FAQ

Most questions can be answered by our about page but some additional questions will be answered here.

Skip to section: Playback, Audio, Video, Downloading, Other

Playback

Q: What should I use to play your files?
A: See our playback page.

Q: My player is not working / Something seems wrong, what should I do?
A: First make sure the file you try to watch actually downloaded completely (check the CRC to be sure). If you still have problems, see above.

Q: Why are the OP/ED missing from the episodes?
A: You are watching a show that uses Ordered Chapters with Segment Linking, make sure to download the OP/ED files as well and that you place them in the same folder as the episodes. If you still don’t see them, see above.

Q: Are your releases DXVA/Console/SmartPhone/SmartTV compatible?
A: No, go away.

Audio

Q: Why FLAC?
A: We encode to how we want to see video. We want to see Blu-ray with FLAC audio.

Q: Why not FLAC for LPCM DVD?
A: Because SD video gets SD audio.

Q: Does this have English dub?
A: Unless the post explicitly states it, no.

Q: Why do you put Japanese audio/English subs first?
A: Because English dubs suck.

Q: Then why do you put English audio in at all?
A: To bloat file sizes. Or if you prefer, because people like it.

Q: Why can’t I hear the characters but everything else?
A: Because your player isn’t properly down-mixing the surround sound (it’s simply discarding channels). Check your audio settings, make sure to set everything to stereo/2.0 down-mixing.

Video

Q: What resolution will <some show> be in?
A: TV airings will be encoded to 720p.
DVDs will be encoded to 704×480 anamorphic.
Blu-rays will always be encoded in 720p. In addition, Blu-rays will be encoded in 1080p if:
 •  The show is not interlaced
 •  The show is not produced by JC Staff (only applies to pre-Spring 2013 airings)
 •  The show is not a SD upscale
Exceptions may apply.

Q: Is this an upscale?
A: Download the file and judge for yourself. You should be the one to decide if the extra bitrate is worth your space – not us.

Q: Are the episodes available for download here uncensored?
A: Since we are usually encoding from Blu-rays, the episodes are as uncensored as they can get.

Downloading

Q: This torrent downloads slowly!
A: Tough shit! Just be patient, it may eventually get faster. And make sure you seed properly.

Q: Why can’t I get any peers from your tracker?
A: Disable your stupid Peerblock and make sure port 3277 (TCP/UDP/outgoing) doesn’t get blocked by your firewall.

Q: Can you upload this to <filehoster>?
A: No.

Q: What happened to your old torrents?
A: We will delete torrents which are superseded by batches.

Other

Q: Are you going to do Hanamonogatari? / Where is Hanamonogatari?
A: It’s included in Monogatari Season 2.

Q: Why do some of your series use ordered chapters while others don’t?
A: If a NCOP and NCED are/will be available we may use ordered chapters. If they are not we will not. This is not followed rigidly for various reasons and handled individually by the members.

Q: Can you upload <some audio/subtitle track> in <some format/language>?
A: No.

Q: Can I do <whatever> with your releases?
A: Do what you want, we can’t stop you anyway. Give proper credit if you are, but do not label it as joint.

Q: Is <show> dropped?
A: Unless it’s filed under the category “Dropped”, no.

Q: How can I contact you?
A: Contact ChrisK on IRC or leave a comment with a valid eMail address if you have to tell us something really important.

Q: Why the name “Coalgirls”?
A: Coalgirls started with the purpose of trolling CoalGuys.

210 Responses to FAQ

  1. LS writes:

    I just wanted to thank you for what you were doing. Don’t let the naggers get you down, once people FINALLY figure out that you just take others’ subs and re-time them to fit with new BD releases, hopefully they’ll shut their mouths and realize it’s not something Coalgirls intends to deal with.

