The Anime Blu-ray Video Quality Thread

[Yuripa]

Of course, DTS-HD MA 24 bits for both of them.

[professorwho]

This is good, as the US and UK BDs only offer stereo audio for the Japanese track. How is the addition of a subwoofer? (Assuming you have a setup with one- I personally don’t)

[LexInHD]

Soundbar w/ sub-woofer = Perfect for anime! I've been using that setup for years and the sound quality for mech/action titles is far better than TV speakers. For slice-of-life stuff, it doesn't make any difference other than to boost clarity and loudness for the occasional loud sound effects.

[mp3dom]

Originally Posted by professorwho

Garden of Words- none. The Italian release is on par, but no English subs.

Actually, it's better.

Originally Posted by Yuripa

Psycho Pass season 1 by Dynit (Italy)
Forced subtitles unfortunatly.

They start in the "signs" form by default, but you should be able to change/switch/disable them however you want.

[professorwho]

Originally Posted by mp3dom

Actually, it's better.

Just as I thought. I said “on par” to be safe. Better to assume lower and be surprised when your high hopes are true. Not that I expected you to do anything less than the best given the source provided.

[svenge]

Is there any consensus on whether the Bandai or Funi release of The Girl Who Leapt Through Time is better?

[SeaFox]

Originally Posted by svenge

Is there any consensus on whether the Bandai or Funi release of The Girl Who Leapt Through Time is better?

v

Originally Posted by BigOnAnime

Sensuifu posted screencaps on Code Geass, and also reported a serious audio problem. If true, holy shit FUNi...https://www.fandompost.com/oldforums...964&viewfull=1

<snip>

Also related, I heard with The Girl Who Leapt Through Time, they messed with the already good 5.1 mix, and their Blu-ray audio-wise is quite a downgrade from the Bandai Entertainment release.

[svenge]

That's a shame, as I had half a mind to buy the Funi release for $14 (which is a really good price) and then flip both the digital copy & my current Bandai BD and make a little profit out of the process. Oh well...

[Ccharmanderk]

Can confirm the Funi BD for The Girl Who Leapt Through Time has messed up audio tracks. I own the Hosoda Collection release. I have no idea what Funimation did, but the sound effects overpower the dialogue to an absolutely unacceptable degree. I have no other Blu-ray with that kind of issue, even from Funimation.

It baffles me because the video presentation is quite nice, and had they left the audio well enough alone, I'd happily recommend it. But the extent to which the audio tracks are unbalanced makes it impossible to give a recommendation.

[Girls With Guns]

Hmm, I'm glad I kept my Bandai Blu-ray for TGWLTT, then. I also have the Hosada Collection release, but have never watched it. The Bandai release was the very first anime Blu-ray I ever purchased, back in 2011.

[pikagreg]

Originally Posted by Ccharmanderk

Can confirm the Funi BD for The Girl Who Leapt Through Time has messed up audio tracks. I own the Hosoda Collection release. I have no idea what Funimation did, but the sound effects overpower the dialogue to an absolutely unacceptable degree. I have no other Blu-ray with that kind of issue, even from Funimation.

It baffles me because the video presentation is quite nice, and had they left the audio well enough alone, I'd happily recommend it. But the extent to which the audio tracks are unbalanced makes it impossible to give a recommendation.

Is this with the sub or the dub? I never did check out the Funi disc since I had watched the Korean import a few months prior. I mostly bought the Funi version for the dub.

[chronoclast]

Discotek are using AVC for their SD-BDs as Marmalade Boy uses it. I had seen complaints before that their earlier SD-BDs were MPEG-2.

I don't have access to a BD drive to get numbers but my Oppo shows the bitrate hovers around 3-6 Mbps with occasional spikes above 10. I think it looks as good as the source will allow. Edge shimmering is prevalent throughout.

I so wish Marmalade Boy and Hana Yori Dango would get HD scans but they're from Toei .

[professorwho]

3 to 6 mbps is enough for 480p content. DVD uses outdated MPEG-2, and with AVC being more efficient, that range is sufficient. While I prefer nitrates to be as high as possible, Justin is making the right move, as there’s a limit to where 480p at high bitrates is a waste of space and illogical.

Make the spikes as high as needed, but, 15+ mbps is overkill for 480p content.

[chronoclast]

Originally Posted by professorwho

3 to 6 mbps is enough for 480p content. DVD uses outdated MPEG-2, and with AVC being more efficient, that range is sufficient. While I prefer nitrates to be as high as possible, Justin is making the right move, as there’s a limit to where 480p at high bitrates is a waste of space and illogical.

Make the spikes as high as needed, but, 15+ mbps is overkill for 480p content.

The spikes never go above 15 so that sounds right.

[professorwho]

Originally Posted by chronoclast

The spikes never go above 15 so that sounds right.

I mean, it’s possible for a show to have insanely complex imagery to justify it spiking above 15 mbps, but to average that is overkill.

[professorwho]

My Japanese copy of the Ghibli film Whisper of the Heart arrived today. I'm ripping the disc now, and without having even watched its encode, I can say it's an improvement over the Disney release simply due to file sizes of the film and extras.

[professorwho]

I know someone will eventually bring up the argument that "higher bitrates don't equal better picture quality" and that's true. Look at what Justin Sevakis has done in the 20 mbps range or lower. But, as you'll see in my write-up, when I'm done with working it all out, the Japanese BD of Whisper of the Heart is probably the biggest upgrade over what Disney put out. It's not a night and day difference, but it's bigger than I imagined.

Well, that should be a good tease for when I eventually get around to doing it...

[Gouki]

people don't understand that it's as much the numbers/materials (bitrate) as it is the technician performing the work, just like home theater/car stereo/car maintenance.

[professorwho]

Originally Posted by Gouki

people don't understand that it's as much the numbers/materials (bitrate) as it is the technician performing the work, just like home theater/car stereo/car maintenance.

Are you agreeing with me, or not? (Just curious, as anytime I mention the low bitrate thing people always bring that up.)

My point was that the bitrate isn't a big deal, but in this case, the bitrate combined with questionable choices on Disney's part made for a lesser product.

[Gouki]

Agreeing, although I'm not sure I would invest as much stock in Justin if he doesn't understand what blocking/composition is.

(This was in response to his answer to your question on why the matted 16:9 from a 4:3 source was being used on I think it was Robot Carnival, which was clearly drawn and framed for 4:3.)

I see the "bit rate/quality of materials/parts" argument a lot in my other interests, where people think spending a truck load on gear then skimping on the install/accessories/connections/labor, then wondering why their set up sucks. (Like spending 4k on some decent front speakers then installing them with rocketfish speaker cable, or buying a twin disc clutch and getting it installed by the cheapest mechanic they can find.)