The Anime Blu-ray Video Quality Thread

[pikagreg]

Originally Posted by kevers7290

You rock! Did anime Ltd. fix the issue with the subtitles not playing during the scenes with dialogue spoken in Chinese? I know Funimation's release had this issue but it was never publicly acknowledged.

Funimation actually fixed this issue but never acknowledged it (afaik) They offered replacements to those tho had the issue and new copies have fixed subs as well.

I bought a new copy last year from Amazon for a friend and it ended up having fixed subs already.

[Lambadelta]

Thought I'd try and post here about the BD for Slayers Films&OVAs. I'll check what the others in the set are like later, but this is the info for

Slayers the Motion Picture

I've created 4 comparisons between the 1999 DVD, and this 2015 BD. I'm not the best at getting the old DVD screenshots to the right size so if anyone thinks they can do better I'm happy to supply shots from the BDs for any of the Slayer films/ovas that the set covers.

http://screenshotcomparison.com/comparison/131928

http://screenshotcomparison.com/comparison/131929

http://screenshotcomparison.com/comparison/131930

http://screenshotcomparison.com/comparison/131931

Overall the quality of the BD transfer is great, and its a shame the set has no English subtitles, and will probably never see a English friendly release.

Format                         : Matroska
Format version                 : Version 2
File size                      : 18.2 GiB
Duration                       : 1h 4mn
Overall bit rate mode          : Variable
Overall bit rate               : 40.4 Mbps
Movie name                     : 劇場版＆OVA スレイヤーズ デジタルリマスターBD-BOX ディスク1
Encoded date                   : UTC 2018-02-06 15:17:14
Writing application            : MakeMKV v1.10.9 win(x64-release)
Writing library                : libmakemkv v1.10.9 (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                       : 1h 4mn
Bit rate mode                  : Variable
Maximum bit rate               : 40.0 Mbps
Width                          : 1 920 pixels
Height                         : 1 080 pixels
Display aspect ratio           : 16:9
Frame rate mode                : Constant
Frame rate                     : 23.976 fps
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                       : 01:04:44.380500000
NUMBER_OF_FRAMES               : 93132
NUMBER_OF_BYTES                : 18845547972
SOURCE_ID                      : 001011
_STATISTICS_WRITING_APP        : MakeMKV v1.10.9 win(x64-release)
_STATISTICS_WRITING_DATE_UTC   : 2018-02-06 15:17:14
_STATISTICS_TAGS               : BPS DURATION NUMBER_OF_FRAMES NUMBER_OF_BYTES SOURCE_ID

Audio
ID                             : 2
Format                         : PCM
Codec ID                       : A_PCM/INT/LIT
Duration                       : 1h 4mn
Bit rate mode                  : Constant
Channel(s)                     : 2 channels
Sampling rate                  : 48.0 KHz
Bit depth                      : 16 bits
Title                          : Stereo
Language                       : Japanese
Default                        : Yes
Forced                         : No
DURATION                       : 01:04:44.385000000
NUMBER_OF_FRAMES               : 116532
NUMBER_OF_BYTES                : 745801920
SOURCE_ID                      : 001100
_STATISTICS_WRITING_APP        : MakeMKV v1.10.9 win(x64-release)
_STATISTICS_WRITING_DATE_UTC   : 2018-02-06 15:17:14
_STATISTICS_TAGS               : BPS DURATION NUMBER_OF_FRAMES NUMBER_OF_BYTES SOURCE_ID

Menu
00:00:00.000                   : ja:Chapter 01
00:00:27.027                   : ja:Chapter 02
00:00:53.970                   : ja:Chapter 03
00:06:13.706                   : ja:Chapter 04
00:08:58.496                   : ja:Chapter 05
00:10:49.607                   : ja:Chapter 06
00:11:52.002                   : ja:Chapter 07
00:13:10.331                   : ja:Chapter 08
00:16:24.108                   : ja:Chapter 09
00:18:04.416                   : ja:Chapter 10
00:20:29.686                   : ja:Chapter 11
00:24:43.356                   : ja:Chapter 12
00:26:05.939                   : ja:Chapter 13
00:30:09.766                   : ja:Chapter 14
00:32:17.185                   : ja:Chapter 15
00:34:17.346                   : ja:Chapter 16
00:35:57.196                   : ja:Chapter 17
00:36:57.965                   : ja:Chapter 18
00:39:22.943                   : ja:Chapter 19
00:41:48.130                   : ja:Chapter 20
00:43:51.879                   : ja:Chapter 21
00:44:19.323                   : ja:Chapter 22
00:46:54.394                   : ja:Chapter 23
00:48:11.930                   : ja:Chapter 24
00:49:31.551                   : ja:Chapter 25
00:52:42.242                   : ja:Chapter 26
00:54:41.486                   : ja:Chapter 27
00:57:11.803                   : ja:Chapter 28
00:58:25.126                   : ja:Chapter 29
00:58:51.194                   : ja:Chapter 30
00:59:31.150                   : ja:Chapter 31
01:02:09.892                   : ja:Chapter 32

[dan2026]

Originally Posted by Lambadelta

Thought I'd try and post here about the BD for Slayers Films&OVAs. I'll check what the others in the set are like later, but this is the info for

Slayers the Motion Picture

I've created 4 comparisons between the 1999 DVD, and this 2015 BD. I'm not the best at getting the old DVD screenshots to the right size so if anyone thinks they can do better I'm happy to supply shots from the BDs for any of the Slayer films/ovas that the set covers.

http://screenshotcomparison.com/comparison/131928

http://screenshotcomparison.com/comparison/131929

http://screenshotcomparison.com/comparison/131930

http://screenshotcomparison.com/comparison/131931

Great gods that dvd quality is mind bendingly awful. Like sub, sub vhs quality.

