The Official DC Animated Universe DVD Talkback, Part 10

[Bird Boy]

It's time for the Tenth Installment of the DVD news threads, folks! Please keep all DVD talk in here!

Current news - Updated February 9, 2006:
-Second Season of "Justice League" and Final Volume of "Superman" Arrive on DVD in June (http://www.worldsfinestonline.com/WF/news/020906.php)
-"Teen Titans" and "The Batman" Second Season DVD Sets Hitting in September 2006 (http://www.worldsfinestonline.com/WF/news/020706.php)
-'Justice League' and 'Batman Beyond' Get Season Set Treatment in March (http://news.toonzone.net/article.php?ID=7480)

To check out the newest information, look for the newest post in this thread for any updates. For the latest information on what's coming to DVD from the Animated DC Universe, check out the links below:

-The World's Finest (http://www.worldsfinestonline.com)
-Toon Zone News (http://news.toonzone.net)
-The World's Finest - Releases Section (http://www.worldsfinestonline.com/WF/sections/releases/)

Archive:
-The Official DC Animated Universe DVD Talkback, Part 9 (http://forums.toonzone.net/showthread.php?t=154395)
-The Official DC Animated Universe DVD Talkback, Part 8 (http://forums.toonzone.net/showthread.php?t=141697)
-The Official DC Animated Universe DVD Talkback, Part 7 (http://forums.toonzone.net/showthread.php?t=133913)
-The Official DC Animated Universe DVD Talkback, Part 6 (http://forums.toonzone.net/showthread.php?p=1409156#post1409156)
-The Official DC Animated Universe DVD Talkback, Part 5 (http://forums.toonzone.net/showthread.php?t=110845)
-The Official DC Animated Universe DVD Talkback, Part 4 (http://forums.toonzone.net/showthread.php?t=106423)
-The Official DC Animated Universe DVD Talkback, Part 3 (http://forums.toonzone.net/showthread.php?t=99855)
-The Official DC Animated Universe DVD Talkback, Part 2 (http://forums.toonzone.net/showthread.php?t=86789)
-The Official DC Animated Universe DVD Talkback, Part 1 (http://forums.toonzone.net/showthread.php?t=65035)

[Funkatron]

How fitting right before the street dates :p

[Crow]

The best way to watch these (I've never seen any of the episodes and have the existing sets already) would be STAS Volume 2 first then BTAS Volume 4 second, right? The World's Finest episode was the great unveiling of the revamped Batman, yes?

[Duke]

One of these days, you need to let this thread just keep going and going and going, see how many pages it goes on for.

[Bird Boy]

The World's Finest episode was the great unveiling of the revamped Batman, yes?

Nope. 'Holiday Knights' premiered in September and 'World's Finest' was October. Close, but TNBA definitely showed up first.

-BB

[Simpler Simon]

Nope. 'Holiday Knights' premiered in September and 'World's Finest' was October. Close, but TNBA definitely showed up first.

-BB
I heard World's Finest was originally supposed to be the big revamped premiere though?

Much as I want to grab the new boxsets coming out next week, holiday shopping is putting a drain on me. At least the box sets are popular enough now that most stores carry a few copies well after the initial release week.

[Stu]

I heard World's Finest was originally supposed to be the big revamped premiere though?

I believe it was supposed to introduce Batman to Kids WB! audiences, but they aired a few Batman episodes first. Then again, this was Kids WB, a studio who actually aired Holiday Knights before the episode that introduced the whole premesis of the show, Sins Of The Fathers. They could be quite foolish back in the day, couldn't they? :p

[Duke]

They could be quite foolish back in the day, couldn't they? :pAs opposed to nowadays when they air random episodes of their non-4Kids anime series?

[poddie]

Woooo-hoooo!

Went to Target this morning and they had redone their family DVD wall. Sitting there was BTAS V1,2,3 and an empty spot for V4. But they also had Superman V1 AND V2 out. Got it early! They also had both Superfriends volumes there. I never saw anyone with every release together before... was kinda nice.

I snagged Superman V2 for $19.99, and the price marked on Batman V4 was 34.99. But somebody got to those first.

Also saw they had Thundercats V2 (I don't buy that one though), and I suspect a few other releases from next Tuesday out as well...

[Furious Nick]

Woooo-hoooo!

Went to Target this morning and they had redone their family DVD wall. Sitting there was BTAS V1,2,3 and an empty spot for V4. But they also had Superman V1 AND V2 out. Got it early! They also had both Superfriends volumes there. I never saw anyone with every release together before... was kinda nice.

I snagged Superman V2 for $19.99, and the price marked on Batman V4 was 34.99. But somebody got to those first.

Also saw they had Thundercats V2 (I don't buy that one though), and I suspect a few other releases from next Tuesday out as well...
Great scott you're a lucky man! I actually had that happen to me once with a release of some random dvd purchase a few years ago. Target is so strange that way sometimes. You must provide some details on special features.

[poddie]

Huh... first thing I notice is that disc 2 is scuffed up.

However, I do see that they included a nice new mini-poster of The Batman with all the animated releases on the back. And one of their mini-lithographs is also included...

[Silly McGooses]

nice about the lithograph. Still annoyed about not getting it last time with B:TAS vol 3.

How are the extras?

[poddie]

Pretty weak extras. Just the "Menaces of Mettallo" as far as featurettes go (13 minutes). 1 Video and 2 audio commentaries. Haven't had a chance to watch any of them yet.

Still hate the double sided disc, too. Even worse when it's badly scuffed on both sides! :)

Guess what? It has chapter stops! 5 per episode! Maybe somebody is listening!!!

[Silly McGooses]

Ack! Can it be? :eek:

Wow, if they listen to us talking about them, they must be like...masochists or something.

I'm in the minority who thinks WHV is doing a heck of a good job...

[Duke]

TT Extras Info. (http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/newsitem.cfm?NewsID=4619)

The Hiros? o.O

[Dogbert]

Guess what? It has chapter stops! 5 per episode! Maybe somebody is listening!!!Not to us. WB started putting chapter stops on all of their TV on DVD products a few months ago. My guess is that the majority of complaints they received about their lack of chapters was directed toward other products, such as Friends.

[Fone Bone]

Guess what? It has chapter stops! 5 per episode! Maybe somebody is listening!!!Fans who want to option to see the previously on segments versus straight hour long episodes? Your prayers have been answered. Thank you WHV.

Now put out sets for Static Shock, The Zeta Project and Gotham Girls and all is forgiven.

[Stu]

I wish WB would stop putting bonus episodes of completely unrelated products on their DVDs. It's highly irritating, especially when the time/money involved in those features could've been used on something people actually want to see.

Trailers are enough to promote the other products. If they want to pimp thier other shows, use another disc that I can freely chuck out.

[A.J]

Guess what? It has chapter stops! 5 per episode! Maybe somebody is listening!!!OMG! really? Thats great news! Would you please let us know if they included a video commentary or audio commentary on the Mxyzpixilated (http://worldsfinestonline.com/WF/superman/episodes/Mxyzpixilated/) episode? thanks!

[James Harvey]

I'm glad to hear the product is out there in some places, even if it breaking street date. Given the difficulties some sites are having in getting press materials, I was beginning to think this set would be delayed. Glad that is not the case. With luck we’ll have some media for the releases before they street on Tuesday. I’ll have the talkbacks for Batman: The Animated Series - Volume Four and Superman: The Animated Series - Volume Two (even Gargoyles: Season Two, Volume One: We Live Again!) online on the morning of the 6th.

[poddie]

OMG! really? Thats great news! Would you please let us know if they included a video commentary or audio commentary on the Mxyzpixilated (http://worldsfinestonline.com/WF/superman/episodes/Mxyzpixilated/) episode? thanks!Yes, Mxyzpixilated (http://worldsfinestonline.com/WF/superman/episodes/Mxyzpixilated/) IS the one with video commentary.

Interesting too, looks like it's the reverse of the other video commentary I have seen. This one has the four guys talking in the larger screen area and the episode video much smaller in the lower-left corner.

Actually, the more I see, I see that they actually flip it around here and there, making one window or the other bigger and take focus. Pretty cool.

[SterlingNorth]

Did I just see what I think I saw? I just caught a commercial for volume four of the "Batman:The Animated Series" DVD sets, and on a number of scenes for the short -- I'd say 15 or 20 second commercial -- well, most of the scenes where we see Batman up close, it is obviously from "The Batman", as Matsuda's designs are markedly different from Timm's. It was actually jarring when I saw where they split the screen to show Robin, "The Batman" and Batgirl side by side. And when I saw "The Batman" kick "The Joker" (the long haired one), I immediately paused and freeze framed my DVR... Anyway, I think I've seen two brief glimpses of where they used ..at least one of the Timm crew Batmans...

