Funimation's 30th anniversary collectible home video release

[Shaddy]

I can't wait for the next release 5 years from now, where it's cropped to widescreen, and the tweet says "And yes...there's no DNR".

[JohnnyCashKami]

I can't wait for the next release 5 years from now, where it's cropped to widescreen, and the tweet says "And yes...there's no DNR".

As the years pass, more will be the fans who cherish the Dragon Box Z and the Level Set remasters because it looks like there'll be nothing superior to it.

I mean, there is just look at FUNimation's Z raws but they don't want to release it. Fans on Kanzenshuu even had hopes FUNimation would use the Japanese Broadcast Audio but.. they just do their usual business of disappointing fans. lol

FUNimation might as well just say this on their trailer: "The Z raws look amazing don't they? You're not gonna get that! We'll give you a cleaned up version instead because we know what's best for youuuuuuuu."

[KBABZ]

It seems like there's a myth here that YouTube compresses the grain too much or even in its entirety but that's not true.

This is from YouTube:

Spoiler:

Heavily disagree. I've uploaded some PS1 footage to YouTube with the system's original dithering, and unless the camera is standing still, the compression takes the dithering away:

https://youtu.be/AJEFM63oAuM

[JohnnyCashKami]

It seems like there's a myth here that YouTube compresses the grain too much or even in its entirety but that's not true.

This is from YouTube:

Spoiler:

Heavily disagree. I've uploaded some PS1 footage to YouTube with the system's original dithering, and unless the camera is standing still, the compression takes the dithering away:

https://youtu.be/AJEFM63oAuM

I'd have to download the YouTube compressed video myself and see if it's there or not. But anyway, that was some pretty awesome gameplay either way.

[Spoofer]

It seems like there's a myth here that YouTube compresses the grain too much or even in its entirety but that's not true.

This is from YouTube:

Spoiler:

Heavily disagree. I've uploaded some PS1 footage to YouTube with the system's original dithering, and unless the camera is standing still, the compression takes the dithering away:

https://youtu.be/AJEFM63oAuM

As someone who's recently whipped out all my old PS1 classics, is currently replaying Final Fantasy Tactics, and knows exactly what PS1's dithering looks like, I plainly see it in that video you've uploaded while watching at 1080p, especially while everything is standing still (there are plenty of static shots in anime where the grain might likewise be retained). Agreed that it's far less obvious in motion (though I can still spot it here and there even on this decade-old laptop's small screen), and likely nowhere near as noticeable as it looks prior to compression (and IDK if it's one of those games with only light dithering, or full-blown wall-to-wall dithering like FFT).

Sidenote: Contrary to how I feel with film elements (like DBZ's), after exhausting comparisons on official Sony hardware I personally feel that PS1 games look superior and "as intended" at 480p (PS3 upscaling both introduces and enhances aliasing like you wouldn't believe) and when a light smoothing filter is applied (like the PS3's), as so may of the PS1's (and prior generations') games were designed with dithering and low-res aliased graphics, which the developers anticipated and counted on would blend together and look smooth and seamless on CRTs. Once you readjust to the soft picture, it's truly far more accurate to the original presentation and intended look for the games (games which include both polygonal models and pre-rendered backgrounds look entirely consistent together, for example, whereas upscaled and with smoothing off the models stick out like a sore thumb on what looks like background wallpaper). I always see OG gamers recommend playing OG games on CRTs for them to look their best, but doing the opposite of what everyone with a PS3 thinks would result in a good picture actually provides the best of both worlds, and these games still look amazing on my 4k (granted it's a waste of a 4k TV, but lol).

Taking the same approach and applying smoothing filters to DBZ's already clear and accurate/intended film elements is just dumb, however.

[JohnnyCashKami]

I suppose this is what's going to be on the art book, not entirely but a good chunk of it:

Spoiler:

[Tylerman29]

I suppose this is what's going to be on the art book, not entirely but a good chunk of it:

Spoiler:

3 pages probably. I think they primarily used that art for the promo because it was something they could easily slap on there for demo purposes. The book looks rather thick from the photo..hopefully its around at least 60 pages. That art is probably the best part of the season blu rays.

[linkdude20002001]

They didn't disregard it for arbitrary reasons. The season sets sold better and actions speak louder than words.

My issue with this is that it wasn't widescreen that made the difference in the fans' purchasing decisions, it was the episode count, price point, and timing that made the difference.

