Ghost in the Shell: Stand Alone Complex Complete Series Collection - Blu-ray

Good series very good

I also own the DVD versions of SAC 1st and 2nd gig and expected an upgrade in picture and sound quality for the Blu-Ray. First of all the facts:DVD picture: Between 5 to 8 Mbit/s, sound: DD 5.1 448 kb/sBlu-Ray picture: Between 10 to over 40 Mbit/s peak, sound: DTS-HD MA English between 3 to 5 Mbits/s, Japanese between 2 to 4,5 Mbits/sSomehow, the prerequisites for having a better picture quality seems to be on the Blu-Ray. But...My testing environment: PC running Win10 and PowerDVD18, connected to a Samsung 4k UHD UE850 screen.My visual impression.The DVD shows much more artifacts in this environment. Jaggies on lines, not so sharp areas, unsteady frame rate. The Blu-Ray has a very steady frame rate, no jaggies but the picture looks very soft. The DVD has a sharper, crisper image at least in most scenes.Sound is really no comparison. The soundtrack of the DVD sounds dull and thin whereas the Blu-Ray's lossless soundtrack is clear, crisp and has a lot of bass, the DVD has not. Explosions sound like explosion on the Blu-RaySome of the differences in picture quality may be due to the upscaling process from SD to UHD. I don't know.But for me it was worth the upgrade regarding the sound quality alone. The picture could be better, I think judging from e.g. the difference between the DVD version of 'Origin' and the Blu-Ray.So be warned that the improvement in picture quality of the Blu-Ray is not this much, compared to DVD.Because this is - IMO - an outstanding anime, if not the best anime series of all - due to the depth and excellent story telling, I give it a full five stars review.

To briefly summarise the series, it's an existential-political-science fiction-action-thriller. Some may find it too slow paced at times (more so the first season), but most would be surprised at the depth and sophistication of the writing. At times can be so detailed and complex that it's difficult to comprehend, but it's almost always worth the mental effort to do so, as the concepts explored are truly mind blowing at times. One thing is for sure, even when viewing with the English dub, it demands your full attention at all times! For the record, I strongly recommend the dub. The voice cast is consistently exceptional.The quality of both the sound and video in this set (Blu-Ray series 1 & 2) is also excellent, in fact for me it leaves nothing to be desired. I own the equivalent DVD set and this represents a significant improvement, though I don't expect any future release on any new format could better what's on offer here.There has been some rumours of a third chapter being in the works for this series, so if you are the kind of person that would be upset to not have the full set, then be aware, otherwise whether you are a fan of Ghost in the Shell or not, I highly recommend this set.

Definite upgrade in picture and sound quality from the DVD but the reason to get this is its one of the best anime series of all time IMO.Superbly written with top notch animation, this is a must buy for any anime fan, for the uninitiated this a cyberpunk procedural cop show with a cast of excellent characters. This show captures the spirit of Masamune Shirows masterpiece brilliantly and is a worthy continuation of the series.

This was a gift. Amazon promptly replaced the first damaged copy so very satisfied with that service. The recipient was delighted to get the replacement.

I found this Blue Ray to be a decent upgrade from the DVD sets. The set is the 2 seasons of one of the best anime series ever made. The show has such rich story lines that it really is a joy to watch. I recommend this set to anyone who likes a thinking person's science fiction.I found the color and the overall picture of a higher quality on Blue Ray.

Very good series to watch.

A great Series with timeless animation and characters.