I know, I shouldn't complain. The department in charge of making the commercials is far, far away from the people who worked on the shows, but it is just jarring to watch, even as brief as it was.

Times like this, I wish I had screen capture equiptment.


I know I'm not crazy on this.... someone must have screen caps of the commercial.

[cameronpoe1986]

I just saw an advertisement for the 4th set of B:TAS on TV. They showed some clips from the show and announced it the "final Batman collection," etc etc. Anyway, they showed clips from The Batman in the advertisement!!!!! How messed up is that? Do they think it won't sell on it's own? If that aint false advertising, then my name's Arseface........

[Master Moron]

I was confused about that as well. They mixed in clips from The Batman with Batman:The Animated Series. It's like they just threw together clips from any show that had Batman in the title.

[DreamTripper]

That's, well, not good... what kind of freaks would do something like that?

Or maybe it has a special feature that showcases several different animated versions of Batman?

[James T. Rocket]

I saw that and was baffled, too. It's messed up. I really can't understand the reasoning behind that. First they think that viewers are too stupid to figure out that there can be more than one version of different characters, so they implement that moronic embargo, and then they go and air a commercial with two different version of Batman. Maybe they're so eager to erase TAS from people's minds and replace it with "The Batman" that they're undermining the classic series even as they're promoting it. Or perhaps they're deluded enough to think that "The Batman" is more popular than TAS, and that making this look like it's a "The Batman" DVD set will get more people people to buy it. Or maybe whoever put that ad together is just an idiot.

[PeppeRaskell1]

A full season of Teen Titans coming out in February? Sure took 'em long enough.

And talk about cross-promotion! I don't really think Puffy AmiYumi belong in a DC Universe video. But I guess they owe their success here Stateside to singing the TT theme song.

[Fone Bone]

I just saw an advertisement for the 4th set of B:TAS on TV. They showed some clips from the show and announced it the "final Batman collection," etc etc. Anyway, they showed clips from The Batman in the advertisement!!!!! How messed up is that? Do they think it won't sell on it's own? If that aint false advertising, then my name's Arseface........For some reason this makes me angry. I too feel as if it feels as if WHV is trying to replace BTAS with the The version and are doing a sloppy job of hiding it. Also people may not want to buy the sets if they think they are getting The Batman.

What's next, mixing Superfriends images on JLU sets when they finally happen?

[Bird Boy]

Circuit City advertised BTAS: Volume 4 for $29.99. That was the only store I saw with it though. No STAS from what I could tell.

As for the ad goof up...I didn't see it, but I'm not that suruprised. BTAS: Vol. 3 had TNBA images on the website and I think we all remember the "Scarecrow" in the ROTJoker commercial. WB screwing up isn't that amazing and it doesn't matter in the end. Unless you're over anal about how The Batman being related to TNBA in any way shape or form is blasphemy and


For some reason this makes me angry. I too feel as if it feels as if WHV is trying to replace BTAS with the The version and are doing a sloppy job of hiding it. Also people may not want to buy the sets if they think they are getting The Batman.

Ah, all right.

People really read too much into this.

-BB

[xokxtrunks]

How many episodes are on the new B:TAS set?

[Spider-Man]

People really read too much into this. I completely agree with you and it seems a bit ridiculous at times. I can't wait to pick up these sets myself. I have a pretty expensive day on Tuesday but I've been saving for alot of these releases all year. I haven't seen some of the newer Batman cartoon episodes in years so this will be like rediscovering this cartoon all over again.

[Silly McGooses]

Circuit City advertised BTAS: Volume 4 for $29.99. Wait, do you mean you saw it in the store, i.e. already available, or in an ad?

[Bird Boy]

How many episodes are on the new B:TAS set?

24. Which also comes out Tuesday.

Sorry, couldn't resist. :p


Wait, do you mean you saw it in the store, i.e. already available, or in an ad?

Well, what do you think I meant by "advertised"? :confused:

-BB

[kashpoing]

From what I could tell all "the batman" footage they showed in the commercial for BTAS vol.4 was from the first episode so I assumed they were including it being this is the shortest volume yet. As for them trying to replace BTAS its just not possible BTAS was a breakthrough thats like saying that now that we have cell phones we should write out alexander granbell from history books and if TB is there best shot then it is impossible. I mean TB was what got me to buying the BTAS volumes , I thought to myself what happened to that cool batman cartoon on fox.

[Silly McGooses]

Well, what do you think I meant by "advertised"? :confused:

-BBWell, something about the way you worded it, to me, sort of made it sound like you saw it at the store, sinc eyou said that you didn't see Superman. I don't know.
I live walking distance from a CC, so it was just wishful thinking.

[John Cage]

24. Which also comes out Tuesday.
I've been waiting for December 6th for three big reasons: Batman vol. 4, Superman vol. 2, and 24 season 4. I'm sorely tempted to watch 24 -- which I avoided like the plague so I can view it with a fresh eye -- in real time, something I've wanted to do for a while. I have a feeling I'm going to get hung up on some of the TNBA and STAS commentary tracks though.

Yup, December 6th is a big day. I think I'll call it "no more money in my wallet day".

Have a good day.
John Cage

[Link]

Yes, Mxyzpixilated (http://worldsfinestonline.com/WF/superman/episodes/Mxyzpixilated/) IS the one with video commentary.

Interesting too, looks like it's the reverse of the other video commentary I have seen. This one has the four guys talking in the larger screen area and the episode video much smaller in the lower-left corner.

Actually, the more I see, I see that they actually flip it around here and there, making one window or the other bigger and take focus. Pretty cool.
Hold on, it's out already? I thought it came out Tuesday.

[r0derix]

It does, but some store release DVD's earlier then they are supposed to, and he got lucky to find one of those.

[James Harvey]

As we get down to the final couple days before the Batman: The Animated Series DVD set hits, along with the vastly under-rated Superman: The Animated Series collection, does anyone have any specific episodes they can't wait to revisit on this set? "Mad Love," "Legends of the Dark Knight," "Old Wounds," and "Never Fear" are the first ones I'm going to spin.

Plus, I can't wait to hear what's bound to be a hilarious commentary for "Critters."

[EJill34]

I'll definitely be watching "Over The Edge," "Growing Pains," "Brave New Metropolis" and "Hand of Fate" before I proceed to watch the others. "Holiday Knights" too, probably.

[Hades]

Heads up guys, it seems like Target released Superman Vol2 early. They had it there yesterday, however, I couldn't buy it since I was doing my Xmas shopping and only had enough for that. They already had the tags and spaces open for Batman and Thundercats, but no discs.

[Yojimbo]

Circuit City advertised BTAS: Volume 4 for $29.99. That was the only store I saw with it though. No STAS from what I could tell.-BB
Circuit City's online site prices have matched their Sunday Ad prices. Online it had STAS listed at $19.99 so I'm crossing my fingers when I go on Friday. Amazon has STAS at the cheapest price I've seen so far, $18.99 but BTAS is a buck more at 30.99. I'm sure Costco and Sam's Club will probably be cheaper.

[Fone Bone]

As we get down to the final couple days before the Batman: The Animated Series DVD set hits, along with the vastly under-rated Superman: The Animated Series collection, does anyone have any specific episodes they can't wait to revisit on this set? "Mad Love," "Legends of the Dark Knight," "Old Wounds," and "Never Fear" are the first ones I'm going to spin.

Plus, I can't wait to hear what's bound to be a hilarious commentary for "Critters."I watch every single set I get in episode order the first time.

[A.J]

I am getting this as a xmas from my bf so we are v excited about those 2 new releases. I´ve waited so long. Specially on the TNBA set. I will watch them in production order. There are episodes on both sets I havent seen yet! Over the edge is one of those episodes :o

Anyway, I also wanted to let you know that the Batman Vol. 4 is already ranking the 146 spot on Amazon for bestselling DVD :anime:

[Silly McGooses]

I've never seen "cold comfort" so that will probably be the first one I watch. Then Judgement Day. That's my favorite NBA episodes, even if it does follow MOTP perfectly in structure...

[Robin]

I eventually watch the whole set, but there are just some episodes I have to see first. I also get the extras out of the way immediately so I can just relax and watch hours upon hours of episodes. I am really looking forward to this Batman release, and I know there may be a couple Superman episodes that are "new" to me.

[Joker1238]

Got TNBA, and even though we now have it complete.

It seems to be lacking something.

YEP bouns. We only got 1 feature, The villians feature, and 3 commantarys.

Out of all the sets, this is the worse set imo.

[Duke]

I'm going to go through it just like I did the previous three sets: Watch all the episodes on one disc, watch the extras on that disc, then head to the next disc. Wash, rinse, repeat.

