versions but I see that in 2011 and 2020 they updated.

How did you manage to get all Technidisc? was that just luck, or did you confirm with the seller? Where did you buy?

I only have SWANH form this series.