FUNimation DBZ TV Blu-ray Official On-Going Thread

Discussion regarding the entirety of the franchise in a general (meta) sense, including such aspects as: production, trends, merchandise, fan culture, and more.

Moderators: General Help, Kanzenshuu Staff

User avatar
.:PoetikaL:.
Regular
Posts: 643
Joined: Thu Aug 20, 2009 5:59 pm
Location: Pennsylvania
Contact:

FUNimation DBZ TV Blu-ray Official On-Going Thread

Post by .:PoetikaL:. » Thu Jul 21, 2011 6:38 pm

http://www.animenewsnetwork.com/news/20 ... -this-fall

"The North American anime distributor Funimation announced at its Comic-Con International panel on Thursday that it will release Dragon Ball Z on Blu-ray Disc starting this fall. Dallas-based ANDTRANSFER will remaster the anime from the original Japanese 16mm film reels at 1080p. Colorist Steve Franko will work with Funimation to digitally restore the footage."

Well, this will be quite interesting, don't you think?

---------------------------

FUNimation Initial Press Release, 21 July 2011:
FUNimation wrote:LOWER MOUND, Texas, July 21, 2011 – FUNimation® Entertainment is announcing that it is bringing the first installment of the anime phenomenon Dragon Ball Z to Blu-ray disc for the first time this fall.

Among the most prized in the FUNimation catalog, the studio has used the newest technology available to remaster in high-definition and digitally restore the 291 episode series.

FUNimation worked with Dallas-based ANDTRANSFER for the digital film transfer. FUNimation previously worked with the post-production house to remaster the series for the season set releases on DVD. The transfer was performed by nationally-recognized colorist Steve Franko and supervised by FUNimation, which then finished the rest of the restoration process.

Today's state-of-the-art systems offer tools that allow restoration teams to make a wide range of repairs and focus on more difficult tasks which, in the end, deliver a clean product that faithfully presents the original version and measures up to the high-quality standards of HDTV and Blu-ray.

Once again, the Dragon Ball Z series was digitally transferred from the original Japanese 16mm film frame by frame at 1080p. Developments in restoration software gives mastering artists more to work with when they apply tools to even out film grain and remove fading, film cuts and other visual anomalies. As a result, the viewer will see brighter, clearer colors, less variance in quality between scenes, and a sharper image.

"Working with a very old and fragile source film presented a number of challenges for the restoration process," said Gen Fukunaga, CEO and president at FUNimation Entertainment. "Our purpose was to restore the series as accurately as possible, to what it must have been like to see it when it was originally mastered, and preserve the charm of the animation. After all, it is of a particular time and place."

After debuting in 1989, Dragon Ball Z has become an iconic anime series. The franchise has sold more than 25 million DVD and Blu-ray discs in its lifetime, becoming the best-selling anime series of all time.

Dragon Ball Z is the explosive sequel to Dragon Ball. The series follows the adventures of Goku and his son Gohan as they team up with their friends to battle evil forces throughout the universe to protect their beloved planet Earth. The first season covers the Vegeta Saga and chronicles the introduction of one of Dragon Ball Z's main characters, Vegeta.

This restored edition also features the original U.S. voice actors as well as the original FUNimation soundtrack – all in lossless Dolby® TrueHD.

Dragon Ball Z Level 1.1 includes the first 17 episodes on two discs with over 400 minutes of action and among the extras included on this release is a feature that looks at the restoration and remastering processes.

Dragon Ball Z Level 1.1 will be available at major retailers nationwide on November 8, 2011.
---------------------------

Image Systems Press Release, 02 August 2011:
Image Systems wrote:FUNimation Enhances "Dragon Ball Z" Blu-ray With Phoenix
Restoration of Popular Animated Series Heads to Blu-ray

Image Systems, formerly Digital Vision, has announced that Texas-based FUNimation has purchased multiple Phoenix Finish licenses in use on a number of FUNimation projects, including the highly anticipated restoration of the "Dragon Ball Z" anime series, slated for Blu-ray release November 8, 2011. "Dragon Ball Z" is a popular Japanese manga series, consisting of 42 volumes and selling over 152 million copies in Japan and over 200 million copies worldwide. The art, characterization and humor of the story has immensely influenced the international anime and cartooning industries, and created a cultural phenomenon.

