Why no UK DVD releases?

[Cosmodious]

I don't know if this question has been answered before but I'm sick of having to pay ridiculous prices to buy my DB DVDs from other countries. Why aren't there any DVDs released by whoever has distribution rights in the UK? There's a huge fanbase, I genuinely don't know a male under 30 who doesn't love the show so why haven't there been any releases aside from those awful dubs of the movies?

[KiddoCabbusses]

Aren't those AB Groupe "Big Green" Dub DVDs marketed for the UK? I mean, technically I think they're out of print now, but... yeah.

[SSJSteve]

We had (3?) movie releases over here, which I think were the "Big Green" dub.

It's very annoying importing DVDs, each Dragon Box costs like £30 to import, they cost $30 in America. The only "cheap" DVDs now are the Orange Bricks, but if you compare them to what they cost in America, it's still annoying.

They don't sell them over here because FUNimation doesn't have the rights or something like that. Hopefully we'll get a DVD release of ZKai from Ocean, it could be a while though, it hasn't gone on TV yet.

[Cosmodious]

Yeah, that's the awful dub I meant. I don't think any episodes were done like that though, just the first three or four movies. GIVE US EPISODES!!! Garghshshgaghjglkgmkj and so on...

[The Time Traveller]

It's very annoying importing DVDs, each Dragon Box costs like £30 to import, they cost $30 in America. The only "cheap" DVDs now are the Orange Bricks, but if you compare them to what they cost in America, it's still annoying.

If the Dragon Boxes were released in the UK they'd probably cost double or more, and the footage would be ruined unless they left it in NTSC.

[SSJSteve]

Hmm, I don't think they'd be that expensive. There's no way they would cost £60, in stores like HMV it would probably be expensive. But stores like Amazon or Play would probably have it cheaper (just like the way it is now). At least then Amazon and Play are selling it directly.

[Rukura]

Same goes here in Portugal. When it aired, people from ages 5 to 35 watched Dragon Ball (along with Z and GT later on). Going on 16 years later...no dvd release, except for the crappy movies dub only release.

Thus far, our releases have been:
- Movies (DB and DBZ) Dub only, on VHS
- GT tv episodes, dub only, on VHS
- Movies, as they had been on VHS, on DVD

Is there any way to get the american Dragon Boxes in Europe, without a credit card?

[TheBlackPaladin]

Is there any way to get the american Dragon Boxes in Europe, without a credit card?

I'm sure their probably is. However, the bigger problem you would have on your hands is modifying your DVD player to be region-free. Or--probably the better solution--buying a region-free DVD player.

[Rukura]

Is there any way to get the american Dragon Boxes in Europe, without a credit card?

I'm sure their probably is. However, the bigger problem you would have on your hands is modifying your DVD player to be region-free. Or--probably the better solution--buying a region-free DVD player.

That's actually a non-issue for me. I can either rip and re-burn them as is, or just play them on my ps2 using Swap Magic. My tv has a ntsc mode (as many, if not all these days, do) so color-space isn't an issue either.

All i need to watch the Dragon Boxes is....the Dragon Boxes themselves, really. Haven't managed to get my hands on them at all.

[funrush]

Is there any way to get the american Dragon Boxes in Europe, without a credit card?

Well, you could put your hope in prepaid cards. Many major credit card companies put out prepaid cards that you could put money on, and then use at places those cards are accepted.

[Rukura]

Is there any way to get the american Dragon Boxes in Europe, without a credit card?

Well, you could put your hope in prepaid cards. Many major credit card companies put out prepaid cards that you could put money on, and then use at places those cards are accepted.

That actually sounds like a plan


Also, getting back on topic, does the AB Group still have the rights at all? Because Kai in France seems to have nothing to do with them

[Eire]

You can try shopping agents, especially if you have more things to import. The commission doesn't kill.

[Paradox295]

Yeah... you don't want that.

Manga have publically said on their twitter that if, in the unlikely event that it does get a UK release, they'd use the Orange Brick footage...



...HOWEVER. There is a slight chance...

...Kaze, the distro for the French and German DBZ boxsets, has started working with Manga UK on a number of series. I believe, please correct me if I'm wrong, the footage on those boxes are from the Dboxes.

So, Kaze may decide to release those DVDs over here, but they'd need a reason. If DBZ Kai starts airing here, they might see it as a good enough reason to release them.


So, tldr: Maybe, but a lot of things would have to fall into place for that to happen.

[Rukura]

...Kaze, the distro for the French and German DBZ boxsets, has started working with Manga UK on a number of series. I believe, please correct me if I'm wrong, the footage on those boxes are from the Dboxes.

I don't think they were. The German boxsets from Kaze are based on the French transfer...the old one, that is.

