Air DVDs

[Varion]

Surprising how little information you can find on these...

So, two questions, what extras came with the LE versions (apart from the packaging itself) and more importantly what was wrong with the encoding? I seem to hear a lot of people commenting on this but never in any kind of specific detail. Was it really that bad? And if so why on earth did they release 6 DVDs with the same problem o.o

Thanks.

[Shiroth]

Heh, i had a feeling you were gonna make a thread on this.

I've been wondering the same kind of thing myself. I going to star to collect Air on DVD - yes i know about the blue-ray disc's that shall be out later this year, but i just can't wait untill then.

[Asirt]

So, two questions, what extras came with the LE versions (apart from the packaging itself) and more importantly what was wrong with the encoding? I seem to hear a lot of people commenting on this but never in any kind of specific detail. Was it really that bad? And if so why on earth did they release 6 DVDs with the same problem o.o

Besides the packaging, you get a bonus postcard and the disc is picture labeled. To my knowledge, I don't think there's any difference between the standard and limited editions in terms of extra features. In the limited edition DVDs that I currently have, the only special feature is audio commentaries. AIR IN SUMMER is similar, except it has the textless OP/ED as well as the usual commentaries.

In the MEMORIES DVD (the one that contains the recap episode), it comes with an AIR band to put all your DVDs together. There's also special features such as audio commentary, commericials, interviews, and a textless ending for episode 13.

Basically, the encoding wasn't really that great when compared to other series and movie. AIR: The Motion Picture was a lot better on the encoding than the TV series. There seems to be some grainy artifacts on some of the scenes, especially the opening theme. Pony Canyon, the company who was responsible for the encoding has a reputation of having less than average encodes on DVDs.

If you want more details, I suggest looking at this web site for images and general info.

[Shiroth]

Thanks a lot for the information and link Asirt, now i can start my Air collection~

[relentlessflame]

As a comment/observation, I would just add that I found the complaints (on other forums and such) about the compression to be a bit overblown. Obviously, it's good to hope for better (and I'm hoping the Blu-Ray version will deliver in that regard), but I wouldn't say it's worth skipping the release over. Yes, some frames look terrible in stills, but I should hope that you're not watching it as stills. It's at best a minor distraction for a fraction of a second in a few high-motion places (like certain parts of the OP), and only if you have a decent-enough TV/display. That's just my opinion, anyway.

Other than that, I would just add that the LE DVD packaging looks really impressive (at least, in my opinion). There's no artbox, but it's almost no loss since each case looks so nice. I wish I had figured out how to get the send-in offer while it was still valid, but there's nothing I can do about that anymore.

[Varion]

Thanks for the help you two I still think I'll probably hold out for the Blurays because of the limited availabilities and the fact I'd rather buy one release than two. The LE packaging DOES look gorgeous though, especially Volume 4's. I suppose considering Air's picture quality people're just expecting perfection more than usual.

[*Root_316*]

wow thanks alot!!! im gonna start my air collection now