Dragonball GT DVD release pre green bricks

[AD93]

Hi all,

I am wondering if the DBGT DVD releases in the U.S pre the green bricks have the Japanese opening and closing credits? I understand that they have the Japanese title cards, am I right? I do own GT via the green bricks but I have become accustomed to watching dragonball via the dragon boxes for Z with the Japanese credits and title cards. The dragonball sets I own have Japanese title cards, that's something I guess haha. As I enjoy watching the series in Japanese (with English subtitles) as close to as when it originally aired, I am considering purchasing the GT DVD sets pre green bricks. If these GT sets have the Japanese credits as well as the title cards, it will be a must buy for me. But if it's just the title cards, I may still buy them but it will be less of a need for me and I will optimistically wait for a dragonbox for GT in the U.S (fingers crossed). I would appreciate it if anybody could answer my questions.

Thanks

[Metalwario64]

I don't recommend the Singles unless the title cards, original ending credits and NEPs are more important than anything else, because the poor encoding ruins what is otherwise a fine, near Dragon Box level transfer:

Green Brick:


Single:


This shot isn't even a high motion screen, it's just the last frame before the shot scene changes. It happens all the time, and motion scenes are hit just as hard.

[AD93]

Thanks for the heads up about the picture quality. But just to confirm the singles have the NEP's, Japanese credits and title cards?

[Metalwario64]

Thanks for the heads up about the picture quality. But just to confirm the singles have the NEP's, Japanese credits and title cards?

Yes. They have all of the Japanese elements, including the NEPs.

Since that seems to be your priority, I believe you'll be satisfied with them.

I actually bought one of the singles a few years ago to get a high quality screenshot of Goku's thumbs up from the "Don't You See?" ending, because the quality of the ending in the brick had very messed up colors, probably from all of the editing they did to make the footage textless:

Single (with Japanese credits)


Green Brick (textless)


(Just in case anyone wants the textless Japanese shot I made by splicing two different frames of the same shot together, here it is)
[spoiler][/spoiler]

[Ringworm128]

(Just in case anyone wants the textless Japanese shot I made by splicing two different frames of the same shot together, here it is)
[spoiler][/spoiler]

The green bricks are nowhere near the level of their orange counterparts but look at those crushed blacks. Speaking of the singles and Dragonbox, I recall there being some speculation that the footage Funimation originally used for GT was the Dragonbox footage; just a couple of years before it got restored properly.

[Metalwario64]

Yeah, that's definitely what it looks like. It's just interlaced and has some dirt and damage. Colors are just about identical.

Also, thankfully that above shot is something that only plagues the endings, and was probably a result of some odd color correction they did while making their textless versions of the endings.

[Ringworm128]

Yeah, that's definitely what it looks like. It's just interlaced and has some dirt and damage. Colors are just about identical.

Also, thankfully that above shot is something that only plagues the endings, and was probably a result of some odd color correction they did while making their textless versions of the endings.

Shouldn't the footage be interlaced anyway? Since it would have originally aired in 480i?

[Metalwario64]

For FUNimation's digibeta tape copies, yes, but for the raw film, it shouldn't be interlaced.

I wish FUNimation had de-interlaced GT like they did the original Dragon Ball.

[AD93]

Thanks for the heads up about the picture quality. But just to confirm the singles have the NEP's, Japanese credits and title cards?

Yes. They have all of the Japanese elements, including the NEPs.

Since that seems to be your priority, I believe you'll be satisfied with them.

I actually bought one of the singles a few years ago to get a high quality screenshot of Goku's thumbs up from the "Don't You See?" ending, because the quality of the ending in the brick had very messed up colors, probably from all of the editing they did to make the footage textless:

Single (with Japanese credits)


Green Brick (textless)


(Just in case anyone wants the textless Japanese shot I made by splicing two different frames of the same shot together, here it is)
[spoiler][/spoiler]

Thanks mate. Yeah the Japanese elements are more important to me as long as the picture quality isn't orange brick level . I will consider buying these now, thanks.

[Robo4900]

I honestly still think the singles look better. In motion(And properly deinterlaced), I don't think it looks so bad, and I really can't stand the awful DVNR Funimation put on the bricks. Plus, title cards and such are a big bonus.

The reason the brick version of the credits looks so bad is because they used the textless version. The textless OP/ED are from beta tapes, which have aged poorly, and have some weird colour issues, aswell as dot crawl.

[Ringworm128]

I don't recommend the Singles unless the title cards, original ending credits and NEPs are more important than anything else, because the poor encoding ruins what is otherwise a fine, near Dragon Box level transfer:

Green Brick:


Single:


This shot isn't even a high motion screen, it's just the last frame before the shot scene changes. It happens all the time, and motion scenes are hit just as hard.

Looking at these I can't believe I used to think the GT season sets looked pretty neat. The film grain and glossy art style blend together to give of a "warm" classic look while still looking more modern than Z. On the green brick pick, Goku looks like he's made out of plastic.

[Vorige Waffe]

Guys, that's not film grain on the singles. That's straight up macro blocking and pixelation, as the GT singles were from that "before time" where Funimation's discs were mediocre at best because their encoding methods were substandard (probably because of what their post-production workflow was at the time), not to mention having alternate angles (essentially two separate layers of video that you need to encode) can lower the bitrate and in the end affect video and audio quality. The rainbowing from using an analog master tape doesn't help either.

