The Anime Blu-ray Video Quality Thread

[jd213]

Originally Posted by slerch666

Do we know for a fact the JP BD is actually 1080p and 24 fps?

Well, I do at least since I own the JP releases of Teacher and Twins.

Don't have the time to do a full bitrate scan or anything right now, but here's the MediaInfo for the 2nd disc of teacher:

General
Complete name               : G:\BDMV\PLAYLIST\00000.mpls
Format                      : Blu-ray Playlist
File size                   : 1.48 KiB
Duration                    : 2 h 15 min
Overall bit rate mode       : Variable
Overall bit rate            : 1 b/s

Video #1
ID                          : 4113 (0x1011)
Menu ID                     : 1 (0x1)
Format                      : AVC
Format/Info                 : Advanced Video Codec
Format profile              : High@L4.1
Format settings             : CABAC / 4 Ref Frames
Format settings, CABAC      : Yes
Format settings, ReFrames   : 4 frames
Codec ID                    : 27
Duration                    : 22 min 35 s
Bit rate mode               : Variable
Bit rate                    : 40.0 Mb/s
Width                       : 1 920 pixels
Height                      : 1 080 pixels
Display aspect ratio        : 16:9
Frame rate                  : 23.976 (24000/1001) FPS
Color space                 : YUV
Chroma subsampling          : 4:2:0
Bit depth                   : 8 bits
Scan type                   : Progressive
Bits/(Pixel*Frame)          : 0.804
Stream size                 : 6.28 GiB
Color range                 : Limited
Color primaries             : BT.709
Transfer characteristics    : BT.709
Matrix coefficients         : BT.709
format_identifier           : HDMV
Source                      : 00000.m2ts

Video #2
ID                          : 4113 (0x1011)
Menu ID                     : 1 (0x1)
Format                      : AVC
Format/Info                 : Advanced Video Codec
Format profile              : High@L4.1
Format settings             : CABAC / 4 Ref Frames
Format settings, CABAC      : Yes
Format settings, ReFrames   : 4 frames
Codec ID                    : 27
Duration                    : 22 min 34 s
Bit rate mode               : Variable
Bit rate                    : 40.0 Mb/s
Width                       : 1 920 pixels
Height                      : 1 080 pixels
Display aspect ratio        : 16:9
Frame rate                  : 23.976 (24000/1001) FPS
Color space                 : YUV
Chroma subsampling          : 4:2:0
Bit depth                   : 8 bits
Scan type                   : Progressive
Bits/(Pixel*Frame)          : 0.804
Stream size                 : 6.29 GiB
Color range                 : Limited
Color primaries             : BT.709
Transfer characteristics    : BT.709
Matrix coefficients         : BT.709
format_identifier           : HDMV
Source                      : 00001.m2ts

Video #3
ID                          : 4113 (0x1011)
Menu ID                     : 1 (0x1)
Format                      : AVC
Format/Info                 : Advanced Video Codec
Format profile              : High@L4.1
Format settings             : CABAC / 4 Ref Frames
Format settings, CABAC      : Yes
Format settings, ReFrames   : 4 frames
Codec ID                    : 27
Duration                    : 22 min 33 s
Bit rate mode               : Variable
Bit rate                    : 40.0 Mb/s
Width                       : 1 920 pixels
Height                      : 1 080 pixels
Display aspect ratio        : 16:9
Frame rate                  : 23.976 (24000/1001) FPS
Color space                 : YUV
Chroma subsampling          : 4:2:0
Bit depth                   : 8 bits
Scan type                   : Progressive
Bits/(Pixel*Frame)          : 0.804
Stream size                 : 6.28 GiB
Color range                 : Limited
Color primaries             : BT.709
Transfer characteristics    : BT.709
Matrix coefficients         : BT.709
format_identifier           : HDMV
Source                      : 00002.m2ts

