Is the quality on the non-Criterion bare bones version of Videodrome very good and also is it good for $10?

Here's a comparison that might help.

http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film/DVDCom...videodrome.htm

If you've never seen the movie before I'd try to rent it somewhere first. If you end up liking it you'll want the Criterion for its clever packaging and extras. The value is also likely to hold up compared to the Universal which is probably hard to give away at this point.

Thanks, I would have checked DVDBEAVER but I thought they went under.

I was very happy with the transfer of my Uni DVD of VIDEODROME. I don't have a 16x9 set, but I thought the picture looked very nice on my 32" set, as recently as 6 months ago (last time I watched this fantastic flick!).

I JUST watched this movie from Netflix this weekend. They only have the Universal version (at least for right now) and I thought the picture was actually pretty solid.

I just watched the Universal version last week, and I was expecting a low quality transfer (I assumed that was part of the impetus behind the Criterion release), and it's pretty good. You can see for yourself on that comparison website. I think its a good value for $10, but you'd want to rent first and see if you'd be interested in seeing more about the film on the Criterion version.

I have both, and on my 53" 16x9 monitor, the Criterion is a rather substantial step-up in quality compared to the Universal. The Universal is not bad for an early, non-anamorphic transfer... but that's about the best one can say for it.

I wouldn't bother buying the Universal disc. If you're low on cash, rent the Criterion version from Netflix. It's a much more satisfying experience.

And the extras? No contest. Typically fantastic Cronenberg commentary, plus a surprisingly wonderful one from Woods and Harry (Woods, in particular, is really sharp). The rest of the stuff is topnotch, but I'm a commentary-hound and appreciate the truly good ones!