Orange Bricks/Blu-Ray Comparisons

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uzuni
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Orange Bricks/Blu-Ray Comparisons

Post by uzuni » Sun Oct 14, 2018 11:23 am

Looking through the topic, Dragon Ball Z "Seasons" On Blu-ray: News & Discussion, I found many screenshot comparisons links that had expired.

I wonder if anyone still has access to and could post any comparison shots between the two releases? I know that Metalwario64 posted many of the photos.

I'm not asking for much. Perhaps three images from three separate episodes of each season? It would be greatly appreciated!

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Re: Orange Bricks/Blu-Ray Comparisons

Post by JohnnyCashKami » Sun Oct 14, 2018 12:42 pm

I get you're tryng to get the best English Dragon Ball Z currently available and so, your options are limited to Orange Bricks DVDs vs Orange Bricks Blu-rays. Neither of the two are good but the DVD version is technically better for me and it doesn't look like a water paint as the episode plays.

Point being, don't waste your time trying to figure out if the DVD or BD release is better. Neither come close to being even good.

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Re: Orange Bricks/Blu-Ray Comparisons

Post by uzuni » Sun Oct 14, 2018 1:03 pm

JohnnyCashKami wrote:Neither of the two are good but the DVD version is technically better for me and it doesn't look like a water paint as the episode plays.
Beginning with Season 5, I'd have to agree with that, as the Orange Bricks displayed an improved remastering process. However, as the first three seasons as well as the better part of Season 4 were done poorly, I'd like to see comparisons between those specifically.

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Re: Orange Bricks/Blu-Ray Comparisons

Post by JEFFMAN219 » Sun Oct 14, 2018 4:33 pm

Both releases are not that great but the Z Blu-Rays look 10 times better then the orange bricks.

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Re: Orange Bricks/Blu-Ray Comparisons

Post by Attitudefan » Sun Oct 14, 2018 5:11 pm

JEFFMAN219 wrote:Both releases are not that great but the Z Blu-Rays look 10 times better then the orange bricks.
The Blu-rays looks so blurry with all the line-art smudged. The Blu-ray's images are completely smeared to the point entire episodes are visually destroyed.
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Re: Orange Bricks/Blu-Ray Comparisons

Post by uzuni » Sun Oct 14, 2018 5:32 pm

Attitudefan wrote:
JEFFMAN219 wrote:Both releases are not that great but the Z Blu-Rays look 10 times better then the orange bricks.
The Blu-rays looks so blurry with all the line-art smudged. The Blu-ray's images are completely smeared to the point entire episodes are visually destroyed.
I'm inclined to agree with you, Attitudefan, concerning Season 5 onward. It really does look a smeared mess on Blu-ray.

However, I think you may be right, JEFFMAN219, about the first three or four seasons. That's why I'm hoping for some comparison shots for those specifically.

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Re: Orange Bricks/Blu-Ray Comparisons

Post by uzuni » Sun Oct 14, 2018 5:58 pm


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Re: Orange Bricks/Blu-Ray Comparisons

Post by Danfun64 » Sun Oct 14, 2018 10:01 pm

JohnnyCashKami wrote:I get you're tryng to get the best English Dragon Ball Z currently available and so, your options are limited to Orange Bricks DVDs vs Orange Bricks Blu-rays.
Heh. If that was literally the case we wouldn't be having this discussion. Orange Brick Blu-rays would be superior on account of being HD. However, the Season Blu-rays have their own transfer. It's arguably better than the OB for the first three/four seasons on account of the OB episodes of those seasons being over brightened and with line erasure. However, the OB's transferring process slowly started to get more competent after the half way point of Season 4, and reached its peak in the Boo seasons (7-9). Though the OB's are SD, if you know where to look you can find HD rips from online sources...somewhere.....

That being said, both the OB and the Season Blu-Rays are bad in their own way...and unfortunately quality isn't cheap.