Video #4
ID                          : 4113 (0x1011)
Menu ID                     : 1 (0x1)
Format                      : AVC
Format/Info                 : Advanced Video Codec
Format profile              : High@L4.1
Format settings             : CABAC / 4 Ref Frames
Format settings, CABAC      : Yes
Format settings, ReFrames   : 4 frames
Codec ID                    : 27
Duration                    : 22 min 33 s
Bit rate mode               : Variable
Bit rate                    : 40.0 Mb/s
Width                       : 1 920 pixels
Height                      : 1 080 pixels
Display aspect ratio        : 16:9
Frame rate                  : 23.976 (24000/1001) FPS
Color space                 : YUV
Chroma subsampling          : 4:2:0
Bit depth                   : 8 bits
Scan type                   : Progressive
Bits/(Pixel*Frame)          : 0.804
Stream size                 : 6.29 GiB
Color range                 : Limited
Color primaries             : BT.709
Transfer characteristics    : BT.709
Matrix coefficients         : BT.709
format_identifier           : HDMV
Source                      : 00003.m2ts

Video #5
ID                          : 4113 (0x1011)
Menu ID                     : 1 (0x1)
Format                      : AVC
Format/Info                 : Advanced Video Codec
Format profile              : High@L4.1
Format settings             : CABAC / 4 Ref Frames
Format settings, CABAC      : Yes
Format settings, ReFrames   : 4 frames
Codec ID                    : 27
Duration                    : 22 min 33 s
Bit rate mode               : Variable
Bit rate                    : 39.5 Mb/s
Maximum bit rate            : 40.0 Mb/s
Width                       : 1 920 pixels
Height                      : 1 080 pixels
Display aspect ratio        : 16:9
Frame rate                  : 23.976 (24000/1001) FPS
Color space                 : YUV
Chroma subsampling          : 4:2:0
Bit depth                   : 8 bits
Scan type                   : Progressive
Bits/(Pixel*Frame)          : 0.795
Stream size                 : 6.23 GiB
Color range                 : Limited
Color primaries             : BT.709
Transfer characteristics    : BT.709
Matrix coefficients         : BT.709
format_identifier           : HDMV
Source                      : 00004.m2ts

Video #6
ID                          : 4113 (0x1011)
Menu ID                     : 1 (0x1)
Format                      : AVC
Format/Info                 : Advanced Video Codec
Format profile              : High@L4.1
Format settings             : CABAC / 4 Ref Frames
Format settings, CABAC      : Yes
Format settings, ReFrames   : 4 frames
Codec ID                    : 27
Duration                    : 22 min 36 s
Bit rate mode               : Variable
Bit rate                    : 40.0 Mb/s
Width                       : 1 920 pixels
Height                      : 1 080 pixels
Display aspect ratio        : 16:9
Frame rate                  : 23.976 (24000/1001) FPS
Color space                 : YUV
Chroma subsampling          : 4:2:0
Bit depth                   : 8 bits
Scan type                   : Progressive
Bits/(Pixel*Frame)          : 0.804
Stream size                 : 6.30 GiB
Color range                 : Limited
Color primaries             : BT.709
Transfer characteristics    : BT.709
Matrix coefficients         : BT.709
format_identifier           : HDMV
Source                      : 00005.m2ts

Video #7
ID                          : 4113 (0x1011)
Menu ID                     : 1 (0x1)
Format                      : AVC
Format/Info                 : Advanced Video Codec
Format profile              : High@L4.1
Format settings             : CABAC / 4 Ref Frames
Format settings, CABAC      : Yes
Format settings, ReFrames   : 4 frames
Format settings, GOP        : M=3, N=12
Codec ID                    : 27
Duration                    : 13 s 13 ms
Bit rate mode               : Variable
Bit rate                    : 8 708 kb/s
Maximum bit rate            : 40.0 Mb/s
Width                       : 1 920 pixels
Height                      : 1 080 pixels
Display aspect ratio        : 16:9
Frame rate                  : 23.976 (24000/1001) FPS
Color space                 : YUV
Chroma subsampling          : 4:2:0
Bit depth                   : 8 bits
Scan type                   : Progressive
Bits/(Pixel*Frame)          : 0.175
Stream size                 : 13.5 MiB
Color range                 : Limited
Color primaries             : BT.709
Transfer characteristics    : BT.709
Matrix coefficients         : BT.709
format_identifier           : HDMV
Source                      : 00006.m2ts

