FUNimation "DBZ on Blu-Ray" Survey

[Gaffer Tape]

What the frickity frick is wrong with these people? Why would they even ask the aspect ratio question?! I'm insulted by that. Why would they even be considering doing something so stupid again?

There are people who prefer the cropped version.

And not to sound flippant, but I don't care. I have a hard time caring about the opinions of people who prefer a product with a destroyed picture. I have a harder time caring about the opinions of people who can achieve exactly what they want by pressing the "zoom" button on their televisions. In that way, everybody wins. They can have their crappy picture without subjecting other people to it. But if you crop it, you can't just magically restore the missing picture.

[JulieYBM]

What the frickity frick is wrong with these people? Why would they even ask the aspect ratio question?! I'm insulted by that. Why would they even be considering doing something so stupid again?

There are people who prefer the cropped version.

There are also people who prefer edited Japanese cartoons, but I'm pretty sure the industry has moved long past that point.

[dprez]

Gladly took the survey. I'm happy us fans are able to get personal with FUNimation in telling them what we want based on our own experience with Dragon Ball.

4:3, favorite saga and #1 ranked was Dragon Ball, and the only reason I would consider getting DBZ on Blu-ray is because the only realistically available release is the severally below par "Orange Brick" season sets.

When they asked why 4:3, I said because I want to see the whole show...

[Insertclevername]

I took the survey. Mentioned the Dragon Boxes and most definitely picked 4:3. I made it specifically clear why 16:9 Dragon Ball is a bad idea.

[MagicBox]

I have a harder time caring about the opinions of people who can achieve exactly what they want by pressing the "zoom" button on their televisions. In that way, everybody wins. They can have their crappy picture without subjecting other people to it. But if you crop it, you can't just magically restore the missing picture.

I actually mentioned this in my survey response and I hope more people do the same. People can crop the picture using their players. Include the original 4:3 version and everybody wins.

I was actually pretty excited a while ago when I took this survey, but now I'm just worried. I'm astounded that FUNi would give people this choice. You can't give people a choice over something like this. People are stupid. People don't know about aspect ratios. People are going to ruin this for all of us. Thankfully, it's just a survey. But still, thank goodness for the Dragon Boxes...

[Looneygamemaster]

I too, am baffled by that survey choice.

If there are people who are so bothered by black lines, then isn't the obvious answer to make the footage anamorphic? Wouldn't that solve the problem? (I'm by no means a videophile, so if I'm wrong, someone feel free to correct me).

Funimation, you've done a great job making up this whole mess. Please don't make another stupid...

[penguintruth]

People are stupid.

Congratulations, you've figured out the problem.

[Cipher]

I have to be perfectly honest:

I love Dragon Ball. I love higher video quality (and the previous set of Blu-rays looked great, from what I saw).

But with all 500+ episodes already on some pretty excellent DVD collections, I'm not sure I'd be interested in committing to following a new, long-running group of releases. If anything, I'm more interested in picking up Kai as my hi-def material, because at least that's somewhat new, requires fewer purchases, and is more digestible viewing material in a lot of cases.

Talk to me in a few years, and yeah, I might feel like double-dipping. But right now? I'm not so sure I'd be along for the ride; there are too many things I don't own at all on the wishlist already.

[dprez]

They ask because plenty of their 16:9 releases have sold in the past.

Even knowing the casual fan may answer 16:9, FUNimation probably figures that most people who take this survey are likely owners of the Dragon Boxes and/or the Blu-rays, who of which presumably know what quality Dragon Ball is. This could have to do with why the original Blu-rays didn't sell well because most people were content with their Orange Brick's. Most people who had the Orange Bricks didn't buy the Dragon Boxes, and most people who had the Dragon Boxes didn't buy the Blu-rays. So why go here now?

there are too many things I don't own at all on the wishlist already.

Seconded. Trigun, Outlaw Star, Full Metal Alchemist!

[DB_Fan1991]

I have my perfect release of DBZ on DVD, the Dragon Boxes. I'm not buying DBZ again. Give me Dragon Boxes of DB, GT & the movies.

[Pretorious]

I have a harder time caring about the opinions of people who can achieve exactly what they want by pressing the "zoom" button on their televisions. In that way, everybody wins. They can have their crappy picture without subjecting other people to it. But if you crop it, you can't just magically restore the missing picture.

Yeah, I said almost this exact thing in my survey response. I really really don't think they'd release a cropped version again though. There's just no good reason to. They don't crop any other show do they? And the other blu rays weren't cropped, right?

I did appreciate that in the survey, they make it clear that the full screen version is the original version and the widescreen crops the picture, because I have this feeling that maybe there are a few people out there--newer fans--who somehow think that this show was originally presented in widescreen.

[DHM211]

Yeah, seriously, who the hell would vote FOR cropping?

Wait, we know who. The majority of the DBZ fandom in NA. Unfortunately.

Thats just baised, and I take offence to that.

Even though I voted for 4:3, some fans who own widescreen HDTVS will want it to full their screen. Its not like DVDS where you could just do this.

Its Blu-Ray, which means its stuck like this.

Although us "Hard-core" fans will vote for 4:3, more casuel fans will want whatever looks "prettier" on their WIDESCREEN HDTVS. Given That the majority of people who vote for this have widescreens,(not to jinx) I just have a bad feeling this release will come out in 16:9.

[Puto]

Wait, what was that blu-ray-mockup shot based on?

[Cipher]

Even though I voted for 4:3, some fans who own widescreen HDTVS will want it to full their screen.

If you're enough of a videophile to care about an HD presentation of a twenty-year-old cartoon but you don't give a shit about basic things like aspect ratio, then I'm sorry, you're an idiot.

[MarcFBR]

Thats just baised, and I take offence to that.

Even though I voted for 4:3, some fans who own widescreen HDTVS will want it to full their screen. Its not like DVDS where you could just do this.

Nearly every single TV you can buy today has zooming as a basic function. You can quite literally crop it from 4:3 to 16:9, very often by hitting a single button.

[Raykugen]

Please guys, ask for next episode previews, 4:3 and the same grain as the Dragon Boxes! For a perfect release!

[Insertclevername]

Just manually zoom in if you want it to fill your wide screen TV.

[MarcFBR]

DBZ on BD is also a different situation than the orange bricks.

Most people, if they buy a series, and then they own it, aren't going to rebuy it... period.

I don't expect these to end up 16:9, but I'm not surprised to see them asking. As far as we know they still have good quality film scans at 1080p that is 16:9. If cropping isn't going to hurt sales, it would make sense to use those.

In this case, the casual fans either own the bricks on DVD, or, if they do have BD players, likely bought Kai. It seems unlikely that audience is going to make a sales distinction between 4:3 and 16:9 for the BD release of Z.

[DHM211]

Wait, what was that blu-ray-mockup shot based on?

Me editing the dragon box shot.

[Ajay]

Its Blu-Ray, which means its stuck like this.

It's not stuck like that though, it's still the same principal essentially. Near enough every modern TV features the ability to zoom. I understand you mean in that you can just hit '16:9 crop' and let it crop the top and bottom off the entire image as it would leave black squares at the side but it's still an option.

I imagine at this point in time, many people who care enough to buy the series will (hopefully) want it in 4:3.