Differences Between DVD Releases

[Minigt]

Hi all,

I'm new here so please excuse this stupid question!

I would like to know the difference between the new FUNimation re-releases of DBZ and the Dragon Boxes (which I think include singles?).

Do they both show ALL of the DBZ episodes?

I have like 3 versions of most US releases (where that's possible) including the new released FUNimation stuff but was wondering if it's worthwhile getting the Dragon Boxes?

Thanks all.

[Ex-Dubbie369]

Well, first of, welcome! Always good to see new members. For In-depth comparison, I'd suggest the using the DVD guides at this site and Kanzentai's guide. Also, there is an in-depth guide on many of the releases on FUNimation's forums.

Hope these help!

[JAPPO]

FUNimation uses a remastering process called "faux remastering." That's the technical term. Basically, according to members of this forum, they take the grainy image and SMUDGE IT TO HELL. Then they turn the brightness up and change colors for no apparent reason.

To top it all off, they cut off the top and bottom parts of the image to make it widescreen. It's called movie magic.

The DragonBoxs? I don't know. They are all in Japanese, no English.

[MajinVejitaXV]

The DragonBoxs? I don't know. They are all in Japanese, no English.

Damn, really? A Japanese release in Japanese? Those bastards, WHERE ARE MY ESPERANTO SUBTITLES?!

-Corey

[Forgotten Hero]

The DragonBoxs? I don't know. They are all in Japanese, no English.

Damn, really? A Japanese release in Japanese? Those bastards, WHERE ARE MY ESPERANTO SUBTITLES?!

-Corey

You're screwed either way with Dragonball dvds! Har Har Har!
"A grand problem, there was actually a problem! Ha Ha HA!!!" - Mike

[Minigt]

Thanks all, especially you Ex-Dubbie369. I'm now much more learned in the ways of DragonBox

[TheGreatness25]

The Dragon Box release is a much better release of the series. They put their time and effort into it, clearly. There are amazing extras, great cover art, and just a great set to have. The FUNimation Season Sets are a cheap way of packing the show into the most condensed release possible for the fans. So naturally, there is a difference in price. While the Dragon Box (back when they weren't impossible to get) were close to $1,000 each. A Dragon Ball Z Season Set release is a lot cheaper. The Dragon Ball Z Season Sets will most likely go up to a ninth release, and that would mean that all together, if they were $50 each (which NONE of them are that expensive), they'd only be $450.00. This means that the entire Dragon Ball Z Season Set release will be almost a quarter of what the Dragon Box release of Dragon Ball Z costs (there are two parts to the release).

Dragon Ball Season Sets

-Audio: English dub with original Japanese soundtrack (5.0), Original English TV broadcast (2.0), and original Japanese audio (2.0)

-Picture: 16:9 (Widescreen). The way this was accomplished was a portion of the top and bottom of the original image was cut. Although a small portion of the sides has been restored (so you see more sides than any other Dragon Ball Z release), this still does not come close to making up for the amount of footage cut vertically. The brightness is very high on this. The colors are light. Through the Remastering process, when there is rapid movement (planet shaking, etc.), the black outlines of the characters sometimes disappear. To make the picture "clearer", they tried to remove the grain from the original film. Now, because of this, the picture has become smudged. Sometimes, because of all of these elements working together, the characters' noses, eye outlines, etc. seem to get smudged out.

-Extras: These releases are very limited in Extras. Nothing more than trailers and a boring documentary in the first two releases. Also, a promotion of the Remastered process on the first release.

-Packaging: This is very stripped down. Paper folding cases containing six DVDs each with a booklet. The booklet was nice...for the first release. But with every release, the book seems to bring nothing new to the table, re summarizing the same characters over and over again. The cover art is questionable. Super Saiyan Goku from the Frieza Saga making an appearance on a release that has the Cell Games on it is a bit weird. If you look on the back of the packaging, there is a connecting picture that will spell out "Dragon Ball Z" with a picture of a Dragon behind it. However...the release comes in a jacket and you will not see this spine with the jacket on. You have to take the jacket off and put the cases together for it to show anything. The sides of the jackets only show a mini picture of the front picture.

