Van Halen: 5150 Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		3.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		5.0
Overall		4.0

Van Halen: 5150 Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman May 5, 2026

One of the kind of interesting if also potentially disappointing things about Van Halen's presence on Blu-ray is that Rhino and/or Warner Music Group have thus far released Van Halen: For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge and Van Halen: Balance in addition to the release currently under discussion, and none of the three features hi res audio remixes of any original albums. Instead all three offer either music videos or concert videos on the included Blu-ray disc, in addition to an admitted glut of other material on CDs and LPs, not to mention some pretty significant packaging swag. In this case, the actual 5150 album is offered on both LP and CD, with additional CDs touting a supply of bonus audio. The Blu-ray disc in this set features the Live Without a Net concert video and two promo videos.

The title of 5150 may recall another Warner release from days of yore, namely the great Album 1700 from Peter, Paul & Mary, though of course in this instance the number is not a cheeky allusion to a catalog listing ID, but instead a euphemism for a psychiatric hold on someone experiencing some kind of mental health issue. This 40th Anniversary Limited Edition release offers the original album remastered on both LP and CD, two more CDs with extra content (see below), and the Blu-ray disc, which features music videos for Dreams and Why Can't This Be Love?, along with the 1986 Live Without a Net concert from New Haven, Connecticut.

Van Halen: 5150 Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The Blu-ray disc included in 5150 features Live Without a Net with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.33:1, and Two Promo Videos with an MPEG-2 encoded 1080i transfer in 1.33:1. The bulk of the interest here for fans will arguably be the concert, and though obviously vintage material that I assume has been upscaled, its quality is arguably much better than, say, the many so-called "SD Blu-rays" of Rolling Stone concert material that Eagle Rock Entertainment put out for years. While things are certainly not beautifully detailed, and in fact wider framings can admittedly be blurry and/or fuzzy, there's nothing like ghosting or aliasing in any major way, and the progressive presentation of the concert gives a nice fluidity to rapid movement, which is basically any movement by these hyped up guys (and, yes, that's a joke, kind of). The palette is reasonably well suffused. The promo videos have much more of a "traditional" upscaled look with, yes, ghosting and other anomalies. There's nothing here that is going to set videophile hearts on fire, but the concert looks a lot better than I had anticipated, all things considered.

Van Halen: 5150 Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Both the concert and the promo videos offer DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 tracks. The concert video probably can't help but sound a little overly reverberant at times, in true arena rock style, and there's arguably just a hint of sibilance at times in some upper registers, as in cymbals or high hats, but overall the sound is nicely fulsome, and both Hagar's voice and the commanding instrumental accompaniments sound great. There's actually decent stereo separation in the concert, though stereo imaging is probably a bit more evident in the music videos.

Van Halen: 5150 Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

LP

• Side A

Good Enough
Why Can't This Be Love
Get Up
Dreams
Summer Nights

• Side B

Best of Both Worlds
Love Walks In
5150
Inside

CD1 - Original Album (2023 Remaster)

• Good Enough
• Why Can't This Be Love
• Get Up
• Dreams
• Summer Nights
• Best of Both Worlds
• Love Walks In
• 5150
• Inside

CD2 - Rarities

• Best of Both Worlds (Edit)
• Dreams (Edit)
• Love Walks In (Edit)
• Why Can't This Be Love (Extended Version)
• Dreams (Extended Version)
• Best of Both Worlds (Live)
• Rock and Roll (Live)
• Love Walks In (Live)

CD3 - Live in New Haven, CT 1986

• There's Only One Way to Rock
• Summer Nights
• 5150
• Panama
• Best of Both Worlds
• Love Walks In
• Guitar Solo
• I Can't Drive 55
• Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love
• Wild Thing
• Why Can't This Be Love
• Rock and Roll

This comes housed in a slightly larger than average gatefold LP case measuring approximately 12 3/4" wide by 12 1/2" high by 1/2" deep, and which more or less matches the general dimensions of the two previous Van Halen releases from Rhino which contained Blu-ray discs. The left side has a pocket sleeve which holds the LP and a nicely designed booklet with credits and a ton of photos but no real writing per se. The right side has four inserts that hold the three CDs and Blu-ray disc.

Van Halen: 5150 Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

As a keyboard guy myself, I frankly kind of liked the change in direction that 5150 offered, aside and apart from any controversy surrounding the addition of Sammy Hagar. Rhino has been releasing some really beautifully packaged deluxe editions of Van Halen's material, though they have repeatedly consigned the Blu-ray side of things to videos and the like, rather than hi res audio, which I suspect some fans might actually prefer. The video on the Blu-ray disc is obviously not optimal, but the concert is a lot of fun and audio is fine. The rest of the package is outstanding. As a whole, Recommended.