Physical Media Releases (Training Day) Training Day
The DVD arrived five months after theatrical release
Warner Bros. released Training Day on DVD and VHS on March 19, 2002. The DVD included a director's commentary by Antoine Fuqua, deleted scenes (approximately 12 minutes), an alternate ending (approximately 5 minutes), an HBO First Look featurette on the making of the film, two music videos (Nelly's "#1" and Pharoahe Monch's "Got You"), cast film highlights, and a theatrical trailer. (wikipedia)
Fuqua's commentary is characteristically intimate, covering the obstacles that arose during filming, the casting process, and the research and preparation the actors undertook. The alternate ending ties up loose ends left open by the theatrical cut -- a tidier resolution that the filmmakers ultimately rejected.
The Blu-ray came early in the format's life but with lossy audio
Training Day was released on Blu-ray on August 1, 2006, during the format's first year of existence. The disc carried the same special features as the DVD -- Fuqua's commentary, deleted scenes, alternate ending, and the HBO featurette -- but the audio was limited to lossy Dolby Digital, a significant drawback given the format's lossless audio capabilities. The video presentation used an anamorphic 2.40:1 transfer. (highdefdigest)
A triple-feature Blu-ray pack bundling Training Day with John Q and The Pelican Brief was released on May 1, 2012. (wikipedia)
Release history at a glance
| Format | Release Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| DVD / VHS | March 19, 2002 | Director commentary, deleted scenes, alternate ending, HBO featurette |
| Blu-ray | August 1, 2006 | Same extras as DVD; lossy Dolby Digital audio only |
| Triple Feature Blu-ray | May 1, 2012 | Bundled with John Q and The Pelican Brief |
| 4K UHD + Blu-ray | February 28, 2023 | New 4K scan, Dolby Atmos audio, HDR10 |
The 4K UHD release finally gave the film lossless audio
Warner Bros. released Training Day on 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray on February 28, 2023, as part of the studio's centennial celebration. The two-disc combo pack includes a 4K UHD disc and a Blu-ray disc with a new video presentation. (blu-ray.com)
The 4K disc presents the film in native 2160p resolution using the HEVC/H.265 codec at an average bitrate of 53.60 Mbps, with HDR10 high dynamic range. The new Dolby Atmos soundtrack (Dolby TrueHD 7.1 compatible) marked a significant upgrade -- the film had never previously been available with lossless audio on any home video format. (blu-ray.com, screen-connections)
The Screen Connections review described the 4K presentation as delivering a "clean, richly detailed presentation with a suitably filmic appearance" and noted the Dolby Atmos mix effectively utilizes all channels for ambient effects, gunshots, and rain while maintaining clear dialogue. (screen-connections)
Special features carried over from the DVD era
The 4K UHD release includes the same supplemental material that has accompanied every physical release since 2002:
- Director's commentary by Antoine Fuqua (available on both 4K and Blu-ray discs)
- Deleted scenes (12 minutes, 33 seconds)
- Alternate ending (4 minutes, 46 seconds)
- "Training Day: Crossing the Line" behind-the-scenes featurette (15 minutes, 2 seconds)
- Music videos: Pharoahe Monch's "Got You" and Nelly's "#1"
- Theatrical trailer (2 minutes, 24 seconds)
No new special features were produced for the 4K release. The Blu-ray.com review scored the extras 1.5 out of 5, reflecting the lack of new supplemental material for a film celebrating its twentieth anniversary. (blu-ray.com)
Digital availability filled some gaps
Training Day is available in Digital 4K through Movies Anywhere and Vudu. The digital copy code included with the 4K UHD disc has expired. (blu-ray.com)