Bandai will release the bluray of Akira in japan on February 20th and USA on February 24th.

Japanese 5.1 TrueHD 24 bits/192kHz ( first for an anime release )
there will be also english audio on it too. but i could not find any specs for that.
double layer Mpeg-4 AVC encode

price for Japanese release will be 8190 yen
price for USA release will be 49,98 usa dollars.

cant for this release. my most favorite anime ever.

I hope they include the original English track that was featured on the VHS and UMD formats, but was omitted from all US DVD releases.


I'm sure the later English dub was more accurate, but the original one with the "Ninja Turtles" voice acting for Kaneda is more nostalgic to me.

Japanese site has some specs for video and audio

http://av.watch.impress.co.jp/docs/20080926/bandai.htm

本編:124分予定
片面2層
16:9
1080p
MPEG-4 AVC

(1)日本語
　(ドルビーTrueHD 5.1ch
　 24bit/192kHz)
(2)日本語
　(リニアPCM ドルビーサラウンド)
(3)英語(5.1ch)

If you babelfish the text it says in english

(1) Japanese (Dolby TrueHD 5.1ch 24bit/192kHz)
(2) Japanese (linear PCM [dorubisaraundo])
(3) English (5.1ch)

So English audio may only be legacy dolby digital 5.1. But who cares. Japanese track is the way to go. Wasn't this one of the very few animes which had lipsynced audio (=lip movements were drawn to match Japanese voice). I hope they do include English translations (subtitles) for all the signboards seen in the movie as in Pioneer SE dvd.

This is a welcome release and hopefully builds upon the nice restoration job on the Special Edition DVD.

The restoration release were ruined by massive, excessive amounts of edge enhancement. Lines had edges that created halos. It was obscene.

What the hell was with all the white specs on the restoration? The dts edition DVD I have looks woeful, and that's on top of the EE.

Fortunately the BD will be from a new transfer. Maybe that's why it was delayed, because they realised the existing master wouldn't cut it (US studios take note!)

I can't wait for this. A classic movie with breathtaking animation.

The restoration release were ruined by massive, excessive amounts of edge enhancement. Lines had edges that created halos. It was obscene.

Wow. I guess that it really has been ages since I watched my DVD; it's been over 5 years. Disregard my previous post then. New master... LOL.

I'm all over this, this is one of my all time favorite films.

ill take two

I hope they include the original English track that was featured on the VHS and UMD formats, but was omitted from all US DVD releases.


I'm sure the later English dub was more accurate, but the original one with the "Ninja Turtles" voice acting for Kaneda is more nostalgic to me.

Yes please. The new English dub was not what I wanted. I doubt we'll get it though.

The most overrated anime of all time in HD. Pass.

LoL, 192 kHz. Can Japan please stop the superiority complex already.

The most overrated anime of all time in HD. Pass.

LoL, 192 kHz. Can Japan please stop the superiority complex already.
.....

The most overrated anime of all time in HD. Pass.

LoL, 192 kHz. Can Japan please stop the superiority complex already.

So I take it you didn't care for the movie? :rolleyes:

I hope they include the original English track that was featured on the VHS and UMD formats, but was omitted from all US DVD releases.


I'm sure the later English dub was more accurate, but the original one with the "Ninja Turtles" voice acting for Kaneda is more nostalgic to me.

That would be Jimmy Flinders. (aka Cam Clarke) Yes, I was a nerd in another life, I'm trying to get out. :-)

I actually liked the new guy who did Kaneda's voice. I sorta wish I could swap them here and there. I liked Tetsuo's old voice better... he was just really good at screaming. (Which is required to play Tetsuo properly. ^_^)

The most overrated anime of all time in HD. Pass.

LoL, 192 kHz. Can Japan please stop the superiority complex already.

<Stewie Griffin Voice ON>

I take it you got your shot in and we'll be free of your adoring persona for the rest of the thread?

Okay, I may have to jump on this. If for no other reason than the highway scene...

$50. That's funny. Well, I suppose it's better than the $80+ that a lot of sites charge for Japanese imports of other Blu-ray anime movie releases. Still, $50. Ouch.

On the up side, it will be a Blu-ray rip on the usual Internet eyepatches and rum sites within a day of release.

I hope they include the original English track that was featured on the VHS and UMD formats, but was omitted from all US DVD releases.


I'm sure the later English dub was more accurate, but the original one with the "Ninja Turtles" voice acting for Kaneda is more nostalgic to me.

I can't stand the new dub. The story actually does make a lot more sense in the new dub but the voices don't work for me at all.

How can 24bit 192 in 5.1 be possible since blu-ray caps out at 96khz in 5.1 or 7.1?

The manga is astoundingly good and a 100 times better than the film, which is a visual feast, but goes all loopy in the final act. Basically, the movie is the first 1/5 of the manga, with sliver of pieces of the manga finale at the end.

I actually never finished the manga because I cannot find issue #38 (yes, I was reading the colorized Marvel version). Highly annoying, to say the least.

^ Why didn't you just get the collected works instead so you could have the whole series? I understand the appeal of owning all issues seperately but in this case it makes it so much easier to complete the story.

^ Why didn't you just get the collected works instead so you could have the whole series? I understand the appeal of owning all issues seperately but in this case it makes it so much easier to complete the story.
Actually, I have the reprint volumes of the Marvel/Epic version. All of them. Unfortunately, Marvel never finished the volumes. They stopped at volume 10, so issues 31-38 were not reprinted. I have issues 31-37, but 38 is damned impossible to find. It's just rare because of the low print run in comparison to other issues.

If I ever find it I will read the entire series over again, from start and finally, to finish.

If anyone knows where I can snag a copy, let me know. It's not expensive. Goes for $20, give or take. IF it can be found.

Actually, I have the reprint volumes of the Marvel/Epic version. All of them. Unfortunately, Marvel never finished the volumes. They stopped at volume 10, so issues 31-38 were not reprinted. I have issues 31-37, but 38 is damned impossible to find. It's just rare because of the low print run in comparison to other issues.

If I ever find it I will read the entire series over again, from start and finally, to finish.

If anyone knows where I can snag a copy, let me know. It's not expensive. Goes for $20, give or take. IF it can be found.

Wow, weird. Matt, I think I own ONLY issue 38 (Yes, the colorized Marvel/Epic version). If I remember, I'll go digging and see if I can find it.

I have the entire Epic/Marvel run of the manga--all 10 collections and issues 31~38, but there's no way I'd lose any of them. Sorry. :o

I have been such a fiend for this property, so much so that I have the original Kodansha volumes and the Dark Horse reprints, plus the Kodansha anime comics to boot. In fact, I have many Akira-related publications in my collection, so many I may have lost track of them. :eek: :cool:

As far as the movie itself goes, I have both the LE metal case and the DTS edition, and the Bu-ray will undoubtedly look good (or even better) next to those on my shelves. (And to be honest, I never really noticed the EE and other bad details in the transfer that others have complained about. Although I have never liked the original dub, have always preferred the Japanese track over either English version.)

Wow, weird. Matt, I think I own ONLY issue 38 (Yes, the colorized Marvel/Epic version). If I remember, I'll go digging and see if I can find it.

:eek: Lucky son of a... :D

Thanks, my friend. Much appreciated.

:eek: Lucky son of a... :D

Thanks, my friend. Much appreciated.

Found it. PM sent. :-)

Hi guys, I have just received Akira but am having an audio playback problem.

I am playing it on a Panasonic BD30 running via HDMI into a Marantz SR7002 AVR.

The problem I am having is with getting 5.1 audio on the Japanese track, I should be getting:

Japanese: Dolby TrueHD 5.1
Japanese: PCM 2.0
English: Dolby TrueHD 5.1
Japanese: Dolby Digital 5.1

but am getting:

Japanese: Dolby TrueHD 2.0
Japanese PCM 2.0
English: TrueHD 5.1
Japanese: Dolby Digital 5.1

Is anyone else having a similar problem?
I am wondering if it is maybe player FW related.

The 'core' of the thd 5.1 track is a dd 2.0 track (not thd 2.0 however). I am guessing that's the one your receiver decodes for some reason. Or maybe it just displays wrong. Have you checked if only 2.0 sound comes out?

The 'core' of the thd 5.1 track is a dd 2.0 track (not thd 2.0 however). I am guessing that's the one your receiver decodes for some reason. Or maybe it just displays wrong. Have you checked if only 2.0 sound comes out?

Definitely only have sound coming out of FL & FR, I have a friend with the same player/receiver combination with the same problem.

The receiver is definitely receiving a THD signal as it is displaying THD but only 2ch.

Definitely only have sound coming out of FL & FR, I have a friend with the same player/receiver combination with the same problem.

The receiver is definitely receiving a THD signal as it is displaying THD but only 2ch.

It might sound like your reciever does not accept 192khz 24-bit in 5.1. :( Many recievers only accept 192khz in two channels. They cut corners on the DA-Converters to minimize costs, and they don't see it as a problem since virtually all DTS-HD Ma, Dolby Tru-HD and PCM Multichannels are 48khz. The TrueHD track on Akria is the first 5.1 24-bit/192khz track I've seen (Except for the music-only Blu-Ray Trondheims-Solistene released in Norway).

Also some Blu-Ray Players cut corners with their CPU and handlig of excessively big audio-tracks. The aforementioned Music-only Blu-Ray release "Trondheims-Solistene", contains a whooping big-arse 192khz PCM track in 5.1. My Samsung BDP-1500 will only send it as PCM 2.0. But my PS3 sends it properly to my reciever as 5.1 192khz. I've got a Denon AVR-3808 Reciever and I can confirm that it will correctly handle 5.1 channels of 192khz content in both the True-HD, DTS-Ma and LPCM containers. :D

I can also confirm that Samsung BDP-1500 correctly bit-streams 192khz True-HD and DTS-HD Ma in 5.1.
But it can not, as previously mentioned, handle 5.1 LPCM in 192khz. You will only get two channels, regardless of what Reciever you have. It will however playback 5.1 and 7.1 channels of 48khz 5.1 tracks without any problem.

Kazz063 - What Reciever do you have..?

I own a BD35 but not the Akira disc yet, but I was going to suggest you try turning off the Secondary Audio option (I'd assume you have). Also, just checked and your player doesn't support Dolby TrueHD decoding internally :/

Thoughts on the disc PQwise?

PQ is pretty good. Although imo not among the best I've seen for cell anime even if this is a brand new transfer. Quality is rather inconsistent, it reaches very good quality at times, but mostly not.

It might sound like your reciever does not accept 192khz 24-bit in 5.1. :( Many recievers only accept 192khz in two channels. They cut corners on the DA-Converters to minimize costs, and they don't see it as a problem since virtually all DTS-HD Ma, Dolby Tru-HD and PCM Multichannels are 48khz. The TrueHD track on Akria is the first 5.1 24-bit/192khz track I've seen (Except for the music-only Blu-Ray Trondheims-Solistene released in Norway).

Also some Blu-Ray Players cut corners with their CPU and handlig of excessively big audio-tracks. The aforementioned Music-only Blu-Ray release "Trondheims-Solistene", contains a whooping big-arse 192khz PCM track in 5.1. My Samsung BDP-1500 will only send it as PCM 2.0. But my PS3 sends it properly to my reciever as 5.1 192khz. I've got a Denon AVR-3808 Reciever and I can confirm that it will correctly handle 5.1 channels of 192khz content in both the True-HD, DTS-Ma and LPCM containers. :D

I can also confirm that Samsung BDP-1500 correctly bit-streams 192khz True-HD and DTS-HD Ma in 5.1.
But it can not, as previously mentioned, handle 5.1 LPCM in 192khz. You will only get two channels, regardless of what Reciever you have. It will however playback 5.1 and 7.1 channels of 48khz 5.1 tracks without any problem.

I'll have to look at the manuals and see if there is any info there.

Ok have just looked at the Marantz manual and have found this:

• 192 kHz/24 bit DAC for all 8 Channels

So thankful for that/

Kazz063 - What Reciever do you have..?

