In the 40 years since the premiere of David Lynch’s Dune (1984), this movie has been released on at least 13 home video formats, from CED to 4K Blu-ray.
4K Blu-ray
On August 30, 2021 Koch Films in Germany released their 4K restoration of the movie, and on the same day Arrow Video released editions in the United Kingdom, United States, and Canada using the same remastered files.
There are numerous editions, but collectors will probably want to get Arrow’s “Exclusive Deluxe 4K Ultra HD Steelbook” edition which includes a 100 page “The Design of Dune” book, containing pre-production concepts and designs. (Disclosure: I curated the images and text for the book). Additionally, Koch released an “Ultimate Edition” containing a 4K disc, 5 Blu-rays (including the TV edit and the Spicediver fan edit), and the CD soundtrack.
The Deluxe Arrow release sold out, but is easily found on eBay for around $50. The Koch boxset is harder to find as it didn’t ship outside of Europe, but copies do appear on eBay from $250 upwards. For more information, please read our article Behind the Scenes: New 4K Release of Lynch’s Dune.
Blu-ray
The first Blu-ray release of Dune, I believe, was on April 10, 2008, in France by publisher Opening. It would be a few more years until Universal Home Entertainment released an American version, on April 27, 2010. This version contained all the extras from their 2006 DVD, but didn’t have the TV Edit included.
Over the years there have been several further Blu-ray releases from around the world, but the best copy to get is the version Arrow Video released at the same time as their 4K edition.
DVD
The first DVD I ever brought was the American version, released by Universal on March 31, 1998 – I didn’t even have a DVD player at the time! Since then, there has been a seemingly never-ending stream of releases, re-releases, special editions, ultimate editions, collector’s editions, and TV edit editions from every corner of the globe.
My favorite Dune DVD is the U.K.’s two-disc “Definitive DVD Special Edition” from Sanctuary Visual Entertainment on April 5, 2004, which included the Impressions of Dune documentary and a 32-page booklet. Expect to pay around $10 on eBay for that edition.
Also of note is Dune: Extended Edition Steelbook, released January 31, 2006 in America by Universal Home Entertainment, which was the first time that the Extended Edition (also known as the TV Edit, or the Alan Smithee Version) had been available in 2.35:1 widescreen aspect ratio. Expect to pay around $20 on eBay for that edition.
HD-DVD (High-Definition Digital Versatile Disc)
HD-DVD lost the high-definition war to Blu-ray, but that didn’t stop Dune from being released on this format by Universal Home Entertainment on November 28, 2006 in the U.S. and Canada.
Copies can easily be found on eBay for around $10.
UMD (Universal Media Disc)
UMD was the physical media used in the Sony PSP (PlayStation Portable) handheld gaming device. As well as being used for games, many movies were available on it. On January 30, 2006, Sanctuary Visual Entertainment, in the U.K., released Dune on the format. I also believe it was released twice in France on UMD.
The UK release is often on eBay, for around $30 upwards.
8 mm
One of the more surprising formats is a 8 mm video release from Japan. Released in 1991 by Warner Home Video and Weintraub Entertainment Group.
This version is extremely hard to find, and I’ve only ever seen it once on eBay.
VHS
There are far too many VHS copies of Dune to enumerate, but collectors may want to acquire the American Universal version which came with the “Terminology of the Imperium” booklet, or the later widescreen edition, both of which can be picked up for around $10 a piece on eBay.
Betamax
There are fewer Betamax copies of Dune floating around, due to VHS winning the videotape format wars last century. These are, however, readily available on eBay – expect to pay around $10-20 for a copy.
VCD (Video CD)
As the name suggests, Video CD uses the Compact Disc format to store video content. This particular Video CD comes from Malaysia and appears to be a bootleg, with numerous typos, not least is the movie’s strap line of “A place beyond not dream, a movie beyond your imaguntion.” Still, it is a fun collector’s item.
Various VCDs of Dune often appear on eBay, normally from Asia or the Middle East where the format was popular, although generally of dubious legality.
DIVX (Digital Video Express)
At first glance this looks like another Video CD release, and the DIVX marking could easily be mistaken for denoting the DivX video encoding format, however this release is an old and very short-lived American video rental system which required a special DVD player to be connected to a phone line to “phone home” and start the limited time viewing period. The discs were single use and designed to be discarded after use – not something I think Frank Herbert would have approved of!
Copies are hard to locate but are generally cheap (around $10) if you can find them, since it is impossible to play them anymore. For more information on DIVX please see the Wikipedia article on DIVX.
LaserDisc
Between 1985 and 1997, eleven Dune LaserDiscs were released, from five different countries and in three different aspect ratios, ranging from the basic VHS “upgrades” to the first widescreen releases and the collectable boxsets from the U.K. and Japan.
For more information please see David Lynch’s Dune LaserDiscs – Collector’s Spotlight.
VHD (Video High Density)
Dune was released in Japan on VHD by Thorn EMI and Tohokusinsha Home Video on December 16, 1985, just over a year after its premiere in cinemas. It came on two caddies, with the movie being split over 3 sides, shown in 4:3 ratio and Dolby Surround Stereo sound.
Copies can easily be found on eBay for around $50, often from Japan, but the bulky size can incur high shipping costs. For more information on VHDs please see the Wikipedia article on VHD.
CED (Capacitance Electronic Disc)
CEDs are the largest of the home video formats, being 12-inch discs contained within a caddy, increasing the overall size to nearly 13 x 14 inches.
Dune was released in America on CED by MCA Home Video in July 1985. It came on two caddies, with the movie being spilt over three sides, shown in 4:3 ratio and Dolby Surround Stereo sound.
Copies can easily be found on eBay for around $20, often from America, but the bulky size can incur high shipping costs. For more information on CEDs please see the Wikipedia article on CED.