Dragon Box

-Audio: Japanese (2.0 I believe)

-Picture: 4:3, the way it was meant to be seen! The picture shows a bit more than the FUNimation 4:3 release on the top and left corner, but less on the bottom (as far as I can tell from every picture I've seen posted as a comparison shot between the two). This difference is insignificant and you can't notice it. They remastered the video as well. There is less grain, but of course, the grain is what keeps the show's appeal, as some would argue, and the Dragon Box doesn't completely get rid of it. the colors are a lot less bright, less contrast, and more of a tint. Skin colors come off as a bit more pink than you might be used to from the TV series. This is debatable as to whether or not it is proper. On the original cels of the show, the colors are what they are in the Dragon Boxes. However, from old video game footage (where they used animated images that are true to the series without enhancements), old footage that could be found online, old pictures online (before the show was entirely released in the US), and even on the main website, the colors seem to be a bit brighter and have less of a "pink skin" effect. Still, the visuals are great. A great way to experience the series.

-Extras: The Dragon Box release has amazing extras. For one thing, it has the TV specials as Extras. So you get the Bardock and Trunks special in the set, rather than buying it separately like the FUNimation Season Sets release. There is also a comparison between the different dubs of the show all around the world. It's nice to watch, with the old FUNimation release (heavily censored from back during the Saban days) getting the butt of the joke.

-Packaging: Beautifully packaged. Nice actual DVDs in there as opposed to the folding paper set, which if one little piece on it is damaged, the entire case is worthless. There is also a book with these sets, but because there aren't nine releases all featuring the same book, it is actually interesting.

Dragon Box wins, flawless victory. HOWEVER! It'll cost you an arm and a leg to get. I think that if there's any chance (and there is probably a much better chance than getting the Dragon Box), a good choice would be the old 4:3 singles. The first DVD of Dragon Ball can only be obtained in Australia if you want it uncut, and there is...well...a considerable amount of episodes missing from the Goku vs Nappa fight all the way up to Goku vs Jeice and Recoome. However, I prefer these releases over anything. The Dragon Box looks nicer, but I grew up with the show in English and sometimes it's nice to have the option. I can still watch it in Japanese. However, these will also cost you an arm and a leg to get. If you have no attachment to the English dub at all, go for the Dragon Box. The Dragon Ball Season Sets would rank right at the bottom in the, "if you can't get anything else" section.

[MajinVejitaXV]

While the Dragon Box (back when they weren't impossible to get) were close to $1,000 each. A Dragon Ball Z Season Set release is a lot cheaper. The Dragon Ball Z Season Sets will most likely go up to a ninth release, and that would mean that all together, if they were $50 each (which NONE of them are that expensive), they'd only be $450.00.

Minor nit-pick: I got the DragonBoxes for roughly $750-800 each at Amazon.co.jp back when they were on preorder. Sure, at MSRP they were roughly $1000, but much like the FUNimation sets they could be found for a lot less.

-Picture: 4:3, the way it was meant to be seen! The picture shows a bit more than the FUNimation 4:3 release on the top and left corner, but less on the bottom (as far as I can tell from every picture I've seen posted as a comparison shot between the two).

I'm not sure where you get that. Here's an image that has been floating around the forum the past few days:



As you can see, the DragonBox has the most image on all sides compared to the original FUNi singles. This is because the digitbeta masters that FUNimation received originally were zoomed to compensate for cel misalignment, which Toei and Pony Canyon fixed when they did their frame-by-frame remaster for the DragonBoxes enabling them to give the most picture at the proper aspect ratio.

There is less grain, but of course, the grain is what keeps the show's appeal, as some would argue, and the Dragon Box doesn't completely get rid of it.

Grain doesn't have an appeal of its own, it just means that detail hasn't been lost. All DVNR, no matter how expensive, has some degree of difficulty distinguishing between grain and actual detail. That's why the picture on the season sets can look blurry or be missing actual lines from the animation.

The reason for less noticeable grain on the DragonBoxes is that the generation zero masters were used to create them, as opposed to FUNimation's third or fourth (estimated) film copies.