Rite? FUNi’s marketing team can’t possibly be stupid enuf to think it was the blurry, cropt footage that made the “season” sets sell so well. It was the first and ONLY way to buy the show in its entirety, uncut, outside Japan. And it’s only competition was FUNi’s old singles, which sold DBZ for $9.50 an episode. So when a new release came out selling DBZ for $1.50 an episode, it didn’t even need the cheap automated “remaster”. Raw film scans slapt onto a DVD would’ve sold just as well.

[SuperSaiyaManZ94]

They didn't disregard it for arbitrary reasons. The season sets sold better and actions speak louder than words.

My issue with this is that it wasn't widescreen that made the difference in the fans' purchasing decisions, it was the episode count, price point, and timing that made the difference.

Rite? FUNi’s marketing team can’t possibly be stupid enuf to think it was the blurry, cropt footage that made the “season” sets sell so well. It was the first and ONLY way to buy the show in its entirety, uncut, outside Japan. And it’s only competition was FUNi’s old singles, which sold DBZ for $9.50 an episode. So when a new release came out selling DBZ for $1.50 an episode, it didn’t even need the cheap automated “remaster”. Raw film scans slapt onto a DVD would’ve sold just as well.

Exactly, the things that sold them despite the garbage video quality and fake widescreen were the price and amount of episodes per set.

[KBABZ]

Off-topic PS1 stuff below:

Spoiler:

I'd have to download the YouTube compressed video myself and see if it's there or not. But anyway, that was some pretty awesome gameplay either way.

Thanks! Love CTR and will be writing the IGN guide for it when it comes out in two or so months. Sewer Speedway is my all-time favourite course.

Sidenote: Contrary to how I feel with film elements (like DBZ's), after exhausting comparisons on official Sony hardware I personally feel that PS1 games look superior and "as intended" at 480p (PS3 upscaling both introduces and enhances aliasing like you wouldn't believe) and when a light smoothing filter is applied (like the PS3's), as so may of the PS1's (and prior generations') games were designed with dithering and low-res aliased graphics, which the developers anticipated and counted on would blend together and look smooth and seamless on CRTs. Once you readjust to the soft picture, it's truly far more accurate to the original presentation and intended look for the games (games which include both polygonal models and pre-rendered backgrounds look entirely consistent together, for example, whereas upscaled and with smoothing off the models stick out like a sore thumb on what looks like background wallpaper). I always see OG gamers recommend playing OG games on CRTs for them to look their best, but doing the opposite of what everyone with a PS3 thinks would result in a good picture actually provides the best of both worlds, and these games still look amazing on my 4k (granted it's a waste of a 4k TV, but lol).

Well to explain my setup a bit, I'm using a PSone (the slim model) going to an OSSC via a SCART cable. If you don't know what an OSSC is, it's a fantastic device that does line doubling, increasing the image instantly with no additional lag whilst keeping the pixels super-sharp. The OSSC then outputs to my Xbox One since it can actually interpret the OSSC's non-conforming video footage, which is then shot to my Elgato HD60 S for capture. After that, I go into the video editor to stretch the picture horizontally to get the 4:3 pixel aspect ratio and, if the footage is meant for a site like IGN, I use the out-of-focus background to fill up the black space.

I used this method when recording video for my Spyro guides on IGN, specifically the two Flight levels in the first game whose routes aren't exactly the same in Reignited. You can watch them here and here.

I totally get applying the blur, I personally prefer razor-sharp pixels of the core visuals. And you can make an argument that there's intent there too: I have the LCD screen for my PSone (no lag and it means I can use it without the use of a TV) and the pixels are DAMN sharp on that thing, if a bit tiny. Ultimately, my preference comes out of frustration with folks who use emulated footage and crank up the rendering resolution and colour depth, ultimately resulting in an image that is far out of reach of what the original system was capable of.

[JohnnyCashKami]

Exactly, the things that sold them despite the garbage video quality and fake widescreen were the price and amount of episodes per set.

There are fans who weren't happy with the DNR nor the fake AR but it was cheap so they just decided to buy each set as it came out. Doing this just leaves customers without any other option, sorta like beggars can't be choosers. Same goes for the Season Set - 4:3 Edition (30th Anniversary Blu-ray Release) which isn't what they want but it is in 4:3 AR.

FUNimation could learn from Selecta Vision.

[SuperSaiyaManZ94]

Exactly, the things that sold them despite the garbage video quality and fake widescreen were the price and amount of episodes per set.

There are fans who weren't happy with the DNR nor the fake AR but it was cheap so they just decided to buy each set as it came out. Doing this just leaves customers without any other option, sorta like beggars can't be choosers. Same goes for the Season Set - 4:3 Edition (30th Anniversary Blu-ray Release) which isn't what they want but it is in 4:3 AR.

