New "Remastered Box Set" Information

[BrollysKin]

So where does the footage added onto the sides come from?

Does anyone know, I can't seem to figure it out.

[Li'l Lemmy]

My guess is that a few months after a few of the season sets are released, FUNi will present and release the 'full-screen editions', along with an over the top, amped up trailer of course.

Truthfully? While I can see where you're coming from, that would piss me off more than anything they're doing with cropping now. I want consistency after all these years of waiting, dammit. If they've commited the first season to a widescreen format, then it should ALL be in widescreen (regardless of whether I care for that particular decision or not); they can always just release the full versions again later for the inevitable Blu-ray or HD-DVDs.

I don't want to run out and buy the first few seasons of widescreen and then have FUNi switch off somewhere in the middle, because then that means the editions I bought would eventually be replaced all over again to match the later ones!

The madness must end!!

Does anyone know, I can't seem to figure it out.

I don't know. Obviously the "extra" footage has been there all along, even if Toei never actually used it. I'm willing to bet that FUNi just happened to stumble upon this discovery and decided it'd be great to utilize what has never been shown before.

Or something like that.

[DBW]

Does anyone know, I can't seem to figure it out.

I don't know. Obviously it's been there all along, even if Toei never actually used it. I'm willing to bet that FUNi just happened to stumble upon this discovery and decided it'd be great to utilize what has never been shown before.

Or something like that.

http://img451.imageshack.us/img451/8320/syncom5.jpg
My 4:3 film source doesn't match up with his 4:3 film source at all, so the issue is most likely the materials he used. The 4:3 image he used is from a zoomed in FUNimation DVD, and next to my raw film screencap I can see that the ground line alone is off by at least a half centimeter. I'm guessing that the extra image on the left and right is just the extra material lost from the zoomed FUNi masters, and then blown out of proportion to a degree. Even if it is extra material FUNimation caught, I can tell you right now that his representation of the top and bottom of the image is off, so it's actually more likely an equal trade off if nothing else (1cm gained on the side should = 1 cm lost on the top/bottom).

The widescreen shot from the trailer as well as the blue widescreen box need to be scaled down to match the source film. Here's a shot from the original raw film source (from Dragon Box Z Vol. 2). You can try lining up the images again with this source, I have no clue how to do that sort of thing...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v326/ ... rgeRaw.jpg

[MajinVejitaXV]

Posting this so you guys can compare. The original comparison wasn't corrected for an actual 4:3 display (it was native DVD resolution), so someone else on AnimeonDVD and FUNi's forums posted this:

Here.

-Corey

[ect5150]

Posting this so you guys can compare. The original comparison wasn't corrected for an actual 4:3 display (it was native DVD resolution), so someone else on AnimeonDVD and FUNi's forums posted this:
Here.

That looks correct, and that's exactly what I'm afraid of too. I think some people are just naively trusting FUNI to be doing the right think, like they magically have extra footage outside the cells or something. But I don't buy it.

[Li'l Lemmy]

I don't get it. There's two versions of this exact image running around now, and they both say that it's a true 16:9 image.

The original comparison wasn't corrected for an actual 4:3 display (it was native DVD resolution)

Oh. So it has to do with how it was lifted from off the original image, then? . . . or something.

I think some people are just naively trusting FUNI to be doing the right think, like they magically have extra footage outside the cells or something. But I don't buy it.

I'm the first to admit that the F in FUNimation oft-times stands for "fishy". But why would they talk about expanding the length and width if they couldn't back it up, especially if they end up cropping the top and bottom to do it? They know at least half a dozen fans are going to rip screeshots from off the DVDs and make their own picture comparisons the day this set comes out, and after all the trouble FUNi is going through and all the money they've spent I don't think they want those people to call them liars.

Well . . . I know I wouldn't want that, at any rate.

[ect5150]

I don't get it. There's two versions of this exact image running around now, and they both say that it's a true 16:9 image.

Unfortunately, the one showing more image loss is the correct one. The earlier one didn't properly resize his image from his DVD rip.

Oh. So it has to do with how it was lifted from off the original image, then? . . . or something.

I'm the first to admit that the F in FUNimation oft-times stands for "fishy". But why would they talk about expanding the length and width if they couldn't back it up, especially if they end up cropping the top and bottom to do it? They know at least half a dozen fans are going to rip screeshots from off the DVDs and make their own picture comparisons the day this set comes out, and after all the trouble FUNi is going through and all the money they've spent I don't think they want those people to call them liars.