Audio #1
ID                          : 4352 (0x1100)
Menu ID                     : 1 (0x1)
Format                      : PCM
Format settings             : Big / Signed
Muxing mode                 : Blu-ray
Codec ID                    : 128
Duration                    : 22 min 35 s
Bit rate mode               : Constant
Bit rate                    : 1 536 kb/s
Channel(s)                  : 2 channels
Channel positions           : Front: L R
Sampling rate               : 48.0 kHz
Bit depth                   : 16 bits
Stream size                 : 248 MiB
Language                    : Japanese
format_identifier           : HDMV
Source                      : 00000.m2ts

Audio #2
ID                          : 4353 (0x1101)
Menu ID                     : 1 (0x1)
Format                      : PCM
Format settings             : Big / Signed
Muxing mode                 : Blu-ray
Codec ID                    : 128
Duration                    : 22 min 35 s
Bit rate mode               : Constant
Bit rate                    : 1 536 kb/s
Channel(s)                  : 2 channels
Channel positions           : Front: L R
Sampling rate               : 48.0 kHz
Bit depth                   : 16 bits
Stream size                 : 248 MiB
Language                    : Japanese
format_identifier           : HDMV
Source                      : 00000.m2ts

Audio #3
ID                          : 4352 (0x1100)
Menu ID                     : 1 (0x1)
Format                      : PCM
Format settings             : Big / Signed
Muxing mode                 : Blu-ray
Codec ID                    : 128
Duration                    : 22 min 34 s
Bit rate mode               : Constant
Bit rate                    : 1 536 kb/s
Channel(s)                  : 2 channels
Channel positions           : Front: L R
Sampling rate               : 48.0 kHz
Bit depth                   : 16 bits
Stream size                 : 248 MiB
Language                    : Japanese
format_identifier           : HDMV
Source                      : 00001.m2ts

Audio #4
ID                          : 4353 (0x1101)
Menu ID                     : 1 (0x1)
Format                      : PCM
Format settings             : Big / Signed
Muxing mode                 : Blu-ray
Codec ID                    : 128
Duration                    : 22 min 34 s
Bit rate mode               : Constant
Bit rate                    : 1 536 kb/s
Channel(s)                  : 2 channels
Channel positions           : Front: L R
Sampling rate               : 48.0 kHz
Bit depth                   : 16 bits
Stream size                 : 248 MiB
Language                    : Japanese
format_identifier           : HDMV
Source                      : 00001.m2ts

Audio #5
ID                          : 4352 (0x1100)
Menu ID                     : 1 (0x1)
Format                      : PCM
Format settings             : Big / Signed
Muxing mode                 : Blu-ray
Codec ID                    : 128
Duration                    : 22 min 33 s
Bit rate mode               : Constant
Bit rate                    : 1 536 kb/s
Channel(s)                  : 2 channels
Channel positions           : Front: L R
Sampling rate               : 48.0 kHz
Bit depth                   : 16 bits
Stream size                 : 248 MiB
Language                    : Japanese
format_identifier           : HDMV
Source                      : 00002.m2ts

Audio #6
ID                          : 4353 (0x1101)
Menu ID                     : 1 (0x1)
Format                      : PCM
Format settings             : Big / Signed
Muxing mode                 : Blu-ray
Codec ID                    : 128
Duration                    : 22 min 33 s
Bit rate mode               : Constant
Bit rate                    : 1 536 kb/s
Channel(s)                  : 2 channels
Channel positions           : Front: L R
Sampling rate               : 48.0 kHz
Bit depth                   : 16 bits
Stream size                 : 248 MiB
Language                    : Japanese
format_identifier           : HDMV
Source                      : 00002.m2ts

Audio #7
ID                          : 4352 (0x1100)
Menu ID                     : 1 (0x1)
Format                      : PCM
Format settings             : Big / Signed
Muxing mode                 : Blu-ray
Codec ID                    : 128
Duration                    : 22 min 33 s
Bit rate mode               : Constant
Bit rate                    : 1 536 kb/s
Channel(s)                  : 2 channels
Channel positions           : Front: L R
Sampling rate               : 48.0 kHz
Bit depth                   : 16 bits
Stream size                 : 248 MiB
Language                    : Japanese
format_identifier           : HDMV
Source                      : 00003.m2ts