[kashpoing]

I do the same thing as duke. I am gonna try and find TNBA local before I order online we dont have a circut city but I'm sure hastings or sams club will be pretty cheap I may also check wal mart.

[Blue Zeo]

I'm just going to watch the episodes in order. I think I'll start with TNBA since I watched most of those S:TAS episodes on Boomerang a few months ago.

[SRA]

well i did love this series so much that two years ago i bought the culumbia house edition and own the episodes but i love 'Mean Seasons' - i believe it to be one of the best episodes ever and is forgotten by many!!

But i cant wait to see the extras {when i get it - uk member!!} - i love the sound of the villain profiles - please say ivy is on it!!!???

SRA

[Silly McGooses]

Well, I always like to see the TZ reviews to tide me over a few days before the releases. Looks like it's not hapenning because of the lack of screeners. Too bad.

[A.J]

Well, I always like to see the TZ reviews to tide me over a few days before the releases. Looks like it's not hapenning because of the lack of screeners. Too bad.
I think the same :sad:

Anyone with screeners of them!??? :crying:

[Duke]

Anyone with screeners of them!??? :crying:Somehow, I doubt their overall DVD quality (episode quality is a different beast) will be that much different from the first 3 sets. I won't know until X-Mas, but that's my assumption.

[J-Ranger]

I am so excited for tommorrow. Part of me wants to wait in front of a store until it opens to pick up my Batman, Superman, and Gargoyles sets. Yay for tommorrow!!!!

[Silly McGooses]

damn school. making me miss batman time tomorrow just so i can get an education...

[Bird Boy]

Got BTAS Vol. 4 early screener discs (by "early" I mean no package or disc art...just discs).

Few notes:

- Episodes all have BTAS Intro/Credits with it. As far as I can tell, there's no TNB/SA intro on here at all. I've checked all special features and everything and...no intro.

- Villains thing on Disc 1 lasts 2:30. So combined with 3 commentaries and the usual trailers, that's all the SF.

- Menu's are nice, but have the The Adventures of Batman & Robin Theme and Credits as BG music. Not happy about that.

Commentaries were good. But we won't have a review up until past street date (obviously since I just got them today and I've been hit with viruses...so I'll be out of commission for a bit). Initial A/V impressions are strong as well (tested on a Progressive Scan TV).

-BB

[Silly McGooses]

2:30? That's a typo, right? I'm sure you mean 12:30, right?...right?:crying:

ooohhh...

And boo to no TNBSA intro. I loved that intro. Why would it hurt them to put it on there? It makes NO SENSE.

This is extremely dissapointing.

Still, the eps are why I'm going to buy it...

[DisneyBoy]

Oh poo. No B/SA intro? :shrug: Why am I not surprised?

Fone, great minds think alike - I try to watch the episodes in order the first time too, just to get the feel for them. I usually don't succeed. For instance, I just HAD to see "Catwalk" when I got my 3rd volume set.

:mad: *SIGH* Now my mood is totally ruined, thanks to the Special Features tally. I just can't get over how LAZY Warner Bros was been with these sets. An awesome animated series whose releases are being trumped by Disney's Gargoyles sets and even the He-Man sets! Why? This is probably one of the best animated shows of all time. Would a little EFFORT be too much to ask? *Bangs head against wall because it feels so good to stop*

[Duke]

And boo to no TNBSA intro. I loved that intro. Why would it hurt them to put it on there? It makes NO SENSE.It does when the series doesn't feature Superman at all (except for, what, one episode?). The Batman/Superman intro was made just for the WB so they could combine the two into one, thus having more episodes to air. I highly doubt it's on the masters (or it would've aired when CN aired TNBA and S:TAS).

[Lenonn]

Oh, well - that's what I get for getting my hopes up that the TNBSA intro would be on these episodes. It's just this thing I have about seeing the episodes as they originally aired (at least I have my comprehensive list so I can remember which episodes were BTAS, AOBR and TNBSA. But this isn't really surprising since they didn't use the intro. on the TNBSA episodes on the Superman sets...

As for special features, oh well. WB doesn't necessarily raise the bar very high, do they?

[John Cage]

I was really looking forward to seeing the Batman-Superman Adventures title too. Oh well. Hopefully it'll be included on Superman vol. 3 because it was probably my favorite DCAU opening title. At least the commentaries are supposed to be good. And apparently there're chapters as well. Plus, um, you know... the episodes and stuff.

Have a good day.
John Cage

[James Harvey]

Wow. If what Bird Boy says is true, then I am very disappointed with the extras for Batman: The Animated Series - Volume Four, especially when I was told we’d be having bountiful extras for this series. Instead? Still, it is the episodes I’m after, and I hear the quality of the masters is pretty amazing! I guess I’m more let down at how misdirected I was from the higher-ups than the actual final product.

I still plan to get this set first thing tomorrow morning but it’s a shame that probably my most anticipated purchase is marred by lackluster extras. Regardless, I'm still excited for these releases, and eager to complete my Batman: The Animated Series collection.

[A.J]

Yay! I just bought my sets off from amazon! Cant wait for them to arrive home! Sadly, I cant open them until xmas :crying:

Now, I knew the extras would be kind of lacking but I didnt expected them to be THAT bad...Geez...I hope they include those litographs or something at least...

[Fone Bone]

Oh poo. No B/SA intro? :shrug: Why am I not surprised?Because it would be inexpensive and easy to do and was wanted by the fans so it is not on there. I truly believe we should have petitioned for suckier extras.


Fone, great minds think alike - I try to watch the episodes in order the first time too, just to get the feel for them. I usually don't succeed. For instance, I just HAD to see "Catwalk" when I got my 3rd volume set.

:mad: *SIGH* Now my mood is totally ruined, thanks to the Special Features tally. I just can't get over how LAZY Warner Bros was been with these sets. An awesome animated series whose releases are being trumped by Disney's Gargoyles sets and even the He-Man sets! Why? This is probably one of the best animated shows of all time. Would a little EFFORT be too much to ask? *Bangs head against wall because it feels so good to stop*Commentaries and featuretts are nice but I'm honestly not that fussed about it. It is the lack of Gotham Girls, the Sega CD cartoon, and the alternate openings that depress me. Actual DCAU content and canon is being ignored and we probably will not ever see any of it until the next format hits if at all. And even then, WHV will probably have us double-dip for the same extras and crappy masters.

[A.J]

Well, after this new releases witht he lack of extras I can only confirm my feelings about wanting the JLU "sets" asap (like TB & TT) and not having to wait another 2-3 years for a "box set" with extras like the ones we got with the BTAS volumen sets. I just think its not worth the wait. Sorry guys but I cant help myself feel this way :sad:

[Bones Justice]

Yeah, I agree. I have never thought that the extras were gonna be worth waiting a couple of years on BTAS and I don't think they will on anything else, either. I have no problem with no extras at all, in fact. Just give us the JL/BB/JLU sets now instead of dragging it out a couple more years.

[Michael24]

I know everyone's talking about VOL. 4 right now (which I have to wait and hope I get for Christmas), but I have a question about VOL. 2.

I watched "Almost Got 'im" the other night and remembered that some time back, there was a thread here asking about an apparent problem with the DVD, where a white line or something briefly appears on-screen, running through Killer Croc's head for just a few frames. (I couldn't find the original thread.) I remember somebody saying it was a problem with the episode itself, not the DVD, and that Bruce Timm actually mentions it on the commentary. I remembered all of this after watching the episode, so I listened to the commentary to check it out, but didn't hear anything about it and never noticed a white line. Am I thinking of the right episode? (If so, where does this "glitch" occur?) Or am I confusing this with another episode?

Back to the current topic, I'm also disappointed in the lack of bonus features on VOL. 4 (as well as the first three), but I'm really looking forward to VOL. 4 because I hardly saw any of the TNBA episodes.

[otter]

They could have at least included the TNBSA intro as one of the special features. It'd make a nice easter egg, but I doubt WB would bother.

[b.t.]

Commentaries and featuretts are nice but I'm honestly not that fussed about it. It is the lack of Gotham Girls, the Sega CD cartoon, and the alternate openings that depress me. Actual DCAU content and canon is being ignored and we probably will not ever see any of it until the next format hits if at all. And even then, WHV will probably have us double-dip for the same extras and crappy masters.

say what you will about the lack of extras, but i gotta tell you, i watched about 6 TNBA eps in a row the other night and the masters are anything BUT "crappy"....i was actually amazed at how good the shows look and sound, like frickin' SPECTACULAR....no lie!

[Trevor Balena]

- Villains thing on Disc 1 lasts 2:30. So combined with 3 commentaries and the usual trailers, that's all the SF. Uh, sorry BB, but you're wrong about that one. I managed to snag a copy before the release date, and there's considerably more to the villain profiles than that.