Marantz SR7002.

I own a BD35 but not the Akira disc yet, but I was going to suggest you try turning off the Secondary Audio option (I'd assume you have). Also, just checked and your player doesn't support Dolby TrueHD decoding internally :/

Thoughts on the disc PQwise?

Secondary audio is definitely off.

The BD30 only bitstreams but my AVR decodes.

As for PQ I can't really comment, I didn't get very far in, unfortunately, I was too busy trying to sort out the audio problem, will let you know when I actually watch the whole thing.:o

Hi guys, I have just received Akira but am having an audio playback problem.

I am playing it on a Panasonic BD30 running via HDMI into a Marantz SR7002 AVR.

The problem I am having is with getting 5.1 audio on the Japanese track, I should be getting:

Japanese: Dolby TrueHD 5.1
Japanese: PCM 2.0
English: Dolby TrueHD 5.1
Japanese: Dolby Digital 5.1

but am getting:

Japanese: Dolby TrueHD 2.0
Japanese PCM 2.0
English: TrueHD 5.1
Japanese: Dolby Digital 5.1

Is anyone else having a similar problem?
I am wondering if it is maybe player FW related.

Having same issue.
I mentioned it in another thread to no responses. I thought I had a defective disc.

Receiver is Onkyo 705

Having same issue.
I mentioned it in another thread to no responses. I thought I had a defective disc.

Receiver is Onkyo 705


What player are you using?

What player are you using?

Pioneer 95FD Elite

Sounds like I should hold off on exchanging this....your thoughts?

Pioneer 95FD Elite

Sounds like I should hold off on exchanging this....your thoughts?


Probably no point in exchanging it just yet, if it's a disc fault it's likely to be in all of them.

I have a friend with his own copy having the same problem, on the same setup as I have, but as you are having the same problem on a completely different setup, it wouldn't appear that it isn't just our players/avr's.

Great. Now I'm worried about how my player-receiver setup will handle the Japanese TrueHD track. :eek: :confused:

My receiver is an older Yamaha, an RX-V661, but the manual says that, over HDMI at least, it can handle PCM at frequencies up to 192KHz and encoded up to 24 bits, across 7.1 channels. My player is a new Sony BDP-S550 which can output Dolby TrueHD to the Yamaha as PCM up to 7.1 channels, but I'm not sure it can handle the track conversion adequately. I'm confident that if it can, the receiver will output it correctly, so for me it's really the player that could be the weak link. I am using the HDMI connection, so that may help it (or not--I don't know how others here have their systems set up, so I can't tell if mine is at risk of failure too).

I'd love to be able to hear the Japanese track in all its glory. I'd settle for the regular Dolby 5.1 track, but from what I've read it's only accessible through the Japanese disc menu, and I can't read too much Japanese myself (although I can read, but not fully translate, some kana script).

Man, this is gonna be nerve-wracking for me until I actually get the disc and have a listen. The suspense is killing me already...

Thought this might be of some interest as it talks about the behinds the scenes work on the BD Akira.

http://timmaughanbooks.com/2009/02/13/akira-blu-ray-behind-the-scenes/

Having same issue.
I mentioned it in another thread to no responses. I thought I had a defective disc.

Receiver is Onkyo 705

I don't think the Onkyo 705 will decode TrueHD at 192kHz (I know the 805 doesn't), it's limited to decoding at 96kHz. It will accept it as LPCM, however. You'll unfortunately have to get a new receiver or a player that decodes internally to fully experience this track.

edit: this is assuming your player doesn't decode internally, if it does then in must not be doing it correctly.

PQ is pretty good. Although imo not among the best I've seen for cell anime even if this is a brand new transfer. Quality is rather inconsistent, it reaches very good quality at times, but mostly not.

I would have been shocked if a film as old as Akira could look as good as the newest, shiniest, digital-domain only HD native anime releases. Such as, for example, Code Geass. ;)

As it is, if they can make it look better than the original Ghost in the Shell, then they are also exceeding expectations for cel-based anime of that vintage.

sleeping beauty looked amazing on bluray. i wonder why they didnt do that for akira. just paint every cell in again by computer. it only took disney 4 years to do sleeping beauty but the result is amazing.

sony should have done the same with Akira. just give it to disney and let them fix it :)

sony should have done the same with Akira. just give it to disney and let them fix it :)

Well first Sony would have to get it from Bandai...

sleeping beauty looked amazing on bluray. i wonder why they didnt do that for akira. just paint every cell in again by computer. it only took disney 4 years to do sleeping beauty but the result is amazing.

sony should have done the same with Akira. just give it to disney and let them fix it :)
Akira also looks amazing on Blu-ray, there's some BS floating around here as usual... :cool:

I don't know if anyone else see's this as a big deal, but I do. This tuesday, the 22nd, the Blu Ray of Akira will arive in stores, complete with a re-mastered 192khz TRUE HD audio track.
I haven't seen or heard of this before on any other release, and I think its worthy of discussion. -Pretty sure this will be an industry first for a "movie" in this format (no music blue rays included).

If anyone has heard it, or has it, by all means, share your impressions.

(I've also heard there are some people having issues with the 192khz track playing in only 2.1 through their receivers...hmmm.

here's a good reveiw of it. IGN is always a good read...
http://uk.bluray.ign.com/articles/949/949749p1.html

It's been discussed...in the specs thread....in the akira thread...in the audio thread:confused:...well it's being discussed already
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1070934
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=760714&page=47

I like maxing specs but that's overkill for a 20 year old anime, and I do likes the anime.


here's a good reveiw of it. IGN is always a good read...
http://uk.bluray.ign.com/articles/949/949749p1.html
I'm not bashing you OP, but IGN is the last place you want to go for BD reviews, the very last. Others here will second that.

It's been discussed...in the specs thread....in the akira thread...in the audio thread:confused:...well it's being discussed already
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=1070934
http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=760714&page=47

I like maxing specs but that's overkill for a 20 year old anime, and I do likes the anime.


I'm not bashing you OP, but IGN is the last place you want to go for BD reviews, the very last. Others here will second that.

Well, I ussually read video game reviews to fair, but I gave em credit this time for their review because there are several other sites that reviewed akira and made no significant mention of the sound, and complained about lack of extra's, completely negating the fact that the creators worked countless hours to make a really sharp re-master in the highest bit rate possible. (not saying its worth the disc space, i was more interested in what people thought of, it). But point taken, I'll go check out the threads, and thanks for the links.

-please excuse my noobish behavior. lol.

But my PS3 sends it properly to my reciever as 5.1 192khz. .

there's the answer i was lookin for. PS3! Good for sony to anticapate this by having onboard decoders to send my receiver as pcm (which is the only format it will read in 192 khz). (Who needs bitstream these days?)
now i have no worries...anyone with sony blu ray players should probly rest easy about decoding Akira's 192 khz dolby true hd, as long as their receiver can split it up into 5.1 as pcm

Anybody have pictures of the packaging (mainly the first print-only slipcover)? Interested to buy it but just wondering whether it's worth my while to get it right now vs. down the road.

Courtesy of s1nfulsimon over at The Import Forums:
http://img156.imageshack.us/img156/604/001zp8.th.jpg (http://img156.imageshack.us/my.php?image=001zp8.jpg)http://img156.imageshack.us/img156/4130/002qh4.th.jpg (http://img156.imageshack.us/my.php?image=002qh4.jpg)http://img156.imageshack.us/img156/6082/005nd6.th.jpg (http://img156.imageshack.us/my.php?image=005nd6.jpg)
http://img156.imageshack.us/img156/6977/003yy1.th.jpg (http://img156.imageshack.us/my.php?image=003yy1.jpg)http://img156.imageshack.us/img156/2584/004gd3.th.jpg (http://img156.imageshack.us/my.php?image=004gd3.jpg)

Good to know! I think I can hold out for a cheaper price, or when my funds are more sound. Thanks!!

There may not be a problem with the track itself. Some receivers just can't play a 192khz multichannel track, and some may do it with PCM but not TrueHD. Also, there may be limitations on what controls can be used (like bass management, room correction) at higher sampling rates.

The Onkyo 705, for instance, can't play TrueHD at all if it's higher than 96khz. It can play TrueHD and DTS-HD MA up to 96khz, but even at that rate only the tone control (basic bass/treble) is available.

Why on earth do anyone want 192khz?

Why on earth do anyone want 192khz?

It's 192khz for the same reason people climb mountains: "Because it's there."

I have the HK import version of Red Cliff on BD and it includes no less than three lossless audio tracks, a TrueHD 7.1 track, a DTS-HDMA 7.1 track, and a LCPM 7.1 track. Now why on Earth would a Blu-ray disc include three lossless audio tracks when one is plenty adequate? Same answer.

I for one welcome our overzealous Asian overlords. Someone needs to teach the Hollywood studios how you're supposed to release on Blu-ray. Are you listening, Warner? How are those lossy DD5.1-only releases doing these days? Fecking idiots. Bandai should send some guys with samurai swords to Warner to cut some desks up and tell them to release all their movies with lossless tracks or the swords will be cutting flesh next.

And by that you mean more releases that waste huge amounts of bits and space, that could have gone to actually improve video quality, on completely useless 192kHz tracks? No thanks.

And by that you mean more releases that waste huge amounts of bits and space, that could have gone to actually improve video quality, on completely useless 192kHz tracks? No thanks. The video bitrate is 20mbps, still higher than 90% of Warners releases :p

I'm very happy with this release, but I also would've preferred the space gone to improve the video quality. I have a very decent setup, at least above average I'd say, and I notice very little difference between the 192khz track and the English True HD track. Seems kind of pointless. The video quality seems to vary greatly.

Still though, a very good release... especially compared to other anime releases (original Ghost in the Shell, etc.)

And by that you mean more releases that waste huge amounts of bits and space, that could have gone to actually improve video quality, on completely useless 192kHz tracks? No thanks.


My point also. Extremly stupid according to me.

I can't believe anyone is complaing about this... This is not HD-DVD (no flames please). Blu-Ray has a 48mb/s datarate(!), with 8mb/s dedicated to audio and 40 to video. That means if you do not use 8mb/s for audio, you can't re-use it for video, then you can call it 'wasted'... Now granted, Akira probably uses quite a bit more than the 8mb/s dedicated audio-bandwitdth. My guess Is that the Japanese True-HD track alone probably uses between 8~13 mb/s. (I can agree though that the PCM stereo was kind of unnecessary, they could've used True-HD) But then again, the video-bitrate on Akira is far away from bit-starved, the average bit-rate is about 20mb/s! That's more than most WB titles... I haven't seen any reviews that claim compression artifacts. In fact, the screenshots I've seen looks far better than I anticipated. I was afraid they were going to use the 2000 HD-Remaster as source (which had EE from hell). Any 'problems' people might percieve in regards to the video, is probably related to the source and not the bitrate of the video.

Now, 192khz 24-bit lossless might seem like overkill. Especially since the average home Hi-Fi equipment (or high-end equipment for that matter), can't really do it justice, neither can't most people tell the difference between 48khz and 96, let alone 192. But I admire the balls Bandai have to push the format to it's limit. That's great. The bar should be high, if you went by what most people could discern of differences in a blind-test, then most studios wouldn't use lossless tracks at all, DD 448kbit would be 'good enough'. Just like the saying that 192khz MP3 is as "good as CD"...

For the Special Feature fanatics; I don't agree that Bandai should have compromised the audio-tracks or video-track to make space for Extra Features. If they had prepared any Special features, they should have thrown it on a second disc, a dvd even, just like Pioneer did with the US Tin-box release in 2000. And if you like me, allready own the old tin-box release, just get yourself a two-disc Blu-Ray cover and place it together with the Blu-Ray, voila, now you have a 2-Disc Special Edition :D


Btw, I found these pictures among some old DVD-Audio discussion documents which I downloaded some years ago. They show how different sampling-rates look on a oscilloscope when compared to the original signal. The first picture is the orignal 10khz Square noise signal which is almost impossible to represent properly as a sine-wave. The second picture is how the wave looks when sampled as a 44khz redbook CD. The third picture shows the same signal encoded to DVD-Audio at 96khz, and finally the last picture shows the signal encoded as 192khz DVD-Audio.

http://home.lyse.net/kishiro/images/Sampling-Rate.jpg

We understand that there are peaks, but if the audio is using a lot of space, they might have to fit the video in a smaller space, and that could limit its average bitrate. If the audio is actually using more than 8Mbps, you're limiting the peaks for video.