Granted, I'm not a fan of DNR on the bricks either, but at least those have a healthier bitrate thanks to using only one layer of video, even it means losing those Japanese title cards and credits. If Funi had dialed back the DNR, the bricks might have been a clear winner, but alas they aren't quite perfect either. GT really doesn't have pristine international release sadly so in other words, it's par for the course like its predecessors home video releases.

[Jinzoningen MULE]

Guys, that's not film grain on the singles. That's straight up macro blocking and pixelation, as the GT singles were from that "before time" where Funimation's discs were mediocre at best because their encoding methods were substandard (probably because of what their post-production workflow was at the time), not to mention having alternate angles (essentially two separate layers of video that you need to encode) can lower the bitrate and in the end affect video and audio quality. The rainbowing from using an analog master tape doesn't help either.

Granted, I'm not a fan of DNR on the bricks either, but at least those have a healthier bitrate thanks to using only one layer of video, even it means losing those Japanese title cards and credits. If Funi had dialed back the DNR, the bricks might have been a clear winner, but alas they aren't quite perfect either. GT really doesn't have pristine international release sadly so in other words, it's par for the course like its predecessors home video releases.

It's actually both. There's plenty of grain present on the singles, but there's also quite a bit of noise from poor compression.

The Bricks release of GT really are superior in almost every way. They have problems, notably the interlacing. (Which, what the actual hell?! Interlaced DVD's were already outdated when the Bricks were released. Nowadays, they may as well be VHS tapes. GT is long overdue for a re-release, which we probably won't ever actually get.) I see plenty of people complaining about the DVNR (surprisingly no problems with the edge-enhancement, though), but it's well-applied in this release. I don't get the issue.

Unless you heavily value the NEP's or the original US intro, I'd choose the GT Bricks any day of the week.

[Kojiro Sasaki]

My dear Kanzenshuuers...forget about those outdated DVDs! It's 2017! We need HD release. GT can look a little bit better than this:
[spoiler]
(© http://aniblu.de/?p=94)[/spoiler][spoiler]
(© http://aniblu.de/?p=94)[/spoiler][spoiler]
(© http://aniblu.de/?p=94)[/spoiler]
It can sound better than this: GT stereo sound sample

Original masters aren't eternal. They can perish forever. We need to at least prevent it from happening!

[Ringworm128]

Yes, the next release of GT will most likely be 1080P or maybe even higher. My only hope is that it's 4:3.

[simtek34]

snip

Yes! We can have the perfect GT release! If Toei does a Level and/or Kai 1.0 remaster, and with all the credit and credit less opening and endings. At least Toei has the clear GT audio! And a Dragon Book

[Robo4900]

I think in terms of singles vs bricks, it depends on your personal opinion; both are interlaced, so the real question is, do you mind not having the watchable version of the dub? And how picky are you about encoding? (As I've been saying all along, the encoding issues in the singles have been vastly overblown)
In my case, the singles are infinitely superior; the DVNR ruins the video on the bricks for me, and the multi-angle stuff on the singles elevates them so much further above the bricks. Ultimately though, I think the long and short of it really is: If you're watching subs, the singles are probably best; if you're watching the dub, the bricks are probably best.

Anyway, GT would be an ideal candidate for a HD release, since it'd only be 64 episodes, the high-quality stereo audio still exists, and it has the most consistently really nice animation outside of the movies. Plus it's rather well-liked in Japan, so it'd probably make for a pretty good test-run for a HD release of the series.
Honestly, I think the movies would be the best thing for Toei to start with, but I don't really mind which order they do things in; if we get an actually good HD Dragon Ball release, I'll be happy whatever they do.

[Jinzoningen MULE]

I doubt we'll ever get a GT re-release. I don't think anyone cares enough to convince Toei it's worth undertaking, and Funimation doesn't have the proper materials or judgement.

I think in terms of singles vs bricks, it depends on your personal opinion; both are interlaced, so the real question is, do you mind not having the watchable version of the dub? And how picky are you about encoding? (As I've been saying all along, the encoding issues in the singles have been vastly overblown)
In my case, the singles are infinitely superior; the DVNR ruins the video on the bricks for me, and the multi-angle stuff on the singles elevates them so much further above the bricks. Ultimately though, I think the long and short of it really is: If you're watching subs, the singles are probably best; if you're watching the dub, the bricks are probably best.

Poor encoding tends not to be as noticeable with interlaced footage, but it's still definitely worth mentioning (although if we're honest, the Bricks weren't perfect in that regard either).

I'd still argue that GT's Bricks are better no matter how you want to watch. May I ask what your problem with the DVNR is? It didn't make anything overly blurry, it didn't destroy textures, and Funimation didn't use any of the extensive processes that remove lines. Are you just against it on principle? I really don't get it.

[ABED]

I don't understand why the season sets don't include the next episode previews.

[Jinzoningen MULE]

I don't understand why the season sets don't include the next episode previews.

More than likely just to keep a sense of consistency between the Bricks releases.