If you prefer the Japanese with English subtitles, your best bet is going for the Funi Dragon Boxes. However, I don't recommend that for dub viewing because the English dub with Kikuchi music is a "two wrongs don't make a right" situation for me.
If you want the dub uncut in the best official quality available (because AFAIK the XBLA Levels 35-39 aren't available on official channels anymore), and are willing to put up with flaws like PAL frame blending, then get the nine Ultimate Uncut DVDs (for 1-27), the Level 1.2 Blu-ray (for 28-34), the Season 1 Blu-ray (for 35-39), the Season 2 Blu-ray (for 40-74), and then the Madman singles (start with "2.3 - FRIEZA: THE SUMMONING"; for 75-291). Despite the crappy partial redub of Season 3 created for the Orange Bricks starting at ep 68, I find it more convenient to start the original dub where the uncut and cut numbering align from a home video release standpoint.
If you want a smoother transition than Ultimate Uncut to Season 3 and are willing to put up with the cuts of the Saban dub (I mean, it could be argued that the transition from Funi DB to Saban Z is rougher than Funi DB to Funi UUC DBZ to Funi original DBZ, but still.), then try to collect ALL of the old Madman singles (start with "1.1 - SAIYAN CONFLICT: ARRIVAL")

AFAIK the aforementioned dub options are the most ideal at this time. Unfortunately, I have no idea where a reliable source for getting the old Madman singles online is. Amazon Australia didn't come out until long after the Madman singles went out of print. It's hard to recommend the pre-UUC Funi singles because of known macroblocking issues.
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Re: Orange Bricks/Blu-Ray Comparisons

Post by uzuni » Sun Oct 14, 2018 10:36 pm

Danfun64 wrote:
JohnnyCashKami wrote:I get you're tryng to get the best English Dragon Ball Z currently available and so, your options are limited to Orange Bricks DVDs vs Orange Bricks Blu-rays.
Heh. If that was literally the case we wouldn't be having this discussion. Orange Brick Blu-rays would be superior on account of being HD. However, the Season Blu-rays have their own transfer. It's arguably better than the OB for the first three/four seasons on account of the OB episodes of those seasons being over brightened and with line erasure. However, the OB's transferring process slowly started to get more competent after the half way point of Season 4, and reached its peak in the Boo seasons (7-9). Though the OB's are SD, if you know where to look you can find HD rips from online sources...somewhere.....

That being said, both the OB and the Season Blu-Rays are bad in their own way...and unfortunately quality isn't cheap.

If you prefer the Japanese with English subtitles, your best bet is going for the Funi Dragon Boxes. However, I don't recommend that for dub viewing because the English dub with Kikuchi music is a "two wrongs don't make a right" situation for me.
If you want the dub uncut in the best official quality available (because AFAIK the XBLA Levels 35-39 aren't available on official channels anymore), and are willing to put up with flaws like PAL frame blending, then get the nine Ultimate Uncut DVDs (for 1-27), the Level 1.2 Blu-ray (for 28-34), the Season 1 Blu-ray (for 35-39), the Season 2 Blu-ray (for 40-74), and then the Madman singles (start with "2.3 - FRIEZA: THE SUMMONING"; for 75-291). Despite the crappy partial redub of Season 3 created for the Orange Bricks starting at ep 68, I find it more convenient to start the original dub where the uncut and cut numbering align from a home video release standpoint.
If you want a smoother transition than Ultimate Uncut to Season 3 and are willing to put up with the cuts of the Saban dub (I mean, it could be argued that the transition from Funi DB to Saban Z is rougher than Funi DB to Funi UUC DBZ to Funi original DBZ, but still.), then try to collect ALL of the old Madman singles (start with "1.1 - SAIYAN CONFLICT: ARRIVAL")

AFAIK the aforementioned dub options are the most ideal at this time. Unfortunately, I have no idea where a reliable source for getting the old Madman singles online is. Amazon Australia didn't come out until long after the Madman singles went out of print. It's hard to recommend the pre-UUC Funi singles because of known macroblocking issues.
I see. I'm also of the persuasion that the OBs outdo the BRs at some point during Season 4 onward.