It's not just a case of not doing the audio justice. I could understand people complaining if their receivers can't play the track at all due to the sampling rate. This isn't a title I was going to buy, but if it was, I would have to settle for Dolby Digital or stereo because my receiver can't play the multichannel lossless Japanese track. I realize this isn't a cheap hobby, but I think a lot of people who bought a new receiver for lossless audio a year or two ago would roll their eyes at the idea of upgrading yet again.

It's not the disc producers' fault about the receivers, but they should have included a TrueHD multichannel Japanese track at 48khz. If that didn't leave enough room for a 192khz track, I think a 96khz track would be (God help me) "good enough."

The combined bitrate of the audio tracks has on average lowered the peak video bitrate from 40 to 30 Mbps. You're right, in this case the DNR is a far bigger problem than the bitrate. However it still seems like a very poor trade-off, throwing away something that could and is actually used, for what is essentially nothing but an enlarged e-peen. I'm hoping it doesn't catch on, though I don't think it will.

I for one appreciate the fact that they put so much effort into making the audio the best they could make it.

I think they should have included a second special features disc that includes the features that were on the special edition DVD release, but they have done a great job with the main release.

Those pics are FAR from the truth! You can reproduce a 10 khz signal with 44.1 without a problem, if you say something else, well, the Noble prize is waiting for your result.

I haven't seen the video off this release yet, but wouldn't it stand to reason that animation - no matter how sophisticated it is - should be vastly less demanding of video bitrate than live video or film should be? Even complex hand-drawn animation still principally consists of static or minimally moving backgrounds, fewer colors and large fields of the same color (compared to live action, where even in a still shot there is still a tremendous amount of minor movement and a nearly infinite number of colors). I'd think if we have plenty of great looking transfers of live video/film clocking in at an average of 17-21 mbps, then there's no reason you shouldn't be able to have an animated feature look great in that vicinity.

You would think that but then Warner's release of Gotham Knight would prove you wrong, man that thing has issues. And it's all from top anime studios.

Those pics are FAR from the truth! You can reproduce a 10 khz signal with 44.1 without a problem, if you say something else, well, the Noble prize is waiting for your result.

Nobody's claiming you can't. You're reading what you want into it. You can clearly see that the timeframe given is between ~7 and ~29 microseconds (a microsecond is a millionth of a second) Logically the higher sampling rate you have, the more pin-points you'll have, to draw the line or the waveform, hence the "higher resolution" or more "detail", or whatever you want to call it. Just like when you have those childrens books with connect-the-dots where you draw a straight line from one point to another and ends up with a drawing of a cat or something. The more dots you have, the more detailed curves the drawing ends up with. Btw, I did not make those charts, I believe they were made by Craig Anderson of DVD-Audio. They are however not controversial, you can find many examples of resolution changes with higher sampling rate, see f.ex the charts on this sacd page;
http://www.sacd.co.nz/dsd2.php
..or you can make a 192 khz and a 44khz sample in CoolEdit or Goldwave and zoom, zoom and zoom into the wave-for until your arm gets tired and look at the difference.

Now, If you can actually hear a difference is a completely different matter...:p

Btw, as a fellow scandinavian, I'd like to point out that your countryman is named Alfred Nobel, and not Noble... :D Just teasing, I don't intend this to be a harsh post :) I can see why some might find the images misleading.

I haven't seen the video off this release yet, but wouldn't it stand to reason that animation - no matter how sophisticated it is - should be vastly less demanding of video bitrate than live video or film should be? Even complex hand-drawn animation still principally consists of static or minimally moving backgrounds, fewer colors and large fields of the same color (compared to live action, where even in a still shot there is still a tremendous amount of minor movement and a nearly infinite number of colors). I'd think if we have plenty of great looking transfers of live video/film clocking in at an average of 17-21 mbps, then there's no reason you shouldn't be able to have an animated feature look great in that vicinity.

I would also think so. An anime release with 20mb average bitrate should look good (as long as the master is fine that is). What I have seen so far of the Akira screenshots and read in the various reviews seem to indicate that it's a good release indeed. I'm a bit worried though, about the talk of dnr in a couple of scenes. I have to wait until I get the disc myself to make a just evaluation.

This isn't coming out in Best Buy Canada or Futureshop Canada. Anybody know if this is coming out in Canada at all?

Has anyone received their copy from Amazon yet today? Mine shipped yesterday and is due to arrive today. I just wanted to make sure I'm going to get the first pressing with the book and slipcase. Thanks.

Hi guys, I have just received Akira but am having an audio playback problem.

I am playing it on a Panasonic BD30 running via HDMI into a Marantz SR7002 AVR.

The problem I am having is with getting 5.1 audio on the Japanese track, I should be getting:

Japanese: Dolby TrueHD 5.1
Japanese: PCM 2.0
English: Dolby TrueHD 5.1
Japanese: Dolby Digital 5.1

but am getting:

Japanese: Dolby TrueHD 2.0
Japanese PCM 2.0
English: TrueHD 5.1
Japanese: Dolby Digital 5.1

Is anyone else having a similar problem?
I am wondering if it is maybe player FW related.

I get this as well, except I only get Dolby Digital 2.0. My receiver is a Denon 3808, so it's not an issue with the receiver (since someone else said he got it right with that receiver). Clearly, the fault is in the Panasonic.

I can't believe that it's incapable of bitstreaming a 192 kHz track...decode I can understand, but bitstreaming bypasses the decoding and mixing circuitry. Looks like I'll have to wait for the Oppo to come out...

I would have been shocked if a film as old as Akira could look as good as the newest, shiniest, digital-domain only HD native anime releases. Such as, for example, Code Geass. ;)

As it is, if they can make it look better than the original Ghost in the Shell, then they are also exceeding expectations for cel-based anime of that vintage.

You are just twisting my words here.

And why are you comparing to gits for some reason. That's not the only cell anime out there.

This isn't coming out in Best Buy Canada or Futureshop Canada. Anybody know if this is coming out in Canada at all?

I'm curious about that as well conceptz. I haven't seen it listed anywhere in Canada, except on Amazon.ca. It's unfortunate that Amazon.com added the "import" fee, otherwise ordering from the US (even after conversion) would be a better deal, considering the price difference. Perhaps somewhere like HMV will be stocking it, although I'd imagine it will probably be a great deal more expensive than the already high $44.95 that Amazon.ca wants for it...

Well I just picked up Akira and when I try to listen to the TrueHD Japanese track I get a ton of static in all my speakers. I'm using a Panasonic BD30 and a Pioneer Elite 92TXH receiver that is capable of playing bitstreamed TrueHD.

Anyone else have a similar issue?

I would have been shocked if a film as old as Akira could look as good as the newest, shiniest, digital-domain only HD native anime releases. Such as, for example, Code Geass. ;)

As it is, if they can make it look better than the original Ghost in the Shell, then they are also exceeding expectations for cel-based anime of that vintage.

HDTV anime including Code Geass are almost never actually animated at full 1080p resolution, they are usually around 720p (with varying resolutions including 960x540) and are upscaled for broadcast and Blu-ray. Even some theatrical anime are animated at around these resolutions.

A properly mastered handpainted cel anime Blu-ray will always look sharper than these, unless the master is based on a 16mm film transfer or other such limitation. Hell, the Blu-rays for Code Geass R2 reportedly look even softer than those for the 1st season.

Well I just picked up Akira and when I try to listen to the TrueHD Japanese track I get a ton of static in all my speakers. I'm using a Panasonic BD30 and a Pioneer Elite 92TXH receiver that is capable of playing bitstreamed TrueHD.

Anyone else have a similar issue?

Yes, read back a few more threads.
Already a couple of us and counting....

Yes, read back a few more threads.
Already a couple of us and counting....

I saw a few people had the same issue but with different equipment. Was looking to see if anyone ran into the issue with a Pioneer receiver and Panasonic BD player.

Whew. Got the disc today, gave it a spin, and my player-receiver setup handled it perfectly. My fears, though justified, have been trounced.

I also discovered that the Japanese Dolby 5.1 track is indeed selectable through the English menu. I thought I had read in one review that it was only an option in the Japanese setup, but it seems I was wrong about that. Not that I needed to hear it--I accessed the Japanese TrueHD track just fine. Fairly immersive, it was.

Yeah, no playback issues running a PS3 with HDMI to a NAD T175. Definitely engulfed in sound with this disc.

Not working right for me with a PS3 and an H/K 247. You can hear everything except there's no center channel resulting in no dialogue. Shows up as 2-channel stereo on the receiver even though you can hear the surrounds, it's weird.

It sounds so much more enveloping than the DD track, but obviously not going to watch it without voices. Too bad.

Not working right for me with a PS3 and an H/K 247. You can hear everything except there's no center channel resulting in no dialogue. Shows up as 2-channel stereo on the receiver even though you can hear the surrounds, it's weird.

It sounds so much more enveloping than the DD track, but obviously not going to watch it without voices. Too bad.

What are your audio settings set at on the PS3? Seems odd to me. So long as you're using an HDMI cable it's all converted before it's sent to the receiver so you shouldn't see this problem.

Just a reminder - make sure that if you're using a PS3 you need to have the audio output set to Linear PCM. If you don't then you might see it as 2.0 DD or something odd. I just went through this with my friend's PS3 and Denon 3808. I have the same setup and it works fine. (And so does his now that we fixed his PS3.)

I'll go over my settings again.

Well I just picked up Akira and when I try to listen to the TrueHD Japanese track I get a ton of static in all my speakers. I'm using a Panasonic BD30 and a Pioneer Elite 92TXH receiver that is capable of playing bitstreamed TrueHD.

I'm getting sound, but not the lossless (or even 5.1) track. The common ground among all of us with the issue is the BD30. Here's the receivers so far that people are pairing it with:
Denon 3808
Elite 92TXH
Onkyo 705

I don't think the issue lies with all three of those receivers. It's probably not the disc, since apparently it works in the PS3.

I checked with a HMV here at a local mall (Winnipeg), the kids working there were as useless as tits on a bull and couldn't give me a yes or no answer, just "check back in a few days..." . Maybe Walmart or one of the other large stores will bring it in for us Canucks, who knows.

checked the local Walmart today, no luck still.

I've got a friend who has a Sony BDP-S350 and an Oknyo 705. In theory, this combo should work (according to the manuals for both devices). The info screen for the BDP-S350 says it's outputting 192Khz. When he presses the display button on the Onkyo the front panel says it's 48Khz. He has sound - is it likely a glitch on the Onkyo display?

Oh, BTW, I love it. It's awesome. Some notes:

1. It looks great. Dunno about the window-boxing, though.
2. The Japanese TrueHD track is an amazing demo track. VERY active.
3. Both Japanese 5.1 tracks are louder than the English 5.1 track.

I will wait until I've gotten a good upconverting player to compare this to the Pioneer DVDs. I'd be curious to see how the video stacks up with an Oppo 983H vs this BD.

I've got a friend who has a Sony BDP-S350 and an Oknyo 705. In theory, this combo should work (according to the manuals for both devices). The info screen for the BDP-S350 says it's outputting 192Khz. When he presses the display button on the Onkyo the front panel says it's 48Khz. He has sound - is it likely a glitch on the Onkyo display?
I have a Sony BDP-S350 and a Onkyo 805 and I get 192khz being displayed on both. Don't know what's going on there.

