List of International BDs with Better PQ, AQ, and/or More Extras

[ambient_indie]

Which transfer of Babel is best?

And can anyone comment on the pq and aq of OOP CA Brick?

[Stinky-Dinkins]

Originally Posted by pro-bassoonist

Shinky,

This is the post I left:

http://forum.blu-ray.com/showpost.ph...&postcount=636

...and one specific comment for DNR use was for Whisper of the Heart, not Laputa. And nowhere in the two posts I left have I mentioned owning a UK release of Laputa. You came into this discussion trying to prove a point and urging me to look at the Japanese disc, and it appears that I incorrectly assumed that you were talking about a Japanese release of Whisper of the Heart, yet I am not seeing you stating that you have the Japanese disc.


Pro-B

Oh, I honestly thought you were talking about previous Ghibli releases (like Laputa and Nausicaa), where the UK releases most definitely did feature heavy DNR. I misread the posts.

I don't have a Japanese release of Whisper of the Heart, or any release. I post mostly high, so this is what I'm blaming. I'm also blaming you, not for any reason specifically I just can't handle taking all of the blame myself.

-Shinky-Hinkins

[pro-bassoonist]

Originally Posted by Stinky-Dinkins

Oh, I honestly thought you were talking about previous Ghibli releases (like Laputa and Nausicaa), where the UK releases most definitely did feature heavy DNR. I misread the posts.

OK, no problem

I figured that there was some some confusion but after I read your last post. I could not tell where these small portions of the screencaptures were coming from, though, which is why I asked for time codes. Anyhow, I understand what happened.

Originally Posted by Stinky-Dinkins

I post mostly high, so this is what I'm blaming. I'm also blaming you, not for any reason specifically I just can't handle taking all of the blame myself.

-Shinky-Hinkins

Fair enough, I guess, I will take half of the blame if this would make you feel better.

Pro-B

[pro-bassoonist]

Originally Posted by cstle

The clouds. The awning. The weathering on the buildings. They're finely detailed in the JP version, smeared and soft in the UK version. Line art is crisp and defined in the JP version, turned into smeared crayon-esque lines in the UK version. Here is another screenshot that this site has a similar, comparable shot to: 4

This is not a minor difference in compressionist work -- it's no DNR vs. DNR.

Let's just agree to disagree, because I am not seeing any of this supposedly very disturbing smearing on the two corresponding shots that has you so convinced that the UK release suffers from some serious degraining. It is my opinion that in this case the compression does matter, as well as that none of the strong words that you have used to describe the UK release are deserved, since you are comparing JPEG to PNG shots. I also stand firmly behind my statement that in motion these two releases would look virtually identical.

Pro-B

[wesslan]

Originally Posted by pro-bassoonist

Whisper of the Heart

UK Blu-ray (JPEG):
http://www.blu-ray.com/movies/screen...823&position=2

Your Japanese shot (PNG):
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/18877092/anime/bd/mimi3.png

I am sorry, but anyone trying to make a case that there is DNR overuse on the UK Blu-ray release simply has me lost. I wish I had this mysterious Japanese disc to also take a JPEG screenshot from it to compare JPEG to JPEG shots because from what I am seeing here I would be very confident arguing that in motion these two releases would more or less look identical (sans whatever minor color nuances/brightness levels there might be that are not matching).

Pro-B

I have never said "overuse". I wrote "mild" DNR on Nausicca/Laputa/Whisper (so far) and you reacted. Your own pic proves there is mild DNR used in Whisper so why continue this??

[HD Goofnut]

After reading through the last few pages and looking at all of the pics I am in agreement that the Whisper of the Heart entry is correct. The UK version does indeed contain a mild amount of DNR.

I would also like to add that if there is no US release available then there's is nothing to compare the international releases to. So if a title is without a US release the best intentional release will not be in bold.

[Torrente]

Originally Posted by pro-bassoonist

It is not the opposite of what I have written - more prominent machine noise does not make the U.S. release the better one. Just like the scanner noise, which some people interpret as grain, on many of Blue Underground's releases that make them look sharper does not make them less filtered/"better".

The reason I brought up these releases is to illustrate to you that softness/sharpness that is added up during the transfer process does not equate DNR-ing.

Edit: To make it perfectly clear for you: In my opinion, the UK disc is ever so slightly better than the U.S. one.

Pro-B

Aaaaaaaaah ok!
I totally misread and misunderstood the test.

I read that the machine noise was more prominent on the US release and I thought you meant DNR so that's why the UK disc was better.
I absolutely don't understand anything about scanner noise, machine noise etc
Sorry.

So for you the UK disc is better.
While the US disc looks better on screenshots.
OK I understand.

