I've lately been interested in how 5.1 home video audio mixes across various formats compare to their theatrical counterparts. So I've taken the cinema DTS tracks that I've been able to find or that others have kindly shared with me and done some visual waveform comparisons.

All cinema DTS tracks have had their surround channels attenuated to -3Db and LFE channel boosted +3Db for pre-1999 movies and +6Db for post-1999 movies. For more information on why this is necessary see this wonderfully informative thread by pipefan413.

So I'll start with The Matrix.


The Matrix - 1999 Theatrical DTS 6-Track



So here's the cinema DTS. It's a very dynamic mix with LFE and surrounds used fairly sparingly until the final 30 minutes of the movie.


The Matrix - 1999 DVD - AC-3 5.1 448kbps



The DVD release is not as dynamic as the theatrical DTS. Adjusted for volume the centre channel has a slight boost and LFE + surrounds have been toned down. It looks fairly close to the theatrical mix though.


The Matrix - 2008 Blu-ray - TrueHD 5.1 1646kbps



Once adjusted for volume this is essentially just a less dynamic rendering of the theatrical mix with LFE toned down a little. It's very close indeed. It could even be that these are near-field adjustments intended to recreate the sound of the theatrical DTS in a smaller space - I don't know enough about this to be able to say.


The Matrix - 2008 Blu-ray - AC-3 5.1 640kbps



I'm not even sure why this track is on the BD. The TrueHD has an AC-3 Core track for compatibility so this seems utterly redundant. This one is an even more neutered version of the DVD 5.1. The centre channel dynamics have been squashed even further and the LFE in the finale has been toned down yet again. Worse still, this is the default audio track on the disc so the vastly superior TrueHD track has to be manually selected.


The Matrix - 2018 Ultra HD Blu-ray - TrueHD 7.1 4868kbps



Unsurprisingly the Atmos track on the UHD is a total remix with lots of additional LFE and boosted surround effects. From an authenticity standpoint, it has no value whatsoever.


The Matrix - 2018 Ultra HD Blu-ray - AC-3 5.1 640kbps



Anyone hoping that the 5.1 track on the UHD was the original mix is going to be disappointed. It's just a 5.1 channel folddown of the Atmos remix with a boosted centre channel.


Missing Mixes
Not included in this comparison is the LaserDisc AC-3 simply because I don’t have it though I've heard it's the same as the DVD 5.1. If anybody has it and would care to share then I’ll gladly add it here.


Conclusion (TL;DR)
The BD TrueHD 5.1 looks to be a very respectful attempt to create a slightly more polite rendering of the theatrical audio track. Anyone who maligns the BD 5.1 for being nothing like what they heard in the cinema in 1999 either has very keen ears or went to the wrong cinema.


More comparisons to follow.

Back to the Future Part III (1990) Laserdisc [40980] synced to UHD

Title: Back to the Future Part III (1990)
Format/Catalog#: Laserdisc [40980] 
Synced to: UHD
Input Soundtrack: 16-bit, 44.1khz, Stereo (bit perfect)
Output Soundtrack: 16-bit, 44.1khz, Stereo
Sourced by: BDgeek / alinskey
Ripped by: alinskey
Synced by: sertoli

Back to the Future Part II (1989) Laserdisc [40965] synced to UHD

Title: Back to the Future Part II (1989)
Format/Catalog#: Laserdisc [40965] 
Synced to: UHD
Input Soundtrack: 16-bit, 44.1khz, Stereo (bit perfect)
Output Soundtrack: 16-bit, 44.1khz, Stereo
Sourced by: BDgeek / alinskey
Ripped by: alinskey
Synced by: sertoli

Back to the Future (1985) Laserdisc [41056] synced to UHD

Title: Back to the Future (1985)
Format/Catalog#: Laserdisc [41056] 
Synced to: UHD
Input Soundtrack: 16-bit, 44.1khz, Stereo (bit perfect)
Output Soundtrack: 16-bit, 44.1khz, Stereo
Sourced by: BDgeek / alinskey
Ripped by: alinskey
Synced by: sertoli

Would anyone happen to have the mono audio of Nightmare on Elm Street (1984) [I-5036], for a possible future project? Thanks so much!

Is it to compensate for the fact that the front 3 speakers are behind the screen? And if so, is the intention that the audience perceives the levels as the same?

If this is true then the accepted wisdom that cinema DTS rips need to have their surround channels attenuated by -3Db for home viewing would be wrong.

It's interesting when looking at home mixes that are close to their theatrical counterparts as some apply the attenuation and some don't.

I’m new! I’ve always been fascinated with film restoration ever since seeing mini features on how the original Star Wars film trilogy was restored back in the early 90s ?

I have a scan of Disney's Robin Hood off a 35mm print if anyone wants the audio from it.  I tried syncing it up to the bluray but the audio drifts. I guess the print used for the scan is missing some frames.

Source: https://forum.lddb.com/viewtopic.php?f=23&t=9841

I cleaned and sharpened a bit the image, mostly to get rid of MPEG2 artifacts - dehaloed and cropped out the black borders; hope you will enjoy!

Link to file: https://fex.net/s/bfopbt3

WARNING! It's a temporary file for only one week, so if anybody is interested in keeping this version, please host it in a long term storage like mega or others, and post a link - I will replaced then the temp one; thanks!

I mean subtitules for the Spanish parts only…

https://forum.blu-ray.com/showpost.php?p...tcount=281