  2. Satoshi writes:

    I really enjoy your releases. I know that encoding is a lot of work and really time consuming. I don’t know if you accept this request since you already said in your FAQ you don’t care about it. It’s about DXVA compliance, well, I can only speak for me, but it’s really fantastic if you can watch a Full High Definition Movie on an older PC – which would has been thrown away – connected to a big screen using just your GPU to decode it.
    Okay, I guess there are people who would smash me an answer like get a faster CPU than you don’t need your GPU and DXVA to watch a Full HD movie in my face.
    Well, if you or someone else is interested in DXVA and it’s compliance, have a look here: http://www.avsforum.com/avs-vb/showthread.php?t=972503 .
    This is meant just as an information, I don’t like to assault you with it. You do a really, really great job and I enjoy your hard work.
    Hope you don’t mind me because of my question!

    Bye and thanks a lot for everything!

  3. DragooNick writes:

    Hey,
    first i would like to praise you girls/guys? 😀 For your great work i like your releases a lot since i love to archivate Anime in highest quality ;]

    So my question and i know no FanSub Groups/Encoders want to hear that question, and i dont even know why :/ So plz dont hit me just say no if you dont want to answer ^^”
    I would really like to know more about your great work you do,
    just to get a more realistic view about what you do.

    I am trying to encode my own Anime DVDs for me and my family and i know if your a beginner and have to rely on Programs like StaxRip or so and dont even 100% know what you do its a horrible mass of work and trying ^^” Since i just can work at the weekend because i am a Soldier living in the casern 5/7 Days a Week i dont really get further since i cant solve some problems :S

    I want my Anime DVDs with 2 dubs [Jap/Ger] 1 sub [Ger the standard of the dvd is enough] and all together in mp4 files to watch it on my PS3, high video and sound quality but not above 300mb per episode.

    I dont want you to tell me what i have to do now, but what are your steps on working for your releases? Do you use combined programs or do you do every thing step by step, encoding video/audio, then the subs? Which programs do you use and for which step? How do you decide how much bitrate for a Video looks good or is a good amount? ^^

    So i know i ask for a lot and i am not sad if i dont get an answer but imho asking good ppl is the best way to learn 😉 Since asking costs nothing but a bit overcoming i did it *fg* Thanks if i get an answer of any kind. If you dont want to answer just take this as an compliment for your work from a lil fan ;]

    hf and continue with your work 😀
    greets Nick

  4. Igor writes:

    “Q: What should I use to play your files?
    A: CCCP with FFDShow FLAC audio disabled.”

    FLAC audio DISABLED?

  5. jusef writes:

    @Igor
    Maybe CCCP somehow disrupts FLAC audio, and default codec doesn’t?

  6. klearlyc writes:

    Where did you (group) come up with the name Coalgirls? Very cool! Love the banner, it flows with the name logo. Also love how you juxtaposed the colour of coal(blue) with girls(pink). Very creative.

  7. Sei writes:

    @klearlyc
    They probably ripped off Coalguys'(name).

  8. Clay writes:

    Will you open a twitter account with updates on new releases and posts?

  9. suuugoi writes:

    It’s great you’re using flac!
    Does this mean your audio sources on blu ray releases are encoded from Master Audio tracks (lossless)?

  10. ♦Tenshi♦ writes:

    Yes, we encode from DTS-MA, Dolby TrueHD or PCM lossless tracks to FLAC.

  11. Fimbulvetr writes:

    “A: CCCP with FFDShow FLAC audio disabled.”
    Does CCCP nowadays come with another FLAC decoder that I’m not aware of? I understand why it should be turned off, the glitching was awful when using libavcodec. Ancient CoreFLAC refused decoding altogether, so I turned to madFLAC in the end. Audio is actually getting decoded fine now, I was just wondering what the actual recommended directshow decoder was.

  12. Kamen Rider writes:

    Betwen you and THORA, I was actually quite unsure on which group should I follow mainly, but after seeing you have FLAC audio for Unlimited Blade Works and EVA, plus you ACTUALLY have a fixed EVA 1.11, it now made my decision easy. XD

    I have two questions, though.