About Blue Underground I read a great post on Kentai's blog explaining the "issue" with some BU transfers.
He talked about the italian company in charge of the material and that it had nothing to do with BU adding grain on the picture like I read it too often on forums.
Well... even if I know that, I like the look very much... I know I'm probably wrong, I figure that those discs aren't true to the original material... but I'm often amazed by the look of those.


Anyway, thanks for your views on "the Conversation" Blu Ray editions.
It's probably due to my bad english if I didn't understand the test.
So again, sorry about that.

[Quirky1]

i think it should be noted on Chicken Run, the German release, that the movie is region free but the extras are not. I was very unhappy about this as I just imported it and discovered for myself. Movie is fine but wont be able to watch any of the extras.

[manicsounds]

Originally Posted by Quirky1

i think it should be noted on Chicken Run, the German release, that the movie is region free but the extras are not. I was very unhappy about this as I just imported it and discovered for myself. Movie is fine but wont be able to watch any of the extras.

So, are the extras on a separate disc that's region locked? Blu-ray bonus disc? DVD bonus disc?

[Lnds500]

Originally Posted by manicsounds

So, are the extras on a separate disc that's region locked? Blu-ray bonus disc? DVD bonus disc?

http://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Chicke...Blu-ray/11678/

seems it's 1 disc

here's the unboxing from the "usual suspect"

Chicken Run blu-ray Message in a Bottle blu ray unboxing review - YouTube

[pro-bassoonist]

Originally Posted by Torrente

It's probably due to my bad english if I didn't understand the test.
So again, sorry about that.

Torrente, please do not apologize for anything

I completely understand and it is only natural that from time to time we have some confusion here. There are members from all over the world and people often interpret things differently

[Quirky1]

Originally Posted by manicsounds

So, are the extras on a separate disc that's region locked? Blu-ray bonus disc? DVD bonus disc?

No, all on one blu disc. I would never have bought it had I known this. Somebody else said the extras are probably in PAL format. But all I kept reading before I bought it was region free with all the extras! That's why I think it should be noted so somebody else doesn't make the same mistake. Well off to buy the DVD so I can at least have the extras.....

[nickersonw]

Originally Posted by Quirky1

No, all on one blu disc. I would never have bought it had I known this. Somebody else said the extras are probably in PAL format. But all I kept reading before I bought it was region free with all the extras! That's why I think it should be noted so somebody else doesn't make the same mistake. Well off to buy the DVD so I can at least have the extras.....

I just tried playing mine on my ps3 and my panasonic 3d blu-ray player. The ps3 would just return me to the main menu and the panasonic would just play the audio. I don't have a region free player or one that can play PAL or 1080i/50.

I was looking forward to watching the extras, but I am just glad to have film itself. It was cheaper to get the German version instead of the French version anyway!

[Quirky1]

Originally Posted by rvawalt

I just tried playing mine on my ps3 and my panasonic 3d blu-ray player. The ps3 would just return me to the main menu and the panasonic would just play the audio. I don't have a region free player or one that can play PAL or 1080i/50.

I was looking forward to watching the extras, but I am just glad to have film itself. It was cheaper to get the German version instead of the French version anyway!

Thank you for testing that out. I just bought the DVD @ Amazon for $6.43 to have the extras. I'm also glad to have the movie on blu. I wonder if the French version has locked extras as well. But happy with what I have. Will make my own custom blu edition.

Edited to add that in ordering the DVD version, I discovered there are more extras on the DVD than any of the blu-rays. Just an FYI ...

[HD Goofnut]

Originally Posted by Quirky1

i think it should be noted on Chicken Run, the German release, that the movie is region free but the extras are not. I was very unhappy about this as I just imported it and discovered for myself. Movie is fine but wont be able to watch any of the extras.

Done.

[Quirky1]

Originally Posted by HD Goofnut

Done.

Certainly no offense intended but as a suggestion I would put (Movie region free) so there is no confusion. I know you put extras as PAL but right after that is says (region free) so that might confuse people. Just my opinion but thanks for taking note of this issue.

[Blu-ray Fanatic]

Total Recall (Netherlands Uncut Version)
Terminator 3 (Sweden)
We Were Soldiers (Sweden)

[HD Goofnut]

Originally Posted by Blu-ray Fanatic

Total Recall (Netherlands Uncut Version)
Terminator 3 (Sweden)
We Were Soldiers (Sweden)

Specs?

[HD Goofnut]

Originally Posted by Quirky1

Certainly no offense intended but as a suggestion I would put (Movie region free) so there is no confusion. I know you put extras as PAL but right after that is says (region free) so that might confuse people. Just my opinion but thanks for taking note of this issue.

Done.

[Blu-ray Fanatic]

Originally Posted by HD Goofnut

Specs?

All three of them has master audio and better pq.