Audio #8
ID                          : 4353 (0x1101)
Menu ID                     : 1 (0x1)
Format                      : PCM
Format settings             : Big / Signed
Muxing mode                 : Blu-ray
Codec ID                    : 128
Duration                    : 22 min 33 s
Bit rate mode               : Constant
Bit rate                    : 1 536 kb/s
Channel(s)                  : 2 channels
Channel positions           : Front: L R
Sampling rate               : 48.0 kHz
Bit depth                   : 16 bits
Stream size                 : 248 MiB
Language                    : Japanese
format_identifier           : HDMV
Source                      : 00003.m2ts

Audio #9
ID                          : 4352 (0x1100)
Menu ID                     : 1 (0x1)
Format                      : PCM
Format settings             : Big / Signed
Muxing mode                 : Blu-ray
Codec ID                    : 128
Duration                    : 22 min 33 s
Bit rate mode               : Constant
Bit rate                    : 1 536 kb/s
Channel(s)                  : 2 channels
Channel positions           : Front: L R
Sampling rate               : 48.0 kHz
Bit depth                   : 16 bits
Stream size                 : 248 MiB
Language                    : Japanese
format_identifier           : HDMV
Source                      : 00004.m2ts

Audio #10
ID                          : 4353 (0x1101)
Menu ID                     : 1 (0x1)
Format                      : PCM
Format settings             : Big / Signed
Muxing mode                 : Blu-ray
Codec ID                    : 128
Duration                    : 22 min 33 s
Bit rate mode               : Constant
Bit rate                    : 1 536 kb/s
Channel(s)                  : 2 channels
Channel positions           : Front: L R
Sampling rate               : 48.0 kHz
Bit depth                   : 16 bits
Stream size                 : 248 MiB
Language                    : Japanese
format_identifier           : HDMV
Source                      : 00004.m2ts

Audio #11
ID                          : 4352 (0x1100)
Menu ID                     : 1 (0x1)
Format                      : PCM
Format settings             : Big / Signed
Muxing mode                 : Blu-ray
Codec ID                    : 128
Duration                    : 22 min 36 s
Bit rate mode               : Constant
Bit rate                    : 1 536 kb/s
Channel(s)                  : 2 channels
Channel positions           : Front: L R
Sampling rate               : 48.0 kHz
Bit depth                   : 16 bits
Stream size                 : 248 MiB
Language                    : Japanese
format_identifier           : HDMV
Source                      : 00005.m2ts

Audio #12
ID                          : 4353 (0x1101)
Menu ID                     : 1 (0x1)
Format                      : PCM
Format settings             : Big / Signed
Muxing mode                 : Blu-ray
Codec ID                    : 128
Duration                    : 22 min 36 s
Bit rate mode               : Constant
Bit rate                    : 1 536 kb/s
Channel(s)                  : 2 channels
Channel positions           : Front: L R
Sampling rate               : 48.0 kHz
Bit depth                   : 16 bits
Stream size                 : 248 MiB
Language                    : Japanese
format_identifier           : HDMV
Source                      : 00005.m2ts

Audio #13
ID                          : 4352 (0x1100)
Menu ID                     : 1 (0x1)
Format                      : PCM
Format settings             : Big / Signed
Muxing mode                 : Blu-ray
Codec ID                    : 128
Duration                    : 13 s 10 ms
Bit rate mode               : Constant
Bit rate                    : 1 536 kb/s
Channel(s)                  : 2 channels
Channel positions           : Front: L R
Sampling rate               : 48.0 kHz
Bit depth                   : 16 bits
Stream size                 : 2.38 MiB
Language                    : Japanese
format_identifier           : HDMV
Source                      : 00006.m2ts

Audio #14
ID                          : 4353 (0x1101)
Menu ID                     : 1 (0x1)
Format                      : PCM
Format settings             : Big / Signed
Muxing mode                 : Blu-ray
Codec ID                    : 128
Duration                    : 13 s 10 ms
Bit rate mode               : Constant
Bit rate                    : 1 536 kb/s
Channel(s)                  : 2 channels
Channel positions           : Front: L R
Sampling rate               : 48.0 kHz
Bit depth                   : 16 bits
Stream size                 : 2.38 MiB
Language                    : Japanese
format_identifier           : HDMV
Source                      : 00006.m2ts

Menu
00:00:00.000                : Chapter 1
00:00:29.988                : Chapter 2
00:02:17.637                : Chapter 3
00:10:08.274                : Chapter 4
00:10:16.282                : Chapter 5
00:20:38.528                : Chapter 6
00:22:03.989                : Chapter 7

And according to the main page for Please Twins, that was definitely 1080i:

http://www.please10th-anniv.com/

That says "1080p HD・一部1080i", which means "1080p HD/partially 1080i", with the "partially" only applying to the extras on the actual set.

edit: Whoops, that's actually a different BD, see my post below.