[Lambadelta]

Originally Posted by dan2026

Great gods that dvd quality is mind bendingly awful. Like sub, sub vhs quality.

My DVDs are the original 1999 version (which I wouldn't be surprised if they put the VHS master on it). I think they did do a DVD re-release that used a better master, but I don't own that version for comparison.

Either way the BDs are beautiful, and will beat any of the previous releases.

[Dino-Killer 912]

Does anyone know English subtitles in Sentai's Shirobako are burnt-in or external but just forced?

[Naiera]

Subtitles are never burned in.

[Dino-Killer 912]

Thanks! I've bought some UK Blu-rays of Japanese movies, which have burnt-in English subtitles. So I'm worried that maybe some monolingual anime Blu-rays have burnt-in English subtitles.

[NLScavenger]

While looking for information on Discotek's Golgo 13 The Professional Blu-ray, I came across a Blu-ray vs HDTV rip vs R2J DVD rip comparison: http://comp.judging.it/index.php?ser...isonid=1080p-1

The BD is one step forward and two steps back. It's sharper than the DVD, but there is scanner noise and contrast boosting. I'll stick with my old DVD. Colors are much nicer on DVD.

[Ccharmanderk]

I'm unsure what you mean by scanner noise, but the BD was really my first time watching Golgo 13 all the way through and I think it's a very solid release overall. If anything I find the DVD to be rather dim looking, though with my first experience being the Blu-ray, that might be a case of skewed perspective on my end.

If I had to complain about the Golgo 13 Blu-ray in any meaningful fashion, I'd say the black levels are poorly resolved, consistently appearing closer to a dark gray when it should be a normal black.

[NLScavenger]

Originally Posted by Ccharmanderk

I'm unsure what you mean by scanner noise, but the BD was really my first time watching Golgo 13 all the way through and I think it's a very solid release overall.

If anything I find the DVD to be rather dim looking, though with my first experience being the Blu-ray, that might be a case of skewed perspective on my end.

If I had to complain about the Golgo 13 Blu-ray in any meaningful fashion, I'd say the black levels are poorly resolved, consistently appearing closer to a dark gray when it should be a normal black.

With scanner noise I mean picture noise from CRT-based film scanning equipment. Very common on Blu-ray releases with film scans from LVR Digital in Italy (E.g. Django and All The Colors of the Dark).

Upon further inspection I'm not sure if it's scanner noise, but at any rate the grain/noise looks poor. Very similar to the Macross DYRL Blu-ray. Very harsh looking "grain" in some shots (probably because of contrast boosting) and certain colors that are devoid of any grain/noise (see BD screenshot #4).

The DVD looks a bit dim, but it has not been contrast boosted. There is black crush and blown out highlights on the BD. On BD screenshot #5 there is severe black crush.

[Dragon Ranger]

Hi; not sure if this is the right thread but got to start somewhere. I am looking to get into the Sailor Moon franchise a bit more having enjoyed the original anime in the 90's and one of the live action Tokusatsu series too.

Seems there are a lot of reboots/remakes and the original series Blu ray is of awful quality so can someone answer the following please?

1. What is the best way to watch the original series on Blu Ray or DVD? (I am region free for both).

2. Is there a particular series/movie that is considered the best by a majority of fans?

3. Have any of the live action series received an official DVD or Blu ray release with English subs?

4. Which series is this picture from (I love the art style)?




Thank you in advance for anyone who can help.

[NLScavenger]

Originally Posted by Dragon Ranger

1. What is the best way to watch the original series on Blu Ray or DVD? (I am region free for both).

DVD: Dynit (Italy, no English sub/dub) or Madman (Australia)

BD: Madman (Australia)

The Madman DVDs use the same master as the Dynit DVDs, which is considered to be the best version out there, but from Super S onward Madman will switch over to the Japanese Blu-ray master. The Japanese Blu-ray master is an upscale, but done a lot better than the crappy Viz upscale.

4. Which series is this picture from (I love the art style)?

I believe that's Sailor Moon Crystal Season 3.

[Dragon Ranger]

Originally Posted by NLScavenger

DVD: Dynit (Italy, no English sub/dub) or Madman (Australia)

BD: Madman (Australia)

The Madman DVDs use the same master as the Dynit DVDs, which is considered to be the best version out there, but from Super S onward Madman will switch over to the Japanese Blu-ray master. The Japanese Blu-ray master is an upscale, but done a lot better than the crappy Viz upscale.