For the same reasons Microsoft claims Vista will be more secure, for the same reasons they claimed XP would be more secure, for the same reasons they claimed WinME would be more secure.

For the same reasons Apple claims the next version of its iPod is the best. For the same reasons Coke claim its new flavor is the best. For the same reasons Enron pulled accounting tricks to make the company look better. And none of these guys has been able to back it up with the sh*t hit the fan.

Like it or not, explaining/predicting a company's behavior is easier assuming they are after profit as opposed to they want to do the right thing for their customers.

Some people over at Funi's forums are just requesting a simple screenshot. I don't think that's too much to ask. And it would solve a LOT of issues on everyone's sides. It would actually benefit Funi to do so, to know if they are going to shoot themselves in the foot, or if the images are acceptable to the fanbase (customers).

[Li'l Lemmy]

For the same reasons Microsoft claims Vista will be more secure, for the same reasons they claimed XP would be more secure, for the same reasons they claimed WinME would be more secure.

For the same reasons Apple claims the next version of its iPod is the best. For the same reasons Coke claim its new flavor is the best. For the same reasons Enron pulled accounting tricks to make the company look better. And none of these guys has been able to back it up with the sh*t hit the fan.

Like it or not, explaining/predicting a company's behavior is easier assuming they are after profit as opposed to they want to do the right thing for their customers.

I understand all that. It's the very concept of marketing itself. But this isn't quite as simple as a company putting out an upgrade and touting it to be the best thing ever, I don't think. There's variables here that aren't typical.

First, FUNimation isn't a huge conglomerate like Microsoft or Coca-Cola. They're making money, but they're still a relatively small, self-contained company who are still in relative touch with their consumer base-- and I'm talking irrespectively of the fact that for the moment they're choosing to ignore it. They have representatives scouting the fan forums, make appearances to answer questions at conventions and open office doors they say anyone can just walk through and complain.

Dragon Ball is their biggest, most expensive property to produce, package and sell. It's what they started with, and if I'm right it's what they'll someday finish with too. And they're continually going the extra mile in their presentation. They pay extra money to Toei for things like the Japanese audio, for the original BGM, for the right to add subtitles-- they've essentially given us everything we want over the years; not because they up-and-suddenly decided that their dub's target audience (children) are going to want to hear Masako Nozawa and Ryo Horikawa but because we complained, whined and begged for things to change. As well as being thick-headed with things like the script, they have been unusually responsive when it comes to everything else.

What they consistently fail at, some people would argue, is in how they give us the things we want; with their low birates and three-episodes-per-disc count, the DBZ DVDs are not known for their quality, certainly. But consider the fact that it's a miracle we got them at all.

But we still want more. And they heard us. The Ultimate Uncuts were probably set to be FUNimation's swan song to this series, because after that there wouldn't be anything left to dub, sub or otherwise produce that would be realistically marketable. But again we prevail. From what I understand, the Ultimate Uncuts were selling as good as anything they've ever put out for DBZ, yet they've now ground to a halt . . . why? Probably because they listened to our concerns, collected our feedback and saw there was a way to manipulate it all into something profitable for both them and us.

They did their own remastering with the Ultimate Uncut discs. They said it looked great. We said it sucked. So here they go and finally repile the episodes into sets. While they could have turned around and offered them as is, they put up the extra money for a credible studio to remaster them for real-- and not just the first two seasons (as the UU's would have done), but the whole damned lot of 291 episodes. And I think it'd be hard to deny that a large part of that was because of how much they heard us go on and on about Dragon Box, Dragon Box, Dragon Box.

So I think, after all this time and money spent-- after they've been baffled for so long about how to put out the show in a way that will make the casual fans and us hardcore veterans happy, that they really are trying to put out the best product possible. They know what our expectations are, and while it's a natural thing for a company to promote their products in an always positive light, it would not benefit FUNimation at all to lie this time around.

If they say there's extra unused footage on the sides, then I want to believe them. Well . . . then again, I also want them to not cut out any of the top and bottom just to get at it, but . . . well, if it was PERFECT, it wouldn't be FUNi.

Some people over at Funi's forums are just requesting a simple screenshot. I don't think that's too much to ask. And it would solve a LOT of issues on everyone's sides. It would actually benefit Funi to do so, to know if they are going to shoot themselves in the foot, or if the images are acceptable to the fanbase (customers).

