UFO Blu-Ray Video Comparison

This is a comparison of UFO Blu-ray video quality on the Australia (Imprint), UK (Network and Spirit), and Japan (Geneon Universal) Blu-rays.

All 3 of these releases are based on the same high definition telecine transfer of the original 35mm camera negatives made around 2006, so they have a lot in common. But there are still some fairly significant differences:

• Japan Blu-ray (2012) - no digital noise reduction. Film grain, dirt, and imperfections are visible and distracting at times. Color correction is inconsistent, with most scenes looking great, but some having a beige color cast. Some scenes shot "day-for-night" mistakenly look more like daytime than night. Sepia-tinting missing on the flashbacks in THE LONG SLEEP, these scenes are instead black & white. Aspect ratio temporarily switches to 16:9 for a minute in the episode ORDEAL!

• UK Blu-ray (2016)- has digital noise reduction and film dirt removal. Noise reduction is excessive at times, causing a loss of image detail. Picture is brighter and more washed out than the Japan release. Color correction is inconsistent, with most scenes looking great, but some having a beige color cast. Odd darkening on the bottom half of the image throughout much of the episode TIMELASH. Sepia tinting added to scenes in THE LONG SLEEP that has never had sepia-tinting before.

• Australia Blu-ray (2025) - This is basically the Japan release with some fixes in some episodes (8 episodes have fixes, the other 18 episodes are exactly the same as the Japan release). It still has no digital noise reduction, and film grain, dirt, and imperfections are visible and distracting at times. Fixes have been made for some day-for-night shots, the ORDEAL aspect ratio error, and THE LONG SLEEP missing sepia tint. Plus there have been some color corrections to reduce the beige color cast in some scenes.

So, on with the comparison.

IDENTIFIED, Australia and Japan are the same (UK is a bit brighter/more washed out):

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FLIGHT PATH, day-for-night filming (not night at all in the Japan version):

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ORDEAL, one minute 16:9 aspect ratio error on the Japan Blu-ray:

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SOUND OF SILENCE, day-for-night filming (not night at all in the Japan version)

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SOUND OF SILENCE, Australia and Japan the same (although the video encode on the disc differ):

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THE CAT WITH TEN LIVES, different quality source materials / grading:

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THE CAT WITH TEN LIVES, Australia better color correction than UK and Japan

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THE PSYCHOBOMBS, day-for-night filming:

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THE PSYCHOBOMBS, day-for-night filming

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REFLECTIONS IN THE WATER, differing colors/brightness/level of detail:

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TIMELASH, darkened bottom of image on UK vs different color corrections on Australia and Japan:

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THE LONG SLEEP, sepia tinting (or lack thereof):

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THE LONG SLEEP, flashback that was not sepia tinted in the original broadcast:

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