Finally back to doing these...
FYEO
WS LD vs SE DVD vs UE DVD vs BD
PCM Dolby Surround vs DD 5.1 vs remixed 5.1 DD/DTS vs same remix in DTSHDMA vs BD Dolby Surround
DVD shots:
http://sd.caps-a-holic.com/vergleich.php?vergleichID=196
UE vs BD:
The LD is opened up a bit, it loses a sliver on the left side and has more information across the top than the SE. LDDB credits a 2.10:1 ratio and it looks a little stretched. SE has better blacks and deeper color, whereas the LD is contrastier but has a nice look to it. The colors of the LD appear slightly different to all other versions.
The UE improves on the SE, restoring the frame edges so that it has a more balanced look and doesn't seem stretchy. Colors are good mostly but there have been many tweaks like the other Lowry video handled entries that induce some teals etc. and overall everything appears boosted. Fine detail appears better but everything that might have been grain was obliterated.
The BD slightly advances the image, but is really only a 1080p bump of the same.
And apparently no one knows how to color time Loque's death. The LD is broad daylight and the others all try some attempt at a day for night filter.
Sound:
The LD sounds just right with good detail in all places. However it does have some distortion in few select places (helicopter sound effects in the teaser for example) that crop up. This also appears in the SE 5.1, UE 5.1 and is cleaned up for the BD track.
The mix is essentially the same on LD and SE but the latter tends to accentuate the highs more and feels a bit less authentic despite having nice discrete placements. The UE gives more clarity but accentuates the highs even more, in addition to replacing the title song with the soundtrack master. The BD DTS is the same mix but in HD; even more clarity with more emphasis on the upper midrange. It also goes without saying that the UE and BD mixes are both louder due to added levels of compression.
The BD includes what is said to be the original Dolby Surround, but I believe it is merely a folddown of the 5.1 as it also has the distortion cleaned up, and sounds identical in every way. Why they go to this trouble only to include a fake 2.0 track is beyond me.
I believe the UE/BD remix was done at MiCasa studios where they did the series and primarily used the soundtracks to replace the music. The SE 5.1 was prepped for the scrapped THX LD and is really just a 5.1 upmix of the original 2.0.
If anyone as the Japanese or European LDs or anything else I haven't covered, please feel free to chime in.
Soooo...again we are left without knowing exactly what is accurate to the source. Thanks to the lovely HD trailer scans that have been done from the 007 Dossier, at least it is possible to see that the better blacks of the new transfer are more accurate...but that it overall falls well short of what the 1981 release print would have looked like.
Sound: LD. SE is also acceptable, and the BD HD presentation gives the best in clarity but it isn't fully original.
Video: UE/BD for detail/resolution but it's nowhere near perfect. Far too video-ish for a film that should have a stunning transfer. Colorwise I prefer the SE and LD despite the ratios being a touch off.
For those also inclined the Ryko CD is just as good as the US LP on the original tracks (though the latter does have nice analog warmth) and being expanded is a no brainer purchase. The Capitol reissue was supposed to be a port but I don't have it to compare.