The blacks are almost always a perfect inky black, while the whites appear bright and clean. Shadow detail is quite good, plus the picture has genuine depth thanks to the excellent film elements and first rate transfer. Contrast is very strong and one will notice many distinct levels of gray between the blacks and the whites. The Dolby Digital monaural soundtrack holds up well for a film that just over 40 years old. There are the expected frequency limitations, but the sound never becomes distorted.
Dialogue is pretty clean and always intelligible.
A minor hiss can be heard at higher volume levels, but this is the only appreciable flaw that I can find in an otherwise solid soundtrack. The basic interactive menus provide access to the standard scene selection feature, as well as a theatrical trailer. If old mystery movies are your cup of tea, then THE BAT is a DVD worth investigating. Fans of Vincent Price and Agnes Moorhead will want to go ahead and add this disc to their collections.