    1. “CCCP with FFDShow FLAC audio disabled.”
    I have to agree with this, but can anyone suggest another FLAC decoder that can downmix a multichannel FLAC audio to 2-channel?

    2. “Blu-Ray will depend on the source. If the source is interlaced it will be encoded to 1280×720 only. If the source is progressive it will be encoded to 1920×1080 and 1280×720.”
    I really don’t understand all this technical mumbo-jumbo, so can anyone explain why a 1080i source should be encoded to 720p, thereby “downscaling” it?

  13. coalgirls writes:

    A 1080i source is technically a telecined source. It means that in every 5 frames, it will display 3 progressive frames and 2 blended frames. That is, it will show 2 1/2 frames at the same times, resulting in something looking like http://www.100fps.com/chromainterlaced_interlaced.jpg . As you get 2 1/2 frames twice, you can do some shifting to get 2 full frames and a couple of repeated halves.

    But usually, this procedure will result in a lower resolution. Technically, when it’s on a Blu-Ray, it should actually be at 480p, since it’s usually only used on old school upscales. But it seems like a waste to only do a 480p Blu-Ray.

  14. Kamen Rider writes:

    Whoa! After seeing the sample picture, now I understand why 1080i should be encoded to 720p during releases.

    Thanks for clarifying. =^_^=

  15. abit writes:

    How is it decided what bitrate/crf is used to encode a BD rip?

    I only ask because most of Coalgirls 1080 encodes are rather high bitrate (I don’t mind at all), but some people talk about encoding anime BD at a high bitrate is pointless.

  16. strike-2 writes:

    Great work! I love your attention to quality!
    Interlacing effects make my stomach churn…

    Quick Q:
    Do you have any plans for “Kaichou wa maid-sama”, as Eclipse has retired?

  17. Michael Chandra writes:

    I can only say one thing: You rock. High quality, high definition, I’m lovin’ it. 🙂

  18. Leinaud writes:

    Hey all, not sure if you guys still read these comments or not but I just wanted to say thanks for all you do! Also, I am currently stationed in Okinawa, Japan and have access to a few buy new and used stores that sell blu-rays of anime. Just wondering if there were any series or disks that you are needing? I don’t have a good ripping program so I would have to send the whole thing via snail-mail on good faith and hope that it gets to you unscathed and at a loss to me, lol.

  19. greyham_666 writes:

    Hey from Australia,

    Thank you so much, your rips are amazing and beautifully encoded.
    you have enabled me and my mates to dodge homework and similar tasks in FullHD 🙂
    on a serious note, Thank you for goin to the time and effort of encoding just about all the anime a i couldnt find any were else… let alon in HD.

    Thanks again
    Tom

  20. leinaud writes:

    Sorry for the late reply to the above post, but I don’t really IRC so the e-mail used for this post is real, so feel free to contact me and I will try to help out purchasing BDs here as much as I can…I’m tempted to get the Code Geass special since I hear there is some good stuff on it…

  21. leinaud writes:

    sure, I will keep an eye out but since anime comes and goes at the stores, I can’t guarantee how long it will take, lol!

  22. Frostbite writes:

    Thanks for the subs, but I have to say in the cases like Bebop, absolutely not. I would take the English dub any day.

  23. Curtis writes:

    First off, thank you for all of your quality releases. I greatly appreciate your high standards, especially when it comes to respecting source material. Keep up the good work!

    Rather than request some series I’d personally like to see done (since I know you don’t generally take requests), I’m more interested in the tools you use and the general process that goes into your releases. I have a few older series on DVD as well as a few blu-rays that I would like to be able to encode myself since there aren’t many groups out there interested in re-releasing them in MKV/h.264 format. Any suggestions you have to get me started would be much appreciated.

    Thanks again for everything!

