The Criterion Blu-ray is described as a "New 4K digital restoration, approved by cinematographer Adam Holender". The new HD image is significantly sharper than MGM's 2011, Region FREE, Blu-ray but colors shift to be very green/blue.  I found the teal-leaning very noticeable initially but I got used to it and the improved detail is such a dramatic improvement over the older 1080P transfer. I have never seen it looks this good. There are some occasional aspect ratio anomalies between the two - with the new 4K showing a shade more in various sides of the frame. I wasn't crazy about the green cast but the restored visuals have so much more depth and crispness that it is easily the finest (of the dozen or more viewings I've had) of Midnight Cowboy. Wow, indeed.

I rank the original music by the master John Barry (The Lion in Winter, Dances With Wolves, Deadfall, The White Buffalo,  and the Bond themes among his many credits) in Midnight Cowboy as some of the best ever put to film with 'Toots' Thielman's harmonica - and add Harry Nilsson's efforts and we have a veritable festival of iconic scores - all in one film soundtrack. The Blu-ray presents it as a the optional of a linear PCM mono track or a DTS-HD Master 5.1 surround bump at 3409 kbps. The uncompressed 1.0 channel is hard to describe it's lean, pristine expression. I doubt I could find a more fitting match for film and music. There are optional English (SDH) subtitles on Criterion Region 'A'-locked Blu-ray release.

Criterion include the 1991 audio commentary from 1991 featuring director John Schlesinger and producer Jerome Hellman as found on the previous editions. It also has the 35th Anniversary documentaries; After Midnight Reflecting on a Classic and Controversy and Acclaim. They were produced in 2004 for MGM's thirty-fifth-anniversary DVD release of the film. They feature interviews with producer Jerome Hellman, cinematographer Adam Holender, actors Dustin Hoffman, Sylvia Miles, Jennifer Salt, and Jon Voight, and others.  We also get cinematographer Adam Holender 's excellent 25-minute video essay where he discusses his work on Midnight Cowboy, recorded for the Criterion Collection in February 2018. Director John Schlesinger sat down for a career-overview 15-minute interview with Merle Goldberg for BAFTA Los Angeles in 2000. Presented as an excerpt from that conversation, in which he discusses his approach to gay themes in his work. Also included are 1/2 hour's worth of excerpts from BAFTA's tribute to Schlesinger on May 19th, 2002, at the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood, featuring producer and studio executive David Picker and actors Dustin Hoffman and Jon Voight. We also get a 1/4 Jon Voight interview with David Frost from 1970, where the actor discusses his work on Midnight Cowboy and his career to that point. Also presented are 7-minutes of excerpts from Voight's original, improvised screen test for Midnight Cowboy, conducted by screenwriter Waldo Salt. The Crowd Around the Cowboy is a 9-minute 1969 short documentary, filmed on location during the production of Midnight Cowboy, was shot and directed by Finnish cinematographer Jeri Sopanen, and features rare behind-the-scenes footage of the cast and crew at work. Waldo Salt: A Screenwriter's Journey is an hour-long 1990 documentary by Eugene Corr and Robert Hillmann about the life and career of Waldo Salt was nominated for the Academy Award for best documentary feature. There is a 14-minute piece noted photographer Michael Childers was the life partner of director John Schlesinger and served as his assistant on Midnight Cowboy. In this new program, Childers discusses a selection of photographs from the many candid images he shot during the production of the film. Lastly, is a new trailer and the package has an essay by critic Mark Harris.

I consider this one of the greatest American films ever made. The 4K Blu-ray presentation, uncompressed monaural audio score and extensive new extras make it the BD release of the year for me. Positively a 'must-own'.

ADDITION: MGM - Region FREE - Blu-ray (January 12'): Without some extensive restoration/cleaning to remove the minor speckles and scratches - THIS is as good as Midnight Cowboy is going to look for Home theater usage. Schlesinger's masterpiece was never meant to paint a 'pretty' or glossy picture. The gritty nature of the visuals export the magnificent vérité aura of the film experience. The grain is heavy... and wonderful. Any noise morphs well into texture and I think the image quality, despite the imperfections, is absolutely magnificent. The dual-layered transfer with a high bitrate adds a few more layers to the contrast and detail only marginally jumps. This is more about the film-like qualities being set free - and with the high bitrate - we can see Midnight Cowboy in its closest to theatrical state. The SD-medium was always a dead-loss at presenting this film.