Seven Samurai 4K UHD (1954) (The Criterion Collection)

[fkid]

Hmm, quite interesting, Criterion does indeed have a cleaner image, but BFI's HDR grade will certainly please some viewers more, with apparent depth and contrast between shadows and specular highlights. Heads up, this HDR comparison is more indicative of the true difference between SDR and HDR encodes by placing both in HDR colourspace, but should be viewed on an HDR display in HDR mode. I personally feel SDR tonemapping algorithms have a lot of variance and can be more misleading, but I added a few for those who want to see those shots too.

SEVEN SAMURAI - HDR COMPARISON - CRITERION UHD BLU-RAY vs. BFI UHD BLU-RAY (40)

SEVEN SAMURAI - SDR COMPARISON - CRITERION UHD BLU-RAY vs. BFI UHD BLU-RAY (8)

P.S. Quick audio comparison, although the DTS-HD MA Mono track is oddly 16-bits, the dynamic range is nearly identical (20.8 vs. 20.9 LU) and similar filtering as the Criterion PCM Mono track, so don't expect any wonders or meaningful difference. I'll try and share an audio comparison of all the difference sources later.