2021-07-26, 02:45 PM
So here are what my untrained eyes and ears are able to make of the various audio tracks.
The 2.0 on the BD is not a folddown of the 5.1. It's the same mix as appears on the 2003 DVD and is a distinct stereo mix. If this same mix is on the "Stereo" VHS release then perhaps it's as zoidberg suggested and it was created in the 90's for home video releases.
Comparing the two tracks; the BD track benefits from lossless compression whereas the DVD track is lossy 224kps AC3 however the BD track has had some noise reduction applied which entirely filters out some ambient cricket chirping in some scenes. Also the DVD track doesn't have the brief audio dropout that is present on the BD.
Given that the stereo mix is likely pre-digital I wonder if mixing the DVD 2.0 down to mono would create a reasonable approximation of the original theatrical audio.
The 2.0 on the BD is not a folddown of the 5.1. It's the same mix as appears on the 2003 DVD and is a distinct stereo mix. If this same mix is on the "Stereo" VHS release then perhaps it's as zoidberg suggested and it was created in the 90's for home video releases.
Comparing the two tracks; the BD track benefits from lossless compression whereas the DVD track is lossy 224kps AC3 however the BD track has had some noise reduction applied which entirely filters out some ambient cricket chirping in some scenes. Also the DVD track doesn't have the brief audio dropout that is present on the BD.
Given that the stereo mix is likely pre-digital I wonder if mixing the DVD 2.0 down to mono would create a reasonable approximation of the original theatrical audio.