The Anime Blu-ray Video Quality Thread

[Dailyan]

Originally Posted by sagadego

all blu ray players? like i use a sony based one

Panasonic is the highest rate of success with the top menu due to them using a different type of chip compared to other manufacturers (though it won't for every region locked release). I don't know about other brands (like Sony) since I own a Panasonic, PS3/4 and a region free Samsung player.

[sagadego]

Originally Posted by Dailyan

Panasonic is the highest rate of success with the top menu due to them using a different type of chip compared to other manufacturers (though it won't for every region locked release). I don't know about other brands (like Sony) since I own a Panasonic, PS3/4 and a region free Samsung player.

ah i see, damn it, i guess i should just buy a region free one then

[PissedOffPeoN]

How is the UK Sound Euphonium release compared to the expensive US one?

[NLScavenger]

Originally Posted by PissedOffPeoN

How is the UK Sound Euphonium release compared to the expensive US one?

The consensus is that the UK BD is a flawed, but acceptable release.

Originally Posted by Yuripa

Sound Euphonium from @anime Ltd (UK/FR)
This one is a french authoring, (the authoring house was "Charbon bleu" aka the same for the Re-zero mess)
Some noticable banding + compression artifacts, but nothing like "Re-zero level".
The subtitles are locked (French/English) no dub.

the average bitrate is around 25 Mbps, with multiple spike over 35 and few over 50 Mbps.
Nothing to report for the audio side, the DTS HD-MA track are pretty good and get the job done.

I don't have the US release to compare to the UK release, but this release is ok for the asked price.
Wish the PQ was a little better for the video side.

Bitrate graph :


Screengrabs : https://imgur.com/a/0viEcGQ
Mediainfo : https://pastebin.com/qNrsUzZi

Originally Posted by Mangaranga

I've only had a very quick look at the disc, but as for the video - there is quite a bit of banding and noise inherent to Kyoani sources in general, but I think it's fair to say that the Japanese and US releases have done a better job at compressing it down than the author for this disc. There's more banding (and noise) than both of those - in one instance the CR stream had less banding. There's a lot of free space on both of the discs here, as there was with Kiznaiver (around 12-13gb). I wonder if utilization of that space would have helped things for Euph especially, considering the problems already inherent in the source.

All said I'll emphasize that I'm not saying this release is bad. None of the releases for Euph are perfect by any means, but I feel it could have been more in line with those.

[Lambadelta]

Slayers Try Blu-ray [SelectaVision]

Episode 1 Bitrate


I didn't rip the Spanish Audio so the episode size has gone down a bit, and why the MediaInfo below won't show the Spanish Audio track, or subtitles.

MediaInfo

General
Unique ID                      : 99963050451948338766584769887589852839 (0x4B342EE77DA7D639B156DEBF899B66A7)
Format                         : Matroska
Format version                 : Version 2
File size                      : 2.93 GiB
Duration                       : 22mn 35s
Overall bit rate mode          : Variable
Overall bit rate               : 18.6 Mbps
Encoded date                   : UTC 2019-06-27 10:38:42
Writing application            : MakeMKV v1.14.4 win(x64-release)
Writing library                : libmakemkv v1.14.4 (1.3.5/1.4.7) win(x64-release)