I'm getting sound, but not the lossless (or even 5.1) track. The common ground among all of us with the issue is the BD30. Here's the receivers so far that people are pairing it with:
Denon 3808
Elite 92TXH
Onkyo 705

I don't think the issue lies with all three of those receivers. It's probably not the disc, since apparently it works in the PS3.

You can add the Marantz 7002 to the list, I started the thread about the problem, which then got amalgamated with this thread.

I have emailed Panasonic Australia about the problem last Friday but not surprisingly have had no reply.

I'm using the Panasonic BD35, I don't have a sound system capable of playing True HD, but when I select the Japanese HD track on Akira it goes down to 2.0. If I select the English HD track it still plays in 5.1 just like any other blu-ray I have.

Does this mean that when I upgrade my sound system I'm going to have to upgrade my player as well to be able to hear the 192 HD Japanese track?

I'm getting sound, but not the lossless (or even 5.1) track. The common ground among all of us with the issue is the BD30. Here's the receivers so far that people are pairing it with:
Denon 3808
Elite 92TXH
Onkyo 705

I don't think the issue lies with all three of those receivers. It's probably not the disc, since apparently it works in the PS3.

Even though I posted right above you that I'm using a PS3 and an HK 247 receiver and have the same problems. So it isn't just the BD player you mentioned.

I checked with a HMV here at a local mall (Winnipeg), the kids working there were as useless as tits on a bull and couldn't give me a yes or no answer, just "check back in a few days..." . Maybe Walmart or one of the other large stores will bring it in for us Canucks, who knows.

I checked with Futureshop to see if they had a future listing for it, or if it just wasn't showing up on their website (like a number of the Alliance releases when they first came out - they were on shelves but not listed on the web), but no dice. My local specialty video store here in Vancouver is apparently getting it in next week, but they want $53.99 for it, which is kind of nuts. Since Amazon.ca is out of stock, I guess that might be my best bet. I don't want to wait another month or more to get it.

Yeah, I've got a small retailer nearby says he can get it in a week. Oh well, Future Shop and Best Buy screw us again!

Any comments on the stereo PCM track? Is it the original audio of the film? And how is it?

I would have bought it today but my local Fry's had none. They didn't even have it on their release list for this week :(

How can 24bit 192 in 5.1 be possible since blu-ray caps out at 96khz in 5.1 or 7.1?

7.1 tracks max out at 24 bit/96 kHz resolution.

5.1 tracks max out at 24 bit/192 kHz resolution.

All audio formats have this rule on Blu-ray. It was based on early HDMI specs that didn't have the bandwidth they do now.

Tried it out tonight.

I have a Sony BDP-S350 and a Onkyo 705. The Sony is streaming the audio out to the Onkyo.

The Sony shows TrueHD 5.1 192 kHz being sent out. The Onkyo is decoding it as PCM 5.1 192khz.

A little surprised. I would have though I would be getting 2.0 TrueHD since the Onkyo cant handle 5.1 TrueHD.

Not working right for me with a PS3 and an H/K 247. You can hear everything except there's no center channel resulting in no dialogue. Shows up as 2-channel stereo on the receiver even though you can hear the surrounds, it's weird.

It sounds so much more enveloping than the DD track, but obviously not going to watch it without voices. Too bad.

Just a reminder - make sure that if you're using a PS3 you need to have the audio output set to Linear PCM. If you don't then you might see it as 2.0 DD or something odd. I just went through this with my friend's PS3 and Denon 3808. I have the same setup and it works fine. (And so does his now that we fixed his PS3.)
I've got the same issue as fiddlesticks. The centre channel simply disappears when listening to the 192Khz track thru my PS3 (sent as PCM over HDMI, natch), although on my Pioneer VSX-2016 receiver all 6 channels show up. If I switch to bitstream I get a 2.0 channel Dolby Digital mix with dialogue intact & flagged for Dolby Surround.

Yes, I've double checked the PS3 HDMI audio settings, and the track plays perfectly using the internal decoding of my Sony BDPS550 (again, PCM over HDMI) so that's the receiver ruled out.

It's great that discs like these are pushing the technology to its limit, but they really should make sure that the damn things work properly first...

I've got a friend who has a Sony BDP-S350 and an Oknyo 705. In theory, this combo should work (according to the manuals for both devices). The info screen for the BDP-S350 says it's outputting 192Khz. When he presses the display button on the Onkyo the front panel says it's 48Khz. He has sound - is it likely a glitch on the Onkyo display?

I said earlier in the thread that the 705 doesn't support 192khz TrueHD tracks. It's in the manual on page 69 if you want to check.

However, hellgrammite says it works for him. Maybe this is due to a firmware version? (Obviously when the manual was made, the firmware would have been an earlier version, so maybe it just didn't decode 192khz then.) Look in the 705 owners' thread or do a search and see if there's an updated firmware. I know I updated my 605 before, and one reason for that was to get rid of the DTS bomb.

I have to say it, this Blu-ray is amazing. The effort put into it really surprised me. I thought Bandai was just going to port everything over from the THX 2001 remaster and that's it, but they really cleaned it up and that Japanese TrueHD track is amazing, and the English Dub in TrueHD is cool as well. I'm disappointed by the lack of extras, but the video and audio more than make up for it. Good job Bandai.

The Sony shows TrueHD 5.1 192 kHz being sent out. The Onkyo is decoding it as PCM 5.1 192khz.

That is to be expected. If you read the S350 manual then it shows (page 62!) that it won't bitstream. :)

However, my friend has the same player and same receiver and when he hit the display button it said "48Khz", according to him. So how did you check what the 705 was doing?

I said earlier in the thread that the 705 doesn't support 192khz TrueHD tracks. It's in the manual on page 69 if you want to check.

But the BDP-S350 doesn't support outputting TrueHD so it's all good. :) And on page 37 it says it supports "Multichannel linear PCM (up to 7.1 ch, 32–192kHz, 16/20/24 bit)", so it *should* work with an S350 or PS3.

Edit: I wuz wrong - it will bitstream I think (hard to tell from manual) but the 705 can't do 192Khz TrueHD, so it's doing LPCM.

Perhaps.

But all I know is that my Sony S350 is saying:

-TrueHD 5.1 192 khz - and I have my system set up for bitstreaming.

Then I hit the Display settings of my Onkyo 705:

MCH PCM 5.1
FS: 192 kHz

What must be happening is the receiver cannot handle it, so the Sony player is outputting it as LPCM 5.1 at 192 khz.

What must be happening is the receiver cannot handle it, so the Sony player is outputting it as LPCM 5.1 at 192 khz.

Yep. Look at the note on page 62 of the manual.

When “BD Audio Setting” is set to “Direct,” audio recorded by the source is output by bitstream. However, this audio may be output as follows depending on the audio formats supported by the AV amplifier (receiver).

–When the AV amplifier (receiver) does not support HD Audio (Dolby Digital Plus, Dolby TrueHD, DTS-HD High Resolution Audio and DTS-HD Master Audio) but supports Multi-ch LPCM, up to LPCM 7.1ch is output.

I watched this tonight, awesome sound, excellent video.

I am also having problems. I am using an Onkyo TX-SR605(website says its updated based on serial number) with a PS3. I am outputting LPCM from the PS3 into the 605. The only issues are occurring on the Japanese TrueHD track with no Center, FL, or FR. I am only hearing SL and SR.


Specs say it does 192 LPCM, could this result from anything else?

Edit: Silly me did not have the 605's listening mode on Direct. Switching it to direct fixed all of my issues.

I'm getting sound, but not the lossless (or even 5.1) track. The common ground among all of us with the issue is the BD30. Here's the receivers so far that people are pairing it with:
Denon 3808
Elite 92TXH
Onkyo 705

I don't think the issue lies with all three of those receivers. It's probably not the disc, since apparently it works in the PS3.

Interesting. I have the Panasonic BD50 and a Denon 3808. I tested the opening scene last night, and bitstreaming the Japanese TrueHD track worked fine. The receiver reported a 3/2/1 192 Khz TrueHD signal and I was hearing the full soundtrack.

Since the number of people with sound problems is growing (myself included), MOD- can we get a separate thread going?

Just picked this up and plan to watch it tonite.

I will say I was tickled and then slightly annoyed by all the talk in the booklet about "hypersonic" audio and blah this and blah that about the hi-res sound option Blu-ray.

I mean, hi-res audio has been with us the better part of a decade via SACD and DVD-A. What's so revolutionary about hi-res audio at this point?

Whatever...

So it looks like the Canadian release date for Akira is now March 24th (according to Amazon.ca and the local specialty movie store near me). I can understand a delay of a week or two, but over a month AND 50% more expensive? That just seems cruel. :)

Has anyone confirmed if the stereo PCM track is the original audio track? Just curious.

http://www.yamashirogumi.gr.jp/akira-e/sankou/

thats the info about the hypersonic sound and why it is so good

Has anyone confirmed if the stereo PCM track is the original audio track? Just curious.

I only did a quick spot check, but it sure sounded like it. I'll double check it tonight.

Thanks. I'm sure the newer tracks sound great as people are reporting, but I'm interested in hearing the original track with the original foley work.

Interesting. I have the Panasonic BD50 and a Denon 3808. I tested the opening scene last night, and bitstreaming the Japanese TrueHD track worked fine. The receiver reporting a 3/2/1 192 Khz TrueHD signal and I was hearing the full soundtrack.

interesting hmm

I have BD30 with Onkyo 875

receiver reporting STEREO (I can hear only L+R channles), even after I press display on receiver controller, it will show DolbyTrueHD 5.1, 192kHz hmm

so now I am not sure where is problem, BD30 ? or Onkyo 875

on my PS3 it's playing without any problems decoded to lpcm 5.1 192kHz

Marek

Since the number of people with sound problems is growing (myself included), MOD- can we get a separate thread going?

Good luck with that, I originally started a separate thread about the audio problem but it was rolled in with this thread, I did request that it be separated again but that was ignored.:confused::(

I think it was the 805 and above in last year's Onkyo models that could handle 192 kHz TrueHD and DTS-MA. It's due to the fact they have more processing horsepower with three high end TI processing chips.

But, if you want the FULL resolution of a higher than 96 kHz track, you have to have the receiver or pre-amp on direct mode without any other post-processing applied.

You can actually tell the Onkyos what to do by default with different types of inputted signals.

Like if it's hit with 192 kHz sampling then you can tell it to go right to direct mode every time.

So it looks like the Canadian release date for Akira is now March 24th (according to Amazon.ca and the local specialty movie store near me). I can understand a delay of a week or two, but over a month AND 50% more expensive? That just seems cruel. :)


I'm still waiting to hear a date from my guy, sounds like it might be the same story. Amazon.com may be the best option here.

I had it pre-ordered through Amazon.ca, but decided to cancel when it didn't ship on time. I went with Amazon.com. With shipping and import taxes it will work out to be about the same as Amazon.ca and less than buying it locally in Vancouver.

I also suspect that when it does arrive at Amazon.ca in March that it will be the second pressing which does not include the slipcase and booklet as these were only available with the first pressing.

Just have to be patient now for my copy to arrive.

I had it pre-ordered through Amazon.ca, but decided to cancel when it didn't ship on time. I went with Amazon.com. With shipping and import taxes it will work out to be about the same as Amazon.ca and less than buying it locally in Vancouver.

I also suspect that when it does arrive at Amazon.ca in March that it will be the second pressing which does not include the slipcase and booklet as these were only available with the first pressing.

Just have to be patient now for my copy to arrive.

So what was the final cost to Vancouver after import taxes and all? I'm think now I might do the same thing...

I think it was the 805 and above in last year's Onkyo models that could handle 192 kHz TrueHD and DTS-MA.

Only if they're decoded to LPCM first (192kHz TrueHD won't be processed, 192kHz DTS-MA will be processed, but at 96kHz). The 806 can handle bitstreamed 24/192 tracks, but otherwise it's not as good of an amp as the 805.

Hadn't really realized what a great movie this was when I saw it 10 years ago. The LE slipcase is a nice touch.