  24. alan writes:

    Hi, I just noticed that quite a bunch of anime like Katanagatari, Kemono no Souja Erin, Kaichou no Maid sama and others that I got throught ddl all have problems playing a few minutes in. Every episode has this problem. They play but then it freezes for a second and then it stops. I am using cccp too. I even rehashed them through torrent and it always says it’s at 99.8 percent and then it completes it to 100 percent. but when i play it again it still has the problem and i rehash it again and goes back to 99.8 percent. Is there a way to fix this?

  25. helplesspro writes:

    After reading a lot of posts saying how I should disable the FLAC codec in FFDShow which comes with CCCP, I decided to follow the advice. The sound got noticeably BETTER.
    But I began to wonder why.
    Sorry if I ask something stupid but WHAT the hell decodes my flac audio? I don’t have any other codec, only CCCP. I disabled the flac in that. I shouldn’t be able to playback flac files I believe.
    I tried it the other way around too, re-enabling and re-disabling that setting. Way better sound when disabled.

  26. shithappens writes:

    Yo Girls of a Coalish Persuasion!

    I know the project was dropped but I was hoping you could post the Omamori Himari episodes 5 & 6 that you finished to a torrent, megaupload or, if you have the ability, directly to my hard-drive would be pretty sweet. I doubt anyone bothers to frequent the Omamori project page to check for stray comments so I hope you don’t mind me posting here.

    Unfortunately, either my Google-Fu is weak or they weren’t released despite being meant to so I was fervently hoping you could find a sliver of good will in that fossil fueled heart of yours and take pity on a poor Omamori-loving mofo.

    Yours is the only release I know of that goes beyond DVD episode 4 with Frostii’s much superior subs. Ryuumaru’s rendering of Himari loses much of the distinctive flavouring that first drew me to the manga. For me, her use of Ye Olde English was as big a charm point as her Ye Bige Breasts and Frostii made her interactions more fun. Her old-fashioned language & demeanor contrasts beautifully with her pervertedness. When they dropped this show it’s not an exaggeration to say my hopes and dreams went with it. Ryuumaru is perfectly functional but somewhat more flat in comparison.

    Anyway I hope you can take the time out of your busy schedule to help a brother out. Keep up the good work too, I enjoyed your Kiddy Grade and Toradora.

  27. Atomics writes:

    great work!! btw, lot of your releases (e.g. serial experiments lain, darker then black) won’t play on ubuntu mplayer. i think it’s some kind of mkv issue – it can be fixed by using mkvtoolnix, e.g. load into mmg, save back out to a new mkv and it works. would you please check if this may be fixed in future releases? thanks! love your releases!!

  28. Iron-SG writes:

    ^to the guy 2 posts above:
    Omamori Himari had a dual sub version by Retrofit. try that one out.

  29. serio writes:

    “Q: What should I use to play your files?
    A: CCCP with FFDShow FLAC audio disabled.”

    I disabled the libavcodec in CCCP and now there is no sound to hear.
    What a surprise -.-
    Can someone plz tell me what I’ve done wrong?

  30. alex writes:

    @serio, make sure that the internal flac decoder (mpc hc I assume) is turned on. cccp turns it off by default, so if you turn off FFDShow FLAC you’re left with nothing. Just go and turn the internal filter on.

  31. masterme writes:

    I like how stupid this FAQ is, it makes me laugh xD
    Keep up the good work 🙂

  32. Ati writes:

    Hi,
    I’m new here, just wanna say many for your hard work. the quality of video, all of them are the best.
    Thanks for sharing us. Do whatevery you want coz everything is perfect.

    Thanks again

  33. Blitzhellion writes:

    So first, thanks for the high quality uploads, they’re great.
    Now for some reason my Audio is doing something weird, its intermetinatly going on and off for your vids(MSG Unicorn videos specifically) I’ve turned off FLAC like you have stated, but there’s beenno change at all,so now im wondering what it could be. Any Ideas?

