Critters (1986) LD mono track (the 2.0 audio from SF release seems to be bad)

[Onti]

If anyone has the Laserdisc and can capture the audio there is no problem with the sync, I can do it myself. Why?
Take a look at this interesting information:

https://forum.blu-ray.com/showthread.php...29&page=18

#356

Critters also has the 5.1 remix carried over from the New Line DVD release, but unfortunately the 2.0 seems to be a stereo folddown of the 5.1 and not the original mono (watching these through a SonyUBPX800 hooked through a HK receiver with DTS Neo 6 mode for original mono and 4 track stereo mix titles)

https://forum.blu-ray.com/showthread.php...29&page=29

#573

I was watching the first Critters tonight and at 19 minutes and 50 seconds the audio briefly cuts out before returning. This was with the 2.0 audio option on. The audio didn't drop out on the 5.1 track when I checked. I tried the disc on different hardware and got the same result. 

I don't have the Shout Factory release yet, perhaps someone can confirm this.

[bronan]

There is no LD with PCM according to LDDB.

[Onti]

There is no LD with PCM according to LDDB.

Sorry, I meant save the track as LPCM. I've already changed it. I don't know how to capture a track from a Laserdisc.

What is the audio format of the Critters Laserdisc? could it be captured as lossless?

[bronan]

US and JP both just have Analog audio. You can capture as 24-bit 48/96/192kHz for BD compatibility. Analog LD audio is roughly equivalent to FM radio quality.

[Onti]

US and JP both just have Analog audio. You can capture as 24-bit 48/96/192kHz for BD compatibility. Analog LD audio is roughly equivalent to FM radio quality.

I had no idea about that, never noticed it before. I guess it's not worth it then. Is there any way to verify that the Shout release actually has a mono track?

[bronan]

If you have the track you can test it. There is a test you can do with ffmpeg where the negative of one channel is combined with the other. If the result is silence then its mono otherwise there is stereo information.

ffmpeg -i "is_this_stereo.wav" -filter_complex "stereotools=phasel=1" -ac 1 "output.wav"

[Turisu]

I can confirm the audio drop-out at around 19:50 on the 2.0 track of the Shout! BD. As to it being a folddown I can't say. The 2.0 and 5.1 tracks sound identical when listened through headphones. I'll grab the DVD and see if the 2.0 track on there is any different.

[zoidberg]

So the 2.0 track on the Critters blu is stereo and not mono?

[Turisu]

The BD 2.0 track is definitely stereo. There are directional effects. Should it be mono? IMDB says it was released in both mono and stereo.

[zoidberg]

The first Critters was released in 1986 in mono (being an early New Line feature, they didn't stump up for the Dolby license). Later sequels were Ultra Stereo.

The best bet for the original mono would be to get hold of one of the LDs or a VHS tape. VHS Hi-Fi may be a better choice given LD analogue's slightly noisy nature (akin to vinyl surface noise, although CX encoded stuff sounds much better), although it may be tricky getting hold of a tape without dropouts at this point in time.