You can add the Marantz 7002 to the list, I started the thread about the problem, which then got amalgamated with this thread.

I have emailed Panasonic Australia about the problem last Friday but not surprisingly have had no reply.

I've had a reply email from Panasonic asking for more details regarding my setup and have just had a phone call as well just wanting to run through my player settings (which were of course correct) so they are going to investigate further.
At least they are looking into it.

Only if they're decoded to LPCM first (192kHz TrueHD won't be processed, 192kHz DTS-MA will be processed, but at 96kHz). The 806 can handle bitstreamed 24/192 tracks, but otherwise it's not as good of an amp as the 805.

not even Onkyon 875 will process 192kHz DolbyTrueHD ?

Marek

not even Onkyon 875 will process 192kHz DolbyTrueHD ?

Marek

I never had the 875, but I'm guessing not. You might want to ask in the appropriate forum to make sure.

Maybe someone can answer this? For some reason, the Akira Blu ray fills up my entire screen. I get no black bars on the top or the sides. This happens on my PS3 and my BD-35, all my settings appear to be correct. I'm not complaining, I just find it unusual. Any help or advice would be appreciated.

Maybe someone can answer this? For some reason, the Akira Blu ray fills up my entire screen. I get no black bars on the top or the sides. This happens on my PS3 and my BD-35, all my settings appear to be correct. I'm not complaining, I just find it unusual. Any help or advice would be appreciated.

Two possibilities:

1. The transfer is really 1.78:1. Some studios open up the mattes a little on their 1.85:1 films. This has a negligible impact on the composition.

2. The transfer is 1.85:1, but you have enough overscan on the display that you can't see the black bars.

I think it was the 805 and above in last year's Onkyo models that could handle 192 kHz TrueHD and DTS-MA. It's due to the fact they have more processing horsepower with three high end TI processing chips.

But, if you want the FULL resolution of a higher than 96 kHz track, you have to have the receiver or pre-amp on direct mode without any other post-processing applied.

You can actually tell the Onkyos what to do by default with different types of inputted signals.

Like if it's hit with 192 kHz sampling then you can tell it to go right to direct mode every time.

Dan,

I did test DIRECT MODE, no luck here :( on my Onkyo 875 with BD30, I am quite disspointed hmm

I can play it on PS3, otherwise I will be very angry to not get full audio from HIGH END RECEIVER

Marek

Maybe someone can answer this? For some reason, the Akira Blu ray fills up my entire screen. I get no black bars on the top or the sides. This happens on my PS3 and my BD-35, all my settings appear to be correct. I'm not complaining, I just find it unusual. Any help or advice would be appreciated. overscan.

Overscan? I've never had a problem with anything like that. I think some movies aspect ratio is one that would fill your tv at home up perfectly. The anamorphic widescreen and those REALLY wide screens (The Matrix for example) are movies that would use the bars on the top n bottom.
"The Dark Knight" is another movie that fills itself in when the sceen that were shot in IMAX apear.

Having the whole screen filled never bothers me, I think it looks great! lol.
And I'll put this out there as well for those having issues with the 2 speakers only on the 192khz track. My Onkyo 705 defaulted to stereo when I first turned on the movie, then I clicked one of the surround buttons on my remote, and I got multichannel (5.1) and direct (5.1). I can't beleive theres so many folks having issues. All the decoding is done by the PS3 and MOST blu ray players. All your receiver has to do is be compatible with 192khz pcm, and be able to split it up to speakers from the PCM sent through hdmi. There's alot of receivers capable of this.

Another thing my 705 Onkyo manual said is that when receiving a bitstream of true-hd Dolby, the max is 96khz/24 bit, and not to mention my PS3 wont output bitstream via hdmi. The only thing my receiver can do with 192khz audio is receive it as PCM. So I think the folks who are having issues need to check their player's settings and switch to PCM, not bitstream.

Interesting. I have the Panasonic BD50 and a Denon 3808. I tested the opening scene last night, and bitstreaming the Japanese TrueHD track worked fine. The receiver reporting a 3/2/1 192 Khz TrueHD signal and I was hearing the full soundtrack.Concur. I have a BD35 and Denon 3808. The 3808 decodes bitstreamed 192Khz perfectly.

overscan.
More than likely. I have my set on 'Full Pixel', which is the same as Just Scan, I suppose. If I turn it off, it eliminates the borders. Not that I would want to.

So I'm over at my friend's house now with his BDP-S350 and Onkyo 705. The player is bitstreaming TrueHD and the receiver says it is getting 192kHz TrueHD 5.1. But it's only outputting 2 channels.

Is there a way to get the BDP-S350 to decode it and send it as 192kHz LPCM?

So what was the final cost to Vancouver after import taxes and all? I'm think now I might do the same thing...

The total for me was $40.50 U.S . That includes the import fee deposit and I shipped it Canada International shipping (This was not the least expensive shipping option). If I use current exchange rates which have fallen off since I ordered it, Akira comes out to $52 CAN.

I still think this is too high for any Blu-ray but it was a title that I really wanted. Besides it was still cheaper than buying it locally and I will get it alot sooner than Amazon.ca.

Cheers!

I've had a reply email from Panasonic asking for more details regarding my setup and have just had a phone call as well just wanting to run through my player settings (which were of course correct) so they are going to investigate further.
At least they are looking into it.

Well after having borrowed my copy of Akira Panasonic have tested the BD30 and found that it is correctly bitstreaming the 192/24 Japanese track. :)

I then contacted Marantz's Australian distributor regarding the capabilities of the 7002, after contacting the Marantz Product Manager in Japan, the very annoying news is that the Marantz can only decode Dolby THD at up to 96kHZ and they have no intention of releasing a FW update for it. :( :mad:

So for anyone having the same audio problem with Akira on a Panasonic BD30 you will need to look to your AVR for the answer.

Well Akira arrived today! Very nice Blu-ray. IMHO I think it looks very good. Nice colour saturation. Bandai did a great job of bringing this to Blu-ray.

I only wish my audio equipment was up to the task of the Japanese soundtrack. Oh well, I guess I will have to upgrade at soon. :D

"Blu-ray AKIRA" is the best video and sound.:D

so hard to get this one.
I let my friend have the one copy at BB, and I can't find another.
I ordered one from a seller, but I have no idea if they really have it or not.
I can't believe how hard it is to get a first pressing of this one.

so hard to get this one.
I let my friend have the one copy at BB, and I can't find another.
I ordered one from a seller, but I have no idea if they really have it or not.
I can't believe how hard it is to get a first pressing of this one.

I know what you mean. I just drove 100 miles round trip to get a first pressing at the only BB in my area that had one left.

Hi....

I was wondering if anyone here has tried this disc in combination with a PS3 and one of the Pioneer Elite receivers hooked up via HDMI. Is 192khz compatible with the Elites, specifically the VSX-84TSXi, which I own? I know when I try to configure the sound settings, 192khz is disabled for 5.1 channels and I have to manually set it to 192khz. Any input would be appreciated!!!

Hi....

I was wondering if anyone here has tried this disc in combination with a PS3 and one of the Pioneer Elite receivers hooked up via HDMI. Is 192khz compatible with the Elites, specifically the VSX-84TSXi, which I own? I know when I try to configure the sound settings, 192khz is disabled for 5.1 channels and I have to manually set it to 192khz. Any input would be appreciated!!!

I have the year older 74 elite and when I set the PS3 to auto for audio, it sends 5.1 96 khz automatically to the receiver. It down samples it from 192 to 96. If I try to force the PS3 to 192khz, weird sound effects and popping sometimes crop up. (Very rare, and it's kinda hard to explain what it sounds like...)

So at the very least, you'd be stuck with a minimum of 5.1 24 bit 96khz lossless audio.

The difference between the two is probably ridiculously small.

Regardless, your set up will work. Whether you're able to squeeze in that last .001% quality remains to be seen.

I have the year older 74 elite and when I set the PS3 to auto for audio, it sends 5.1 96 khz automatically to the receiver. It down samples it from 192 to 96. If I try to force the PS3 to 192khz, weird sound effects and popping sometimes crop up. (Very rare, and it's kinda hard to explain what it sounds like...)

So at the very least, you'd be stuck with a minimum of 5.1 24 bit 96khz lossless audio.

The difference between the two is probably ridiculously small.

Regardless, your set up will work. Whether you're able to squeeze in that last .001% quality remains to be seen.


Thanks for the input :). I actually used to have the 74 myself but upgraded to the 84 for the 1080p compatibility. I have a feeling 192khz won't work like I want it to, but I guess 96khz is fine for now.

So I'm over at my friend's house now with his BDP-S350 and Onkyo 705. The player is bitstreaming TrueHD and the receiver says it is getting 192kHz TrueHD 5.1. But it's only outputting 2 channels.

Is there a way to get the BDP-S350 to decode it and send it as 192kHz LPCM?

I am having the same problem only my AVR is an Onkyo 606. If anyone can help us resolve this it'd be appreciated.

Thanks

I am having the same problem only my AVR is an Onkyo 606. If anyone can help us resolve this it'd be appreciated.

Thanks

I just submitted a response to your query in the BDP-S350 Owner's thread. Take a look there.

Hi....

I was wondering if anyone here has tried this disc in combination with a PS3 and one of the Pioneer Elite receivers hooked up via HDMI. Is 192khz compatible with the Elites, specifically the VSX-84TSXi, which I own? I know when I try to configure the sound settings, 192khz is disabled for 5.1 channels and I have to manually set it to 192khz. Any input would be appreciated!!!

it works fine on my 91txh w/ a panny bd-35 having the receiver do the decoding

it works fine on my 91txh w/ a panny bd-35 having the receiver do the decoding

Interesting. I have the older BD30 paired with a 92TXH and I get weird decoding issues on the 192khz track. Lots of pops and static when I try to listen to it.

are you bitstreaming it to the receiver?
I'm awaiting my copy, and also have a bd-30.
I have a newer Denon receiver though so I hope I have no problems.

are you bitstreaming it to the receiver?
I'm awaiting my copy, and also have a bd-30.
I have a newer Denon receiver though so I hope I have no problems.

Yes I am. It appears that dyerjp is also bitstreaming which makes me wonder why it's working for him and not for me. The 91 and 92 have, for the most part, the same internals.

just got my Akira from amazon and the sleeve versions are ALREADY gone.
just incredible.
I have one last hope of obtaining a sleeve version.

Without reading every page, my Sony BDPS550 looks like its bitstreaming the 192khz stream to my Sony STRDA-5400ES amp no problems.

not even Onkyon 875 will process 192kHz DolbyTrueHD ?

Marek

I have the DTC-9.8 which has the same DSP section as the 875. Its like this with Akira's 24bit/192khz 5.1 TrueHD track:

bitstreamed to receiver: result is 24bit/192khz 2.0, no addt'l processing modes avail (PLIIx, Audyssey do not work)
decoded in pioneer bdp-51fd and sent pcm to receiver: result is 24bit/192khz 5.1, no addt'l processing modes avail (PLIIx, Audyssey do not work)

just got my Akira from amazon and the sleeve versions are ALREADY gone.
just incredible.
I have one last hope of obtaining a sleeve version.

Yeah I'm expecting mine from Amazon any day now. I'm sure its the second print version which means no slip cover or booklet. Amazon needs to update the photos on their website because they still show the limited edition slip cover version.

Last night I played around with some settings on my Pioneer Elite 92TXH and was able to get the 192Khz TrueHD track to play properly. The catch was the receiver had to be in "Stream Direct" mode. Any other mode would cause "noise" to come from all speakers.

While I'm glad that I finally got the soundtrack to work, Stream Direct means I lose all my MCACC settings which really do help the sound. I guess my receiver just doesn't have the processing muscle to handle the track and all the MCACC parameters.

This disk looks fantastic and I thoroughly enjoyed the 2 channel PCM track. I rented it from netflix, now it's time to buy it.