[jd213]

Originally Posted by slerch666

Here's the info and comparisons for Please Teacher.

According to AV Watch and Please! 10 Year Anniversary website, the JP BDs are 1080i.

The latter is actually the page for the BD of the 10th anniversary events held in 2012 and 2013. Went to both of them, they were great (and I had a great seat for the 1st one) but they totally removed all of the concert segments, probably because Bandai Visual was too cheap to pay I've or whoever for the publishing rights.

edit: whoops again, that is the general Teacher/Twins page, but the image at the top of the site and Slerch's quoted image are referring to the 10th anniversary events.

[slerch666]

Originally Posted by jd213

Well, I do at least since I own the JP releases of Teacher and Twins.

Don't have the time to do a full bitrate scan or anything right now, but here's the MediaInfo for the 2nd disc of teacher:

Well then there we go. Straight from someone who owns it, 1080p on the JP release. Well that kinda sucks. But this is still a massive upgrade.

I will assume the license holder sent Nozomi interlaced masters and they did what they know how to do with it and didn't push back or ask for new materials. Not really any way to know.

[SirYodaJedi]

It has been a while since I’ve posted here, but I have a couple questions.

Does anyone have any comments regarding the audio quality of Liz and the Blue Bird? This reviewer on RightStuf didn’t like it.

Also, anyone able to comment yet on how the SDBD of Kino’s Journey compares to the DVD? I noticed that it is 480p instead of 480i.

[dannphou]

So, did anyone see the upcoming Strike the Blood BluRay coming soon in Japan only? CDJapan, says that all 24 episodes will be on ONE disc. Not sure if that’s accurate.

[NLScavenger]

Originally Posted by dannphou

So, did anyone see the upcoming Strike the Blood BluRay coming soon in Japan only? CDJapan, says that all 24 episodes will be on ONE disc. Not sure if that’s accurate.

Yes, it's accurate. It's an SD on BD release according to official website.

http://www.strike-the-blood.com/firs...x.html#/bluray

Blu-rayディスク1枚に全話をSD画質で収録しております。本来のBlu-ray画質とは異なりますのでご注意ください。

[dannphou]

Originally Posted by NLScavenger

Yes, it's accurate. It's an SD on BD release according to official website.

http://www.strike-the-blood.com/firs...x.html#/bluray

Will it still look good though, is what I’m wondering. lol.

[SirYodaJedi]

Originally Posted by dannphou

Will it still look good though, is what I’m wondering. lol.

Probably, as long as it is a BD-50 and the source is good. It is easily possible to fit 24 episodes on a single Blu-ray at DVD quality. Only when you reach 45+ episodes are you really stretching it. If it is reincoded into a more modern format, then you could probably get even more efficient, but reincoding is risky, especially if no lossless master is available (which could be possible).

But I see it being particularly beneficial for a Japanese consumer, as it take up significantly less space than a box set, and space is something of a commodity over there.

[professorwho]

Originally Posted by dannphou

Will it still look good though, is what I’m wondering. lol.

Well, if the compressionist is good enough- and most Japanese compressionists are- then there should be no reasons to doubt it.

[jd213]

Originally Posted by slerch666

Well then there we go. Straight from someone who owns it, 1080p on the JP release. Well that kinda sucks. But this is still a massive upgrade.

I will assume the license holder sent Nozomi interlaced masters and they did what they know how to do with it and didn't push back or ask for new materials. Not really any way to know.

Ironically enough, the R2 DVDs were also encoded progressively while the R1s were interlaced, IIRC.

[Naiera]

Strike the Blood has a fine high definition release in the US, though

[NLScavenger]

Originally Posted by Naiera

Strike the Blood has a fine high definition release in the US, though

And no locked subtitles either

[slerch666]

Originally Posted by NLScavenger

And no locked subtitles either

There is one reason that using a PC and JRiver Media Center can make for a superior experience. Of course, it's not a good experience if you actually like menus (though new versions do allow for some level of BD Menu playback).

