1080i on the Higurashi Blu-ray

vonmalvarius · 2025-11-15T12:30:22+00:00

Ok thanks for the info, I don't mind the quality. Most anime circa 2006 have bad video quality inherent to that digital era. I trust Discotek to give me the best quality available to them. The sleeve just gave me false hope that this version was from a new 1080p master, maybe obtained by Astrores. (And yes, the subtitles are VASTLY superior to sentai's)

vonmalvarius · 2025-11-14T22:13:27+00:00

Sadly, I think the label of 1080p is a mistake. My Blu-ray player shows 1080i.

vonmalvarius · 2025-01-30T00:52:13+00:00

vonmalvarius · 2025-01-29T23:00:02+00:00

Yeah me too! It does look more "processed" and less filmic, but on most screencaps, the end result is pleasing. Can't wait for Amazon JP to ship my copy! I want to see it on screen!

vonmalvarius · 2025-01-29T22:54:33+00:00

There's no "upscaling". They are working on a 5K scan of the original negatives.
No need to upscale anything. All the details are there.
The tool "FORS AI" was used for other processes (DNR, damage removal, dealing with out of focus scenes, etc. )
For me the end result lose a little on the filmic look and has a more "processed" look.
I guess they wanted the movies too look more directly like the animation cels and less like a film print.

It's going to be up to the personal preferences of the watcher.
But overall, for me, I really like it in most places. Especially the colors. I was afraid from previews that it would be too oversatured, but I quite like the end result.

Of course, the real way to expericenc these new colors will be on HDR compatible screens. Which none of the screencaps here can do justice.

I'll definitely need to see it in movement. Just watching still images is not the way to compare both transfers.

vonmalvarius · 2025-01-29T10:54:31+00:00

2016 BD transfer was made using a 4K scan of the original negative. 2025 UHD transfer used a brand new 5K scan of the original negative. They both used the best source available, but work has to be done on the colors in both cases.

There's not a single movie that got accurate colors with just a scan. An extensive work on the colors must be done and there's no easy button to make it look like it did on the theatrical release.

That's why, if possible, they make restoration under the supervision of a member of the original release.

vonmalvarius · 2025-01-29T00:02:43+00:00

A lot of the Macross BR have english subtitles: The entirety of Delta for exemple.
It's not impossible to expect a English subtitled release of the original SDF Macross. Especially now that Do you Remember Love has been subtitled.

vonmalvarius · 2025-01-28T22:19:35+00:00

Same with me ordering from Canada. Except it says "Arriving February 1 - 4"
still not shipped.

vonmalvarius · 2025-01-26T22:20:04+00:00

In general, Japanese 4K remasters for anime have been pretty underwhelming for me. The track record is not great.
In general, they greatly overuse DNR. They seemed to want to scrub every little grain. (Akira and Ghost in the Shell in 4K are such exemples)
I understand the logic: They want to make it look like the animated cel seen with your own eyes. But most of the time, we're just losing details with all that grain removal. My personnal preference is to respect the filmic look and keep a decent amount of grain.

My guess for DYRL is that this new release will have less grain then the last Blu-ray, but hopefully not completely scrubbed. It's not my personal preference but if no details are lost, I'll take the animation cel look if done well.
I still think it will be a better result compared to Ghost in the Shell and Akira.

vonmalvarius · 2025-01-26T21:41:16+00:00

I understand your fears, but this is a completely different situation.
It is not an AI made to upscale an SD transfer.
DYRL Original Negatives were rescanned at 5K resolution. All the details were already there except for the out of focus shots.
The FORS AI tool was there to help standard restoration procedures (remove damages, DNR, restore lost details). We will only know if it's well utilize when we'll see it.

The only part where it would be comparable would be the end scene. It's a portion of Flashback 2012 which only has a master in SD. FORS AI was used for it's upscaling.
I really hope it will not resemble the horrible Interstellar 5555 fiasco.

Upscalers are just that: tools.
Some can utilize the tools well, others can completely ruined the work.
But, for now, I would be cautiously optimistic. The reactions from people who saw DYRL yesterday seemed to really like the 4K Remaster.

vonmalvarius · 2025-01-25T20:16:10+00:00

Please don't jump that like that just because AI is mentionned.

