Optimal Viewing Experience

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MasenkoHA
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Re: Optimal Viewing Experience

Post by MasenkoHA » Wed Sep 26, 2018 9:07 pm

If you’re going for the original broadcast for what you grew up with you would want to watch the dvd singles no? Where you have the Saban/Funi/Ocean dub for the first 53 episodes that switches to the Funi in-house dub and Faulconer score wth the cast “imitating” the Ocean cast before making it their own gradually

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Re: Optimal Viewing Experience

Post by uzuni » Wed Sep 26, 2018 9:10 pm

MasenkoHA wrote:If you’re going for the original broadcast for what you grew up with you would want to watch the dvd singles no? Where you have the Saban/Funi/Ocean dub for the first 53 episodes that switches to the Funi in-house dub and Faulconer score wth the cast “imitating” the Ocean cast before making it their own gradually
The only problems I'd have with that version is that it's edited and in poor video quality.

I'm perfectly content with the Level Sets followed by the Dragon Box until episode 68. This way, I'd have a taste for both Nathan Johnson's score as well as Kikuchi's.

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Re: Optimal Viewing Experience

Post by uzuni » Wed Sep 26, 2018 9:52 pm

I wonder, would the AnimeLab streams of Dragon Ball be of the Madman/MangaUK version?

And, is there any difference in the American, British, or Australian releases of DBGT?

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Re: Optimal Viewing Experience

Post by JohnnyCashKami » Thu Sep 27, 2018 5:43 am

uzuni wrote:Ah, I see.

My next question would be, how does the video from the Australian Madman DVDs and/or the Manga UK DVDs compare to the American Saga Sets and Blue Bricks?
The Madman ver. (and the Manga UK - both are the same) are PAL conversions with the resolution in 720x576 whereas the R1 (NTSC) is 720x480, though there are other differences (technical stuff I don't really care much about).
uzuni wrote:I wonder, would the AnimeLab streams of Dragon Ball be of the Madman/MangaUK version?

And, is there any difference in the American, British, or Australian releases of DBGT?
Madman only ever published the Saga Sets in Australia so that may be the source Anime Labs is using.

As for DBGT, Madman did release the Single Sets but then later on got their hands on the GT Bricks (2 boxes). Manga UK's version uses Madman's GT Bricks but the cover features the original logo than the metallic one.

Madman Ver.

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Manga UK Re-Packaged Ver.

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Re: Optimal Viewing Experience

Post by uzuni » Thu Sep 27, 2018 6:03 pm

JohnnyCashKami wrote:
uzuni wrote:Ah, I see.

My next question would be, how does the video from the Australian Madman DVDs and/or the Manga UK DVDs compare to the American Saga Sets and Blue Bricks?
The Madman ver. (and the Manga UK - both are the same) are PAL conversions with the resolution in 720x576 whereas the R1 (NTSC) is 720x480, though there are other differences (technical stuff I don't really care much about).
uzuni wrote:I wonder, would the AnimeLab streams of Dragon Ball be of the Madman/MangaUK version?

And, is there any difference in the American, British, or Australian releases of DBGT?
Madman only ever published the Saga Sets in Australia so that may be the source Anime Labs is using.

As for DBGT, Madman did release the Single Sets but then later on got their hands on the GT Bricks (2 boxes). Manga UK's version uses Madman's GT Bricks but the cover features the original logo than the metallic one.

Madman Ver.

Image

Manga UK Re-Packaged Ver.

Image
So, just to summarize:

For Dragon Ball, the American Saga Sets, Manga UK Seasons, and Australian Madman Sets, are, for the most part, identical.

For Dragon Ball GT, the Green Bricks are identical to both the British and Australian releases.

What about Dragon Ball Z? How do the releases differ, if at all?

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Re: Optimal Viewing Experience

Post by JohnnyCashKami » Thu Sep 27, 2018 7:21 pm

Even though the Orange Bricks are overall a turdy product, the R1 version is better than the R4 (Madman) simply due to the fact it has alternate angles. In other words, the episode titles can be seen in it's original Japanese form.

Also, if I'm being honest, the Orange Bricks' Season 9 looks really, REALLY good in my opinion but the cropping is a huge deal-breaker so it didn't allow me to enjoy it as I could have.

Note: The R4 of DB's Saga Sets have the Japanese title episodes so it's mostly a very satisfying product. It'd be pretty much perfect if it had the BA audios, can't say I care much for the NEPs these days.

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Re: Optimal Viewing Experience

Post by uzuni » Thu Sep 27, 2018 7:34 pm

JohnnyCashKami wrote:Even though the Orange Bricks are overall a turdy product, the R1 version is better than the R4 (Madman) simply due to the fact it has alternate angles. In other words, the episode titles can be seen in it's original Japanese form.

Also, if I'm being honest, the Orange Bricks' Season 9 looks really, REALLY good in my opinion but the cropping is a huge deal-breaker so it didn't allow me to enjoy it as I could have.

Note: The R4 of DB's Saga Sets have the Japanese title episodes so it's mostly a very satisfying product. It'd be pretty much perfect if it had the BA audios, can't say I care much for the NEPs these days.
I've read that the Blue Bricks' video quality is superior to the others because of "ghosting" and other issues. What do you think?