Also a good justification to rip to MKV and use my NAS.


I am not belittling other's experience. I realize it is annoying, it is BS, and it shouldn't be done. I'm just happy I have a way around it personally.

[Nostalgic Twilight]

I decided to compare Funi's Record of Lodoss War OVA BD release to my Japanese discs. As expected, the Japanese release wins because of much better compression. I can spot compression artifacts in every Funimation shot. Kind of disappointing considering that Funi's release is on two BD-50s like Japan's.

Shot 1
Shot 2
Shot 3
Shot 4
Shot 5
Shot 6

Bitrate analysis of the second Japan disc (episodes 8-13):


Bitrate analysis of the second Funi disc (only episodes 10-13, due to title differences):

[Dailyan]

Originally Posted by Nostalgic Twilight

I decided to compare Funi's Record of Lodoss War OVA BD release to my Japanese discs. As expected, the Japanese release wins because of much better compression. I can spot compression artifacts in every Funimation shot. Kind of disappointing considering that Funi's release is on two BD-50s like Japan's.

Shot 1
Shot 2
Shot 3
Shot 4
Shot 5
Shot 6

[Show spoiler]Bitrate analysis of the second Japan disc (episodes 8-13):


Bitrate analysis of the second Funi disc (only episodes 10-13, due to title differences):

Shots 2 & 3 are the exact same as 1.

[Nostalgic Twilight]

Yeah, I noticed while you were typing your post and I fixed them. The links didn't copy for me.

[professorwho]

Fate/Stay Night Heaven's Feel I. presage flower
(Dynit, Italy)

Video:
1080p MPEG-4 AVC
1.78:1 Aspect Ratio

34816 kbps AVG (34.82 mbps)
54858 kbps MAX (54.86 mbps)

Audio:
Japanese DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit) 3089 kbps
Italian DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48kHz, 24-bit) 3069 kbps

Due to some technical difficulties, I'm not able to produce screencaps now. But, when I saw the first few minutes of the film on my TV, I was blown away. I couldn't see any artifacting whatsoever. However, I wasn't going frame by frame, nor did I sit close (I sit a distance from my TV), but I'm sure that when I produce the screenshots, they will have little to none.

The main point of comparison is the Aniplex BD, which has a similar encoding setup;


Now, mp3dom's BD has a slightly lower average bitrate overall, but actually averages higher. The lower average is because the dips are more significant. This is one instance when the "average" number isn't the be all end all source.

Both BDs have a Japanese DTS-HD MA 5.1 track at 24-bit, though Aniplex's is slightly higher in bitrate at 3173 kbps; though I doubt anyone could hear a difference. The Dynit BD doesn't have the stereo track, which is kinda pointless and eats up the bitrate (thus why the Aniplex doesn't average as high as Dynit).

I only saw like 3 or 4 minutes and I'm impressed. Once I'm able to make some screenshots and watch the whole movie with this encode, I'll make another post here on it. Until then, I'm pretty happy with it.

Oh, and the subs aren't locked. Nice.

[SirYodaJedi]

Originally Posted by professorwho

Both BDs have a Japanese DTS-HD MA 5.1 track at 24-bit, though Aniplex's is slightly higher in bitrate at 3173 kbps; though I doubt anyone could hear a difference.

Unless they muffed up something, they should be identical, with the only difference being that Dynit’s will take more processing power. They are lossless for a reason.

[NLScavenger]

Code Geass - Lelouch of the Rebellion I - Initiation | Funimation BD vs Anime Limited BD

Borrowed Lambadelta's UK BD screenshots for the comparison:

https://slowpics.org/comparison/ce94...5-a0ede9c4d4e8

http://screenshotcomparison.com/comparison/132053

Funimation BD


Anime Limited BD


Pretty sure I managed to match each frame. The last frame was a pain in the butt.

[professorwho]

Huh. The UK BD has better compression, but is brighter. FUNi retains the correct brightness, but the encoding clearly isn't as good. I guess they used the exact same settings as usual but let the bitrate go way higher (34.147 mbps). In this case, I'd prefer the UK BD, as the brightness thing doesn't stand out unless side by side (though the increased amount of banding does, though the UK compressionist has skirted around that.)