Blu-Ray BRRip & BDRip - Two New XviD Formats

Over the past month, you may have noticed two new HD (XviD) formats while browsing your favorite torrent tracker. While Blu-Ray BRRips and BDRips have been around for quite some time (in x264 / *.mkv container), only recently have scene groups been releasing them as XviD *.avi files

But what makes this remarkable is that they’re compatible with standalone home DVD players (with DivX/XviD support), XBOX 360, PS3, and other external peripherals. These BRRip XviD and BDRip XviD files allow anyone to burn HD-quality Blu-Ray ripped movies on regular DVD media, and playback on most conventional DVD players - without the headaches of re-encoding or DVD authoring. There’s just one catch - you’ll likely need an HDTV to take full advantage of the superior video quality.


BRRip = An XviD encode from a Blu-Ray release (i.e. a 1080p *.mkv file).

BDRip = An XviD encode directly from a source Blu-Ray disk.

NOTE: While both BRRips and BDRips are superior to DVDRips, they are normally released in 720p resolution, since standalone DivX (*.avi) players do not support anything higher than this anyways. They should not be confused with genuine Blu-Ray rips in 1080p, which are usually done in native Blu-Ray files, or as H.264 *.mkv files.


BRRip vs. BDRip: Which is Best?
Technically there shouldn’t be much of a difference between the two - with one exception: Since BRRips are taken directly from a release that has already been ripped from a Blu-Ray disk (so it’s not a direct source), if there was a problem with the original .mkv, such as bad AR (aspect ratio) then it’ll be transferred to the BRRip, as well. True BDRips come straight from a Blu-Ray disk, which eliminates any problem with a middleman. However, this is somewhat of a moot point - the person/group responsible for the rip is seemingly more important to the end-product quality.

BDRip / BRRip ‘Release Groups’
There are currently only a handful of release groups who are putting out BRRips and BDRips in XviD format. Since this is a brand-new (and popular) format, look for many more to emerge. Currently, they are:

• PRoDJi (highly recommended)
• D-ZON3 (also highly recommended rips - files are smaller and picture is better, without sacrificing audio, which is still @ 448 kb/s 6 chnls AC3).
• FLAWL3SS (at this time, not recommended - quality is comparable to DVDRips).
Below is a comparison of screenshots from both D-ZON3 and FLAWL3SS BRRip releases. If you look closely you’ll notice the difference in detail, especially in the background. The top image from D-ZON3’s release is crisper and clearer:




BDRip / BRRip vs DVD5 / DVD9
The standard retail DVD uses a resolution of 720×480 (NTSC) or 720×576 (PAL), but you will see that Blu-Ray rips (in these XviD *.avi files, and otherwise) offer better video quality than DVD5 or DVD9 disks, even on an HDTV. This is because the source for BRRips and BDRips (obviously being a Blu-Ray disk), is in full 1080p resolution. When done correctly by employing the proper filtering techniques, much of the HQ detail can be retained even in a smaller resolution.

Below is a comparison of screenshots from D-ZON3’s BRRip and DEViSE’s DVDRip (x264):





Searching For BDRip / BRRip on Public & Private Trackers
Aside from conducting searches using the above release group names, simply use the keywords "BRRip XviD" and "BDRip XviD" - both will adequately filter the results. Unfortunately, most public trackers don’t (yet) have many titles to offer; or, in the case of mininova almost all of the results are from private trackers.

Private trackers have a few more titles to offer, and pickings are still slim; mostly just for popular mainstream movie releases. Look for these stats to increase dramatically in the upcoming months.

Troubleshooting
• Computer Codecs — One rather large complaint from users who download these files is that these B*Rips seem to be playing at a similar quality comparable to regular XviD DVDRips. While many factors come to play here (the quality of the source; the person ripping it; the software used), the most likely culprit is improper codecs. Try downloading the latest CCCP codec pack; and/or use the VLC Media Player for playback.

• Audio — Is the audio unsynced during playback on your PC? Again, likely just a codec issue. Install the above codec pack, or use VLC.

• XBOX 360 — If you’re experiencing lagging after a few minutes of playback, try disabling ‘video caching’ in your XBMC system menu, or simply alter the settings and try again. Also, you may need to upgrade the firmware.

• DVD Playback — Again, you’ll need a DivX compatible player - look for the symbol on the DVD unit:

• Burning to DVD — Burn the BRRip & BDRip *.avi files using the "Data" burning option.

hope this helps.

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