Video
ID                             : 1
Format                         : AVC
Format/Info                    : Advanced Video Codec
Format profile                 : High@L4.1
Format settings, CABAC         : Yes
Format settings, ReFrames      : 4 frames
Codec ID                       : V_MPEG4/ISO/AVC
Duration                       : 22mn 35s
Bit rate mode                  : Variable
Maximum bit rate               : 37.0 Mbps
Width                          : 1 920 pixels
Height                         : 1 080 pixels
Display aspect ratio           : 16:9
Frame rate mode                : Constant
Frame rate                     : 23.976 fps
Standard                       : NTSC
Color space                    : YUV
Chroma subsampling             : 4:2:0
Bit depth                      : 8 bits
Scan type                      : Progressive
Language                       : English
Default                        : No
Forced                         : No
Color range                    : Limited
Color primaries                : BT.709
Transfer characteristics       : BT.709
Matrix coefficients            : BT.709
DURATION                       : 00:22:35.354000000
NUMBER_OF_FRAMES               : 32496
NUMBER_OF_BYTES                : 2872307340
SOURCE_ID                      : 001011
_STATISTICS_WRITING_APP        : MakeMKV v1.14.4 win(x64-release)
_STATISTICS_WRITING_DATE_UTC   : 2019-06-27 10:38:42
_STATISTICS_TAGS               : BPS DURATION NUMBER_OF_FRAMES NUMBER_OF_BYTES SOURCE_ID

Audio
ID                             : 2
Format                         : DTS
Format/Info                    : Digital Theater Systems
Format profile                 : MA / Core
Mode                           : 16
Format settings, Endianness    : Big
Codec ID                       : A_DTS
Duration                       : 22mn 35s
Bit rate mode                  : Variable
Bit rate                       : Unknown / 1 509 Kbps
Channel(s)                     : 2 channels
Channel positions              : Front: L R
Sampling rate                  : 48.0 KHz
Bit depth                      : 16 bits
Compression mode               : Lossless / Lossy
Title                          : Stereo
Language                       : Japanese
Default                        : Yes
Forced                         : No
DURATION                       : 00:22:34.901333333
NUMBER_OF_FRAMES               : 127022
NUMBER_OF_BYTES                : 274463352
SOURCE_ID                      : 001101
_STATISTICS_WRITING_APP        : MakeMKV v1.14.4 win(x64-release)
_STATISTICS_WRITING_DATE_UTC   : 2019-06-27 10:38:42
_STATISTICS_TAGS               : BPS DURATION NUMBER_OF_FRAMES NUMBER_OF_BYTES SOURCE_ID

Picture Quality

I actually think this is the best version they've done so far in regards to Slayers. While it is an upscale, and like all these upscales some detail has been lost. The edges from what I can tell when viewing seem a bit sharper, and the colours are no longer washed out making it quite enjoyable when watching.

If you can pick this up for around 30 euros, and are willing to either mux in the dub, or attach subtitles. I find the set not to be that bad. Its about the same as what Japan is currently doing (The ghosting from what I can tell got introduced into the DVD master by JP so its not disappearing)

Some episodes seemed kind of bright, but its hard to compare that to the US DVD due to the interlacing and overall kind of naff picture, but I'm happy overall with this.

Comparison
https://slowpics.org/comparison/1d37...0-cb6ecbb97170

Blu-ray Screencaps

DVD Screencaps

[Show spoiler]These are the un-upscaled versions incase I made a mistake, and someone else wants to take a shot

[professorwho]

So, I just watched the Japanese Blu-ray of Dragon Ball Super: Broly from Toei Video, and compared to the Dutch and FUNimation BDs, it is a revelation. Now, I had seen the FUNi BD when I rented it to show a friend at his place. His setup is tiny, with a TV that was 30” or less, so most of the banding wasn’t as visible as I thought.

However, having just seen the Toei BD on a 4K 55” TV, it is an insane upgrade. Obviously, the green tint is gone, and the film’s gorgeous colour pallet is restored, but the lessened banding and macroblocking from all other BDs renders this the definitive release. The video has a maxed out bitrate at 35.06 mbps, and while there are few, if any spikes above 45 mbps, there are no outright bitstarved moments. Despite having an LPCM 5.1 mix at full 24-bit, the video bitrate did not suffer due to being placed on a BD-50. (For reference, Toei’s BDs for Battle of Gods and Resurrection F used BD-25s and still had LPCM 5.1 24-bit audio for some reason. In that case, both films are under 90 minutes so they fit fine on a BD-25, but with an LPCM mix, it eats up space that a DTS-HD MA or Dolby TrueHD track could've saved to make the video even better.)