There's an Introduction, and ten or twelve profiles of individual villains. Each of these is 2-3 minutes, for a grand total of about 25 minutes.

[James Harvey]

The talkbacks for Batman: The Animated Series - Volume Four (http://forums.toonzone.net/showthread.php?t=156062) and Superman: The Animated Series - Volume Two (http://forums.toonzone.net/showthread.php?t=156063) are now online. Please continue your discussion of these releases in the proper threads. Stay tuned for more Animated DC DVD news coming soon!

[poddie]

Pretty weak extras. Just the "Menaces of Metropolis" as far as featurettes go (13 minutes). 1 Video and 2 audio commentaries. Haven't had a chance to watch any of them yet.

Still hate the double sided disc, too. Even worse when it's badly scuffed on both sides! :)Wow, I guess compared to the Batman release these Superman V2 extras are pretty good. I loved all the commentaries and Menaces of Metropolis was actually pretty informative.

[poddie]

Well, after this new releases witht he lack of extras I can only confirm my feelings about wanting the JLU "sets" asap (like TB & TT) and not having to wait another 2-3 years for a "box set" with extras like the ones we got with the BTAS volumen sets. I just think its not worth the wait. Sorry guys but I cant help myself feel this way :sad:As has been pointed out MANY times... the box sets are NOT being delayed because it is taking them time to make extras. They are also not being delayed to find widescreen masters or anything. They are being delayed because pushing too much DCAU product out at once makes no business sense for WB. It would dramatically decrease sales to release all the DCAU shows in quick succession rather than a couple every few months. Most of the target audience doesn't have the money to spend to pick them all up at once. So instead of selling every season of every show to most of them they would end up selling a couple of each person's favorite seasons of one or two shows and that would be the end of it.

If WB had released today TNBA, STAS V2, JL S1, and JLU S1 how many of you would have had the money to buy all four? Now remember that there are MANY more people on this board that would than average. Your average fan will look at it and say "I can't spend $100 right now. I will pick up JLU because that's the one I'm most excited about. I will have to get the others later." Then that person may very well never pick the others up becuase they are not getting new release shelf space or pricing, and out of sight, out of mind. Warner understands this very well and is not going to push this out quickly.

I don't understand why this is so difficult... WB is not sitting around saying "I wish we could release Justice League now but we just can't get that 12 minute featurette done within the next 12 months..." It is not at all the reasoning.

That is all.

[A.J]

Its all right Poddie, I understand your point of view, I just dont share it. Of course we wouldnt want them to release them all at the same time, thats kind of obvious. Take BTAS for instance, how long did we wait for them to release it eh? I am sure the extras arent the reason they made us wait all this time but people here had said they´d rather wait more time for a JLU "box set" as long as it contains some extras. Thats what I dont agree with, to wait even more to receive extras like the ones we just got with the recent DCAU releases. Now, I am not saying I want all of the releases at the same time, I just dont want to wait another 3 years for a JLU set. We already know WHV is working on the BB & JL box sets, so we will have to wait & see when they will release them.

In the other hand, I wanted to let you know all that BTAS is raking the 113 spot on Amazon & STAS Vol. 2 is already ranking the 175 spot. Pretty good if you ask me but the episodes deserves it.

[Bird Boy]

Uh, sorry BB, but you're wrong about that one. I managed to snag a copy before the release date, and there's considerably more to the villain profiles than that.

There's an Introduction, and ten or twelve profiles of individual villains. Each of these is 2-3 minutes, for a grand total of about 25 minutes.

Holy crap. I didnt' even see that "View File" option. My remote just kept wanting to go to the next character option

Sorry about that folks. Looks like there's more to these features after all... :o

-BB

[Tom Servo]

Holy crap. I didnt' even see that "View File" option. My remote just kept wanting to go to the next character option

Sorry about that folks. Looks like there's more to these features after all... :o

-BB
Aw shoot, I missed that as well! Well, when I get home from work later tonight, I will make a return trip to that the feature... :)

[SRA]

Can someone post some pics of the packaging and give a bit more detail into the villain profiles?!? - is ivy on it?? Also the same on STAS Vol2!!
SRA

[Bones Justice]

C'mon, who here wouldn't pick up JL volume 1 if it was on the shelf right now? If these things really are marketed for collectors, and I don't doubt that, an extra $20 isn't going to stop those types of buyers. Everybody here is picking these sets up as soon as they possibly can anyways. Sounds like a lot of people even managed to get it before the release date.

And WB isn't releasing them every few months. It's been almost twelve months since the last STAS release. It's been six months since the last BTAS release.

Why not at least release one box every one to three months? I don't see how that is going to bust even a moderate budget. The STAS sets sell for less than $20 as it is. I'd prefer every month but at least if it was every three months, we could get JL/JLU this year.

[Duke]

C'mon, who here wouldn't pick up JL volume 1 if it was on the shelf right now? If these things really are marketed for collectors, and I don't doubt that, an extra $20 isn't going to stop those types of buyers. Everybody here is picking these sets up as soon as they possibly can anyways. Sounds like a lot of people even managed to get it before the release date.Well, DVDs very often get released ahead of schedule in Best Buys, fyes, and Circuit Cities. True, it's usually no more than a week, but it's not as if this is an uncommon occurance.

And honestly, I wouldn't get JL Volume 1 now if it was released alongside B:TAS and S:TAS. Those two, combined with Gargoyles: Volume 2 has pretty much filled up my Christmas presents this year. And this isn't counting all the other stuff I want to get including Aqua Teen Volume 4, Case Closed Vol. 5.5, Dragonball Movie Boxset, Clone Wars Vol. II, TMNT Vol. 3, Duel Masters Volumes 4 & 5, New Getter Robo Vol. 4, ThunderCats Volumes 1 & 2, Cowboy Bebop Remix Vol. 2 & 3, Chip N' Dale Rescue Rangers Volume 1, Ducktales Volume 1, Planetes Volumes 1-4, Samurai 7 Vol. 1-3, Stellvia Volumes 1-8, The Fuccons Volume 1, Jubei-chan 2 Volumes 1, 3-4, Dragonball Z Uncut Vol. 2-3, Lots of Lupin III stuff, Muppet Movie 50th Anniversary Collection, Pokémon Advanced/Challenge, the R4 Astro Boy Boxset, Cardcaptor Sakura Clow & Sakura Books, Fafner Vol. 2-3, Strong Bad E-mails Volumes 1-2, Homestar Runner Everything Else, and a whole bunch of other crap.

And that's not counting releases over 6 months old that I still need to get as well as video games and manga. So no, I wouldn't be getting JL: Volume 1. I'm not even sure I have the money to get Teen Titans yet.

[qupte]And WB isn't releasing them every few months. It's been almost twelve months since the last STAS release. It's been six months since the last BTAS release.[/quote]They're releasing them in groups. One big guy (Batman) and one that needs a bit of support (Superman, Superfriends). It's called marketing strategy.


Why not at least release one box every one to three months? I don't see how that is going to bust even a moderate budget. The STAS sets sell for less than $20 as it is. I'd prefer every month but at least if it was every three months, we could get JL/JLU this year.Because people buy more than just DC stuff, and many times the low prices are only in effect during the week of release. After a week or so, the prices jump back up.

[William C. Maune]

C'mon, who here wouldn't pick up JL volume 1 if it was on the shelf right now? If these things really are marketed for collectors, and I don't doubt that, an extra $20 isn't going to stop those types of buyers. Everybody here is picking these sets up as soon as they possibly can anyways. Sounds like a lot of people even managed to get it before the release date.

Besides what Duke said, I'll add that these sets can't survive on the hardcore collectors alone. A lot of folks on this forum might drop the extra $20 right now, but that still isn't a lot of people in the overall scheme. For these sets to be profitable, the public at large, especially the more casual fans, have to be interested as well. There is a limit to how much those folks are going to spend on DCAU DVDs at one time, especially considering all the other releases out there.

There are many fans of the DCAU, but most of those folks are also fans of other things and spend money on other things as well. The sets can't be profitable just based on sales to people like those who post on this forum.

[Bird Boy]

Another goof up on my part: The TNB/SA intro IS on here. Hit "Play All" and you'll get the option of starting the episodes with either intro.

Remind me never to post initial impressions of a DVD until I've actually had the chance to completely go over it all. :o

-BB

[A.J]

Another goof up on my part: The TNB/SA intro IS on here. Hit "Play All" and you'll get the option of starting the episodes with either intro.

Remind me never to post initial impressions of a DVD until I've actually had the chance to completely go over it all. :o

-BB
OMG! really? No way José! Thats awesome! Geez, Id like a complete review on those sets in order to know what we are getting...Ill have to wait a whole week until I get mine from Amazon here in Costa Rica :sad:

[Binker]

Is Mask of the Phantasm and/or Subzero gonna have special edition DVDs?

