Elstree 1976 Blu-ray Review (Patreon)

Note: Just not a lot to see here. It's mostly talking heads, hence the low number of screens.

Video

Whatever the source used to film the talking head interviews, it's unlikely the compression exists there. Instead, the issues are almost certainly stemming from MVD's encode, which is quite poor. A mess even. Depth of field naturally turns the backgrounds soft, but in doing so, invite masses of compression artifacts and banding. If the scene involves grain or source noise, the problem intensifies. There, it's quite ugly.

The footage itself appears clean in decent resolution. Average definition in close via the newest footage is Elstree 1976's best. If the camera pans back to midrange, it's lesser material, barely HD. There's enough glossiness and clarity if the compression doesn't intrude to get by.

Post-production color grading pushes flesh tones higher than normal, but attractively so. Primaries carry a small glow, enhancing fabrics and clothing. Film clips, usually pulled from SD sources, push saturation higher still.

Audio

Dolby Digital comes in two flavors, 5.1 and stereo. There's hardly any notable difference for this center channel-focused documentary. Either way, the audible chatter keeps a consistent volume and presence. Music drives a slightly greater presence in 5.1, but it's minor. The soundtrack stretches the stereos, although the surrounds do nothing to enhance things, not that opportunities are frequent.