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NEWS: Naruto.com, Crunchyroll, Hulu Begin Shippūden Streams

This free service thing is a bit deceiving. You only really get to see EXACTLY what the Japanese viewers see if you pay, because if you don't you can't see it in 480p as they do, you see a lesser product of lower quality. So it's fine for a pay service, but it's far from the equivalent of seeing it just as the Japanese people do for free. Also, even though you choose "H264" in the viewing options, you're not seeing the video encoded in H264, you're seeing a flash format video encoded from an H264 source, which will ALWAYS be lower quality, having gone through the extra conversion. Not to mention the fact that on a lightning-fast internet connection and a monster machine, the softsubs are still badly out of sync and look horrible.

It would be more cost-effective to buy the DVD's rather than to pay for a membership on Crunchyroll to be able to watch the videos in full 480p (as they are broadcast in Japan) as many times as you want, while owning a copy. With this service, sure, pay ~$60 to watch all you want for about a year, but in the end, you don't have a copy to watch again a few years into the future should you want to relive the experience (this goes for any show on Crunchyroll). Basically, you have nothing but your memories of the show, which will of course, eventually fade. In that regard, it's a total no-brainer to just buy the DVD's.

Unfortunately, for me, I won't buy the DVD's for this show, because I find most fansubs to produce a higher quality product than a "slap-and-go" operation like, say, Unfunimation.

Fansubs are still here to stay, and it'll be a heck of a long time before their quality can be matched by official vendors. I pray the day comes, but I just don't see it happening soon.

I know this place is full of dub-whores, so I bet I'll get flamed due to tl;dr and assumptions about myself that probably aren't true. You know, the usual stuff.

Brass2TheMax wrote:

This free service thing is a bit deceiving. You only really get to see EXACTLY what the Japanese viewers see if you pay, because if you don't you can't see it in 480p as they do, you see a lesser product of lower quality. So it's fine for a pay service, but it's far from the equivalent of seeing it just as the Japanese people do for free. Also, even though you choose "H264" in the viewing options, you're not seeing the video encoded in H264, you're seeing a flash format video encoded from an H264 source, which will ALWAYS be lower quality, having gone through the extra conversion. Not to mention the fact that on a lightning-fast internet connection and a monster machine, the softsubs are still badly out of sync and look horrible. It would be more cost-effective to buy the DVD's rather than to pay for a membership on Crunchyroll to be able to watch the videos in full 480p (as they are broadcast in Japan) as many times as you want, while owning a copy. With this service, sure, pay ~$60 to watch all you want for about a year, but in the end, you don't have a copy to watch again a few years into the future should you want to relive the experience (this goes for any show on Crunchyroll). Basically, you have nothing but your memories of the show, which will of course, eventually fade. In that regard, it's a total no-brainer to just buy the DVD's. Unfortunately, for me, I won't buy the DVD's for this show, because I find most fansubs to produce a higher quality product than a "slap-and-go" operation like, say, Unfunimation. Fansubs are still here to stay, and it'll be a heck of a long time before their quality can be matched by official vendors. I pray the day comes, but I just don't see it happening soon. I know this place is full of dub-whores, so I bet I'll get flamed due to tl;dr and assumptions about myself that probably aren't true. You know, the usual stuff.

I couldn't agree more. In fact, I am getting a little sick of the morality police posting in all these threads lecturing us about how we need to pay the Japanese for this content. Pay who? Studio Pierrot? TV Tokyo? Shueisha? I don't and I won't pay them a dime because I know that the advertising from the initial broadcast pays for all costs of production x 20. A 30-second spot during TV Tokyo prime time costs a small fortune.

I couldn't agree more. In fact, I am getting a little sick of the morality police posting in all these threads lecturing us about how we need to pay the Japanese for this content. Pay who? Studio Pierrot? TV Tokyo? Shueisha? I don't and I won't pay them a dime because I know that the advertising from the initial broadcast pays for all costs of production x 20. A 30-second spot during TV Tokyo prime time costs a small fortune.

Since fansubs have been around a long time. People are used to fansub's quality and translation. That is the standards many people are basing Crunchyroll quality and subtitles to those of fansubs. This is a starting point that the Japanese companies need to improve and improve fast. Otherwise their sole purpose of partnering with Crunchyroll is meaningless. People will prefer to watch fansub over theirs.

There are a lot of different types of anime fan in the fandom so everyone have their own ideas as to what is perfect quality and transalation. Plus, the people who like watching dub in the Japanese sense or Americanized version.

Unless the Japanese release 4 types of subtitles translation which will satisfied 4 different groups of people, people will never be happy.

(1) wants the karaoke opening and ending song, the Japanese translation with honorifics, and footnotes
(2) wants translation of the opening and ending songs, with Japanese translation to be accurate as possible
(3) opening and ending songs not necessary be translated, the Japanese translation to be accurate as possible
(4) opening and ending songs to be Americanized, and localized the translation

The video quality to be top notch.

It's hard to please the fandom.