No Dragon Box masters there, but they're not that bad when compared to Orange Bricks lol. 4:3 Ratio, a little saturated (Z was a little better, i remember Goku's gi being orange in Z) but still.

[kei17]

Same goes here in Portugal. When it aired, people from ages 5 to 35 watched Dragon Ball (along with Z and GT later on). Going on 16 years later...no dvd release, except for the crappy movies dub only release.

Thus far, our releases have been:
- Movies (DB and DBZ) Dub only, on VHS
- GT tv episodes, dub only, on VHS
- Movies, as they had been on VHS, on DVD

Is there any way to get the american Dragon Boxes in Europe, without a credit card?

The spanish DVD release of DB contains the Portuguese dub audio. It's not a Portuguese DVD release, though.

[Puto]

Only the old, way out-of-print DVD release by Salvat, and only for the original DB, not for Z. And no JP audio. Oh, and they look so bad that they make the original FUNi singles look gorgeous by comparison.

The current Spanish sets don't have the Portuguese dub anymore, but they DO have the JP audio, and they are based on the Dragon Box footage (including stuff like next-episode-previews), so they no longer look like garbage. I got some of them myself. Pretty neat.

[sangofe]

Yeah... you don't want that.

Manga have publically said on their twitter that if, in the unlikely event that it does get a UK release, they'd use the Orange Brick footage...



...HOWEVER. There is a slight chance...

...Kaze, the distro for the French and German DBZ boxsets, has started working with Manga UK on a number of series. I believe, please correct me if I'm wrong, the footage on those boxes are from the Dboxes.

So, Kaze may decide to release those DVDs over here, but they'd need a reason. If DBZ Kai starts airing here, they might see it as a good enough reason to release them.




So, tldr: Maybe, but a lot of things would have to fall into place for that to happen.

I have to crush your hopes already, because what you're saying is plainly wrong, AB co-operated with TF1 Video for the French boxsets, however, none of them are involved with Kai, and we don't know who'll be releasing Kai in France as of yet either, so perhaps it's Kaze... But people are guessing it's the company that handles Naruto and One Piece.

[Paradox295]

Yeah... you don't want that.

Manga have publically said on their twitter that if, in the unlikely event that it does get a UK release, they'd use the Orange Brick footage...



...HOWEVER. There is a slight chance...

...Kaze, the distro for the French and German DBZ boxsets, has started working with Manga UK on a number of series. I believe, please correct me if I'm wrong, the footage on those boxes are from the Dboxes.

So, Kaze may decide to release those DVDs over here, but they'd need a reason. If DBZ Kai starts airing here, they might see it as a good enough reason to release them.
Nah, I meant, the DBZ hype might start back up again if Kai starts airing, and Kaze might see it as an opportunity to cash in by releasing the original DBZ.



So, tldr: Maybe, but a lot of things would have to fall into place for that to happen.

I have to crush your hopes already, because what you're saying is plainly wrong, AB co-operated with TF1 Video for the French boxsets, however, none of them are involved with Kai, and we don't know who'll be releasing Kai in France as of yet either, so perhaps it's Kaze... But people are guessing it's the company that handles Naruto and One Piece.

[Rukura]

The spanish DVD release of DB contains the Portuguese dub audio. It's not a Portuguese DVD release, though.

Exactly, that's why i didn't count that one.
But as Puto pointed out, there was a release by Salvat that had the Portuguese dub only of Dragon Ball. The advertising on those were so good that i only learned of them after joining the forum...

Only the old, way out-of-print DVD release by Salvat, and only for the original DB, not for Z. And no JP audio. Oh, and they look so bad that they make the original FUNi singles look gorgeous by comparison.

The current Spanish sets don't have the Portuguese dub anymore, but they DO have the JP audio, and they are based on the Dragon Box footage (including stuff like next-episode-previews), so they no longer look like garbage. I got some of them myself. Pretty neat.

I believe the first time i realized that Goku's gi wasn't red was either at the 23rd Budokai or starting in Z

I actually wanted to collect all the series in the Spanish sets' format....but i quickly found out that they're not only out of print, but close to being out of stock everywhere. There are still some singles, the first DB box and the second GT box but that's it. I only managed to get the 3 Movies and Specials sets and they're great.

But right now for the average European fan of the Japanese version....it's pretty much FUNimation's game. Not because they keep re-releasing stuff...but because everything is STILL in print. (not quite the case with Selecta Vision)

[enapace]

It is annoying that they don't release in Region 2, but it is easy to get copies of Dragonball DVDs. I get mine from United Publications. They have good delivery and you get them about the same time as the release dates, and all you need is a multi-region DVD player (or just hack your DVD player; most you can do these days).