[Duke]

Is Mask of the Phantasm and/or Subzero gonna have special edition DVDs?Possibly. They are making a sequel to Batman Begins, right? I'd like to think we'll see some kind of special edition for at least one of the Batman Animated films around that time (if they don't decide to do a complete boxset like the live-action films).

[otter]

Another goof up on my part: The TNB/SA intro IS on here. Hit "Play All" and you'll get the option of starting the episodes with either intro.

Remind me never to post initial impressions of a DVD until I've actually had the chance to completely go over it all. :o

-BBAwesome! Looks like I have to eat my words. At best, I thought they would've only included it as an extra. But giving us the option of playing the episodes with either intro is the best thing they could've done. Believe it or not, I've actually been holding onto an old ratty VHS tape all these years just because it had an episode with that TNB/S intro. Just thought it'd be a shame to dump it if the intro was never to be seen again. Now I can finally toss it!

[Silly McGooses]

Well, they're finally outta Batman and only have enough for one more Supes box. I hope they don't have any damn Superfriends any time soon, because they seem to think they can only release two boxes for each wave, and I really wanna get to JL sometime soon. I probably would pick up BB

[The Penguin]

Well, they're finally outta Batman and only have enough for one more Supes box. I hope they don't have any damn Superfriends any time soon, because they seem to think they can only release two boxes for each wave, and I really wanna get to JL sometime soon. I probably would pick up BBNow, now let's be nice to Super Friends. The show has fans just like anything else does. I expect that next time we will see Superman and Super Friends. I don't know how many seasons of the "Challenge" there are, but it will most likely share being next.

[A.J]

Guys, after reading the recent discovered extras on the BTAS Vol. 4 (the intro option, the litograph, the video & audio commentaries and the villains featurette) does this mean we were wrong about WHV and they actually considered the letters we sent out? Cause if thats the case Ill apologize right away you know!

[poddie]

Besides what Duke said, I'll add that these sets can't survive on the hardcore collectors alone. A lot of folks on this forum might drop the extra $20 right now, but that still isn't a lot of people in the overall scheme. For these sets to be profitable, the public at large, especially the more casual fans, have to be interested as well. There is a limit to how much those folks are going to spend on DCAU DVDs at one time, especially considering all the other releases out there.

There are many fans of the DCAU, but most of those folks are also fans of other things and spend money on other things as well. The sets can't be profitable just based on sales to people like those who post on this forum.
Exactly. Just because many of US would buy it that doesn't mean WB should plan their marketing that way. If they did the sales would be very poor and we really don't want that either. I really think the way they're releasing these (timing wise, at least) is best for all concerned.

Of course, I DO wish there were more extras, more commentary, and widescreen on all appropriate releases.

[Bones Justice]

The price has never "jumped back up" on these sets. STAS is still selling for basically the same price as it always has. Same goes for BTAS.

But okay, you made your point, you say you wouldn't pick up JL for $20 right now. I'm not convinced but what-ever.

And only hardcore collectors moved BTAS v4 into the top 200 the first week.

[Duke]

The price has never "jumped back up" on these sets. STAS is still selling for basically the same price as it always has. Same goes for BTAS.Depends on the store. Suncoast, Sam Goody, Media Play, fye, and Circuit City all do. Several online sites do as well.


But okay, you made your point, you say you wouldn't pick up JL for $20 right now. I'm not convinced but what-ever.As I said, there's too much out there. Plus, I gotta save up for Gundam Wing Vol. 1 and SEED Destiny Vol. 1 next year (since Gundam trumps anything and everything) as well as future volumes of Kodocha, Case Closed, and hopefully Mars Daybreak, Bebop, and Panda-Z.

Of course, JL sets would be priced the same as the Batman sets, so it wouldn't be $20.


And only hardcore collectors moved BTAS v4 into the top 200 the first week.Hardcore collectors would have had Volumes 1, 2, and/or 3 came out at the same time. And that's assuming said hardcore collectors were buying 10 sets each at least. Never mind that the vast majority of people buying these releases are the ones who basically said "Hey, I remember this show from when I was little! It was pretty good, so I'll pick it up!" (And who are the foundation for almost every single TV-on-DVD release, especially shows before the year 2000).

It's kind of the same problem ADV faced a few years ago: They rushed all their products out the door without any kind of spacing. As a result, they lost a ton of money and had to lay off a good chunk of their work force.

EDIT: Is March (http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/newsitem.cfm?NewsID=4647) good enough for you? I didn't really see the problem with waiting since it was confirmed it was going to be released in the next year or so, but whatever.

[Adam Tyner]

TVShowsOnDVD.com has posted more about the Batman Beyond season one set (http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/newsitem.cfm?NewsID=4648).

[Simpler Simon]

EDIT: Is March (http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/newsitem.cfm?NewsID=4647) good enough for you? I didn't really see the problem with waiting since it was confirmed it was going to be released in the next year or so, but whatever.

TVShowsOnDVD.com has posted more about the Batman Beyond season one set (http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/newsitem.cfm?NewsID=4648).
YEAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!

This forum consistently makes my day. The wait is over!!

[A.J]

According to Tvshowsondvd.com JL The complete 1st season is coming on March 21 as well! YEEEEEEEEES! OMG! I feel like crying now! OMG OMG OMG! Great news! They just made my day!

[Silverbolt]

Looks like we'll have a short wait. Both Batman Beyond and Justice League season one are hitting the stores on March 21 of this year according to tvshowsondvd.com

http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/newsitem.cfm?NewsID=4647

http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/newsitem.cfm?NewsID=4648

[AnimatedSnow47]

Just saw the exciting Justice League and Batman Beyond box set news on TVShowsOnDVD.com (http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/)! Alright!!! Can't wait! :anime:

[Hero Supreme]

looks like i am going to be trading in some old discs before these season sets come out. i was one of the suckers who bought all three Batman Beyond releases, and five JL releases. i think i will hang on to secret origins and starcrossed though because i like their movie format.

also, i guess Batman beyond is going to come out in 4 volumes of 13 eps each. thats fine by me. it means no flippers, though the SRP is higher than that of the The Batman and Teen Titans two disk seaosn sets. oh well. i am just stoked that these sets are coming.

[A.J]

looks like i am going to be trading in some old discs before these season sets come out. i was one of the suckers who bought all three Batman Beyond releases, and five JL releases. i think i will hang on to secret origins and starcrossed though because i like their movie format.
I did the same and got all of the JL single releases. I will keep Secret Origins & SC as well but I will sell the rest or give them away to my friends.

I gotta admit I love the fact that BB and JL are going to be release as SEASON sets and not Volumen sets. Extras should be interesting. I cant wait...please give us those front and back covers soon!

[Spider-Man]

Wow! I was really surprised to hear about this! We have The Batman and Teen Titans in February and now Batman Beyond and Justice League in March! I bet we'll be seeing the next Superman set in April or May.

[Karkull]

Huh...I wonder if we'll get fullscreen or widescreen.

[A.J]

Huh...I wonder if we'll get fullscreen or widescreen.
I wonder exactly the same. Really need to know, altho that isnt gonna stop me from getting the set (JL)...however, Im sure Ill complaint a lot if we dont get it in WS!

[Funkatron]

Sweet. Last time it took them like a month to announce new releases. This time it only took them a day. Awesome. could it be WHV is improving?

I'm hosting the current art:

http://www.isparkdesign.com/JLs1.jpg
http://www.isparkdesign.com/bbs1.jpg

[Hero Supreme]

I gotta admit I love the fact that BB and JL are going to be release as SEASON sets and not Volumen sets. yeah i wonder about this. is the next BB set going to be double sized? or is season 2 going to be 2 volumes. either way, i LOVE the no flippers. I'm sure Fone will be thrilled too.

EDIT: Also, i hope this means JLU is going to get the season set treatment (of course we NEED a season 4 to make the sets even :D). the lack of JLU season sets in the format of the batman and teen titans makes me think YES!!!!

[Duke]

yeah i wonder about this. is the next BB set going to be double sized? or is season 2 going to be 2 volumes. either way, i LOVE the no flippers. I'm sure Fone will be thrilled too.JL Season 2 will be the same size as Season 1, as both seasons are 26 episodes long.

I don't really understand the difference between season and volume sets. What difference does it make as long as the episodes are in chronological order?

[Funkatron]

Now, the big question is: How long will we wait for JLU season sets?

Wait, isn't this a bit soon? when did the DC releases occur this year?

[Simpler Simon]

JL Season 2 will be the same size as Season 1, as both seasons are 26 episodes long.

