November 19, 2008 by sharky
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.
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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. Here are current statistics for private sites that offer both BRRips and BDRips in XviD format:
| Tracker: | # of BRRips: | # of BDRips: |
| RevoTT | 28 | 3 |
| TL | 53 | 13 |
| Demonoid | 5 | 1 |
| TTi.nu | 5 | 2 |
| FunFile | 8 | 2 |
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.
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