"This is a show that has a huge and loyal global audience," says Matthew O'Hara, lead DVD author for FUNimation. "When it came time to restore the series for Blu-ray, we simply had to make it the very best it could be. After looking through our options we believe that the Phoenix was a clear, best choice."

"Dragon Ball Z" originates on 16mm film, and over time had begun to show signs of aging - dust, scratches, some shaking and focus. "We are doing a frame-by-frame, shot-by-shot restoration in HD," explains O'Hara. "In this process, the Phoenix has greatly enhanced our ability to recover the quality of the original material in a realistic time frame without the artifacts some algorithms leave behind. The dust, scratch and grain reduction tools in the DVO Restore part of our Phoenix purchase, has allowed us to just repair and renovate the animated series ready for repurposing."

"We are all fans of the way that film looks, but know that grain can be challenging. The Clarity enables us to clean and restore, without removing what we consider the right amount of grain to give the images depth," he adds.

Martin Bennett, Managing Director of the Media Business Unit for Image Systems, notes, "'Dragon Ball Z' is one of the most recognized anime titles in the world, with a massive following. To see how the talented team at FUNimation has used our restoration tools and especially DVO Clarity, our foremost digital and film noise reducer, to create these new versions of the show is gratifying."

O'Hara concludes, "We have a well-loved series with an audience of millions of people who follow its distribution avidly. The new Blu-ray set was eminently awaited. We had a high bar to reach, and working with the team at Image Systems has been a great support to our plans. The 'Dragon Ball Z' workflow is film based, but we are successfully working on other projects that are HDCAM 4:4:4 or file based and we are seeing the same successes. Phoenix supports the entire workflow at FUNimation, seamlessly and with great support."

About Image Systems
Image Systems Media Unit, formerly Digital Vision, is a division of Image Systems AB, which specializes in high-resolution image processing, film scanning and motion analysis solutions. Headquartered in Stockholm, Sweden, Image Systems has offices in Linköping, London and Los Angeles. The company has three business units: Media, Defense and Motion, managed via a global network of qualified distributors. Its Nucoda and Phoenix image grading and restoration software solutions and Golden Eye range of scanners provide innovative tools to create and master media in HD, 2K/4K and stereoscopic 3D. The TEMA software platform provides a range of user friendly, high-speed motion analysis solutions for the automotive industry and other industrial test and design applications. The TrackEye system provides image analysis solutions for the military reconnaissance and testing markets. For additional information, visit http://www.imagesystems.tv.

About FUNimation Entertainment
FUNimation(r) Entertainment is the leading company for home video sales of Japanese animation in the United States. FUNimation has a proven formula for launching and advancing brands, and manages a full spectrum of rights for most of its brands including broadcasting, licensing, production, internet, and home video sales and distribution. For more information about FUNimation Entertainment and its brands, visit http://www.funimation.com.
---------------------------

ADMINISTRATOR NOTES: Since this is the first post in the thread, we'll list and update the unknowns/knowns as they come up.

CURRENT UNKNOWNS:
  • Steve Franko's involvement? (existing work, or additional / redone color correction?)
CURRENT KNOWNS:
  • Footage will be 4:3 full frame.
  • New transfer being produced using same film stock FUNi used for Season Sets.
  • Will contain all audio tracks used in Season Sets in Lossless format, for the most part.
  • Frame-by-frame remastering process
Last edited by .:PoetikaL:. on Mon Oct 10, 2011 12:22 pm, edited 4 times in total.
My Deviantart: http://poetikal.deviantart.com
My Twitter: http://twitter.com/TheycallmeBrod

"I beat Toguro, and after that I assumed everything else would just be a big ol' piece of cake. And then some rogue Spirit Detective has to go and open up the freakin' gates of Hell!" -Yusuke Urameshi

I think Tom Dubois of "The Boondocks" said it best for me when FUNimation announced the release of the domestic Dragonbox, after buying all of the Season Sets: "MOTHERFUCK!!! SHIT SHIT SHIT SHIT SHIT, PRICKS, SHIT SHIT SHIT SHIT SHIIIIIIIT!"