I don't really understand the difference between season and volume sets. What difference does it make as long as the episodes are in chronological order?I think he was asking if season 2 of Batman Beyond would be split into 2 small volumes (thereby keeping all the box sets the same size), or kept as one large volume. Personally I think we'll get the one large volume, if WB is being particular about calling this a season set.

The season/volume difference for me is simply what way of packaging makes the most sense in terms of content and pricing. A JL set should not have 28 episodes, because season 1 is specifically book-ended by the two 3-part stories. And someone mustve felt that the Blight saga from BB was a nice way to cap things off without spilling into season 2 material, like they did STAS.

Also: Gotta say the Batman Beyond cover looks really nice. Glad they went for a darker background instead of the yellow we've been getting.

[poddie]

Looks like we'll have a short wait. Both Batman Beyond and Justice League season one are hitting the stores on March 21 of this year according to tvshowsondvd.com

http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/newsitem.cfm?NewsID=4647

http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/newsitem.cfm?NewsID=4648
Nice!

Can't wait! Maybe they will increase the release schedule to 2 boxes every four months or so for the Collectors Series?

JL better be widescreen though... that could almost competly kill my enthusiasm for that release if not!

[Bones Justice]

EDIT: Is March (http://www.tvshowsondvd.com/newsitem.cfm?NewsID=4647) good enough for you? I didn't really see the problem with waiting since it was confirmed it was going to be released in the next year or so, but whatever.
No, but like I got a choice. But is it good enough for all of you? I mean, how are you all gonna afford it so soon? Or are you sticking with your original and saying you won't be picking it up when it hits the street? I was even compromising my position and saying at least every three months but some of you were saying that was too soon for you.

Seriously, though, there will always be something else to buy if you wanna make excuses. Smurfs DVD, mortgage, braces for your kid's teeth, what-ever. These things are selling so I don't see the problem with getting it out while the show is still on the air.

I still don't think WB knows what they are doing. But they may finally be learning.

[warmachine04]

http://www.mcnally95.com/graphics/news1/JusticeLeague_S1_thumb.jpg











Nice cover art. Cant wait for March 21st.:D :D

[PeterFries]

I wonder if the Season Two set of JL will feature several month pauses between clumps of episodes? ;)

[Duke]

No, but like I got a choice. But is it good enough for all of you? I mean, how are you all gonna afford it so soon? Or are you sticking with your original and saying you won't be picking it up when it hits the street? I was even compromising my position and saying at least every three months but some of you were saying that was too soon for you.I won't be. As I said, Gundam trumps everything else for me, and I'll be spending over $100 on that just on DVDs alone by then (I may not have liked SEED Destiny's finale, but the first 3/4 of the show is still friggin awesome and I have to have that Complete Best CD no matter what), not to mention Gundam manga and model kits. No way in hell I'll be able to afford JL/BB sets, so I'm going to wait until my birthday in June (i.e. the same way I was able to afford B:TAS Volumes 1-3 and S:TAS Volume 1).

[Funkatron]

I won't be. As I said, Gundam trumps everything else for me, and I'll be spending over $100 on that just on DVDs alone by then (I may not have liked SEED Destiny's finale, but the first 3/4 of the show is still friggin awesome and I have to have that Complete Best CD no matter what), not to mention Gundam manga and model kits. No way in hell I'll be able to afford JL/BB sets, so I'm going to wait until my birthday in June (i.e. the same way I was able to afford B:TAS Volumes 1-3 and S:TAS Volume 1).There is always DDD sales(June-ish)

Anywho, Speculatory DVD release Fantasy Scheduale!


March 2006
Batman Beyond Season 1
JL Season 1

June-July 2006
Superman v3
Batman Beyond Season 2.1 or Season 2

Oct-Nov 2006

Batman Beyond Season 2.2 or Season 3
Jl Season 2

[A.J]

Superman v3
Batman Beyond Season 2.1 or Season 2


Mmm, for some reason I think they will put STAS Vol. 3 along with some Superfriends new set...just guessing...

[Duke]

There is always DDD sales(June-ish)I only shop from DDD if I'm really, really desperate. I like to buy my DVDs in-store, or from Amazon if I can't find it in-store.

[poddie]

No, but like I got a choice. But is it good enough for all of you? I mean, how are you all gonna afford it so soon? Or are you sticking with your original and saying you won't be picking it up when it hits the street? I was even compromising my position and saying at least every three months but some of you were saying that was too soon for you.
Well, I WOULD buy all the sets even if they released them in quick succession. It's the more casual fans buying them that will keep these releases successful, though. And for that to happen they need to not quicken the pace too much.

I personally don't see 2 releases every four months compared to 2 releases every six months to be that big of a deal. Hopefully they won't loose sales because it's too soon... but these two releases should have some extra excitement behind them, being that they're both new series to DVD in this type of format.

[thanos28542]

YESSSSSSSS! Great news for us JL & BB fans! March 21st can't get here soon enough! I hope we get JL season 2 by early fall of 06. That means we'll be getting JLU boxsets in 07! Also can't wait to get STAS vol 3 in June/July 06 as well!:D

[Dusty]

Hurahhh!!!! finally the first and best JL season will be out on DVD ha! ha! ha!
today has been full of suprises for me.



D.

[John Cage]

This is fantastic news!!! Yes, yes, yes!!! I'm surprised Batman Beyond is only getting a thirteen episode release -- if they follow this, it'd take another three releases to get the whole show out -- but it's still great that it's coming out with some great features!

And Justice League coming out finally! With the entire first season! YES YES YES!

I'm pretty excited about this! Can't wait until March!

Have a good day.
John cage

[bobspoland]

does anyone know if Justice league will be released on region 2 DVD?

[sdp]

wow some cool news, I'm still playing catch up though, need to get B:TAS Vol 3, i'll probably get the teen titans set though, maybe The Batman too, Batman Beyond sounds tempting, but yea i probably won't buy S:TAS and JL sets until i finish buying the B:TAS sets. I agree rushing the sets is not a good idea, for consumers look at me, though i do like knowing the sets are actually out,

i see superman getting its third release around the time the new movie comes out and maybe the second justice league set when the dvd of the new superman movie comes out.

[Wanted]

I'm saving up... starting today. Though, I'd rather wait 'till I start and finish (with one purchase) my Batman: The Animated Series collection. I never saw and/or remember much of Justice League, so this'll be a treat.

[kashpoing]

I cant wait til batman beyond to come out but I'll pass on JL. As for being strapped for cash you have no idea I am broke from BTAS vol.4 and I'd like to pick up smallville season 3 , BTAS vol.1 and gargoyles season 1 before the end of the year and then I got BB coming out in march.

[warmachine04]

Im more interested whether Justice League episodes are set for widescreen presentation. That could affect my purchasing decision.:sad:

[William C. Maune]

Im more interested whether Justice League episodes are set for widescreen presentation.

I'm definitely interested in this as well. I really hope all of Justice League is presented in widescreen.

Was it ever determined whether Batman Beyond Season 3 was framed with widescreen in mind?

[Divv]

does anyone know if Justice league will be released on region 2 DVD?Not for quite some time I'd imagine and probably on a limited release too. BTAS Vol 1 has only just been released in the UK as an HMV exclusive. It's likely that more volumes of Batman and Superman will be released before they get around to JL and BB. For this reason I'd suggest if you can just do as I do and import. It's really easy and cheaper too. As long as your player supports R1.

[Funkatron]

If they even hint fullscreen, first dibs on a writing campaign thread

[Bird Boy]

If they even hint fullscreen, first dibs on a writing campaign thread

Best start then. Full details on JL (but not BB) has been released:

http://news.toonzone.net/article.php?ID=7480

-BB

[bobspoland]

Not for quite some time I'd imagine and probably on a limited release too. BTAS Vol 1 has only just been released in the UK as an HMV exclusive. It's likely that more volumes of Batman and Superman will be released before they get around to JL and BB. For this reason I'd suggest if you can just do as I do and import. It's really easy and cheaper too. As long as your player supports R1.
only got the dvd player on the pc...suggestions for a multi-region dvd software guys?

[poddie]

Best start then. Full details on JL (but not BB) has been released:

http://news.toonzone.net/article.php?ID=7480

-BBUGH. You've GOT to be kidding... how can they possibly think this is what people want??? I give up.

I will sign whatever petitions there are, but I suspect it will all be in vein. I seriously think I will pass on this. Maybe rent them.

[William C. Maune]

I will sign whatever petitions there are, but I suspect it will all be in vein. I seriously think I will pass on this. Maybe rent them.

Writing a letter will make much more of an impact than signing a petition.

[Duke]

Eh, I don't mind as much about missing widescreen since it wasn't a true widescreen to begin with.