However, from old video game footage (where they used animated images that are true to the series without enhancements), old footage that could be found online, old pictures online (before the show was entirely released in the US), and even on the main website, the colors seem to be a bit brighter and have less of a "pink skin" effect.

What images are you referring to? Ultimate Battle 22, Legends and Final Bout all have roughly the same coloring as the DragonBoxes, so I'm a bit confused. There are minor differences of course, mainly because of the low fidelity that the Playstation allowed for motion video I'm assuming.

Besides, who do you trust? The original animation cels and the studio that produced the series, or FUNimation who after ten years still doesn't have a consistent release on the shelves?

-Corey

[TheGreatness25]

That image above is all well and good, but every time I would come on here and someone would post a Dragon Box screenshot and I would post a FUNimation 4:1 release screenshot, there would be more on the upper and left side of the Dragon Box, but more on the lower (I forget, probably and right) side of the FUNimation 4:3 release. I remember this instant very well when I put up a picture of Super Saiyan Goku in a freeze frame about to battle Frieza and some die hard Dragon Box fan said something about "who cares" if there is more on the bottom, it's what's on top that matters. So...yeah.

[MajinVejitaXV]

http://db.schuby.org/daizex/viewtopic.p ... &start=220

You mean these pictures on this page? Because I see more image all around (though it doesn't appear to be the exact same frame since I can't get them to sync up exactly in Photoshop, nor are they corrected for a 4:3 ratio).

I'm not trying to start a feud, I'm just curious if you're right. I've always perceived, and seen, more image all around on the DragonBoxes.

-Corey

[TheGreatness25]

That's not the one I was talking about. Hmm. Lets take something that is at a still frame and see how it compares. Not to start a feud because it's fully possible that you are right. Just I've never really seen it for myself. So I'll post something from the 4:3 singles and if someone could post the exact same picture from the Dragon Box release, that would be awesome.

Now since getting a new computer with Vista on it, my VLC player doesn't take screenshots anymore... But I can take screenshots with the "Print Screen" button. So the size won't always be the same.

This is from episode 168 entitled, "Meet Me in the Ring" or "Goku and Gohan... The Hero Father and Son's Ultimate Level-Up".




And just for the hell of it...





I tried to size the Season Set picture to match the 4:3 picture. Would be nice to get a Dragon Box picture sized the same way. Let the experimenting begin lol

[Kaboom]

http://db.schuby.org/daizex/viewtopic.p ... &start=220

Oh, geez. I apologize to anyone reading for myself in that thread. Something must have had me in a really pissy mood. Probably work.

[TheGreatness25]

Oh. One other thing I just noticed about that picture comparison (the one with the Widescreen against the singles against the Dragon Box release). We all know that the Widescreen one is MUCH more cropped from the FUNimation singles than that. Something's off on it either way.

[Vegard Aune]

We all know that the Widescreen one is MUCH more cropped from the FUNimation singles than that. Something's off on it either way.

No, in comparison to the old FUNi-singles, we're not really losing all that much, and we actually DO get more footage than we lose. Compared to the japanese DVDs, however, the cropping is far more noticable.

[disturbed001]

I'm still kinda confused though. Why are the Dragon Box DVDs a bigger picture than FUNi's? Weren't they made from the same master?

[SSJToreto]

I'm still kinda confused though. Why are the Dragon Box DVDs a bigger picture than FUNi's? Weren't they made from the same master?

FUNi zoomed in to remove the shaking camera effect. Dragon Box doesn't have this problem.

[disturbed001]

There was a shaking effect? And why did the Dragon Box not have it? Toei must know how to put out a release better than FUNi

[SSJToreto]

There was a shaking effect? And why did the Dragon Box not have it? Toei must know how to put out a release better than FUNi

From Kanzentai:

"However, with time, money and new digital technology on their side, Pony Canyon has created a new print that captures more image than the original masters. In some cases this actually meant re-aligning some of the frames, which not only allowed for a larger image surface, but also greatly reduced all former traces of jitter!"

[disturbed001]

Whoah man, can you send me the link so I can read all that? Thanks!

EDIT: Just kiddng, I found it.

[PrincessVegeta]

NVM