Picked up the disc last week from Amazon.I've always liked the film since I still have the tin cased DVD version in my collection. I'm running a Panasonic BD30 into a Denon 3808. I can only playback the 192khz signal in 2.0 only! Great transfer both with video and audio. Has anyone figured out a definitive answer why some players and Receivers are able to play the 192khz signal without a problem?:(

Has anyone figured out a definitive answer why some players and Receivers are able to play the 192khz signal without a problem?:(

It's a Blu-Ray disc so it's in the lap of the Gods how it plays.

Picked up the disc last week from Amazon.I've always liked the film since I still have the tin cased DVD version in my collection. I'm running a Panasonic BD30 into a Denon 3808. I can only playback the 192khz signal in 2.0 only! Great transfer both with video and audio. Has anyone figured out a definitive answer why some players and Receivers are able to play the 192khz signal without a problem?:(

I have a Samsung BDP-1500 bitstreaming to a Denon 3808. The Japanese 5.1 192khz/24-bit track plays back flawlessy, so I don't think your Denon reciever is the problem.

Well, tomorrow is the big day for Canadians that didn't order from an international online dealer. HOPEFULLY our wait is over and the big box stores have it on the shelves bright and early.

I can't wait to see if my setup can handle the 192khz/24-bit track, since I haven't seen anyone in this thread chime in with my components (Yamaha RX-V1800 receiver with Sony BDP-S350). Very curious.

Unfortunately I still don't see a listing on the Future Shop or Best Buy Canada websites, but that's not always an indicator of whether or not it'll be in-store. HMV has a listing at $39.99, the same as Amazon.ca, so hopefully that will be a local option. Fingers crossed. I know my local speciality store is getting it in stock, but they want WAY too much for it.

Unfortunately I still don't see a listing on the Future Shop or Best Buy Canada websites, but that's not always an indicator of whether or not it'll be in-store. HMV has a listing at $39.99, the same as Amazon.ca, so hopefully that will be a local option. Fingers crossed. I know my local speciality store is getting it in stock, but they want WAY too much for it.


Yeah, I can live with a $40 hit, that seems to be the going rate for Akira. Mind you, it would be nice if HMV or one of the box stores got a few of the limited sleeve versions in... that would make the $40 much less painful.

Some news on sales, for those who are interested: Anime News Network reports that Akira has sold 20,000 copies in North America alone, and estimate future sales of 30,000 more copies.

http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2009-03-24/akira-bd-sells-10k-in-Japan-20k-in-na-and-30k-more-projected

I can confirm HMV in Canada (at least here) has Akira on the shelves for $39.99.

I can confirm HMV in Canada (at least here) has Akira on the shelves for $39.99.

Which city are you in if you don't mind me asking?

Which city are you in if you don't mind me asking?


Winnipeg.

Also, I can confirm the Sony S350 can properly bitstream the Japanese 5.1 192khz/24-bit track. My Yamaha RX-V1800 is doing the decoding.

Just have to say the Japanese 192khz track sent shivers down my spine.. WOW.

What I don't understand is why the english TrueHD track is so BRUTAL?!?! The Japanese standard DD5.1 track has more detail in every channel and a much more pronounced LFE. I seriously think there is something wrong with the encoding of the english track, or they dumbed it down soooo much to highlight the japanese tracks... which would serve no purpose, since fans of the film shouldn't be punished for watching the film in either form, dubbed or not.

Anyone else that is properly decoding these tracks notice the huge difference? I think some folks might actually think the english track is being decoded to 2.0 because the rear channels are so faint you can't make out any detail. Not the case with the Japanese standard track, it's almost as fleshed out as the 192khz track.

Odd.

Some news on sales, for those who are interested: Anime News Network reports that Akira has sold 20,000 copies in North America alone, and estimate future sales of 30,000 more copies.

http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/2009-03-24/akira-bd-sells-10k-in-Japan-20k-in-na-and-30k-more-projected


Is that good? (not being sarcastic, I just have no idea what qualifies as "good sales" when it comes to Blu Ray.)

Is that good? (not being sarcastic, I just have no idea what qualifies as "good sales" when it comes to Blu Ray.)

For a pricey catalog title of an animated film made in another country over 2 decades ago, it's actually a very good showing.

I've read this entire thread and still did not get any solid answers on which receivers did the 192khz decoding correctly? On a side note: I'm thinking of getting the new Onkyo 607 and wonder if this new model has 192khz/24-bit PCM intake from my PS3?

I've read this entire thread and still did not get any solid answers on which receivers did the 192khz decoding correctly? On a side note: I'm thinking of getting the new Onkyo 607 and wonder if this new model has 192khz/24-bit PCM intake from my PS3?

Most decent receivers released after mid 2007 should do the job. I think it's folks with older BR players that are having the issues or trying to push the True HD track through a PS3, which is what you want to attempt. I don't think you'll get the results you are hoping for. I think the PS3 is a great console, but it lacks as a BR player, mainly since it lacks in the bitstream department.

But since you asked, here are some specs...

Onkyo 607

192 kHz/24-Bit DACs for All Channels,

DTS-HD Master Audio™, DTS-HD High Resolution

Audio™, DTS-HD Express, Dolby® TrueHD, Dolby®

Digital Plus, Dolby® Pro Logic® IIz Decoding

HDMI™ Version 1.3a to Support Deep Color™

x.v.Color™, LipSync, Dolby TrueHD, DTS-HD Master

Audio, DVD-Audio, Super Audio CD, and CEC

Audio and 1080p Video Processing via HDMI


So, in theory, given you would have a BR player capable of bitstreaming the 192khz track to the 607, it would work. As I said before though, I don't think you'll get the intended result with your PS3.

To stop the PS3 camp from jumping on me, I beg you to consider my comments as honest and not flaming the PS3, since I consider it a decent console. I just think Sony dropped the ball by not making it capable of bitstreaming all codecs.

I think the PS3 is a great console, but it lacks as a BR player, mainly since it lacks in the bitstream department.

And that matters because...?

http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f335/sharkcohen/1947_eating_popcorn_and_drinking_be.gif

Most decent receivers released after mid 2007 should do the job. I think it's folks with older BR players that are having the issues or trying to push the True HD track through a PS3, which is what you want to attempt. I don't think you'll get the results you are hoping for. I think the PS3 is a great console, but it lacks as a BR player, mainly since it lacks in the bitstream department.

But since you asked, here are some specs for the 607...

192 kHz/24-Bit DACs for All Channels


The DACs aren't the components that convert bitstreamed codecs to LPCM, so just because they're 192/24 doesn't mean they will accepte Akira's TrueHD when bitstreamed. I believe the 607 is fine, but older Onkyo receivers such as the x05 series will not accept it via bitstream (although they will if decoded to LPCM by the player), even though they also have 192/24 DACs.

Most decent receivers released after mid 2007 should do the job. I think it's folks with older BR players that are having the issues or trying to push the True HD track through a PS3, which is what you want to attempt. I don't think you'll get the results you are hoping for. I think the PS3 is a great console, but it lacks as a BR player, mainly since it lacks in the bitstream department.

But since you asked, here are some specs for the 607...

192 kHz/24-Bit DACs for All Channels


So, in theory, given you would have a BR player capable of bitstreaming the 192khz track to the 607, it would work. As I said before though, I don't think you'll get the intended result with your PS3.

To stop the PS3 camp from jumping on me, I beg you to consider my comments as honest and not flaming the PS3, since I consider it a decent console. I just think Sony dropped the ball by not making it capable of bitstreaming all codecs.

What you're saying is not quite correct, my Marantz 7002 also staes
192 kHz/24-Bit DACs for All Channels but still cannot decode the 192/24 audio track on Akira.
It's not the DACs that are the problem it is the main decoding chip in the receiver that is unable to cope with the track.
In the case of the Marantz's, I have it direct from the Product Manager of Marantz in Japan that none of the Marantz's will decode 192/24 and the 002 series will not be getting any FW upgrades, although no mention of the 003 series.

And that matters because...?

http://i50.photobucket.com/albums/f335/sharkcohen/1947_eating_popcorn_and_drinking_be.gif


It matters to crellion, since he wants to be able to bitstream the 192/24 track to his (possibly) new 607. But he's out of luck if he's using his PS3. It's my understanding that the PS3 downconverts the 192/24 track to a 96khz output which would rule out the need for the 607.

As for jd213 and Kazz063 I meant to highlight the name of the receiver not the DACs. It's obvious the DACs would not be decoding the signal. I'll adjust my post.

It matters to crellion, since he wants to be able to bitstream the 192/24 track to his (possibly) new 607. But he's out of luck if he's using his PS3. It's my understanding that the PS3 downconverts the 192/24 track to a 96khz output.


It doesn't.

It doesn't.

Could you clarify, "It doesn't"?

Could you clarify, "It doesn't"?

It does not downconvert 192kHz to 96kHz (unless you have it set to do so in the HDMI settings).

Could you clarify, "It doesn't"?
PS3 is able to output 192 kHz 24 bit multichannel PCM. It does not downconvert to 96 kHz (unless told to). My configuration is PS3 and Sony DA2400 A/V receiver and there were no problems with the 192 kHz PCM. Receiver reported the signal as LPCM 192 kHz.

PS3 is able to output 192 kHz 24 bit multichannel PCM. It does not downconvert to 96 kHz (unless told to). My configuration is PS3 and Sony DA2400 A/V receiver and there were no problems with the 192 kHz PCM. Receiver reported the signal as LPCM 192 kHz.


Thank you, I'm just trying to help out crellion.

I don't own a PS3, I'm only going on Sony's own specs.

So crellion really only needs a receiver that can handle 192/24 LPCM, correct?

Thank you, I'm just trying to help out crellion.

I don't own a PS3, I'm only going on Sony's own specs.

So crellion really only needs a receiver that can handle 192/24 LPCM, correct?

The Onkyo 607 should handle the decoded 192/24 LPCM decoded from the PS3 just fine. The Listening Mode may need to be set to "Direct", however.

Finally watched Akira on Blu Ray and I can't believe what a massive improvement in video quality we got. The DVD version absolutely looks like a pile of dog crap in comparison.

As for the audio I had my audio coming out of the PS3 as linear PCM and the 192KHz track would only play in stereo. I then tried outputting audio via bitstream and the 192KHz tracks started working in proper surround.
Curiously though, am I the only one hearing differences in the music between the Japanese Dolby True HD track and the other audio tracks?

Have any of you with these two units specifically been able to get the 24/192khz track to playback?:mad: My next attempt is swap players and try my BD35 from the other room to see if that will bitstream the data to the Denon to playback at 192khz in surround and not Stereo.

You have a 5.1 setup right (not 7.1?)

You have a 5.1 setup right (not 7.1?)


Yes I'm still using 5.1. It plays the 192khz in 2 channel only and I'm unable to confirm on the Receiver that it was 24/192khz. No indicator on the front panel. It just shows that a digital signal is present and HDMI is being used. I'm wondering how others are able to confirm that their Panasonic BD30 and Denon 3808 are functioning correctly with this particular disc. I never read an definitive answer inthe previous posts. I will try tomorrow when I return home to swap the 30 and the 35 to see if the newer unit does the same thing.

Still can't find this disc anywhere in Vancouver! All of the HMV locations show it as on order, but it apparently hasn't arrived anywhere. Even Amazon.ca now shows 1-3 weeks shipping time. Any Vancouverites managed to find it??

On my Onkyo 576 I have to switch the receiver to music and then to Direct mode only on music in order for it to process the 192khz track. I hope this is correct, anyone else have this receiver? I'm using my PS# sending the track as PCM. Thanks.

Still can't find this disc anywhere in Vancouver! All of the HMV locations show it as on order, but it apparently hasn't arrived anywhere. Even Amazon.ca now shows 1-3 weeks shipping time. Any Vancouverites managed to find it??

Have you tried Sakura Media? Last time I was there they had some copies of the second pressing. The price was ridiculous however :(.

If you can wait a little longer I would hold out for HMV. You may want to place an order though so that you will get one when it arrives.