There is still more banding than I'd like, however, if I had to guess, this is a source issue and not due to bad compression, as all the Blu-rays have the same banding at the same places. Unless, say, mp3dom were to de-band it manually ala Fate/Heaven's Feel, it's a thing you'll have to accept.

However, I’d say the biggest upgrade is the audio. Now, the FUNi BD rendered the Japanese audio in Dolby TrueHD 5.1 at 16-bit, and while there were no major issues with it in terms of clarity, it was rather soft and required a major increase in volume to hear the audio at an acceptable level. However, Toei surpasses FUNi and Manga UK with a mighty impressive LPCM 5.1 mix at full 24-bit. It is, out of my collection, the loudest and most aggressive audio mix on any BD I own. If you set your TV or sound system to your normal settings, you may find it deafeningly loud, so it’s the opposite of Disney’s current UHD audio issues.

The closest anime to compare it to in regards to its sound mix is JoJo's Bizarre Adventure. In that case, starting with Stardust Crusaders, there was a DTS-HD MA 2.1 mix created in addition to an LPCM stereo mix. It's a shame we never got the 2.1 mixes in Viz's BDs, but they are loud as is. In fact, while JoJo certainly has more bass due to the prominent use of the subwoofer, DBS: Broly is even louder. If you want an insanely loud track, get Toei's BD.

In addition, due to the change in codec- using superior LPCM and at full 24-bit- there is more clarity to the audio. What was soft and partially muffled is now crystal clear hiding nothing. The music is very easy to hear unlike the mixing of the English dub, and the sound effects are not overpowering the track either. Dialogue is clear.

I have created a separate MKV of Chapter 17 (Gogeta vs Broly) to show off the encode and the sound, so if anyone who has a good surround setup and can play MKVs with it, hit me up via PM if you're curious. It's really something to behold. (I have no surround setup, so I'm curious how well the channels are utilized)

In addition, there are Japanese subtitles, and they have furigana on ALL the kanji! It’s very useful for me to have furigana on all the kanji, so I am grateful Toei did that. For me, it’s just as useful as English subtitles, with me knowing Japanese.

Overall, Toei's BD of DBS: Broly is the definitive release of the film, with the best video and audio of any release. Obviously, no English subs or dub are included, but at this point, I'm sure someone's already muxed them to this BD's timing. (EDIT: I checked, and it's happened.) So, if you want the best AV quality, this is the one to get, however, the UK BD isn't far behind in terms of video, and I hope the DTS-HD MA 5.1 Japanese mix is equally as aggressive as Toei's.

[NLScavenger]

Originally Posted by professorwho

using superior LPCM

DTS-HD MA is lossless and more efficient, so PCM is not a better format.

But anyway, the Manga UK BD mix is a bit different than the JP BD mix, not just because of JP ver. Blizard:

JP BD:


UK BD:

[professorwho]

Originally Posted by NLScavenger

But anyway, the Manga UK BD mix is a bit different than the JP BD mix, not just because of JP ver. Blizard:

Huh. I can tell the difference in the visual wave comparison, but am not sure which one is "better".

[NLScavenger]

Originally Posted by professorwho

Huh. I can tell the difference in the visual wave comparison, but am not sure which one is "better".

Haven't done an A/B comparison, but the waveform shows that the UK BD LFE channel is softer and there's one moment in the UK BD left-track that trips Audacity's clipping detection (indicated by the red line).

---------------------------------------------------------------

Found screenshots of Genmu Senki Leda: http://imgbox.com/g/o81UcTUJTK

Video: MPEG-4 AVC Video / 36084 kbps / 1080p / 23.976 fps / 16:9 / High Profile 4.1
Audio: Japanese / LPCM Audio / 2.0 / 48 kHz /  2304 kbps / 24-bit

[Gumi]

I recently watched DBS Broly (FUNi) and the English mix didn't sound bad to me. It sounded clear and punchy, nothing really sounded like it was being drowned out. I also didn't hear any clipping or distortion. I got 3.2 audio set up and perhaps not as revealing as some of the set ups y'all use.

