Schindler's List

Source #1: USA UHD Blu-ray (Thanks COASTER) / Chapters / Video / Dolby Vision Layer / Audio / Commentary / Subs)

Source #2: AMZN VOD (Thanks MiON) / (HDR10+ Profile B Layer)

Source #3: USA Blu-ray (Thanks) / (Original 1993 DTS 6-Track Mix)

Source #4: CHN Blu-ray (Thanks HDWinG) / (Subs)

Source #5: EUR Blu-ray (Thanks) / (Subs)

Source #6: GER Blu-ray (Thanks OLDHAM) / (Subs)

Source #7: EUR UHD Blu-ray (Thanks) / (Subs)

Source #8: EUR UHD Blu-ray (Thanks HDT) / (Subs)

Source #9: TWN UHD Blu-ray (Thanks nLiBRA) / (Subs)


As always we checked for the best video source and in this case it was the USA (https://slow.pics/c/hDHRcPow).


Hybrid release with addition of retail HDR10+ (2404 scenes) for this iconic film. The VOD asset matched the UHD disc grade as they came from the master and was synced and injected to the UHD BD video with proper professional tools. Both the Dolby Vision and HDR10+ presentations will fallback to static HDR for displays/TVs without dynamic HDR support. We personally really liked the HDR10+ on this, the shadow and dark area detail is nicer and really compliments the excellent baseline HDR grade and fantastic new 4K scan.


The UHD Blu-ray included an all new remastered Dolby Atmos soundtrack which sounds fantastic. The 5.1 compatibility is a mixdown of that new mix. While retaining much of the essence of the original, the surrounds are used quite a bit more on the new studio remix of this film as opposed to the original 1993 mixes which used them much more sparingly for music and the ocassional ambience/sfx enhancement. The remastered mix also has a completely different equalization and voicing as well, the original is a bit warmer and more laid back most of the time, but still packs a punch during gun shots and stream train SFX.


The original 1993 soundtracks were left off the UHD Blu-rays unfortunately. Schindler's List was an all DTS film, exhibited theatrically with a digital 6-track (5.1) mix for very early adopters of the DTS system, as well as DTS' MP Matrix system equivalent: DTS-Stereo. The later being compatible with already installed Dolby and Ultra Stereo cinema processors and was also a way to avoid paying Dolby fees for 35mm analog soundtracks. Many films throughout the 1990s were released this way. Unfortunately, the DTS-Stereo 4.0 surround mix which was heard by the vast majority of audiences at the time of the film's release was only made available on LaserDisc. We were unable to obtain this soundtrack. We investigated a DVD which reported a DD 2.0 option, hoping it was the same track as Dolby Surround 2.0 but it was a distributor printing error. Luckily, the original digital 6-Track DTS mix was put on all earlier DVD and Blu-ray versions of the film. We sourced a lossless version of this from the USA Blu-ray as an alternate option. The only difference being that the Blu-ray lossless 5.1 had its surround channels stored 3dB too loud; Left at theatrical levels as cinemas have their surround array calibrated 3dB lower (-82dB/c) due to old standing back compatibility standard for multi-track magnetic prints. For home video this is virtually always corrected, since home theater uses a linear calibration for all channels without a -3dB shift for the surrounds. The DVD had the surround channel stored at the correct level with the -3dB linear match. So we corrected that. Additionally we noticed that the audio on the new UHD release shifted periodically by up to 1 or 2 full NTSC video frames which is quite a bit despite the old Blu-ray being "frame perfect". So we found all of these points which took a lot of time, and shifted the audio back to line up with the new UHD BD version as needed. The synced and corrected track was encoded back to DTS-HD MA 5.1 on the latest encoder (more efficient) from Xperi with a full-rate core. It was also truly 16-bit, and we left it as such. Not 24-bit.


Many sources are used for subs, most are from EUR UHD Blu-ray. Also checked all other Blu-rays for subs that were not included in the UHD discs. Those subs are tonemapped and when needed, synced to the main video.


Sadly no commentary was available for this one.








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