PS3 & Onkyo 606 here... outputting from PS3 via PCM. I thought this combo was golden, but I too am only getting stereo output from the Japanese TruHD track.

I have just read through this thread, but am still unclear as to whether I simply cannot get this track outputted properly via the Onkyo, or whether I can, but have to adjust settings.

Thoughts please?

Wow... no 606 experts here?

Or perhaps everyone is still not sure?

Wow... no 606 experts here?

Or perhaps everyone is still not sure?

The 606 probably does not have enough processor horsepower for 5.1 channel 24 bit,192 kHz audio whether it's TrueHD or PCM or DTS-MA.

You may need to get yourself an upgraded receiver with the MIPS available to do this.

My Onkyo 805 will take at least 5.1 channel 24 bit/192 kHz PCM with no hassles. I just have to leave it on PURE so it doesn't apply any processing to it or it will knock it down to 96 kHz sampling to overlay DSP and bass management modes.

Now, all we need are processor chips and room calibration software that can handle 8 channel 24 bit, 192 kHz with no down-conversion whatsoever.

The 606 will accept and process 24/192 TrueHD tracks whether bitstreamed or when sent as PCM. It's in the manual: http://forum.blu-ray.com/showthread.php?t=47742 (top part of the post is about the 705, bottom is about the 606). The audio mode will need to be set to Direct or Pure Audio, however.

Some reported in the AVS 606 owners' thread that it won't accept 7.1 192kHz tracks though, just 5.1 ones.

Thanks for your response, Dan!

I really don't know much about this stuff, but thought I was good because according to the manual, the 606 has...

• 24-bit/192kHz D/A Converters

and supports TrueHD 192kHz - multichannel

The PS3 has to output this via PCM. Could it be that for the Onkyo to use the high res audio track, it would need to be bitstreamed rather than converted to PCM? Or should that not matter?

The 606 will accept and process 24/192 TrueHD tracks whether bitstreamed or when sent as PCM. It's in the manual: http://forum.blu-ray.com/showthread.php?t=47742 (top part of the post is about the 705, bottom is about the 606). The audio mode will need to be set to Direct or Pure Audio, however.



Whoops - somehow I missed your post, jd213!

My 606 is the American model, so it doesn't support Pure Audio mode. I'll investigate Direct. What is the default mode?

Also, I had read somewhere that Audyssey and this audio track don't work together. I turned Audyssey off, and still only got the stereo track. So - anything to that theory at all?

I have the Onkyo 705 and when I started the movie out, it played only through two channels on the Japanese TrueHD track. I pushed the "surround mode" botton and it went to multi channel and started playing the track like it was supposed to. The display confirmed it. Maybe this will help.

Whoops - somehow I missed your post, jd213!

My 606 is the American model, so it doesn't support Pure Audio mode. I'll investigate Direct. What is the default mode?


Okay, that should be fine, I think Pure Audio is basically the same as Direct, except the front panel is turned off. I believe it's the default mode for multichannel tracks, too.

What's going on is this, probably: when you hit the "surround mode" it's matrix decoding the stereo down-converted track that's allowed to come through the HDMI handshake instructions from receiver and player... and you're not getting the full 5.1 track.

If Direct or Pure won't get the 5.1 192 kHz track to work on the 606 or 705, then I'm assuming that it will not process TrueHD at such a high sampling level.

It takes more horsepower to losslessly decode, on the fly, TrueHD and DTS-MA codecs, especially at multi-channel 24/192.

I don't even think my 805 can do it... it forces the TrueHD track to be output as 192 kHz PCM via whatever Blu-ray player you have. Good thing my Pioneer 51FD has a built-in TrueHD decoder to de-compress it back into PCM!

And if you can get it to work, as soon as you apply room correction, tone control, DSP modes, etc. to the 192 kHz signal it will be downconverted to whatever sampling rate the DSP's can handle.

So, you're stuck with Pure or Direct for 192 kHz anything: PCM, TrueHD, or DTS-MA.

To reiterate what I said earlier: the x05 series of Onkyo receivers will accept 24/192 multichannel signals, but they must first be decoded to LPCM by the player and the receiver must be set to Pure Audio or Direct. This is stated on page 61 of the 605 manual.

The x06 series will accept them when sent as LPCM or bitstreamed. I believe they will have to be set to Pure Audio/Direct as well.

I just ordered the Akira Blu Ray from tower.com for $29.00 out the door since they have free S&H for orders over $25 with no sales tax since im in CA. I order most of my Blu Rays from tower this way and usually get them in about a week. I usually pay less than $20 for most BD

I recently upgraded my Blu-ray Disc player to a Pioneer BDP-51FD. The player is set to internally decode Dolby TrueHD and output it via 5.1 analog to my Denon AVR-5700 receiver.

Anyway, last night I popped in the Akira BD to check out the 192 kHz 24 bit Japanese audio track. OMFG!! I can't believe how good it sounded. I was grinning from ear to ear. Even my wife heard the difference and was quite impressed.

I can't wait to watch the rest of my movies in lossless audio!

To reiterate what I said earlier: the x05 series of Onkyo receivers will accept 24/192 multichannel signals, but they must first be decoded to LPCM by the player and the receiver must be set to Pure Audio or Direct. This is stated on page 61 of the 605 manual.

The x06 series will accept them when sent as LPCM or bitstreamed. I believe they will have to be set to Pure Audio/Direct as well.

I don't think this is true. I think there is something wrong with the way the Akira BD is authored. I have an Onkyo 805 and it plays the 192/24 5.1 program material on the 2L Divertimenti Blu-ray Audio disc without any trouble, whether it is the PCM track or the bitstreamed DTS-HD Master Audio or Dolby TrueHD tracks. This Akira disc is just a nuisance. Just to make sure, I took it out and popped in Divertimenti again, and wouldn't you know, the 192/24 5.1 TrueHD track bitsreamed without any trouble. With Akira, it keeps downsampling to Dolby 2.0. For whatever reason, Akira is messing with the handshaking, apparently.

EDIT: Check that; the DTS-HD Master Audio bitstreams properly at 192/24 5.1, the TrueHD selects the DD 5.1 track instead. It must be a player thing, because when I was using a Sony S350 with the same 805, it bitstreamed the TrueHD 192/24 5.1 without issue -- now I'm using a Panny BD80 and the BD80 has some well known issues as it is with Onkyo/Integra units -- most notably the Onkyos and Integras won't playback the surround back channels in a 7.1 PCM source from the Panasonics. Now add this inability to accept 192/24 TrueHD bitstreamed to the list. :rolleyes:

^^ I just confirmed what I said above. I popped Akira into my Momitsu BDP-899 and bitstreamed the TrueHD 192/24 5.1 soundtrack into the Onkyo 805 and it played without issue. The problem, then, is definitely between the Panasonic and the Onkyo (and possibly Integra) components when bitstreaming 192/24 TrueHD. The problem is neither one of these companies wants to admit that it is a problem with their gear, they keep pointing the finger back at each other.:rolleyes:

At least Panasonic's people have been helpful with me and my colleagues, Onkyo on the other hand...

The 805 might accept a TrueHD signal, but according to Onkyo's manual "The AV receiver/
AV amplifier does not respond to a 192 kHz TrueHD signal" so despite what happens in real life Onkyo doesn't guarantee it's actually processing it correctly. So it could be downsampling the audio or degrading it somehow in order for it to process it. DTS-MA is similarly processed at 96kHz when a 192 track is bitstreamed.

The 805 might accept a TrueHD signal, but according to Onkyo's manual "The AV receiver/
AV amplifier does not respond to a 192 kHz TrueHD signal" so despite what happens in real life Onkyo doesn't guarantee it's actually processing it correctly. So it could be downsampling the audio or degrading it somehow in order for it to process it. DTS-MA is similarly processed at 96kHz when a 192 track is bitstreamed.

Yeah, you're correct, because upon further testing (once again, I know) even with the Momitsu bitsreamning the 192/24 5.1 TrueHD program, the 805 is actually playing it, but downmixing it to only 2.0. Using the Panasonic BD80, the 805 won't even accept the TrueHD 192/24 5.1 source and forces the bitsreaming of the DD 5,1 instead. I'd have to double check what the heck it was doing exactly with the DTS-HD MA. It may be time for me to look into getting another AVR, because with the lack of proper bitstreaming support combined with the inability to playback surround back channels in a 7.1 PCM mix over HDMI from a Panasonic player, this Onkyo is starting to become a nuisance, as much as I love it otherwise. :rolleyes:

Man, I love my 805. I kinda prefer bitstreaming to decoding in the player as well (for psychological reasons perhaps), but I wouldn't give up my 805 just so I could bitstream the 192 track for Akira. I guess if you have a lot of other 192kHz Blu-rays I could see it, but all the newer Onkyos use cheaper DACs and parts, despite being able to decode 192kHz bitstreamed tracks.

Man, I love my 805. I kinda prefer bitstreaming to decoding in the player as well (for psychological reasons perhaps), but I wouldn't give up my 805 just so I could bitstream the 192 track for Akira. I guess if you have a lot of other 192kHz Blu-rays I could see it, but all the newer Onkyos use cheaper DACs and parts, despite being able to decode 192kHz bitstreamed tracks.

I love it too, but its not just the inability to bitstream 192/24 (and, yes, I have a few Blu-ray Audio-only discs from 2L that have 192/24 5.1 mixes in TrueHD, DTS-HD MA & PCM), but, as I said, the Onkyo won't playback the surround back channels in a 7.1 PCM mix from the Panasonics (BD 35/55; BD60/80) via HDMI either. I know this is rare and PCM on the whole is dwindling in use, but I still have these titles in my collection. I could go the unbelievably troublesome route of using the analogue outputs on the BD80 and running them through my Zektor 5.1 analogue mutlichannel switch (the back channels would have to go directly to the 805) and switching between HDMI and analogue whenever I watched one of these titles, but really, it's a little ridiculous at this point, don't you think?

As it stands, I believe I have 4 movie titles with 7.1 PCM mixes in my collection, if I recall correctly -- 3:10 to Yuma, Ghost in the Shell: Innocence [JP], Weeds: Season 1 (or is it Season 2?) and The Decent. I have no way of getting the back channels to playback from those discs unless I use the analogue outs. :(

Like another poster said, the PS3 combo with the Sony Str-DA2400ES works flawlessly. The PS3 does the decoding and sends out the signal via 5.1 LPCM. The Receiver receives it and sends it to the 5 speakers and the woofer. On the Receiver it says LPCM followed by [192].

Like another poster said, the PS3 combo with the Sony Str-DA2400ES works flawlessly. The PS3 does the decoding and sends out the signal via 5.1 LPCM. The Receiver receives it and sends it to the 5 speakers and the woofer. On the Receiver it says LPCM followed by [192].

The Panasonic BD80 and Onkyo 805 combination works flawlessly for me as well, as long as I set the BD80 to decode the TrueHD into PCM instead of having it bitstream.

PS3 converted the 192kHz to LPCM sending to Onkyo 705 works! Wow that track is amazing.

i'm having a weird situation. i started watching it and switched between the two truehd tracks to see the 192 difference. i feel it, it's great but there's one weird thing happening. the japanese track seems to have no bass for me. i switch over to the english track and there's a lot of low frequency in there and when i switch back to the japanese, none at all. none.

i'm outputting pcm from ps3 to an onkyo HT-R667 in "direct" mode for the 192khz, which works fine, just no lfe. puzzled here.

i'm having a weird situation. i started watching it and switched between the two truehd tracks to see the 192 difference. i feel it, it's great but there's one weird thing happening. the japanese track seems to have no bass for me. i switch over to the english track and there's a lot of low frequency in there and when i switch back to the japanese, none at all. none.

i'm outputting pcm from ps3 to an onkyo HT-R667 in "direct" mode for the 192khz, which works fine, just no lfe. puzzled here.

