[Released] Serpico (1973) Eureka MoC BD Mono Synced to Kino UHD + Analysis

[axeyou]

Released in 1973, Serpico's original sound mix was naturally mono.

Kino, the self-proclaimed best label in the world, naturally once again offered a split-L/R-stereo mix on their new UHD, in addition to a 5.1 remix . After phase-inverting their R-channel and downmixing to 1.0:


To source a genuine mono, I've examined these previous BDs:

• 2010 FR/DE/ES StudioCanal BD
  
• 2014 UK Eureka MoC BD
  
• 2020 FR/DE StudioCanal remastered BD (SC UHD released at the same time presumably features the same tracks)
  

Is It Mono?

Of these, the 2.0 on the 2020 SC BD is also a split-stereo. After the phase-invert-then-downmix test, it looks pretty similar to the Kino one:


The 2.0 on the 2010 SC BD is dual mono:


The 2014 Eureka BD features a 1.0 mono track.

Who Sounds Better?

2010 SC's spectrogram, on MEL scale:


2014 Eureka's spectrogram, on MEL scale, and +4db to level match:


Looks pretty similar. At first glance though, it would appear that Eureka filtered a bit of the low frequencies, but retained a little bit more high frequencies. However, switching to Extended Log scale reveals that the extra low-frequency information on the 2010 SC is below 20 Hz (inaudible), and is like a constant hum throughout the film. Transfer/encode anomaly?

2010 SC's spectrogram, on Extended Log scale:


2014 Eureka's spectrogram, on Extended Log scale, and +4db to level match:


Finally, spectrum analyzer over the entire track, plotting average level over frequency:

2010 SC:


2014 Eureka, +4db to level match:


Flip between them here: https://slow.pics/c/z8xb7H8J

After +4db to the Eureka track, the two curves are exactly identical within the audible range, further suggesting they stem from the same mastering.

Since Eureka 1) provides a 24-bit encode, 2) doesn't have the constant hum below 20 Hz, 3) retains a bit more high-frequency information, theirs is the track I'll sync to Kino UHD.

Other Releases

I wasn't able to source the 2013 Warner / 2017 Paramount US BD (same disc). They only come with an AC-3 2.0 mono though.

I also wasn't able to source any DVD or LD or VHS track.

Given that the Eureka BD sounds pretty good and that its spectrogram shows no filtering, I'm content with it for now. That said, if someone does have any of these, I'd be interested in comparing them.

The Sync

Luckily, Eureka BD and Kino UHD are frame-accurate throughout the film. The only difference is Kino having an extra 9 frames at the beginning.

Both are presented at 23.976 fps, so it's a 375ms delay. Simple like that.

PM me for a link. Enjoy!

[alexp2000]

Great work! I’ve already got both so I’ll not trouble you for the link but thanks for the fantastic analysis