Kai or Z?

[Luso Saiyan]

This "zoom button" is a myth. I've tried on 3 different TV's from different companies, the result the same.

It zooms the picture? My previous TV was a flat-screen CRT and it had a zoom option.

[Baggie_Saiyan]

This "zoom button" is a myth. I've tried on 3 different TV's from different companies, the result the same.

It zooms the picture? My previous TV was a flat-screen CRT and it had a zoom option.

Nope, reason being is I think the black bars are encoded with the video (on my t.v if I chose the 4x3 AR and the black bars are a different colour of black, and picking 16x9 does nothing).

[Daisetsu]

On the few TVs I've tested, 16:9 only stretches the picture (no matter the source aspect ratio) to fill the screen while 4:3 squeezes the picture to, well, 4:3. There should be other options, such as "cinema wide" on my TV, that actually zooms in.

And yes, the black bars are encoded on the Kai Blu-rays.

[Ajay]

Get the DVD then. If you can't appreciate the point of the format then I don't see the need for it.

[Travis Touchdown]

Being as tired as I currently am, but also terribly devoted to answer your question and reply to your comments, I'm going to answer them individually with shortish answers. Survey style.

Which do you prefer?

Kai. Personal reason is because it's more grown up for me. Like Sabat said in an interview somewhere, he wanted the show to kinda/sorta grow up with its audience and not cater to 5-6 year olds. I feel placing little swears here and there over darn and such does that for me.

1) It looks better.
Not that Z looks bad, but it was animated in like, the late 90s? It's such an eyesore compared to Kai.

I agree. Though admittedly in later episodes during the Cell Saga, I didn't notice the upgrade as much.

2) Freeza doesn't sound like a granny, and I wasn't confused with his gender.
I'm sure we all prefer this over Z's Freeza.

A thousand times this. Linda Young is a fine actress with many roles that she literally owns, but Frieza is not one of them.

3) Kid Gohan actually has his own voice.
His voice in Z was literally the same as Kid Goku's.

I agree. Kid Gohan finally has his own identity. Sort of. I hear the actress has taken over Kid Goku. The original actress is a much better Kid Goku but Colleen is much better Gohan. Kinda funny how the same actresses playing the same two roles give me polarizing opinions.

4) The theme.
Dragon Soul, is the best opening to anything Dragon Ball related. Ever.

I actually disagree. Don't get me wrong, Dragon Soul is a very good song and incredibly catchy. However, I'm partial to pretty much any GT song, especially DAN DAN.

5) It fixes some of Z's dub mistakes/Is more canon.
OVER 9,000!!! Was replaced with OVER 8,000!!! though, I like the former more.

Agree on both accounts. Despite enjoying the more accurate script, I am a big fan of the "Over 9000!!" meme.

[ErikB]

This "zoom button" is a myth. I've tried on 3 different TV's from different companies, the result the same.

Both of my TV's* and my blu-ray player have their own Zoom functions that accomplishes cropping the picture to fit the screen. I've tried them on my Kai blu-rays and they absolutely work.
The blu-ray player's Zoom works better because it keeps the subtitles where they are rather than treating them as part of the picture though.

*Both Insignia brand; one is a 14" 720p and the other is a 26" 1080p.

EDIT: Upon review, the 26-incher actually doesn't have it's own Zoom function...at least not in the 'Aspect' rotation, or that I can find in the menus anywhere. The 14-incher definitely does though.
Here's an example of the blu-ray player Zoom on disc 2 of Part One:
(Not zoomed)


(Zoomed)

[Luso Saiyan]

1) It looks better.
Not that Z looks bad, but it was animated in like, the late 90s? It's such an eyesore compared to Kai.

I agree. Though admittedly in later episodes during the Cell Saga, I didn't notice the upgrade as much.

What animation upgrade are you both talking about? Aside from a couple of shots, the animation is the exact same thing as it was. The source is the same.

[coola]

Z for Japanese
Kai for English dub, with is why i don`t want to watch single episode of Buu Saga, before Funimation release.

[Morgil]

Honestly, as the last of the orange/blue/green bricks released, i was quickly losing interest in the franchise. I had been a fan for a good while, ever since early high school. But i was just growing tired of the series in general. I finished buying the last brick dvd releases, just for completions sake, but i was no longer buying anything else, be it dvds, toys, video games, etc. I just didn't care about the series anymore.

But then Kai showed up. While admittedly i hate all fan-subs with a passion, i did check out the first dozen or so episodes subbed, until i heard what Funimation was planning at which point i decided to wait. I bought the first DVD release and was instantly blown away. Everything from the pacing, the music, and especially the new dub had really just blown me away. The dub is clearly the best thing, too. While i still enjoy some aspects of the old Z dub out of nostalgia (why else would i buy that "Rock the Dragon" DVD box), I had gotten used to seeing so many great anime dubs in recent years, such as One Piece, Naruto, or FMA, to name a few. So hearing that high level of quality now being used in DBZ was such a blessing for my ears. It really felt like Funimation had come full circle: they started off with DBZ, honed their craft over the years with other stuff, and then finally went back to DBZ with everything they've gained.