This, I agree with. It's time for some damage control, and like Corey said earlier, what FUNimation's done so far in that regard hasn't been great. Let's hope we see something in the next few days.

[DBW]

Posting this so you guys can compare. The original comparison wasn't corrected for an actual 4:3 display (it was native DVD resolution)

Oops, the image I posted wasn't 4:3 either.

The widescreen image should be scaled down to match this image, which will shrink the blue box again, ever so slightly...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v326/ ... Charge.jpg

EDIT: By the way, I'm not trying to bash on these sets, I'm probably going to pick them up when they come out.

[Tanooki Kuribo]

Does anyone remeber there being screen shots from the "We Gotta Power" openeing from the DragonBox? It showed that the FUNimation DVD's were zoomed in a bit and that there was a little more image to see. Maybe these new sets will be zoomed out and somehow worked with for the widescreen transformation. I have no clue how but, I am just saying there was more image to see then FUNimation was showing us.

Also, do you think this set will have the Japanese next episode previews?

[Li'l Lemmy]

Does anyone remeber there being screen shots from the "We Gotta Power" openeing from the DragonBox? It showed that the FUNimation DVD's were zoomed in a bit and that there was a little more image to see.

Yeah, I remember. It took some tracking, but DBW was nice enough to post that comparison sometime last year-- though unfortunately, it's only the FUNimation images that were uploaded to DaizEX; the Dragon Box scans came from DBW's Photobucket. DBW, you seem to be pretty active lately . . . if you still have those Dragon Box images for Tanooki here, that'd be great.


FUNimation:

Dragon Box:
(coming soon?)

FUNimation:

Dragon Box:
(coming soon?)

Also, do you think this set will have the Japanese next episode previews?

Next episode previews? Well, they did say that the runtimes would be different. That might indicate that they're including the previews, even if it ends up just being the English versions. Getting both the English and the Japanese, while I wouldn't necessarily count on it, would be a very pleasant surprise and go a long way toward making this the definitive release they claim it to be.

[Kula]

I know I’m getting waaaaaaay ahead of myself, but here’s what I hope the box sets will include…

• Vegeta Saga - 39 Episodes (Just before the ‘fake’ Namek filler episodes) *5 discs
  Namek Saga – 37 Episodes (Episode 76, ending with Freeza’s arrival) *5 discs
  Freeza Saga – 41 Episodes (Ending with the Garlic Junior Saga) *5 Discs
  Cell Saga - 48 Episodes (Up to when Cell tells Trunks about the Cell games) *6 discs
  Cell Games – 34 Episodes (Up to the end of the other-world Tournament) *5 discs
  World Tournament Saga – 54 Episodes (Just before evil Buu appears) *7 discs
  Majin Buu Saga - 37 Episodes (To the end of the series) *5 discs

7 Boxsets would be perfect. They could even put a different Dragon Ball on the spine of each one. The episode count of each set might be a little uneven, but it would make more sense than ending in the middle of a saga. I'd rather pay a little more for a higher episode count than have them spread out over 8+ Box sets.

The Bardock and Trunks Special would also be a nice inclusion. *Fingers crossed for a movie boxset*

[Blitzen]

I know I’m getting waaaaaaay ahead of myself, but here’s what I hope the box sets will include…

• Vegeta Saga - 39 Episodes (Just before the ‘fake’ Namek filler episodes) *5 discs
  Namek Saga – 37 Episodes (Episode 76, ending with Freeza’s arrival) *5 discs
  Freeza Saga – 41 Episodes (Ending with the Garlic Junior Saga) *5 Discs
  Cell Saga - 48 Episodes (Up to when Cell tells Trunks about the Cell games) *6 discs
  Cell Games – 34 Episodes (Up to the end of the other-world Tournament) *5 discs
  World Tournament Saga – 54 Episodes (Just before evil Buu appears) *7 discs
  Majin Buu Saga - 37 Episodes (To the end of the series) *5 discs

I'd prefer if in every set you mentioned, they'd add another disc. Your propsed World Tournament set would be 8 episodes per disc with a 9th, and considering three audio tracks, possibly two angles, in 'widescreen', and any possible extras, would make for a very cramped and ugly video in the release.



7 Boxsets would be perfect. They could even put a different Dragon Ball on the spine of each one. The episode count of each set might be a little uneven, but it would make more sense than ending in the middle of a saga. I'd rather pay a little more for a higher episode count than have them spread out over 8+ Box sets.