User avatar
Savage68
I'm, pretty, cozy, here...
Posts: 1929
Joined: Wed Apr 29, 2009 12:16 pm
Location: Baltimore, MD
Contact:

Re: FUNimation to put DBZ on Blu-Ray

Post by Savage68 » Thu Jul 21, 2011 6:41 pm

So does this mean it's getting the same treatment as Yu Yu Hakusho? Because that was very underwhelming.

User avatar
jjgp1112
Born 'n Bred Here
Posts: 7478
Joined: Mon Jul 23, 2007 10:15 pm
Location: Crooklyn

Re: FUNimation to put DBZ on Blu-Ray

Post by jjgp1112 » Thu Jul 21, 2011 6:41 pm

Well holy shiznit. Perhaps they might remaster them right this time, or are those just buzzwords for "we're just using the Season set masters"
Yamcha: Do you remember the spell to release him - do you know all the words?
Bulma: Of course! I'm not gonna pull a Frieza and screw it up!
Master Roshi: Bulma, I think Frieza failed because he wore too many clothes!
Cold World (Fanfic)
"It ain't never too late to stop bein' a bitch." - Chad Lamont Butler

User avatar
.:PoetikaL:.
Regular
Posts: 643
Joined: Thu Aug 20, 2009 5:59 pm
Location: Pennsylvania
Contact:

Re: FUNimation to put DBZ on Blu-Ray

Post by .:PoetikaL:. » Thu Jul 21, 2011 6:42 pm

No idea. The YYH Blu-Ray FUNimation is working on used the Bandai HD masters. With this, I'm skeptical... no mention of 4:3 or Orange Brick footage.
My Deviantart: http://poetikal.deviantart.com
My Twitter: http://twitter.com/TheycallmeBrod

"I beat Toguro, and after that I assumed everything else would just be a big ol' piece of cake. And then some rogue Spirit Detective has to go and open up the freakin' gates of Hell!" -Yusuke Urameshi

I think Tom Dubois of "The Boondocks" said it best for me when FUNimation announced the release of the domestic Dragonbox, after buying all of the Season Sets: "MOTHERFUCK!!! SHIT SHIT SHIT SHIT SHIT, PRICKS, SHIT SHIT SHIT SHIT SHIIIIIIIT!"

User avatar
Tanooki Kuribo
I Live Here
Posts: 4563
Joined: Wed Sep 08, 2004 12:23 am
Location: Manhattan, New York
Contact:

Re: FUNimation to put DBZ on Blu-Ray

Post by Tanooki Kuribo » Thu Jul 21, 2011 6:42 pm

Man, what's with this line's name?! Dragon Ball Z Level 1.1? What the Hell ever happened to just Vol.1?!
Last edited by Tanooki Kuribo on Thu Jul 21, 2011 6:43 pm, edited 1 time in total.

Paradox295
Beyond Newbie
Posts: 275
Joined: Tue Nov 03, 2009 4:10 pm
Location: UK

Re: FUNimation to put DBZ on Blu-Ray

Post by Paradox295 » Thu Jul 21, 2011 6:43 pm

It's 16mm film, which means it will be an upscale. The DragonBoxes will still be the best release.

User avatar
penguintruth
Banned
Posts: 4861
Joined: Wed Sep 02, 2009 5:49 pm

Re: FUNimation to put DBZ on Blu-Ray

Post by penguintruth » Thu Jul 21, 2011 6:46 pm

Wow, what a complete waste of Blu-Ray, and ultimately a new shame for the franchise. It's shamefully bad idea to put an awful orange bricks-like "remaster" on Blu-Ray. Now people can enjoy shitty picture quality in crisp Blu-Ray!

What a tremendously bad decision. The only possible way I would be interested in this is if they redubbed the series with the Kai VAs.

