New to Blu: October 19-25

First-class barely begins to describe the HD excellence of the latest X-Men instalment on Blu-ray.

“With a few exceptions of very noticeably phony CG effects, (when the submarine rolls over the palm trees on the beach) this is demo presentation through and through.”

“Contrast exhibits healthy, rich black levels, special effects are seamless enough to demand attention and the visuals showcase some impressive detail – most notable in close-ups. If there are any flaws – I can’t identify them.”

Similarly, the audio specs: “No surprises here, X-Men: First Class sports an aggressively mixed superhero movie sound design that perfectly complements the film’s totally cool on-screen action and blasts the Blu-ray into demo territory.”

If you prefer your heroes more grounded, Sons of Anarchy’s second season roars on to Blu-ray with an image “as warm and sun-soaked as the desert highways of Charming, with deep, strong blacks, incredible skin and facial detail”.

However, there was one caveat: “My nitpick is this implementation of high-def shooting (like many we get these days) comes up lacking in darker/night-time shots with less than inky blacks and digital noise.

“I’m slowly coming around to this aesthetic choice, which is the only aspect I would call a defect in this superlative Blu-ray video.”

The audio’s also a highlight, even if “the blend isn’t quite as transparent as the best lossless audio tracks”.

Also new this week are the direct-to-disc Batman: Year One, Inside Out, Sinners and Saints, The Perfect Host, Wu Xia and Paul McCartney – The Love We Make.