So basically, i love Kai. While i still have dvds of the old version, it's unlikely i'll ever watch them again any time soon. Not unless there's some specific thing in there i want to quick check out, or something.

Also, while i'm on the subject, i would love a Kai-quality redubbing of the original DB series.

[Kojiro Sasaki]

I strongly prefer Z:

1. Old school atmosphere.
2. Original and complete score.
3. Original cast and voice performances.
4. I'm deciding what to do with filler (or pacing). If I want it I'm watching it, If I don't want it I'm skipping it. Paying money for this possibility is the last thing I would do.

I forgot about "classic animation look":

1. Dragon Ball Kai: http://imageshack.us/a/img11/4669/hiuc.png
2. Dragon Ball Z: http://imageshack.us/a/img28/7803/u6vr.png

The fact that Dragon Ball was produced since 1986 to 1996 is the best thing that happened to this story.

[Luso Saiyan]

I forgot about "classic animation look":

You mean grain and less softness? Because that's the only difference between those two. Again, the animation hasn't changed.

[Kojiro Sasaki]

You mean grain and less softness? Because that's the only difference between those two. Again, the animation hasn't changed.

I don't want any digital filtering to make the show look "modern" (to make it fit new digital scenes). Softness - I call it "lack of resolution". Beside of what you mentioned, saturation of the colors was changed.

[Luso Saiyan]

You mean grain and less softness? Because that's the only difference between those two. Again, the animation hasn't changed.

I don't want any digital filtering to make the show look "modern" (to make it fit new digital scenes).

I don't think that was the purpose though. It was a quick way to make the remastering/restoration process easier and less expensive. Does it lose detail? Sure, nobody is arguing that. My point was that the animation is the same, and more or less grain doesn't change that fact.

Softness - I call it "lack of resolution".

How? Softness doesn't change the resolution and has nothing to do with it.

[Kojiro Sasaki]

I don't think that was the purpose though. It was a quick way to make the remastering/restoration process easier and less expensive. Does it lose detail? Sure, nobody is arguing that. My point was that the animation is the same, and more or less grain doesn't change that fact.

I have different opinion.

How? Softness doesn't change the resolution and has nothing to do with it.

I thought that by "soft" you mean "blurry".

[Luso Saiyan]

I though that by "soft" you mean "blurry".

I do. And my point remains, resolution has nothing to do with softness, grain level or DNR. Same thing with animation which hasn't changed.

[Kojiro Sasaki]

I do. And my point remains, resolution has nothing to do with softness, grain level or DNR. Same thing with animation which hasn't changed.

What is the main purpose of resolution increase? (higher density of pixels)

[Luso Saiyan]

What is the main purpose of resolution increase? (higher density of pixels)

Resolution affects the size of the picture, not the grain structure or softness.

[Kojiro Sasaki]

Resolution affects the size of the picture, not the grain structure or softness.

The first part is correct. But what is the purpose of scanning the same 16 mm frame in bigger resolution? If you will compare SD content to HD content using the same TV, what is the difference? You are getting the same size, but HD content has greater pixel density. This is the main purpose of increasing resolution: To show things that were to small to be seen in small resolution. To make the picture crisper and more detailed. Heavy blurring in Kai killed all the detail that can only be seen in HD, which makes DVD Video resolution enough for its content.

As to the second part - when you compare the same content (same size) scanned in SD to the one scanned in HD, the HD one will have much more grain.
Here is an explanation: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=pl ... 2fd8#t=195

So, when we are talking about older shows shot on film, the main purpose of "resolution update" (from SD to HD) is to make this picture:

Spoiler:

look like this:

Spoiler:

That's why I consider Kai as not certified for HD (excluding 35 mm episodes). That's why I consider blurring as the lack of resolution. "Greater pixel density" of HD is not needed, because you can see everything in SD.

I had a real hard time with converting my thoughts to English here... I hope that this bunch of words above will help you to understand my point

(My apologies to all native English speakers who had read that... )

[Luso Saiyan]

That's why I consider blurring as the lack of resolution.

What I was trying to say was that blurriness has nothing to do with resolution, because you can have a sharp and grainy picture in SD and a blurry and heavily DNR'd picture in HD. Of course, the SD picture can suffer more from compression artifacts than its HD counterpart...

[Blu-ray_Mistress]

I enjoyed DBZ when I was a kid, it was one of the first shows that introduced me to the world of anime. Though I will always have a fondness for the original series, I will have to admit that I prefer Kai. Mainly due to the pacing and the dialogue. Also the acting is a lot better than in the original Dub as well.