Taking a step DOWN from the Dragon Boxes, what an awesome idea, Funimation!
Kentai wrote:Son Gokuu is a fascinating character anyway, because he is - at face value, anyway - an idiot savant. The victim of violent head trauma as an infant [...] he's a simple bumpkin with a fair share of brain damage who's natural talents to work out what's wrong compensate for his broad lack of common sense. But he's also a fighter, through and through [...] he fight until he has, in no uncertain terms, beaten his enemy on terms they can both acknowledge. He doesn't want to kill anyone, or even prove that he can win... he just wants to know he can. He's an ineffably charming bastard who's manly leanings were really incendental, and yes, the fact that he was voiced by a squeaky woman made the combination perhaps all the more charming.


Dragon Ball (Z) Kai Reviews!

Can I get a Schemen?

User avatar
jjgp1112
Born 'n Bred Here
Posts: 7478
Joined: Mon Jul 23, 2007 10:15 pm
Location: Crooklyn

Re: FUNimation to put DBZ on Blu-Ray

Post by jjgp1112 » Thu Jul 21, 2011 6:47 pm

penguintruth wrote:Wow, what a complete waste of Blu-Ray, and ultimately a new shame for the franchise. It's shamefully bad idea to put an awful orange bricks-like "remaster" on Blu-Ray. Now people can enjoy shitty picture quality in crisp Blu-Ray!

What a tremendously bad decision. The only possible way I would be interested in this is if they redubbed the series with the Kai VAs.

Taking a step DOWN from the Dragon Boxes, what an awesome idea, Funimation!
I don't think they have anyone on this forum in mind. Don't forget that the Dragon Boxes are a niche, limited release. They had no intention of pushing the Remastered Releases to the backseat. They know that the vast majority of their target audience will flock at something like this.
Yamcha: Do you remember the spell to release him - do you know all the words?
Bulma: Of course! I'm not gonna pull a Frieza and screw it up!
Master Roshi: Bulma, I think Frieza failed because he wore too many clothes!
Cold World (Fanfic)
"It ain't never too late to stop bein' a bitch." - Chad Lamont Butler

User avatar
DragonBoxZTheMovies
I Live Here
Posts: 2831
Joined: Mon Feb 01, 2010 8:01 pm
Location: New Zealand

Re: FUNimation to put DBZ on Blu-Ray

Post by DragonBoxZTheMovies » Thu Jul 21, 2011 6:48 pm

Will probably only get the Buu saga. I'm not one of those fans that likes to buy the series three times (two's enough for me) and since I've already got the Freeza and will have the Cell arc on Blu-Ray through Kai I don't feel the need to own the 'Z' versions of those in HD.

User avatar
Eddie
Advanced Regular
Posts: 1059
Joined: Mon Jun 29, 2009 4:02 am
Location: Nowhere. Quite possibly the middle of it.

Re: FUNimation to put DBZ on Blu-Ray

Post by Eddie » Thu Jul 21, 2011 6:55 pm

Sweet! It's like getting my own personal birthday present from Funimation! I'm so- *reads line implying orange brick footage*
...
...
Happy fucking birthday, Eddie.

User avatar
JulieYBM
Patreon Supporter
Posts: 16503
Joined: Mon Jan 16, 2006 10:25 pm

Re: FUNimation to put DBZ on Blu-Ray

Post by JulieYBM » Thu Jul 21, 2011 6:56 pm

To say this is painful is an understatement. To say Mike is going to note this is coming after they have continually said "there's no news!" on the podcast is an even bigger understatement. :P
She/Her💕 💜 💙
progesterone princess, estradiol empress
Lucifer's bimbo daughter

KiddoCabbusses
Beyond-the-Beyond Newbie
Posts: 341
Joined: Mon Apr 04, 2011 4:18 am

Re: FUNimation to put DBZ on Blu-Ray

Post by KiddoCabbusses » Thu Jul 21, 2011 7:02 pm

Eddie wrote:Sweet! It's like getting my own personal birthday present from Funimation! I'm so- *reads line implying orange brick footage*
...
...
Happy fucking birthday, Eddie.
B-b-b-but it's Future Tense!