Season 2+ had better be in widescreen, though. They likely will.

Kinda weird to have audio commentaries on only one part of an episode, though.

[RickWJ324]

I'm just as much of a widescreen advocate as the next guy, but honestly this will not affect my puchasing them at all!! I have missed almost the entire 2nd season of JL and cannot wait to get these dvd's in my hands!!

Correct me if I'm wrong, but weren't the JL episodes actually filmed in FULLSCREEN, then "matted" to make them look widescreen?? If that's the case, then the widescreen episodes are actually cropped!!

--RickWJ324

[Funkatron]

I'm just as much of a widescreen advocate as the next guy, but honestly this will not affect my puchasing them at all!! I have missed almost the entire 2nd season of JL and cannot wait to get these dvd's in my hands!!

Correct me if I'm wrong, but weren't the JL episodes actually filmed in FULLSCREEN, then "matted" to make them look widescreen?? If that's the case, then the widescreen episodes are actually cropped!!

--RickWJ324
But didn't BT and the like say it was intended for WS?

Anywho, letter writing campagn thread is up. Hope we can make a loud enough voice

[EJill34]

But didn't BT and the like say it was intended for WS?

Anywho, letter writing campagn thread is up. Hope we can make a loud enough voice
Why not make your own widescreen bars? I did and it looks great.

If Season 2+ is in fullscreen, that's when we start the letter-writing campaign.

[William C. Maune]

Correct me if I'm wrong, but weren't the JL episodes actually filmed in FULLSCREEN, then "matted" to make them look widescreen?? If that's the case, then the widescreen episodes are actually cropped!!

My understanding is that the episodes were framed for widescreen, just like Season 2. To make the season 2 episodes fullscreen they zoomed in the picture to get rid of the black bars, and thus the sides were cropped off. On the other hand, to make season 1 episodes full screen, animation was added where the black bars would be. Thus, nothing was cropped in the full screen version, but the full screen version included animation that was supposed to be there.

[A.J]

Well, I wanted JL season 1 in WS but only if it was produced that way. The extras sounds v v nice, they are giving us that "never seen" footage for the pilot. I think this set is gonna be awesome. I am not actually mad at it being Fullscreen. I cant wait for it. The official announcement makes me feel v happy.

But hey, maybe by "original transfer" they mean Fullscreen! :D

[William C. Maune]

Why not make your own widescreen bars? I did and it looks great.

It's still a little awkward and it's hard to know (unless perhaps there is a guide somewhere) where exactly to place the makeshift widescreen bars.

[Furious Nick]

I am happy to be finaly getting these. At first I was not that big on the speacial features until about the time the first couple volume realeses came out. Now I am quite interest in the behind the scenes side of things.

Seeing what is being offered here on this doesn't excite me much. Which totally will not effect whether or not I will be accuiring the set. Because I will purchase it either way. I just can't help but feel like I alread have the special features in my collection. Even the "Never before seen, promo" I believe was a hidden easter egg on the Paradise Lost disc, which looked pretty interesting still.

Honestly I am still pumped from the addition of the Chapter breaks on the December releases. I applaud WHV for their efforts, challenge them to do more, and look forward to next years first quarter.

[EJill34]

It's still a little awkward and it's hard to know (unless perhaps there is a guide somewhere) where exactly to place the makeshift widescreen bars.
I did a comparison between one of my JLU tapes and one of my JL DVDs to get the measurements exactly right. I guess it may not be an option for everyone, but it worked out just fine for me.

[William C. Maune]

I did a comparison between one of my JLU tapes and one of my JL DVDs to get the measurements exactly right. I guess it may not be an option for everyone, but it worked out just fine for me.

That could work. In case we can't get a widescreen version of these episodes, I guess I can tape one of the upcoming JLU episodes (whenever they air) and save the tape to use as a reference.

[batmanbeyond13]

All I can say is that this is the best news I have heard all day. This is a wish come true. Batman Beyond and Justice League first season sets following the heels of the most recent successful Batman animated (which is now complete) and Superman animated (which we need one more volume that I am guessing will come out about the time Superman Returns hits theatres). Definitely great news. Not to mention that in January we'll see Lois and Clark Volume 2, The Flash Complete Series, and the 1950's Superman Volume 2. Finally, in February, we'll see first season sets of The Batman and Teen Titans. This is good. We are officially broke.

[Duke]

Looking at the large cover art for JL: All three don't look so good, but Batman looks horrible.

[Funkatron]

Looking at the large cover art for JL: All three don't look so good, but Batman looks horrible.
Poor guy looks constipated

[John Cage]

Eh, I don't mind as much about missing widescreen since it wasn't a true widescreen to begin with.

Season 2+ had better be in widescreen, though. They likely will.
I totally agree. I don't mind JL season one not being WS, because -- come on people -- it wasn't true WS. Season two on the other hand HAD BETTER BE WIDESCREEN!!!

Anyway, just got Batman vol. 4 and I just watched the villain profiles. The new menu is great, and I love being able to see the Batman-Superman Adventures title again. It's probably my favorite DCAU opening title, and was probably the only thing I really wanted to see on a TNBA dvd set.

Great news on the JL and Batman Beyond sets too. Love the BB cover art. Not totally sold on the JL cover, but it's not too bad.

Have a good day.
John Cage

[warmachine04]

Cover Art: :)

Full Screen: :(

Extras: :)

Overall: A Good Buy.;)

[William C. Maune]

I totally agree. I don't mind JL season one not being WS, because -- come on people -- it wasn't true WS.

To me at least, just because they used a different method for making a fullscreen version than they did for Season 2 doesn't change the fact that it was framed for widescreen.

[Sacbrain]

I was very excited to see the BB & JL season sets finally announced. These are the two series that I've been hoping for in season sets for a looong time.:)


I'm not sure what all the fuss is about the pseudo widescreen for JL. The first season wasn't shot in widescreen. So, why would anyone want a cropped version of the whole picture? Am I missing something?

-Mark

[poddie]

I did a comparison between one of my JLU tapes and one of my JL DVDs to get the measurements exactly right. I guess it may not be an option for everyone, but it worked out just fine for me.
You must be joking. Is this a serious suggestion? You want me to tape sheets of cardboard to my screen every time I want to watch an episode of Justice League???

Five years from now most of you will have widescreen TVs and may finally understand where those of us that look ahead rather than only at the current situation are coming from.

I have tried to state before that it's not just the fact there there is not missing animation in a full screen season 1 release. The problem is that it is artistically compromised. But nobody seems to give a damn about what the people that worked so hard creating this show wanted it to look like.

Nobody seems to mind that Warner COULD do this very easily and not screw everyone over.

Nobody seems to care that even if a widescreen TV has a zoom capability to view these correctly we are missing out on 30% of the possible resolution.

As you can see from my post count, I am releatively new here. I expected people on these boards to boards to be a little more knowledgeable about these things. I can't believe that so many people simply don't care. I would've thought the fans of this show would understand it's not just some crappy cartoon to throw out on DVD for the kids. This is a show that should be presented in style and as the creators intended.

I'm going to move on to the Home Theater Forum when I feel the need to have a conversation about widescreen.

I will reseve posts here to talk about the episodes and shows themselves.

[poddie]

Am I missing something?
Absolutely. But you don't seem to be in the minority... if you read back about 10 pages or so you'll see I've been ranting about this for a while.

[Simpler Simon]

I'm not sure what all the fuss is about the pseudo widescreen for JL. The first season wasn't shot in widescreen. So, why would anyone want a cropped version of the whole picture? Am I missing something?
Because the cropped version is what the creators wanted from a stylistic/framing perspective. You'll find season 1 looks much better visually when there isnt all that empty space on the top and bottom.

I'm sure Mr. Timm and the others are exercising whatever pull they have to get these episodes on dvd the way they want them. But if someone wants to post WHV's mailing address again on this thread, I will gladly write a letter asking for widescreen transfers.

Otherwise, I'm very excited. The three audio commentaries hit the high points of season 2, and the interviews may be quite informative depending on their runtime.

Some of the stuff looks carried over from the single-discs, though were missing the episode intros. Storyboards: Blueprint for justice sounds like the one from "brave and the bold", "look of the league" sounds like "justice on trial", and I'm hoping the promo is the easter egg pilot from the "paradise lost" disc.

[maxnugget]

To me at least, just because they used a different method for making a fullscreen version than they did for Season 2 doesn't change the fact that it was framed for widescreen.Exactly. An analagous argument would be for someone to argue that scenes that the director filmed but cut from the movie because he felt they were detrimental to the film, should be spliced back into the movie.

