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Do blurays provide better quality than Fansubber/encoder's encodes/subs?

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CanalDigger:
I was planning to buy some blurays of some of my favorite anime, and was wondering if the blurays have better video quality and/or better subs than what we see from the fansubbers' releases out there.

I understand that people are ripping the raws from blurays, but do encodes necessarily end up with better looking videos or is there a loss in video quality during the process?

I've read some of the comments on Amazon and it looks as though the people making the blurays have to go through the same process as fansubbers do kind of, except they work with the original source material usually.

I understand the basic process behind fan subbing and encoding, but definitely not at the level where I could do it on my own computer.

ConsiderPhlebas:
No relation between video quality and translation/subtitle quality, to begin with. Usually, the translation of official releases is quite good, but now and then it can be localized or edited to something that some people (like me) do not like. It's really on a case-by-case basis.

Encoding will never improve video quality, but can reduce the size. Watching the BD on your big LED TV is usually a pleasure, provided the original animation was up to it. A good encode will do about the same, a bad one will not...

In essence, your question can not be answered with a simple yes or no  :P

CanalDigger:

--- Quote from: ConsiderPhlebas on November 25, 2012, 10:29:55 PM ---In essence, your question can not be answered with a simple yes or no  :P

--- End quote ---
Yeah maybe I shouldn't have asked in question form, I wasn't really expecting a definitive answer, but something to decide if its "worth" spending on the blurays.


Even though I should buy them to support the anime industry, right? right?
But then I see "The Girl Who Leapt Through Time" for $140 dollars and begin to wonder if money should be spent here. Usually it's a "no".

ConsiderPhlebas:
Well, it's all up to your wallet. For example, I bought all the Tamayura BD and watched them with great joy, but they are really expensive from a Western perspective (and forget subs  ;D). It's all up to what you want to pay for and if you can afford it.

I do think it makes sense for a fan to pay for something, sometime, though...

Zalis116:
Speaking very generally, official subs on disc will have an advantage of pure accuracy, as they have access to the original recording scripts and are in contact with the directors/producers if they need anything clarified. Essentially, they won't contain the kinds of mishears, guesslations, or deliberate rewrites/trolling that can be found in fansubs. Depending on your preferences, you may disagree with the localization choices they make, such as dropping/translating honorifics and using Western name order.

Fansubs have the advantages of being able to do more with different fonts, colors, and subtitle effects, and fansubs made by skilled translators and editors can be more creative and enjoyable than official subs. The example I always point to is the first season of Haruhi; a.f.k.'s subs were brilliantly liberal, but the official subs were awkward and clunky to no end. On the lower end of the spectrum, fansubs can be completely terrible and incompetent, but most official subs are mediocre at worst.


--- Quote from: CanalDigger on November 25, 2012, 10:37:09 PM ---Even though I should buy them to support the anime industry, right? right?
But then I see "The Girl Who Leapt Through Time" for $140 dollars and begin to wonder if money should be spent here. Usually it's a "no".

--- End quote ---
It's only at that price because it's out of print, which I believe was the case even before Bandai Entertainment closed up their North American operations.

And that question's been the subject of many a flame war. So I'll just say this: if you really like a title and want to encourage the production of sequels or similar titles, then yes, we as fans should reward the creators for their efforts. And no matter what smokescreens get thrown up about the economics of the R2 market vs. the R1, buying something is still better than buying nothing.

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