Maybe it won't be Orange Bricks, but.,..
BLU-bricks!
*ba-dum pish!*

Anyway, sounds disappointing to hear that there'd be nothing to gain from 1080p-ing the TV Series.
As for any potential complaints, I think it's fair to remind everyone that we got our "ultimate" edition of the show, and we can let an occasional cruddy release slide, assuming this turns out that way (who knows? I heard good things about the YuYu ones, honestly...)

... hey, I just thought of something?
What if they're actually gonna tamper with Dbox-based masters instead of their older, dinkier ones? Or maybe splice in some Kai there...?

User avatar
JulieYBM
Patreon Supporter
Posts: 16503
Joined: Mon Jan 16, 2006 10:25 pm

Re: FUNimation to put DBZ on Blu-Ray

Post by JulieYBM » Thu Jul 21, 2011 7:04 pm

Tanooki Kuribo wrote:Man, what's with this line's name?! Dragon Ball Z Level 1.1? What the Hell ever happened to just Vol.1?!
What I love about this is that, at 17 episodes for the first box...we're going to wind up with a SECOND Blu-ray release soon enough.

Here's to you Mike, I'm sure you're going to have fun for the next ten years with this one. :P
She/Her💕 💜 💙
progesterone princess, estradiol empress
Lucifer's bimbo daughter

User avatar
jjgp1112
Born 'n Bred Here
Posts: 7478
Joined: Mon Jul 23, 2007 10:15 pm
Location: Crooklyn

Re: FUNimation to put DBZ on Blu-Ray

Post by jjgp1112 » Thu Jul 21, 2011 7:06 pm

KiddoCabbusses wrote:
Eddie wrote:Sweet! It's like getting my own personal birthday present from Funimation! I'm so- *reads line implying orange brick footage*
...
...
Happy fucking birthday, Eddie.
B-b-b-but it's Future Tense!

Maybe it won't be Orange Bricks, but.,..
BLU-bricks!
*ba-dum pish!*

Anyway, sounds disappointing to hear that there'd be nothing to gain from 1080p-ing the TV Series.
As for any potential complaints, I think it's fair to remind everyone that we got our "ultimate" edition of the show, and we can let an occasional cruddy release slide, assuming this turns out that way (who knows? I heard good things about the YuYu ones, honestly...)

... hey, I just thought of something?
What if they're actually gonna tamper with Dbox-based masters instead of their older, dinkier ones? Or maybe splice in some Kai there...?
I don't see how that's even remotely plausible.
Yamcha: Do you remember the spell to release him - do you know all the words?
Bulma: Of course! I'm not gonna pull a Frieza and screw it up!
Master Roshi: Bulma, I think Frieza failed because he wore too many clothes!
Cold World (Fanfic)
"It ain't never too late to stop bein' a bitch." - Chad Lamont Butler

Codarik
Advanced Regular
Posts: 1029
Joined: Fri Jun 04, 2010 2:20 am
Location: Snake Way

Re: FUNimation to put DBZ on Blu-Ray

Post by Codarik » Thu Jul 21, 2011 7:06 pm

What are the chances of this release will not include the dub music?

User avatar
jjgp1112
Born 'n Bred Here
Posts: 7478
Joined: Mon Jul 23, 2007 10:15 pm
Location: Crooklyn

Re: FUNimation to put DBZ on Blu-Ray

Post by jjgp1112 » Thu Jul 21, 2011 7:10 pm

Codarik wrote:What are the chances of this release will not include the dub music?
Funi and Faulconer have been in a bit of a legal dispute, so they might hold off on that for this release.
Yamcha: Do you remember the spell to release him - do you know all the words?
Bulma: Of course! I'm not gonna pull a Frieza and screw it up!
Master Roshi: Bulma, I think Frieza failed because he wore too many clothes!
Cold World (Fanfic)
"It ain't never too late to stop bein' a bitch." - Chad Lamont Butler

User avatar
Eddie
Advanced Regular
Posts: 1059
Joined: Mon Jun 29, 2009 4:02 am
Location: Nowhere. Quite possibly the middle of it.