  34. Jonn writes:

    Wow I’d never have imagined that you were a girl from reading your inner-speech-converted-to-text had I not read the final Q and A stating that you were a girl. That aside, I have to say that you are such a nice person for providing these torrents and doing all the hard work for us! Thank you so very much. I’d never have discovered Toaru Majutsu no Index had it not been for this website and it’s my favorite anime now so it would’ve been a shame! Cheers.

  35. Brett writes:

    Just wanted to say thank you for all that you guys have been doing! I do have a question- Are you guys thinking about setting up a donate option?

  36. naomi writes:

    Hello I recently downloaded Angel Beats and Clannad in 1920×1080 and I cant play it it say “cannot render the file”, but I can open Kampfer in the same resolution resolution. I donwloaded CCCP is well and it still does not work.
    Please help if u can :).

  37. Curry writes:

    Is there any anime which is drawn in 1080p, so watching it in 1080p makes sense? How to find out resolution of source?

  38. namaiki writes:

    Hello, Coalgirls Team:
    I would just like to inform you that I believe that the ffdshow FLAC audio decoder issue has been fixed in the CCCP beta release dated 2011-06-12. (beta releases past this date are probably less ‘stable’)

    Best regards,
    namaiki

  39. spacebook writes:

    this is the faq page, but you guys rock. and the girl.

  40. julian writes:

    Just have to say love your always have keep up the good work

  41. octo996 writes:

    I have a simple request:

    Would you be willing to use RSS?

    The one that does come up for coalgirls is the general nyaatorrents which is not what I was looking for.

    I would like a coalgirls only RSS feed.

    • ChrisK writes:

      The one that does come up for coalgirls is the general nyaatorrents […].

      It’s not. It only lists our torrents. Get a propper RSS reader. Or use our Twitter feed.

  42. natto writes:

    How to mux several linked mkv files into one? (Episode, op -> one file)

  43. spaark writes:

    Lossy video transcode (correct me if I’m wrong) coupled with a lossless audio transcode? Sorry, but I don’t really see the logic behind that, especially when several lossy audio encoders are able to produce transparent audio. I realise you don’t care about my opinion, but I just want to say that AAC would arguably be the better format in this case.

  44. aoitenshi writes:

    Hi all.

    Just a quick question and sorry if this is a bit OT. If I used the DDL link to fileserve and download from there, is there a download limit for a free account? I have already downloaded some and then I got the message that “you reached the maximum daily download limit.” What’s weird is that the last time I downloaded was last week and today is the first time I will resume downloading the other episodes. The torrent is not an option since it is blocked here at the office. Thanks!

  45. lilly_938 writes:

    Firstly, thanks for everything you do. It’s much better to wait and watch shows in HD!

    I have a question but I don’t know if this is the best place to ask…
    Which one of these is best for playing your releases: WD Live Plus, Roku, or Boxee? Any info would help, thanks.

  46. Serge Wazuki writes:

    Sorry I posted this in wrong section, I should have posted this here:

    Thanks for your great works, you are always one of my favorite group. I like your releases a lot, and I would like to ask for permission to use some of your releases for translation in my language (Vietnamese). If you agree, please inform me via my email. Thanks in advance and I’m looking forward to your response 😉 .

  47. Wantei writes:

    Hey girls you encodes rocks im a really big fan please keep up the good work!!!

  48. Liz writes:

    I just found this site recently but I wanted to thank you for putting all these releases together. You are doing an awesome job!

  49. Crapini writes:

    I have downloaded some of your anime and it turns out that a few of them have a slight problem with time skipping.
    For example in Fractale, Bakemonogatari, Darker Than Black and Canaan episodes none of them allow me to click at the point I want to watch it from but instead it throws it to random time usually near beginning. Most of the anime doesn’t have that problem.
    Is there anything that can be done to remove that annoying little thing?

    Note: if I remove the chapters part from the mkv the time skip works like it should but I don’t know what that chapters file actually does…

  50. akiba-kei writes:

    girls? <3