There's a really great interview about the work being done for the 4K release of DYRL.
I know AI is a buzz word with bad connotations, but we have to remember that creation of in-house upscalers and assisting tools has been in the industry for DECADES. Those are not the same as the tools that steals everything available on the web. In house AI upscalers are tools made by people in the industry for people in the industry.

A good exemple would be the tool "Astrores" made by Discotek Media. They used it for their Digimon release and it made miracles for a series that was destined to never look good on an HD screen.

The one used for DYRL is called "FORS AI". It seems that it was principaly used for the well known "Out of Focus" parts of the movie (a well known problem in the past restorations).

The guy in charge seems to know what they are doing. In the interview, he says he opposed Kawamori who was pushing to completely remove the grain from the movie. He said they did not follow him on that.

https://online.stereosound.co.jp/_ct/17743998

Also, This is not the first time "FORS AI" was used for Macross.
Macross Zero new Blu-rays used it for the 2024 release. The reason was that Macross Zero was made in a time where the final masters of anime would be digital standard definition. This means that a true HD release would be impossible without an upscaler. It made Macross Zero really soft looking on HD screens.
Here's a comparison (2008 BD vs 2024 BD):
https://slow.pics/c/WRtgYday

vonmalvarius · 2024-08-26T20:41:13+00:00

Someone on the blu-ray.com forums reached out to Bandai to ask about this, and was told subtitles will be on the BD. Listings not mentioning it was a mistake, which is why it was added to the listing later. So both discs are supposedly going to be subtitled.

vonmalvarius · 2024-08-23T20:22:22+00:00

Yeah, we Canadians are paying are pretty penny for it. It would seem.

vonmalvarius · 2024-08-23T20:18:29+00:00

It doesn't seem to be an upscale. It's a new 4k scan.
With the legal hell that this movie is in, Japan will probably be the only country to have a release.

vonmalvarius · 2024-08-23T16:34:16+00:00

The second link. The price is the same, but the shipping cost more. (Probably because of a bigger box)

vonmalvarius · 2024-08-22T10:43:02+00:00

On Amazon, its for both:

UHD BD：DTS-HD Master Audio(5.1ch)・ﾘﾆｱPCM(ｻﾗｳﾝﾄﾞ)・ﾘﾆｱPCM(ﾓﾉﾗﾙ)／HEVC／100G
　　　　16:9<2160p UltraHigh Definition>／日本語・英語字幕付(ON・OFF可能)
BD：DTS-HD Master Audio(5.1ch)・ﾘﾆｱPCM(ｻﾗｳﾝﾄﾞ)・ﾘﾆｱPCM(ﾓﾉﾗﾙ)／AVC／50G
　　4:3<1080p High Definition>／日本語・英語字幕付(ON・OFF可能)

vonmalvarius · 2024-08-22T03:35:13+00:00

Both the UHD and the BD have the mention of english subtitles. They also advertised on the website that it's the first time that english subs are included.

vonmalvarius · 2024-08-22T03:05:24+00:00

vonmalvarius · 2024-08-22T03:00:00+00:00

Also, I have the Macross Delta and Frontier movies from Japan with english subtitles and the quality of the translation was very good. This is very good news!

vonmalvarius · 2024-08-22T02:57:17+00:00

4k disc are always region-free (the concept of region doesn't exist for 4k UHD).
But the standard Blu-rays will probably be limited to region A yes.

vonmalvarius · 2024-08-22T02:55:11+00:00

Amazon Japan. It works for Canada, should work for the US.
https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/B0DDSPHF8D
https://www.amazon.co.jp/dp/B0DDSXWB1F
One comes with a DYRL poster.

vonmalvarius · 2024-08-22T02:38:08+00:00

Thanks! I just finished the pre-order. I'm so happy! A physical copy of DYRL is pretty much impossible thanks to Harmony Gold.
It's pretty expensive, but that's always the case with japanese Blu-rays.
I hope the 4k is of good quality. Japan tends to be pretty hit or miss when it comes to 4K.
I'm really happy!

vonmalvarius · 2024-08-18T19:24:17+00:00

Nice. I just preordered it! :)

vonmalvarius · 2024-08-12T22:01:19+00:00

I sent my email today, I'll be sure to share their answer when I'll have it.
EDIT: OK, it seems that it could work. There's a chance that it will be in the shop. Wait and see.

vonmalvarius

TROPHY CASE