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Re: Optimal Viewing Experience

Post by JohnnyCashKami » Thu Sep 27, 2018 8:11 pm

The Blue Bricks are a fine product and nothing really wrong with it but given the chance, the Saga Sets are the better of the two for its unzoomed picture.

BB offers the FUNi dub in 5.1 whereas the Saga Sets are in 2.0.

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Re: Optimal Viewing Experience

Post by uzuni » Fri Sep 28, 2018 1:23 am

Looking through it again, I almost feel as if the Singles have superior video quality to the Orange Bricks...

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Re: Optimal Viewing Experience

Post by JohnnyCashKami » Fri Sep 28, 2018 1:26 am

The DBZ Singles do have superior quality to the Orange Bricks and there was even like a singular episode from the Singles that had Dragon Box quality, apparently.

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Re: Optimal Viewing Experience

Post by uzuni » Fri Sep 28, 2018 5:27 pm

I think that, no matter which way you slice it, the Blu-rays look better in every way than the Orange Bricks as far as video quality.

When making my previous comparisons, I was actually using Funimation's streams as a reference point. If anyone's noticed, the Japanese audio episodes of DBZ are the Orange Brick transfers, but look a notch better than them.

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Re: Optimal Viewing Experience

Post by JohnnyCashKami » Fri Sep 28, 2018 5:33 pm

The Season Blu-rays are essentially the Orange Bricks in high definition. If they're better that's very much subjective because these two products are mediocre at best but some lie to themselves saying "Dragon Ball Z has never looked this good!" or they don't know how actually good quality llooks like.

I'd personally favor the OBs on DVD over the OBs on BD, because it doesn't have the look of a water paint with shaky cameras.

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Re: Optimal Viewing Experience

Post by uzuni » Fri Sep 28, 2018 5:51 pm

For example: https://www.funimation.com/shows/dragon ... g=japanese

Does that look better than the Orange Brick DVD or is it my imagination? What do you guys think? It's the same transfer.

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Re: Optimal Viewing Experience

Post by JohnnyCashKami » Sat Sep 29, 2018 8:01 am

uzuni wrote:For example: https://www.funimation.com/shows/dragon ... g=japanese

Does that look better than the Orange Brick DVD or is it my imagination? What do you guys think? It's the same transfer.
Could you upload some screenshots? That's for premium FUNimation Now members only.

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Re: Optimal Viewing Experience

Post by uzuni » Sat Sep 29, 2018 12:13 pm

I will when I have a chance. They're the Orange Brick transfers, but much less fuzzy.

I think another reason why they look so crap is that they're on 4.7GB discs. Whereas the Dragon Box, for example, uses 8.5GB discs. This only adds to the disparity.

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Re: Optimal Viewing Experience

Post by Robo4900 » Sat Sep 29, 2018 3:30 pm

uzuni wrote:And BA audios?
The broadcast audio? That's a Japanese version thing. Funimation have it, but it's not on any official release yet.
The point of Dragon Ball is to enjoy it. Never lose sight of that.

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Re: Optimal Viewing Experience

Post by JohnnyCashKami » Sat Sep 29, 2018 5:52 pm

uzuni wrote:I will when I have a chance. They're the Orange Brick transfers, but much less fuzzy.

I think another reason why they look so crap is that they're on 4.7GB discs. Whereas the Dragon Box, for example, uses 8.5GB discs. This only adds to the disparity.
It has more to do with the "remastering" FUNimation did to the Orange Bricks on Blu-ray and DVD, it was an automated machine job so it looks like a badly botched up job that for some it appears to look "fantastic" while the majority can see what a big pile of shit it is. Remember, the FUNimation DBZ Singles were on DVD5 discs and they looked pretty darn good so it really came down moreso to the video quality and if it was untouched or altered (for the worse, in OBs case).

You know, Uzuni, if the FUNimation DBZ Singles were all uncut and in Japanese then I'd have gone for those over the Dragon Box Z release since they were available way before but for some reason, FUNimation has never published the Saiyan-Freeza arcs in 4x3 uncut.

Knowing FUNi, I'm not holding my breath for a remaster of theirs to be in fullscreen. Heck, the original untouched video as it is would be perfectly fine 'cause that'd surely be way better than what's currently available in the English market (OBs on Blu-ray and DVD).

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Re: Optimal Viewing Experience

Post by uzuni » Sat Sep 29, 2018 8:44 pm

The Dragon Box really does look gorgeous. I wonder if I really do need the Faulconer track... I'm having second thoughts now.

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Re: Optimal Viewing Experience

Post by JohnnyCashKami » Sat Sep 29, 2018 9:39 pm

uzuni wrote:The Dragon Box really does look gorgeous. I wonder if I really do need the Faulconer track... I'm having second thoughts now.
The FUNimation dub with the original Z music does sound a bit out of place so better to watch with the score it was written in mind.

It's unlikely FUNi will re-dub Z but great if they would because that'd finally sync with the original score.

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Re: Optimal Viewing Experience

Post by uzuni » Sat Sep 29, 2018 10:07 pm

I've just had a realization. Can anyone here who owns the Orange Bricks please confirm for me whether the discs are in fact 8.5 GB or 4.7 GB?

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