Re: FUNimation to put DBZ on Blu-Ray

Post by Eddie » Thu Jul 21, 2011 7:10 pm

Codarik wrote:What are the chances of this release will not include the dub music?
Hard to say. It's entirely possible that the dub music will not be present. All of the digital streaming/download episodes have exclusively used the original music.

User avatar
Puto
I Live Here
Posts: 2668
Joined: Wed Oct 08, 2008 3:40 am
Location: Portugal, Oeiras

Re: FUNimation to put DBZ on Blu-Ray

Post by Puto » Thu Jul 21, 2011 7:14 pm

The dub music will be present -- it's stated in the press release.
First set has only 17 episodes. As if this wasn't bad enough already.
Blue wrote:I love how Season 2 is so off color even the box managed to be so.

User avatar
jjgp1112
Born 'n Bred Here
Posts: 7478
Joined: Mon Jul 23, 2007 10:15 pm
Location: Crooklyn

Re: FUNimation to put DBZ on Blu-Ray

Post by jjgp1112 » Thu Jul 21, 2011 7:17 pm

Press Release wrote:FLOWER MOUND, Texas, July 21, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- FUNimation® Entertainment is announcing that it is bringing the first installment of the anime phenomenon Dragon Ball Z to Blu-ray disc for the first time this fall.

Among the most prized in the FUNimation catalog, the studio has used the newest technology available to remaster in high-definition and digitally restore the 291 episode series.

FUNimation worked with Dallas-based ANDTRANSFER for the digital film transfer. FUNimation previously worked with the post-production house to remaster the series for the season set releases on DVD. The transfer was performed by nationally-recognized colorist Steve Franko and supervised by FUNimation, which then finished the rest of the restoration process.

Today's state-of-the-art systems offer tools that allow restoration teams to make a wide range of repairs and focus on more difficult tasks which, in the end, deliver a clean product that faithfully presents the original version and measures up to the high-quality standards of HDTV and Blu-ray.

Once again, the Dragon Ball Z series was digitally transferred from the original Japanese 16mm film frame by frame at 1080p. Developments in restoration software gives mastering artists more to work with when they apply tools to even out film grain and remove fading, film cuts and other visual anomalies. As a result, the viewer will see brighter, clearer colors, less variance in quality between scenes, and a sharper image.

"Working with a very old and fragile source film presented a number of challenges for the restoration process," said Gen Fukunaga, CEO and president at FUNimation Entertainment. "Our purpose was to restore the series as accurately as possible, to what it must have been like to see it when it was originally mastered, and preserve the charm of the animation. After all, it is of a particular time and place."

After debuting in 1989, Dragon Ball Z has become an iconic anime series. The franchise has sold more than 25 million DVD and Blu-ray discs in its lifetime, becoming the best-selling anime series of all time.

Dragon Ball Z is the explosive sequel to Dragon Ball. The series follows the adventures of Goku and his son Gohan as they team up with their friends to battle evil forces throughout the universe to protect their beloved planet Earth. The first season covers the Vegeta Saga and chronicles the introduction of one of Dragon Ball Z's main characters, Vegeta.

This restored edition also features the original U.S. voice actors as well as the original FUNimation soundtrack – all in lossless Dolby® TrueHD.

Dragon Ball Z Level 1.1 includes the first 17 episodes on two discs with over 400 minutes of action and among the extras included on this release is a feature that looks at the restoration and remastering processes.

Dragon Ball Z Level 1.1 will be available at major retailers nationwide on November 8, 2011.
Yamcha: Do you remember the spell to release him - do you know all the words?
Bulma: Of course! I'm not gonna pull a Frieza and screw it up!
Master Roshi: Bulma, I think Frieza failed because he wore too many clothes!
Cold World (Fanfic)
"It ain't never too late to stop bein' a bitch." - Chad Lamont Butler

User avatar
AgitoZ
Temporarily Banned
Posts: 1713
Joined: Thu Jul 29, 2010 12:24 pm
Location: Florida, USA

Re: FUNimation to put DBZ on Blu-Ray

Post by AgitoZ » Thu Jul 21, 2011 7:18 pm

Well the Dragon Boxes are about to end, can't have DBZ not being re-released....again.
If you're not here soon... GET ON!

Post Reply