FUNimation could learn from Selecta Vision.

That's why i wish when they were producing the Orange Bricks over a decade ago that they'd have just taken the singles' digibeta masters they already had and done some touching up and better encoding, or better yet left the film masters they later received mostly as is just with a few adjustments to deal with the damage on the frames. The DNR'ing and fake widescreen crop IMO are things that were pointless and ultimately needless because the sets would've sold just as well without them.

[gokaiblue]

Exactly, the things that sold them despite the garbage video quality and fake widescreen were the price and amount of episodes per set.

There are fans who weren't happy with the DNR nor the fake AR but it was cheap so they just decided to buy each set as it came out. Doing this just leaves customers without any other option, sorta like beggars can't be choosers. Same goes for the Season Set - 4:3 Edition (30th Anniversary Blu-ray Release) which isn't what they want but it is in 4:3 AR.

FUNimation could learn from Selecta Vision.

That's why i wish when they were producing the Orange Bricks over a decade ago that they'd have just taken the singles' digibeta masters they already had and done some touching up and better encoding, or better yet left the film masters they later received mostly as is just with a few,adjustments to deal with the damage on the frames. The DNR'ing and fake widescreen crop IMO are things that were pointless and ultimately needless because the sets would've sold just as well without them.

Seems like we're still suffering from the consequences of the orange bricks.

[sangofe]

It seems like there's a myth here that YouTube compresses the grain too much or even in its entirety but that's not true.

This is from YouTube:

Spoiler:

Heavily disagree. I've uploaded some PS1 footage to YouTube with the system's original dithering, and unless the camera is standing still, the compression takes the dithering away:

https://youtu.be/AJEFM63oAuM

But didn't Funimation have a video on their site hosted at elsewhere than YouTube that looks the same?

[KBABZ]

But didn't Funimation have a video on their site hosted at elsewhere than YouTube that looks the same?

I can't visit their pages so I wouldn't know.

[PhoenixEX]

I ended up canceling my pre-order.

[sangofe]

But didn't Funimation have a video on their site hosted at elsewhere than YouTube that looks the same?

I can't visit their pages so I wouldn't know.

Vpns exist as apps in browsers.

[TVfan721]

I can't sift through 100 pages so I'm hoping I can get a paraphrase. I looked at the set last night and it looks amazing from what I can see? The entire DBZ series on Blu Ray in one single set uncropped. What is the issue? I see someone said it's the same quality as the Blu-Ray release from a few years ago which is not awful and certainly an improvement from the Orange Bricks. Where is the controversy coming from?

And is Funimation aware of this supposed backlash and have they addressed it? I hope someone can answer me soon because I'm close to pre-ordering.

[VDenter]

I can't sift through 100 pages so I'm hoping I can get a paraphrase. I looked at the set last night and it looks amazing from what I can see? The entire DBZ series on Blu Ray in one single set uncropped. What is the issue? I see someone said it's the same quality as the Blu-Ray release from a few years ago which is not awful and certainly an improvement from the Orange Bricks. Where is the controversy coming from?

And is Funimation aware of this supposed backlash and have they addressed it? I hope someone can answer me soon because I'm close to pre-ordering.

I hope you reconsider. The DNR on these sets is atrocious. It's 4:3 but that hardly matters since the image quality is horrible. It all looks so flat and the colors are still way too over-saturated. Yes it's a slight improvement over the Blu-Ray season sets but not nearly enough for it to matter. This doesn't even come close to the Level Sets and that's the big issue here.

[JohnnyCashKami]

I can't sift through 100 pages so I'm hoping I can get a paraphrase. I looked at the set last night and it looks amazing from what I can see? The entire DBZ series on Blu Ray in one single set uncropped. What is the issue? I see someone said it's the same quality as the Blu-Ray release from a few years ago which is not awful and certainly an improvement from the Orange Bricks. Where is the controversy coming from?

And is Funimation aware of this supposed backlash and have they addressed it? I hope someone can answer me soon because I'm close to pre-ordering.

Simply put, it's the Dragon Ball Z: Season Sets in 4:3 AR and that's not a good thing because that automated remaster was technically even worse than the "Orange Bricks" were.

Watch the trailer again and pause it, if you need: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=vZrP640wHXg

Here's a comparison made by FUNimation themselves:



Look at the background, the sky, the clouds and the details. And thus, the obvious use of DNR, preferred colors and saturation.