New US Release w/ Japanese version

[Bladez636]

https://www.facebook.com/Discotekmedia/ ... 616663451/
So Discotek is releasing "Star Fleet" again in the US. This time as one of their Standard Definition Blu-Rays they've been doing for a while with the English dub again. But this time they're including the Japanese version as well; finally we'll have a professional translation of the Japanese series and will finally be easily accessible to English speaking audiences instead of having to hunt down the Japanese versions.

I'm sure the dub will still be the same quality as the original release, and I'm guessing the Japanese version will be the same as the 2013 Japanese DVD release. It sucks that it won't be HD, but I doubt Japan cares enough to do so, and they'd have to be the ones to approve any licensors doing an HD transfer. The English dub certainly has no better masters to work with (that we know of).

[Crash]

Interesting,
I don't know what's stopping them doing a 1080p release though.
The Terrahawks bluray was done off a 16mm master if I remember right and it looked fine, although not *quite* as sharp as some.
So if they can find a 16mm or 35mm master, what's the hang up?

I don't think I'll be buying this to put it on the site or personal consumption, unless someone can say that we're getting an improvement in picture quality somehow or we're going to get some additional special features.
I was a bit underwhelmed by the picture quality on the original Discotek release.
If you have that original release plus one of the Japanese ones, then you're gonna get everything that's probably on this blu-ray (apart from maybe new some extras).

[Bladez636]

Interesting,
I don't know what's stopping them doing a 1080p release though.
The Terrahawks bluray was done off a 16mm master if I remember right and it looked fine, although not *quite* as sharp as some.
So if they can find a 16mm or 35mm master, what's the hang up?

I doubt Japan cares enough to do so; I get the feeling they only did that piss-poor 2013 "Remaster" DVD just to try and milk some more money out of it.
I'm assuming Discotek got the masters from either Enoki Films or Fabulous Films. The masters on the US DVD are for the most part the same as the UK one but NTSC (so lower quality) but have some anomalies. Mainly the audio sounding a bit less clean and the opening credits are clumsily taken from Episode 8 (you can often see a single frame of the first scene of X-Bomber from that episode). Remember when the UK DVD was delayed from its original late 2008 release to early 2009? I have a feeling these were the masters that Fabulous Films originally edited before delaying the release to do further editing.
It makes me wish Network got the rights to Star Fleet instead of Fabulous Films; they did a Blu-Ray of "Space Patrol" last year and the prints were in worse condition than "Star Fleet"; they looked really good on it. Most of Fabulous Films releases' of older stuff are underwhelming like "Mysterious Cities of Gold". https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p7us8T0b4kw

If you have that original release plus one of the Japanese ones, then you're gonna get everything that's probably on this blu-ray (apart from maybe new some extras).

English subtitles.

[Crash]

English subtitles.

That'll be enough to swing it for me. Hopefully, there'll be some other fringe incentives as well.

Between Enoki, Fabulous and Diskotek, we have had bad luck that none of them look disposed to doing a proper English restoration let along a hi-def release.

[Dr. Ben]

So... this is interesting news! I would love to see the series in its original Japanese format, having never been able to find a reasonably priced copy of the DVD or laserdisc.

I wonder if it does well if there will be an HD scan?

https://www.rightstufanime.com/Star-Fle ... jLZwYTs3_Y

[Crash]

It made sense to merge two threads on the same topic...

Perhaps, as you say, we will eventually see the show in high definition and English language.
It once seemed a very remote possibility getting it released on DVD in the first place.

[Bladez636]

Got the Blu-Ray yesterday. As I predicted, the masters for the Japanese version are the same as the 2013 Japanese release, and no change in the masters for the English version either. But, at last, we have all 25 Episodes of the Japanese version subtitled into English, which was, more or less, the lone selling point for me to buy this, and in that regard it was worth it. In addition, it also includes some of the special features from the Japanese Remaster DVD including the Pilot with English subs; which is great because I was unsure they'd include that.

[Crash]

Sounds like I'm going to have to order that.
I think I'll do a handbrake rip of the additional episode and the preview show with subtitles.
I'd be interested to see what's in those.
Although that may be slightly more difficult with the blu-ray encryption that it is with DVD.

If we ever get into the new house, with all the enquiries and legal faffing about, I'll get it brought across from the US.


I also plan on getting the Japanese DVDs of Zentrix, just to see what they're like, and get some scans of their covers:
http://xbomber.co.uk/?dir=Other/TV%20Sh ... %20Zentrix

Unfortunately, all 6 volumes/discs together will set me back £200, before shipping, duties etc.


Edit: haha! I went to Amazon to check it this blu-ray and there's only one review (1/5 stars) so far, really hammering them on the picture quality.
I think that serves the manufacturer right, actually. If the French could the picture quality nice and sharp and vivid, then so could they.