Are the Madman singles that much better than Funimation's? I've access to Funimation's singles, and the macroblocking looked rather bad.

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Re: Orange Bricks/Blu-Ray Comparisons

Post by JohnnyCashKami » Sun Oct 14, 2018 11:45 pm

The best way to go about it currently might be this route;

Early Saiyan arc - Level BDs (4x3 AR)
Later Saiyan arc & Freeza arc - Season BDs (16x9 AR)
Future Trunks arc, Artificial Humans arc, Cell arc, Majin Boo arc - Singles DVD (4x3 AR)

It's a mess but it's what you've got and if you're willing to waste money on the Season Blu-ray Discs, then you might want to consider this option.

By the way, if you know either French or Spanish then you could just import it from Amazon France or Amazon Spain, though it'd be Region 2 so you would have to have a Region Free DVD Player or a PC/Laptop DVD reader (connected to the TV, no big deal).

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Re: Orange Bricks/Blu-Ray Comparisons

Post by uzuni » Sun Oct 14, 2018 11:53 pm

JohnnyCashKami wrote:The best way to go about it currently might be this route;

Early Saiyan arc - Level BDs (4x3 AR)
Later Saiyan arc & Freeza arc - Season BDs (16x9 AR)
Future Trunks arc, Artificial Humans arc, Cell arc, Majin Boo arc - Singles DVD (4x3 AR)

It's a mess but it's what you've got and if you're willing to waste money on the Season Blu-ray Discs, then you might want to consider this option.

By the way, if you know either French or Spanish then you could just import it from Amazon France or Amazon Spain, though it'd be Region 2 so you would have to have a Region Free DVD Player or a PC/Laptop DVD reader (connected to the TV, no big deal).
Why start with the singles at the Trunks arc and not at episode 68?

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Re: Orange Bricks/Blu-Ray Comparisons

Post by JohnnyCashKami » Mon Oct 15, 2018 7:42 am

uzuni wrote:Why start with the singles at the Trunks arc and not at episode 68?
Or that. Whenever the Singles start with uncut footage, I wasn't sure so just vaguely mentioned 'Future Trunks'.

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Re: Orange Bricks/Blu-Ray Comparisons

Post by uzuni » Mon Oct 15, 2018 5:14 pm

I've decided to take it upon myself to post comparison shots between the OBs and the BRs.

Beginning with SEASON 3:

Episode 75

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Re: Orange Bricks/Blu-Ray Comparisons

Post by uzuni » Mon Oct 15, 2018 7:00 pm

SEASON 4:

Episode 118
Episode 129
Last edited by uzuni on Mon Oct 15, 2018 8:11 pm, edited 2 times in total.

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Re: Orange Bricks/Blu-Ray Comparisons

Post by nato25 » Mon Oct 15, 2018 7:12 pm

Hi Uzuni, this is a cool project. I reviewed about half the blu ray sets and did my best to take some comparison shots for the reviews as i owned both the blurays and orange bricks.

http://www.capsulecomputers.com.au/drag ... ay-review/ (this one uses an off cam screenshot, but its a great example of how much the cropping improved)

Then I finally figured out how to get Blu-ray screenshots (which is not easy at all!) I've used actual screen caps for the below ones, you can see them inside the review, sorry I don't have the raw images anymore. The resolution bump is just astounding to me, the DVD's look like total crap in comparison with how blurry they are.

http://www.capsulecomputers.com.au/drag ... -7-review/

http://www.capsulecomputers.com.au/drag ... -8-review/

http://www.capsulecomputers.com.au/drag ... -9-review/

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Re: Orange Bricks/Blu-Ray Comparisons

Post by uzuni » Mon Oct 15, 2018 7:38 pm

nato25 wrote:Hi Uzuni, this is a cool project. I reviewed about half the blu ray sets and did my best to take some comparison shots for the reviews as i owned both the blurays and orange bricks.

http://www.capsulecomputers.com.au/drag ... ay-review/ (this one uses an off cam screenshot, but its a great example of how much the cropping improved)

Then I finally figured out how to get Blu-ray screenshots (which is not easy at all!) I've used actual screen caps for the below ones, you can see them inside the review, sorry I don't have the raw images anymore. The resolution bump is just astounding to me, the DVD's look like total crap in comparison with how blurry they are.

http://www.capsulecomputers.com.au/drag ... -7-review/

http://www.capsulecomputers.com.au/drag ... -8-review/

http://www.capsulecomputers.com.au/drag ... -9-review/
Those are quite the substantial reviews you've done, nato25! However, I would have to respectfully disagree with you.