I believe that's Sailor Moon Crystal Season 3.

Thank you

[NLScavenger]

I thought the UK Madoka Rebellion used the Aniplex encode just like the Beginnings movies, but it doesn't. Bitrates are lower across the board, audio got downgraded to 16 bit.

I'll make screenshots after I give it a watch later this week. If someone can give me screenshots of the Aniplex release, that would be much appreciated.

BDInfo Manga UK:

DISC INFO:

Disc Title:     PUELLA MAGI MADOKA MAGICA M3
Disc Size:      34.827.412.577 bytes
Protection:     AACS
BD-Java:        No
BDInfo:         0.5.8

PLAYLIST REPORT:

Name:                   00002.MPLS
Length:                 1:56:36.989 (h:m:s.ms)
Size:                   30.038.022.144 bytes
Total Bitrate:          34,34 Mbps

VIDEO:

Codec                   Bitrate             Description     
-----                   -------             -----------     
MPEG-4 AVC Video        27880 kbps          1080p / 23,976 fps / 16:9 / High Profile 4.1

AUDIO:

Codec                           Language        Bitrate         Description     
-----                           --------        -------         -----------     
DTS-HD Master Audio             English         2234 kbps       5.1 / 48 kHz / 2234 kbps / 16-bit (DTS Core: 5.1 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 16-bit)
DTS-HD Master Audio             Japanese        2245 kbps       5.1 / 48 kHz / 2245 kbps / 16-bit (DTS Core: 5.1 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 16-bit)

SUBTITLES:

Codec                           Language        Bitrate         Description     
-----                           --------        -------         -----------     
Presentation Graphics           English         0,595 kbps                      
Presentation Graphics           English         23,372 kbps

BDInfo Aniplex (source: pirate website):

DISC INFO:
Disc Title: PUELLA_MAGI_MADOKA_MAGICA_MOVIE_3
Disc Size: 46,076,499,335 bytes
Protection: AACS
BD-Java: No
BDInfo: 0.5.8
PLAYLIST REPORT:
Name: 00000.MPLS
Length: 1:56:16.636 (h:m:s.ms)


Size: 40,710,912,000 bytes
Total Bitrate: 46.68 Mbps
VIDEO:
Codec Bitrate Description
----- ------- -----------
MPEG-4 AVC Video 33518 kbps 1080p / 23.976 fps / 16:9 / High Profile 4.1
AUDIO:
Codec Language Bitrate Description
----- -------- ------- -----------
DTS-HD Master Audio English 4184 kbps 5.1 / 48 kHz / 4184 kbps / 24-bit (DTS Core: 5.1 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 24-bit)
DTS-HD Master Audio Japanese 4186 kbps 5.1 / 48 kHz / 4186 kbps / 24-bit (DTS Core: 5.1 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 24-bit)
DTS-HD Master Audio Japanese 1807 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 1807 kbps / 24-bit (DTS Core: 2.0 / 48 kHz / 768 kbps / 24-bit)
SUBTITLES:
Codec Language Bitrate Description
----- -------- ------- -----------
Presentation Graphics English 4.175 kbps
Presentation Graphics English 183.880 kbps
Presentation Graphics Spanish 171.986 kbps

[Naiera]

So, not a candidate for my new thread

[NLScavenger]

Puella Magi Madoka Magica The Movie: Part 3 - Rebellion: UK BD screenshots



There's an awful lot of banding, but I'd wager much of it is probably also present on the Aniplex release. The Madoka experience has always been synonymous to banding (unless you're Italian).

Not a bad release IMO.

Originally Posted by Naiera

So, not a candidate for my new thread

No.

[Yuripa]

Originally Posted by NLScavenger

There's an awful lot of banding, but I'd wager much of it is probably also present on the Aniplex release. The Madoka experience has always been synonymous to banding (unless you're Italian).

I don't know about the Aniplex ediion but indeed the French/Italian release from @Anime & Dynit have way less banding.

http://imgbox.com/AgU9S7fz

[FeelsBDMan]

Have both the UK/AU and Aniplex releases for Madoka; Rebellion.

Can't say there's a notable difference between the two despite the superior bitrate. Can provide screenshots if needed.

Ended up double dipping cause it was cheap and wanted the soundtrack but I wouldn't pay quadruple the price if you think
there's a noticeable image quality improvement.

[Dino-Killer 912]

How does Funimantion's Eureka Seven (2005) look like? Is Japanese release also an upscaled?

[professorwho]

Originally Posted by Dino-Killer 912

How does Funimantion's Eureka Seven (2005) look like? Is Japanese release also an upscaled?

https://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Eurek...9/#Screenshots
(Granted they're JPEG, but it gives a good example)

Yes, it's an upscale- it uses the exact same master as Bandai's Japanese release, though with a lower bitrate, and with English subtitles and the dub.

I don't own any version of the series, so I can't provide more screenshots, but I hope this helps.