Why do people prefer Criterion or Shout, Arrow, Kino Lorber etc?

[Monterey Jack]

I don't give a toss who releases a particular film, I just gravitate to whoever releases the best transfer and collection of extras.

[nickg]

Personally, they usually give a straight unedited experience. No remixing older movies that had dolby surround matrix'd sound to 7.1 or something. Rarely any DNR to butcher the image quality. Just a straight scan of the film to hd with the original sound track in tact

[monwobbbo]

people like options is the simplest answer. for many films the older studio release is just fine. something like say Cyborg is a good movie but not a fav so i just stick with the regular release that i paid 5 bucks for at Big Lots. on the other hand for say Godzilla (1954) i have to have the best release possible as it is a huge fave. i agree that price is also a consideration. there are plenty of titles out there i want but just can't bring myself to pay the price for many of them. lower print runs and the cost of making the disc, packaging etc keeps the price up in many cases. don't expect that to change anytime soon.

[Member-222782]

Originally Posted by Movie shy

Hi,

Just wondering why people prefer Criterion or Shout, Arrow, Kino Lorber etc. over a regular release of a film? I have Criterions and I like the extra special features you get and the packaging but for some films I am fine with my regular blu ray’s. For instance I love the film “All About Eve” and have the digipack that I got for 5 dollars at Big Lots a few years ago. The video is great and love the special features so no need to get the Criterion. I have “The Phantom of the Paradise” on Shout and am impressed with all the special features. I just wish the independent labels didn’t charges so much for films. Even with 50 percent off Criterions at B&N at 20 dollars a film that still seems expensive to me. I realize some labels will only have a limited number of printings so the price needs to be high but many times a regular blu ray will suffice. Any thoughts?

For me it's more about having the best Picture Quality but, oftentimes, I'll double dip to consolidate a long series into one convenient set if the series is spread around various packaging types. For instance, I own the James Bond films on different formats and on various styles of packaging and so I'd love to consolidate everything into one box. I wasn't a fan of the 50th Anniversary set so now I'm waiting for another set that incorporates all the films through Spectre - hopefully on 4K. I just purchased the Daniel Craig collection on UHD and am perfectly willing to re-buy these again if a set came out tomorrow. Similar issue with the Beverly Hills Cop trilogy. Already owned the original US Blu plus the 2 UK editions of the sequels but I definitely want the upcoming trilogy set.

I have to confess that, sometimes, I'll double dip on something just for the packaging

[drush9999]

Whichever label delivers the best PQ and AQ and in either it's uncut version and/or theatrical cut with original audio, is the most important thing to me. You could say it was paramount (pun intended).

Some labels are better at this than others, so stand out as good options vs other labels.

[LegacyCosts]

I've never followed a company and bought all their stuff. If its a good transfer for a movie I want, I'm happy. When companies like arrow or shoutfactory do re-releases they're always way overpriced with revisionist artwork. Not that I don't want better pq or nice pacakging, i just don't think 30 dollars for robocop or 12 monkeys is worth it. I'd love the new silent hill transfer for instance but I just think they charge too much.

[Adcatalano]

If the same title is released by different companies I buy the cheapest option as long there isn’t a significant difference in quality or if there’s an extended cut available.

There isn’t a company I refuse to buy from, I have a couple of Scorpion and Code Red releases and I hate those guys.

Otherwise I think if you spend enough time collecting blus you start to find companies that you feel like you have a personal connection to at some level. I remember when Scream Factory was first announced and they’ve consistently released some of my favorite movies over the past 7 years.

I’d call myself a loyal SF customer, but I still won’t double dip if I already own a previous release (night of the creeps, big trouble in little China, assault on precinct 13, my bloody valentine, urban legend, the thing, etc etc - the exception being Army of Darkness for the different cuts). And even though they released Brainscan, I bought the cheaper Mill Creek release with Mindwarp because it was a better value and it’s a title that mattered less to me.

[BuraddoRun]

The deluxe treatment these labels give to films is a big draw to me. Original artwork, a nice selection of extras, booklets with essays and commentary, and solid films transfers are what I usually expect from a boutique label. But the main thing, of course, is the film itself. I often do "upgrade" if I like the film enough, but not always.

[dirtnoise1]

I think it's a good thing to support boutique labels who are committed to releasing films, particularly more obscure ones, on physical media.

[LMFAObros]

More attention to detail. The big players usually overlook things leading to replacement programs in more cases that couldve been avoided. I find the independents are much better in regards to preservation typically including the original audio in most cases in PCM unlike the majors who usually may just include a crappy Dolby low bitrate file or none at all(Warner and the others apart from sony and studio canal are really bad at this)

[jtu128]

Comparing Criterion and Arrow to Shout/Scream? No contest...

[Luke Dodge748]

I have to agree with the masses here that the better packaging will get me to purchase the CC, Arrow, Scream Factory versions of a movie before the standard version most of the time, but what I like about purchasing the boutique label printings is that it separates collectors from those who just buy a movie to watch once and maybe throw in the "Goodwill" pile.

These boutique labels look great being displayed on a shelf. It shows to friends and family that you are a movie fan, a collector, a cinephile, whatever. It says that you are really into this shit. And when I found the Criterion Collection Seven Samurai (DVD then years later blu-ray) I liked how this was something special that the barebones discs was not.

Now I'm not saying collector's won't buy/collect/enjoy the base printings of movies, not at all. I just think the CC/Arrow/Blue Underground/Kino Lorber et al., offer something more to enjoy.