I spent much of the afternoon with the new OKLAHOMA! package.
I honestly think Fox packed the Cinemascope version of the movie on the first disc because they KNEW it was far superior to the other version IN THIS PACKAGE. The sound is strong and the color and sharpness are excellent. As DR td commented last night, when I want to see OKLAHOMA on DVD, this is the version I will play.
I don't think the Todd-AO version of OKLAHOMA on this release is merely soft. I think it is a total catastrophe of the highest order: out of focus, pale, it even FLICKERS, something that Todd-AO was famous for NOT doing in a movie theater.
I synched up the laserdisc of OKLAHOMA with this new version (didn't you just KNOW I'd do that!), and there is absolutely NO comparison. The laserdisc is a hundred times more colorful and sharper even though the laser is working with considerably fewer scan lines (and no anamorphic enhancement). This is THE DVD disaster of the year, and I have every intention of letting Fox know my EXTREME disappointment. They should hang their heads in shame to release such a calamitous transfer as the definitive disc for this movie.