The Bardock and Trunks Special would also be a nice inclusion. *Fingers crossed for a movie boxset

[Tanooki Kuribo]

The Bardock and Trunks Special would also be a nice inclusion. *Fingers crossed for a movie boxset

I know Iam being picky here but, it'd be awesome if they included these specials with there original eye catchers. No biggie if they never do but, it'd be cool.

[Maphisto86]

The Bardock and Trunks Special would also be a nice inclusion. *Fingers crossed for a movie boxset

I know Iam being picky here but, it'd be awesome if they included these specials with there original eye catchers. No biggie if they never do but, it'd be cool.

Same here... I'm sure Funimation will release said specials. Hell, they may even redo all the movies (ala Dragonbox) and re-re-re-release them. Here's hoping they AT LEAST redo the Specials. They rock!

My only con right now is that the remastered episodes are going to be widescreened. I mean why do that? I hope it doesen't smoosh out parts of the scene. Also is the Japanese music track going to be included or not? No biggie for me as I like BOTH the original and Funi track. Still it would be nice as we are getting the original voices too.

[b_boult]

The Bardock and Trunks Special would also be a nice inclusion. *Fingers crossed for a movie boxset

I know Iam being picky here but, it'd be awesome if they included these specials with there original eye catchers. No biggie if they never do but, it'd be cool.

Same here... I'm sure Funimation will release said specials. Hell, they may even redo all the movies (ala Dragonbox) and re-re-re-release them. Here's hoping they AT LEAST redo the Specials. They rock!

My only con right now is that the remastered episodes are going to be widescreened. I mean why do that? I hope it doesen't smoosh out parts of the scene. Also is the Japanese music track going to be included or not? No biggie for me as I like BOTH the original and Funi track. Still it would be nice as we are getting the original voices too.

Of course the Japanese audio will be included. Although I seriously doubt it'll sound a whole lot better on these sets. Even on the Dragonboxes the audio (although cleaned up slightly) is still noticably mono in sound. It's amazing how sub par the audio quality is actually for a 1990 show, I'm sure it must have sounded awful at the time also.

[fps_anth]

The Bardock and Trunks Special would also be a nice inclusion. *Fingers crossed for a movie boxset

I know Iam being picky here but, it'd be awesome if they included these specials with there original eye catchers. No biggie if they never do but, it'd be cool.

I can be even pickier! Funimation would truly be forgiven for all the shit they have done in the past would be if they release the Playdia/Terebikko stuff REMASTERED on these DVDs...with interactivity!

Sure, it will never happen. But I can dream!

[Snail]

That'd be tres awesome.

[Eclipse]

Wow. See, this is why I gave up on making AMVs for now. I have absolutely no idea what any of this crap means.

You and me both.... and I make AMVs!

When it comes to the artistic side of AMV-making, then I've got talent, aspiration, and ideas out the wazoo. But when it comes to the technical aspect of it... eh, I'm severely lacking. Too lacking to have anything I make on my own end up looking decent.

But I'll learn eventually, and when I do... watch out, world!

I should beg Mike to to become my sensei...


Holy spam in a tin can, I think this is the first time Lady Meri has ever directly addressed me! I'm not worthy!

I feel your pain. I've got the same issue -_-

Of course the Japanese audio will be included. Although I seriously doubt it'll sound a whole lot better on these sets. Even on the Dragonboxes the audio (although cleaned up slightly) is still noticably mono in sound. It's amazing how sub par the audio quality is actually for a 1990 show, I'm sure it must have sounded awful at the time also.

I do have a question about the interchangeable audio on the set.

If the Japanese audio is mono (which is single channel audio), then how is it possible that the dub can use ONLY the BGM? Is it because FUNi just dubbed the Japanese track with the English voices?

[DaemonCorps]

As epic as this release is, I'm sure there are those of you (myself included) that seriously don't have the money to get every frickin' season set that FUNi'll be cranking out. So, I'm branching out and asking you guys which arc of the series you'd get if you could only choose one. For me, I guess it would be the latter of the Cell Saga. Then again, I'd love to see Trunks whooping Mecha-Freeza or Goku staring at awe after Kuririn explodes... ugh, there's just too many stuff in the series to choose!

(Though I'm sure FUNi will make sure to space out the releases so that even the most frugal of DBZ fans will be able to recuperate money-wise .)