Well, the Direct mode isn't doing any bass management. If your front and surround speakers don't go low enough, you're not hearing the bass in those channels because the speakers can't reproduce it. Maybe on the lower-bitrate English track, you're hearing more bass, because in that case the bass from the non-LFE channels is being routed to the sub.

Well, the Direct mode isn't doing any bass management. If your front and surround speakers don't go low enough, you're not hearing the bass in those channels because the speakers can't reproduce it. Maybe on the lower-bitrate English track, you're hearing more bass, because in that case the bass from the non-LFE channels is being routed to the sub.

i think you're right. the english track switches to dolby plIIx mode automatically while the japanese track automatically goes to direct mode (i'm guessing the avr can't matrix the 192khz track). i'll think "multichannel" is the other mode that's available and i know it doesn't just send it raw so i will try that. thank you.

edit: yeah it's direct mode alright. apparently it gets rid of all calibration, equalization, bass management, everything for a "pure" experience. i'll try the other mode and report back but i assume it'll be "much better!"

sigh, i dunno what it is but for the japanese 192khz truehd track i can only use Multichannel, Stereo or Direct modes and the bass just doesn't sound as good as when i switch to the english truehd track. i suppose i'll live with it, seems to be a hardware limitation i guess, judging from the other posts i've read regarding onkyo processing and direct mode. just no word on their bass experiences.

sigh, i dunno what it is but for the japanese 192khz truehd track i can only use Multichannel, Stereo or Direct modes and the bass just doesn't sound as good as when i switch to the english truehd track. i suppose i'll live with it, seems to be a hardware limitation i guess, judging from the other posts i've read regarding onkyo processing and direct mode. just no word on their bass experiences.

Even with the other modes available, it may just be that the receiver can't apply certain processing to that high of a bitrate with TrueHD. It has to unpack the audio and process a very high bitrate, and that's a lot for it to do. According to the manual, my 605 won't even play a 192khz TrueHD track, and 96khz will only allow tone control adjustment. Have you checked your manual to see about this?

the onkyo ht-r667 that i have is almost identical to the 606 model. from what i've read in the manual it's capable of handling pcm and truehd 192khz fine but downsamples dtshdma 192khz to 96khz (not sure why). since the ps3 is doing the decoding it's going to the receiver as pcm. it takes it in fine it just doesn't do any post processing, not even audyssey is enabled.

tried unchecking the 192khz pcm option in the sound settings for the ps3, it sounded better but not great. realized it was matrixing but audyssey was off. turned off 96khz pcm and everything sounded perfect. it seems like it the ps3 downsamples it to 48khz now but it's a hell of a lot better than the english truehd track and much better than having no lfe. i appreciate your help sirdrexl too. hopefully this can be a good source for others who may be experiencing similar troubles with the same hardware.

I just picked up the PS3 Slim last week and I've noticed that the Slim will not bitstream the Japanese TrueHD track to my Denon 4308. It will only bitstream the track in 2-ch. It will however decode the track internally and transmit it in LPCM. I have owned other stand-alone players and they all bitstream the track perfectly so I know it's not my receiver. I know there is a bitstream issue with the Slim and some Pioneer receivers but my receiver is not affected by that. I guess it's not that big of a deal since I can get the full 5.1 audio through LPCM but it would be nice if everything worked.

It's very possible that the receiver and the Sony HDMI metadata they're sharing back and forth is correct.

Very, very few DSP chips in current A/V processors are supplied with enough free MIPS horsepower to handle internally decoding DTS-MA and DolbyTrueHD multi-channel tracks at 192 kHz, along with Audyssey, and other DSP modes, etc., etc.

Either they will completely choke and instead force the conversion of the track to 5.1 PCM 192 kHz in the player, down-convert it to two channel playback, or convert the 192 kHz sampling to 96 kHz or lower so the DSP can accept it and apply time delay, DSP modes like PL IIx, Audyssey calibration codes, bass management, etc. over the top of the original signal.

My Onkyo receiver specifically states in the manual that it will only accept DTS-MA or Dolby TrueHD tracks at 192 kHz as PCM signals. And then it will convert 192 kHz to 96 kHz sampling unless I put the receiver into Pure Mode, which deletes all bass management and the like from the pathway. Heck, going from memory I think I have to put it in Pure Mode for DTS-MA and Dolby TrueHD at 96 kHz sampling as well.

The Sony may be acting correctly from instructions via the Denon for the first time.

I just picked up the PS3 Slim last week and I've noticed that the Slim will not bitstream the Japanese TrueHD track to my Denon 4308. It will only bitstream the track in 2-ch. It will however decode the track internally and transmit it in LPCM. I have owned other stand-alone players and they all bitstream the track perfectly so I know it's not my receiver. I know there is a bitstream issue with the Slim and some Pioneer receivers but my receiver is not affected by that. I guess it's not that big of a deal since I can get the full 5.1 audio through LPCM but it would be nice if everything worked.

Unless there's been a change with the new Slim, the ps3 does not bitstream the high def codecs. It doesn't matter which device does the decoding, anyway.

Unless there's been a change with the new Slim, the ps3 does not bitstream the high def codecs. It doesn't matter which device does the decoding, anyway.

Actually there has been a change, and it does pass them as bitstreams.

What's odd is that I can bitstream the full 192kHz signal using my other players but not with the Slim. So I know the receiver can handle the source. I'll try to turn off the Audyssey and see if that makes a difference.

Just wondering, how does the full bitrate dts track from the US DVD release stack up to the Dolby True HD track on this Blu? Has anybody done some comparisons?

It just got released in Australia the other day, am tempted but unsure if I should upgrade my expensive USA DVD (cost me about about $45AUD+ to import back in the day).

Never mind the audio, the PQ is worth the upgrade alone.

Ok, but it is the audio I am interested in, hence my question...

It's been a while since I last listened to the DTS version of the DVD, but technical tests aside, the Japanese TrueHD track on the Blu-ray blows it out of the water. Assuming you have the right equipment to listen to it, the Japanese TrueHD track has nuances, details, and an overall ambience missing from the DTS DVD. The mix is essentially the same as the DTS DVD (at least to my recollection), but has much more going for it.

Take the plunge. If you have the equipment to meet the specs on the Japanese TrueHD track, you won't regret getting the Blu-ray.

The movie's soundtrack was completely remastered for the TrueHD option on the Blu-ray. The DTS DVD is the older mastering.

Oh I see, thanks for that :)

On my Onkyo 576 I have to switch the receiver to music and then to Direct mode only on music in order for it to process the 192khz track. I hope this is correct, anyone else have this receiver? I'm using my PS# sending the track as PCM. Thanks.

I've revisited this thread after just having another attempt to make my Onkyo 606 give me a multichannel output from my PS3 rather than just stereo on the TrueHD track.

What I seem to have not got the handle on before is what you're onto with your machine - if you select MUSIC mode (it doesn't seem to matter what the source is - you can use any listening mode for anything, it seems) and then DIRECT, its seems to handle anything.

Is there any reason not to simply leave the 606 on these setting permanently? I've never touched the listening modes settings before.

Man, I bought the disc, and the audio is insane!! PQ pretty nice too actually, looks better in motion than just the screencaps...

Interesting. I have the Panasonic BD50 and a Denon 3808. I tested the opening scene last night, and bitstreaming the Japanese TrueHD track worked fine. The receiver reported a 3/2/1 192 Khz TrueHD signal and I was hearing the full soundtrack.


Sorry to bring up an old topic, but did you, like others who have reported, have to set your receiver to Direct/Pure mode for it to work??

Sorry to bring up an old topic, but did you, like others who have reported, have to set your receiver to Direct/Pure mode for it to work??

I have a Denon 4308 and it is just set to Auto. I think the Direct/Pure setting is needed on Onkyo models.

Sorry to bring up an old topic, but did you, like others who have reported, have to set your receiver to Direct/Pure mode for it to work??

No, I think that's only a problem with Onkyo receivers.

I have a Denon 4308 and it is just set to Auto.

What is the Auto mode?? Does it let you do bass management?? Are you able to do engage PLIIX and still be able to get full 192/24 from all six(eight) channels??


No, I think that's only a problem with Onkyo receivers.


I wonder if any of the Yamaha or Harmon Kardon receivers have any issue in this regard.

By the way Josh, are you also, able to apply PLIIX and get all six(eight) channels in 192/24???

I wonder if any of the Yamaha or Harmon Kardon receivers have any issue in this regard.

While I can't speak for H/K receivers, my Yamaha RX-V661 does have a Pure Direct mode, but I've never needed to use it for anything. Being an HDMI 1.2a receiver, it doesn't have Dolby TrueHD or DTS-HD decoders, but when it plays a Blu-ray with either of those codecs it defaults to pure PCM output. (I let the Blu-ray player do most of the decoding work.) It also has dedicated 192kHz/24-bit processing on all channels, so I'm able to get the most out of my copy of the Akira Blu-ray.

I've never needed to bother with Pure Direct or any other soundfield settings, so I can't speak about applying other decoders to a source. I certainly have had no issues with this receiver's performance, in regards to automatic processing.

By the way Josh, are you also, able to apply PLIIX and get all six(eight) channels in 192/24???

Yes, seems to be working fine.

This movie looks awful for what the box art suggest is a "Newly REMASTERED for 1080p HD Blu-ray"... looks almost as bad as Ghost in the Shell.

Who cares about the audio when the image on the screen looks so mediocre.

IMO, it looks like an average DVD fed through a very good scaler (like the Toshiba XA2).

So dissapointed in this Blu-ray. :(

This movie looks awful for what the box art suggest is a "Newly REMASTERED for 1080p HD Blu-ray"... looks almost as bad as Ghost in the Shell.

Who cares about the audio when the image on the screen looks so mediocre.

IMO, it looks like an average DVD fed through a very good scaler (like the Toshiba XA2).

So dissapointed in this Blu-ray. :(

You clearly never saw any of the DVD editions of this movie. The Blu-ray is a massive upgrade.

The colours and the outlines in the Anime on this Blu-Ray disc are streets ahead of what DVD can reproduce. The film could never look better than here on this Blu-Ray surely, it is due to lack of detail in the original animation that it didn't impress you.

Same disc,same Blu Ray player, Panasonic BD30 but changed processor units from a Denon 3808 to Classe SSP-800 and voila! Strange that the Denon would only playback the Tru HD track in 2 channel but at 192khz! On the Classe's OCD it now it reads 3/2/1/ Tru HD@192khz. The mix @192khz is definitely even more enveloping than the standard Tru HD 48khz mix. Imagine that!

Sorry for the bump, but having some issues with my copy.

I have the newest model PS3 (320gb move bundle) plugged into my Onkyo HT-R980 receiver (came with the HT-S9300thx) and this is plugged into my LG 42LE5400. All components plugged in using HDMI cables from Audioquest, the Cinnamon series. The manual to the receiver says it can handle multichannel linear PCM up to 7.1ch 32-192kHz, 16/20/24 bit. Also can bitstream DSD, Dolby Digital, DD+, Dolby TrueHD, DTS, DTS-HD HR, DTS-HD MA. Basically it can handle it all.

The problem is my receiver handles trueHD from any other movie, but any time I try and play Akira, the 3 audio modes that are dolby, all play in dolby digital 48kHz 640kbps. Neither of the two trueHD tracks are being output from my ps3 in either bitstream or LPCM.

Anyone have this similar problem? Is the Receiver I have able to handle it?
Any help would be greatly appreciated.

This movie looks awful for what the box art suggest is a "Newly REMASTERED for 1080p HD Blu-ray"... looks almost as bad as Ghost in the Shell.

Who cares about the audio when the image on the screen looks so mediocre.

IMO, it looks like an average DVD fed through a very good scaler (like the Toshiba XA2).

So dissapointed in this Blu-ray. :(

THIS is CRAZY talk. Nuff said.

THIS is CRAZY talk. Nuff said.

Agreed. Especially since this is one of the few films to have a 5.1 192khz 24bit audio track. With the right equipment this movie sounds spectacular. And the video is great as well (no unnecessary DNR).