This is my observation of the fandom. Sorry if I forgot anyone. No need to take it personally.

sdhd wrote:

Since fansubs have been around a long time. People are used to fansub's quality and translation. That is the standards many people are basing Crunchyroll quality and subtitles to those of fansubs. This is a starting point that the Japanese companies need to improve and improve fast. Otherwise their sole purpose of partnering with Crunchyroll is meaningless. People will prefer to watch fansub over theirs. There are a lot of different types of anime fan in the fandom so everyone have their own ideas as to what is perfect quality and transalation. Plus, the people who like watching dub in the Japanese sense or Americanized version. Unless the Japanese release 4 types of subtitles translation which will satisfied 4 different groups of people, people will never be happy. (1) wants the karaoke opening and ending song, the Japanese translation with honorifics, and footnotes (2) wants translation of the opening and ending songs, with Japanese translation to be accurate as possible (3) opening and ending songs not necessary be translated, the Japanese translation to be accurate as possible (4) opening and ending songs to be Americanized, and localized the translation The video quality to be top notch. It's hard to please the fandom. This is my observation of the fandom. Sorry if I forgot anyone. No need to take it personally.

Well, I support both CR (even though I think there are issues) and fansubs so I don't think they're mutually exclusive But the fact that they're using real softsubs (rather than a very limited format like dvd vobsubs) would allow for that flexibility. Although I think the main rationale is to allow effecient translations and subtitle delivery for other languages which they plan to expand on. But that flexibility would allow them to offer a v2 release for example of a version with translated signs "in-place" (next to the actual sign on screen) if there was demand for it. They could also offer an extra subtitle track that could contain extra notes as another example.

It's actually an industry-first as far as I know and it seems like they're also using the same methods used in fansubbing.. the whole { comments } bug reminds me of VLC.. which I hope they're not using

Given CR's removal of user content and some people's screams here to do the same on youtube and veoh, I find the recent news of Kadokawa's revenue from user-uploaded content on youtube pretty ironic. Maybe CR could do the same where they can strike a deal with the studios themselves if possible (bypassing large capital entities like d-rights and MFI) to allow user content and have a major portion of the ad revenue be funneled back to the studios.

A typical fansub group of rag-tag people using their own spare time (without being paid to do so) can put in a days work and churn out a really high quality product. Then why can't a service like Crunchyroll whose existence is pretty much now dedicated to such a similar service keep up with the competition? Someone made an example referring to how digi-subs used to be way back when as an example of how this service is new and has room to evolve. NOT SO. The technologies used by CR to churn out this product has been around for years now, there is really no excuse not to be able to competently match exactly what we have with fansubs right now. If there is any limitation present, it's that fact that they play their videos through a flash player, and you don't have (legal) access to the physical files for download.

The day I start getting my anime from sites like Crunchyroll is the day that they start releasing episodes for download via BitTorrent, encoded in H264 at the native airing resolution with AAC or Vorbis audio, with softsub tracks. I'll accept nothing less, when it comes to my anime viewing experience, this is my minimum expectation (higher expectations would include Blu-Ray releases). I won't consider a streaming solution at all.

Besides, if I pay for the service and get closer that what I'd like to see, in a few years time, CR might not even exist anymore for all we know, and the content I payed to see will be gone forever. Literally, cash disappears into thin air. At least if I buy DVD's I have something tangible years down the road. That's much more valuable to me. At worst, I can at least archive fansubs for future viewing.

Brass2TheMax wrote:

A typical fansub group of rag-tag people using their own spare time (without being paid to do so) can put in a days work and churn out a really high quality product. Then why can't a service like Crunchyroll whose existence is pretty much now dedicated to such a similar service keep up with the competition? Someone made an example referring to how digi-subs used to be way back when as an example of how this service is new and has room to evolve. NOT SO. The technologies used by CR to churn out this product has been around for years now, there is really no excuse not to be able to competently match exactly what we have with fansubs right now. If there is any limitation present, it's that fact that they play their videos through a flash player, and you don't have (legal) access to the physical files for download. The day I start getting my anime from sites like Crunchyroll is the day that they start releasing episodes for download via BitTorrent, encoded in H264 at the native airing resolution with AAC or Vorbis audio, with softsub tracks. I'll accept nothing less, when it comes to my anime viewing experience, this is my minimum expectation (higher expectations would include Blu-Ray releases). I won't consider a streaming solution at all. Besides, if I pay for the service and get closer that what I'd like to see, in a few years time, CR might not even exist anymore for all we know, and the content I payed to see will be gone forever. Literally, cash disappears into thin air. At least if I buy DVD's I have something tangible years down the road. That's much more valuable to me. At worst, I can at least archive fansubs for future viewing.

You realize that even the Japanese don't get that. Digital broadcasts are interlaced mpeg2 files that are digitally encrypted and cannot be legally copied in full HD quality except to a single blu-ray (which is then not copyable).
The transport streams (which you seem to think you deserve) are illegal to obtain unencrypted.

You realize that even the Japanese don't get that. Digital broadcasts are interlaced mpeg2 files that are digitally encrypted and cannot be legally copied in full HD quality except to a single blu-ray (which is then not copyable).
The transport streams (which you seem to think you deserve) are illegal to obtain unencrypted.

When they say user-uploaded content for Kadokawa, they mean MAD videos, fan creations based on existing material (Gender-changed Haruhi), AMVs and the like. They do not mean the uploading of full episodes which are what most people are calling to be removed (and was 99% of CR's content). Most places would probably would love to have this kind of material too but not all studios agree about this and, as Kadokawa discovered, there are many pitfalls and issues that pop up.

samuelp wrote:

You realize that even the Japanese don't get that. Digital broadcasts are interlaced mpeg2 files that are digitally encrypted and cannot be legally copied in full HD quality except to a single blu-ray (which is then not copyable). The transport streams (which you seem to think you deserve) are illegal to obtain unencrypted.

For all channels or just the cable/premium ones? In the US, OTA HD signals are still fine. As far as legality goes..... well, all I have to say is that legality != ethics