[professorwho]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XrVii57N5C0

Um... it doesn't look as bad as Mamo's UHD, but those are not high standards at all to meet... so yeah, it's just as de-grained as we expected...

[Dailyan]

Originally Posted by professorwho

[Show spoiler]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XrVii57N5C0

Um... it doesn't look as bad as Mamo's UHD, but those are not high standards at all to meet... so yeah, it's just as de-grained as we expected...

I'm glad it doesn't look like they used the same preset for the other TMS UHDs.

[professorwho]

Checked VAP's site, and the technical specs have changed.

Audio is as follows:
Japanese LPCM 2.0 Dual Original Mono
Japanese LPCM 2.0 (2019 remix downsample)
Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1

So there's no complaints with the audio. Original mono included and 2 remixes.

Also listed is 「2層」(2 layers), however, this doesn't exactly say what disc storage will be used exactly, though I suspect it will be a BD-100 considering the 7.1 mix that's being added (and considering it's a Japanese UHD, that 7.1 mix will probably end up being at least 6 or 7 mbps by itself).

[Dailyan]

Originally Posted by professorwho

Checked VAP's site, and the technical specs have changed.

Audio is as follows:
Japanese LPCM 2.0 Dual Original Mono
Japanese LPCM 2.0 (2019 remix downsample)
Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1

So there's no complaints with the audio. Original mono included and 2 remixes.

Also listed is 「2層」(2 layers), however, this doesn't exactly say what disc storage will be used exactly, though I suspect it will be a BD-100 considering the 7.1 mix that's being added (and considering it's a Japanese UHD, that 7.1 mix will probably end up being at least 6 or 7 mbps by itself).

A 7.1 track is such an overkill. It'll most likely be one of those mixes were it's mostly just to "enhance" the score (and hopefully keep those awful Manga "new" effects outta here). OG Mono for me anyway.

[professorwho]

Originally Posted by Dailyan

A 7.1 track is such an overkill. It'll most likely be one of those mixes were it's mostly just to "enhance" the score (and hopefully keep those awful Manga "new" effects outta here). OG Mono for me anyway.

Exactly. As long as the original mono audio is included, they can go as crazy as they want with the remix and it won't be a huge deal knowing they've included a well preserved original mix.

That said, the plus side of them doing a 7.1 track is they may bump it up to a BD-100, and the video bitrate may turn out even higher.

[NLScavenger]

UHD (youtube 1080p VP9 stream)


BD

[svenge]

Forget "red jacket" vs "green jacket", the new hotness seems to be "aquamarine jacket"!

[Kyle15]

Originally Posted by cfx

I realize you can't show HDR on a non-HDR screen, but all of these youtube videos (and those screenshots) seem to tell us that VAP thinks HDR means "brighter/paler colors"

Isn't doing HDR on cel animation revisionist no matter what? I can't imagine the originals of any of this exceed standard dynamic range.

Still, I stand by my earlier comment. The grain is gone which is unfortunate, but the line work doesn't appear to have suffered the way it did on Mamo, and there's still some gradation to the colors instead of the way that one looked where the colors looked like they were filled in using the Photoshop paint bucket tool.

I don't intend to ever have a 4K setup so this is more just of theoretical interest to me anyway but it is interesting to me.

To be fair there's the higher dynamic range of film. Granted it is cel animation but they're physical objects regardless.

[pikagreg]

JoJo Part 4 Viz MediaInfo



Screenshots (album link)

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[NLScavenger]

Originally Posted by pikagreg

[Show spoiler]

Looks like the colors are wrong again:

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Captured in virtualdub2 from the highest quality Crunchyroll 1080p stream