Judging by some side-by-side comparisons, I'd say that the BRs are superior for the first three and a half seasons, while the OBs are superior for the next five and a half.

It seems that the BRs grow blurrier and smudgier by each season, while the OBs grow crisper and sharper.

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Re: Orange Bricks/Blu-Ray Comparisons

Post by uzuni » Mon Oct 15, 2018 9:39 pm

SEASON 4:

Episode 118
Episode 129

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Re: Orange Bricks/Blu-Ray Comparisons

Post by nato25 » Tue Oct 16, 2018 12:49 am

uzuni wrote:
nato25 wrote:Hi Uzuni, this is a cool project. I reviewed about half the blu ray sets and did my best to take some comparison shots for the reviews as i owned both the blurays and orange bricks.

http://www.capsulecomputers.com.au/drag ... ay-review/ (this one uses an off cam screenshot, but its a great example of how much the cropping improved)

Then I finally figured out how to get Blu-ray screenshots (which is not easy at all!) I've used actual screen caps for the below ones, you can see them inside the review, sorry I don't have the raw images anymore. The resolution bump is just astounding to me, the DVD's look like total crap in comparison with how blurry they are.

http://www.capsulecomputers.com.au/drag ... -7-review/

http://www.capsulecomputers.com.au/drag ... -8-review/

http://www.capsulecomputers.com.au/drag ... -9-review/
Those are quite the substantial reviews you've done, nato25! However, I would have to respectfully disagree with you.

Judging by some side-by-side comparisons, I'd say that the BRs are superior for the first three and a half seasons, while the OBs are superior for the next five and a half.

It seems that the BRs grow blurrier and smudgier by each season, while the OBs grow crisper and sharper.
Unfortunately i only reviewed from season 6 onwards and season 1 so I dont have a good frame of reference on the earlier sets. Looking at my reviews though and the screenshots within them i cant say id prefer the orange bricks at all. Maybe the sharpness on the blurays gets worse in comparison to themselves but i cant see the worst bluray looking worse than the best orange brick. Love to be shown wrong on that though even though its too late, i sold all my obs minus my signed ones for the blurays.

Thanks for checking out the reviews btw. They are quite a lot of work but i enjoyed doing them. Unfortunately with full time work getting something out like that is near impossible for me now but I had my fun.

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Re: Orange Bricks/Blu-Ray Comparisons

Post by JohnnyCashKami » Tue Oct 16, 2018 9:13 am

The Season BDs look OK for the Freeza arc and while it's better than the Orange Bricks, it's just a slight upgrade. Anyone who buys the Season Blu-rays is wasting his money on them because it's just tolerable at best.

Don't feel buyer's remorse if you buy it (knowingly everyone told you how bad they were) and then FUNimation announces an infinitely superior release.

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Re: Orange Bricks/Blu-Ray Comparisons

Post by uzuni » Tue Oct 16, 2018 9:22 am

JohnnyCashKami wrote:The Season BDs look OK for the Freeza arc and while it's better than the Orange Bricks, it's just a slight upgrade. Anyone who buys the Season Blu-rays is wasting his money on them because it's just tolerable at best.

Don't feel buyer's remorse if you buy it (knowingly everyone told you how bad they were) and then FUNimation announces an infinitely superior release.
I only wish they would release an infinitely superior release!

I cannot fathom why they didn't at least complete the Level Sets before discontinuing them, despite what some morons may have voted for.

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