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Info: batman VHS audio vs Blu ray - sound comparison...

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 (Edited)

lol I’m comparing a youtube BATMAN on VHS and it sounds way more fuller and has much more bass than the TRUE HD audio on the blu ray https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XmhvN01SGWo
warner bros sucks hopefully they’ll get it right in 4k I know they intentionally do this because they know people are gonna buy it again
wish I could get ahold of the LD track or even the VHS audio

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This is because the 5.1 remix done for the special edition and the later blu-ray port for some reason mixes down the low end that was present on the laserdisc and VHS matrixed audio and the original flipper DVDs 5.1 track which merely was a discrete version of the earlier 2.0.

It is most apparent in the opening title after the quick fade just before the actual title comes up. When the Batman title appears there is a large amount of low end present on the old mix that is gone on the new one and really lessens the impact. It is unknown what made the difference, and I’ve often wondered if it’s perhaps the 35mm mix versus the 70 mm mix. However since the 70 mm mix did not have split stereo surrounds I don’t think the two were really all that different outside of the different formats.

Since the other three films also seem to have changed a very slight amount on their later releases I’m pretty sure WB did remixes from the ground up on all four films and conformed them to more modern specs in terms of EQ, dynamic range, and near field imaging. But it is the original film that really has the most audible difference when comparing the different copies. The rest seem OK but I swear by Forever’s LD matrixed audio which is better than the 5.1.

VADER!? WHERE THE HELL IS MY MOCHA LATTE? -Palpy on a very bad day.
“George didn’t think there was any future in dead Han toys.”-Harrison Ford
YT channel:
https://www.youtube.com/c/DamnFoolIdealisticCrusader

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Has anyone ever been able to compare with the Dolby 5.1 track on the Batman Forever LD?

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Where were you in '77?

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Yes. It’s a weird thing that seems to also be on B&R and the widescreen review articles for these and also Schumacher’s A Time to Kill and a few other releases of that era.

For some reason the matrix audio has slightly better low-end and is for lack of a better term warmer than the discrete. With forever I’ve done a load of comparisons, and despite being the same mix- the presentation is different. Essentially there’s a lot of ADR dialogue and the discrete version emphasizes this along with effects opposed to the matrix version which seems better integrated and better balanced also the low-end seems slightly more natural as opposed to just having the LFE effects.
Doing this unfortunately made me notice all of the problems in the dialogue track as there’s a lot of inherent distortion that’s present on every single video release and it’s also present to a slightly lesser degree on B&R.

VADER!? WHERE THE HELL IS MY MOCHA LATTE? -Palpy on a very bad day.
“George didn’t think there was any future in dead Han toys.”-Harrison Ford
YT channel:
https://www.youtube.com/c/DamnFoolIdealisticCrusader

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I suppose it’s possible that in 1995 Dolby Stereo mixes were still being done with care and not an afterthought or a downmix. There were probably plenty of theater chains that hadn’t upgraded their sound systems yet.
I saw BR theatrically at the time, but no idea what mix I heard. It was good and loud though.

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Where were you in '77?

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Widescreen review on BF:
Both versions of the soundtrack are a blast and you had better be braced into your seat when things get revved up and the 25Hz deep bass kicks in at reference level. The use of the discrete 5.1 palette is wonderful with energized directional and motion effects throughout the soundfield. But the Dolby Surround® version delivers an even fuller bass soundfield experience, with the discrete better articulated.

VADER!? WHERE THE HELL IS MY MOCHA LATTE? -Palpy on a very bad day.
“George didn’t think there was any future in dead Han toys.”-Harrison Ford
YT channel:
https://www.youtube.com/c/DamnFoolIdealisticCrusader

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 (Edited)

another VHS on youtube I compared was the opening to the fugitive and it sounded better on VHS but im comparing to a lossy DVD ac3 mix.

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From Caps-a-Holic.com

http://www.caps-a-holic.com/c.php?go=1&a=0&d1=6487&d2=6476&s1=61202&s2=61223&i=0&l=1
http://www.caps-a-holic.com/c.php?go=1&a=0&d1=6487&d2=6493&s1=61202&s2=61278&i=0&l=1

US Blu-ray Warner Bros. Home Entertainment

PLAYLIST REPORT:

Name: 00004.MPLS
Length: 2:06:19.863 (hⓂ️s.ms)
Size: 28.339.040.256 bytes
Total Bitrate: 29,91 Mbps

(*) Indicates included stream hidden by this playlist.

VIDEO:

Codec Bitrate Description


VC-1 Video 22338 kbps 1080p / 23,976 fps / 16:9 / Advanced Profile 3

AUDIO:

Codec Language Bitrate Description


Dolby Digital Audio English 640 kbps 5.1 / 48 kHz / 640 kbps / DN -4dB
Dolby TrueHD Audio English 1694 kbps 5.1 / 48 kHz / 1694 kbps / 16-bit (AC3 Embedded: 5.1 / 48 kHz / 640 kbps / DN -4dB)
Dolby Digital Audio French 192 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 192 kbps / DN -4dB / Dolby Surround
Dolby Digital Audio German 192 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 192 kbps / DN -4dB / Dolby Surround
Dolby Digital Audio Italian 192 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 192 kbps / DN -4dB
Dolby Digital Audio Spanish 192 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 192 kbps / DN -4dB / Dolby Surround
Dolby Digital Audio Spanish 96 kbps 1.0 / 48 kHz / 96 kbps / DN -4dB
Dolby Digital Audio Portuguese 192 kbps 1.0 / 48 kHz / 192 kbps / DN -4dB

  • Dolby Digital Audio Japanese 192 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 192 kbps / DN -4dB / Dolby Surround
    Dolby Digital Audio English 192 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 192 kbps / DN -4dB / Dolby Surround

SUBTITLES:

Codec Language Bitrate Description


  • Presentation Graphics Japanese 17,557 kbps
    Presentation Graphics English 19,485 kbps
    Presentation Graphics English 21,168 kbps
    Presentation Graphics French 17,860 kbps
    Presentation Graphics German 18,431 kbps
    Presentation Graphics German 18,986 kbps
    Presentation Graphics Italian 17,864 kbps
    Presentation Graphics Italian 18,152 kbps
    Presentation Graphics Spanish 18,691 kbps
    Presentation Graphics Dutch 18,001 kbps
    Presentation Graphics Chinese 15,937 kbps
    Presentation Graphics Korean 13,575 kbps
    Presentation Graphics Spanish 18,828 kbps
    Presentation Graphics Portuguese 17,980 kbps
    Presentation Graphics Danish 16,173 kbps
    Presentation Graphics Finnish 17,157 kbps
    Presentation Graphics Norwegian 17,520 kbps
    Presentation Graphics Portuguese 18,913 kbps
    Presentation Graphics Swedish 16,020 kbps
    Presentation Graphics Chinese 38,077 kbps
    Presentation Graphics Korean 29,597 kbps
  • Presentation Graphics Japanese 39,835 kbps
  • Presentation Graphics Japanese 0,561 kbps

Needs a 4K remaster. Especially with both video and audio being low bitrates. Could look and sound even better.