[versions] Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977)

[Chewtobacca]

The thread is tagged as versions, but it can also be for generic discussion of the film.  I've just compared the UHD BD to the 30th Anniversary Ultimate Edition BD, and they are in sync all the way through to the end, so if you want to take the 24-bit DTS-HD MA 5.1 from the latter and mux it with the former, you can.  This has two potential advantages:

1. 24-bit audio instead of 16-bit;
   
2. demuxing branched UHD BDs, even with eac3to, can still result in sync issues, which you can avoid by taking the audio from standard BD.
   

As you know, eac3to cannot fix the gaps when extracting (as opposed to decoding) Dolby TrueHD tracks from a branched BD, so I recommend that you stick to the DTS-HD track if you want to avoid recompression. Some of you might be able to grab lossless foreign dubs this way as well.

I  haven't checked the Sony's first (pre-Anniversary) BD nor the 40th Anniversary Edition, but I don't imagine that they are different in terms of sync.

[Wisp of Smoke]

Hi Chewie,

This is very interesting in that, providing you've had the two tracks side by side, have you done any back and fourth A/B comparisons to see if they are completely identical, or do they have any minor differences (EQ, dynamic range, mixing choices, etc)?

Aside from the onscreen bitrate change, I wasn't able to detect any notable differences between the previous bluray and the new one. But, I also didn't have the ability to quickly switch between the two mixes and that certainly doesn't help when attempting to do objective comparisons.

[Chewtobacca]

No, I haven't done any investigations into dynamic range, EQ, and the like.  Given that the UHD BD has "only" DTS-HD MA 5.1, I'd be willing to bet that the audio is very similar or identical to previous BDs in terms of the mix.  A remix for UHD BD would most likely have been DTS-HD MA 7.1 or even Atmos.

The only thing that I've learnt since posting the above is that a line is missing on the 30th Anniversary BD.  See IMDb.

In the originally released "Special Edition," Laughlin has an extra line in the opening desert scene not present in the other two versions. As the Project Leader pulls out the 1945 calendar in the plane's cockpit, Laughlin can be overheard shouting, "You! Listen to me, will you?" This line is missing in the "Special Edition" on the 30th Anniversary Blu-ray and DVD. The 40th Anniversary 4K release and Blu-ray release corrects this, and the line is heard again whenever you select the "Special Edition".

This is a shame because it considerably reduces the desirability of the higher bit-depth audio.  The 40th Anniversary BD is probably now the easiest audio to work with if you are remuxing or creating a custom cut.

[captainsolo]

I hadn't realized there was a line missing, but then again I never watch the SE as I think the theatrical gets it just right. The original BD had both TrueHD and HDMA in 24 bit and the mix seems the same on the 1080p 4k mastered disc but in 16 bit.

I just hate that at least on the 1080p 4K disc there seems to be some color shenanigans going on here and there. Not full on like Raiders but it's still there and makes me actually prefer the older BD in a number of ways. Then again I even like my LD copies and rediscovered it via the Criterion CLV a few years ago.

The hope is that one day we can get the original 70mm Dolby audio which is reputed to have amazingly deep bass that rattled theater walls and was to have been mixed out of everything starting with the 1980 SE mix.

[Chewtobacca]

I just hate that at least on the 1080p 4K disc there seems to be some color shenanigans going on here and there. Not full on like Raiders but it's still there and makes me actually prefer the older BD in a number of ways.

Yeah, so do I.  The older BDs were solid releases typical of Sony's early offerings.

The hope is that one day we can get the original 70mm Dolby audio which is reputed to have amazingly deep bass that rattled theater walls and was to have been mixed out of everything starting with the 1980 SE mix.

Funnily enough, I mentioned to PDB recently that the audio on CETK has been underwhelming on every home-video release that I've come across.  You'd expect it to be something special in a film in which sound is so crucial.

[captainsolo]

When cranked up on any version it has moments but for some reason I like the old Criterion 2.0 matrix audio best of all. I only have the CLV which is the 1977 theatrical cut with one tiny SE shot.
The Sony hdma 5.1 is very good but it seems perhaps too clean or something. I think it was first done for the DVD reissue. I did finally pick up the final collector's edition LD box which is supposed to have 5.1 ac3 mixed form the 70mm. I need to sit down and do a comparison but I usually skip the later two versions and rewatch the theatrical instead.

[Stamper]

I have the CAV if anyone want to capture it, I will send it to any old timer here as long as you pay for the shipping and packing.

[dwalkerdon]

When cranked up on any version it has moments but for some reason I like the old Criterion 2.0 matrix audio best of all. I only have the CLV which is the 1977 theatrical cut with one tiny SE shot.
The Sony hdma 5.1 is very good but it seems perhaps too clean or something. I think it was first done for the DVD reissue. I did finally pick up the final collector's edition LD box which is supposed to have 5.1 ac3 mixed form the 70mm. I need to sit down and do a comparison but I usually skip the later two versions and rewatch the theatrical instead.

What about the Dolby Surround 2.0 mix on the 2001 DVD?

[Chewtobacca]

When cranked up on any version it has moments but for some reason I like the old Criterion 2.0 matrix audio best of all. I only have the CLV which is the 1977 theatrical cut with one tiny SE shot.

This one has a kind of early branching, which is pretty neat.  There are more LDs of CETK than I realized.  Let's hope that one of them turns out to be a hidden gem when it comes to audio.

The theatrical is the best cut in terms of pace and artistic merit, but I always find myself wanting more.

[Stamper]

Yes that's the one I have.

It could be cool to rip it and branch the versions together.