You know, I understand fully that people who still have 4:3 televisions tend to not like widescreen for obvious reasons. But I totally don't understand why anyone would argue that the 4:3 version is "better" than the version framed in the aspect ratio the creators intended. Do you people always go around arbitrarily reframing artists' work? NOT cropping the episodes to the artist-intended 16:9 is just as much butchering the art as pan-n-scanning a 16:9 piece to 4:3. I can't understand why anyone, other than those who are just disguising their distaste for widescreen in general, would want the 4:3 version.

WB probably chose to use the 4:3 version because they think oblivious non-fans prefer 4:3. Why any *fans* would want it, I don't understand. Widescreen vs. non-widescreen is one of those things where (much like a certain other controversial "debate" going on right now in the public sphere) it's not a real debate because the non-widescreen side doesn't actually have a valid argument. They're arguing about their preference given the TVs they own or about their indifference to art in general, whereas the debate, if there were to actually be one, would be about artistic merit, and I've NEVER heard anyone make an argument that butchering a widescreen film by pan-n-scanning it is artistically better than leaving it alone. That would be the only valid "other side" of the argument, but there ISN'T anybody on this side.

Although it will be very frustrating if season 1 is not in widescreen, if season 2 is not in widescreen I think the fans will totally flip out. After all, this is the so-called "collector's set," why would you NOT put the collector's set in the artist-intended aspect ratio? (you'll note that WB did not release the deluxe edition of Batman Begins in full-screen, for example).

[Duke]

But nobody seems to give a damn about what the people that worked so hard creating this show wanted it to look like.Even if the creators wanted JL Season 1 in widescreen, it's not. In boxsets, whether it's for Justice League or CSI or Survivor or South Park or Spongebob Squarepants, the original aspect ratio always gets a higher priority, since that's what the masters are in. And the original aspect ratio for Justice League is fullscreen. It's like the DBZ Movies. They were created in full frame, but the Japanese DVDs turned it into a faux-widescreen while the English DVDs kept the Original Aspect Ratio.

[William C. Maune]

Even if the creators wanted JL Season 1 in widescreen, it's not. In boxsets, whether it's for Justice League or CSI or Survivor or South Park or Spongebob Squarepants, the original aspect ratio always gets a higher priority, since that's what the masters are in.

That can depend on how you define Original Aspect Ratio though. If we go back to when the episodes were originally storyboarded, which is what the episodes we see are ultimately based off of, it was storyboarded in widescreen. Thus, I'd call that the original aspect ratio. Any other animation is filler.

[Duke]

That can depend on how you define Original Aspect Ratio though. If we go back to when the episodes were originally storyboarded, which is what the episodes we see are ultimately based off of, it was storyboarded in widescreen. Thus, I'd call that the original aspect ratio. Any other animation is filler.I call Original Aspect Ratio whatever the masters are framed in. Obviously, so does WB, hence why they're using that ratio in their set.

I always find it funny when people clamor for "artistic intent" on some stuff, but not on others.

[otter]

Didn't the Starcrossed DVD have optional widescreen or full screen? I think that's how WB should handle this release to please everyone (well, except maybe the anti-flipper people). I'd rather watch the show in widescreen since that's what the creators envisioned and because Cartoon Network tends to air reruns in fullscreen. However, I can see why others want full screen.

[Duke]

Didn't the Starcrossed DVD have optional widescreen or full screen?Yep. Personally, I hope they don't do that, as having that menu come up every time is really friggin annoying. I'm glad most major movies don't do that anymore or I'd have to smack somebody.

[maxnugget]

I call Original Aspect Ratio whatever the masters are framed in. Obviously, so does WB, hence why they're using that ratio in their set.No. Don't bring WB into this, they're in it for entirely different reasons. They're releasing it in 4:3 because they think 4:3 sells better and anytime they can find a reason to release in 4:3, they will. You, on the other hand, are arguing that releasing the 4:3 version would be more "pure" from a collector's POV than the widescreen version, because the 4:3 is the "source" aspect ratio. As William C. Maune said, though, the real "source" is the storyboards. The only argument made here for releasing season 1 in 4:3 is basically a "quantity over quality" argument -- you don't want to be deprived of animation that was commissioned, even if the inclusion of that animation is to the artistic detriment of the episodes.

Since you have said you don't care what the artist's intent was (leaving aside for a moment whether that's fair or not), do YOU actually find the fullscreen version to be artistically superior to the widescreen version? If not, then whose artistic intent ARE you interested in?


I always find it funny when people clamor for "artistic intent" on some stuff, but not on others.What are some examples of situations where we haven't supported the preservation of the artist's intent? I can't think of any. People here complain about artistic decisions in the show ("Batman grandstands too much," "Superman's a wimp") but these are artistic debates. So again, are you making an artistic argument for why the 4:3 version is superior to the widescreen version, or is the argument simply "I don't want anything left on the cutting room floor -- include it all on the DVD"? Also, even when people here complain about artistic decisions, it's still not the norm to actually advocate changing the art against the artist's will. It's not like we sent petitions and letters to WB demanding that they force Timm&co. to power up Superman or cut Batman's screentime.

Not trying to sound hostile towards you personally, I just really don't get why anyone here wants season one in 4:3.

[Sacbrain]

Wow, I didn't realize what a sensitive topic this was.

My comments were not a push for full screen over widescreen. Believe me I'm a big fan of widescreen. I have a bookshelf full of DVD's(all widescreen where applicable) as proof. I will be very disappointed if the other seasons are not in their originally created format (widescreen).

As Duke mentioned, my point was that even if the original story boards were in a panoramic format the masters were not created that way. So, if the show was filmed in full screen but should have been widescreen I still would prefer the original format. Fortunately, I have a widescreen TV and will be able to watch the episodes cropped if I choose(I'm cruious now to see the difference). But, I would also like to have the option of watching them in their original (master) format of full screen.

Trust me if the first season was filmed in widescreen I would be greatly disappointed to see it released in full screen.

I guess the ultimate would be to have both versions included. But, I seriously doubt that's going to happen.

-Mark

[William C. Maune]

As Duke mentioned, my point was that even if the original story boards were in a panoramic format the masters were not created that way. So, if the show was filmed in full screen but should have been widescreen I still would prefer the original format. Fortunately, I have a widescreen TV and will be able to watch the episodes cropped if I choose(I'm cruious now to see the difference). But, I would also like to have the option of watching them in their original (master) format of full screen.

Even if the masters were filmed in full screen, I at least would rather have a widescreen version as that is what the creators would have preferred the masters to be filmed in.

Ideally, the option for both would be included. Then everyone would be happy.

[Duke]

No. Don't bring WB into this, they're in it for entirely different reasons. They're releasing it in 4:3 because they think 4:3 sells better and anytime they can find a reason to release in 4:3, they will. You, on the other hand, are arguing that releasing the 4:3 version would be more "pure" from a collector's POV than the widescreen version, because the 4:3 is the "source" aspect ratio. As William C. Maune said, though, the real "source" is the storyboards. The only argument made here for releasing season 1 in 4:3 is basically a "quantity over quality" argument -- you don't want to be deprived of animation that was commissioned.

Since you have said you don't care what the artist's intent was (leaving aside for a moment whether that's fair or not), do YOU actually find the fullscreen version to be artistically superior to the widescreen version? If not, then whose artistic intent ARE you interested in?Honestly, I don't really give a damn what ratio Season 1 is. The only ratio I care about is the one for Season 2+, because those are widescreen, and while I don't mind losing about 10-20% of the frame in Season 1, I do care about losing the 40% in Season 2+.


What are some examples of situations where we haven't supported the preservation of the artist's intent? I can't think of any. The two most prolific examples are Star Wars and E.T.

Anyway, Sacbrain articulated my thoughts well enough, so I basically agree with him. The masters are in fullscreen, so that's what's going on the DVD. If the masters were in widescreen, they'd be going on the DVD.

[William C. Maune]

In regards to the masters, did CN ever air any of the season 1 episodes in widescreen (I should know this, but I'm drawing a blank at the moment). If they did, perhaps there are both fullscreen and widescreen masters.

[Duke]

In regards to the masters, did CN ever air any of the season 1 episodes in widescreen (I should know this, but I'm drawing a blank at the moment). If they did, perhaps there are both fullscreen and widescreen masters.Not at first, but later they did. (I don't believe they aired all of Season 1 in widescreen)

[Bird Boy]

In regards to the masters, did CN ever air any of the season 1 episodes in widescreen (I should know this, but I'm drawing a blank at the moment). If they did, perhaps there are both fullscreen and widescreen masters.

They did. The past 1am (or was it 2?) airings were in widescreen. That stopped at "Brave and the Bold" though, I think. (Edit: I say "Bah!" to you, Duke! :p)

Personally I'm glad it's in 4:3. I care more about OAR than anything else. Just as with BTAS, STAS, BB...JL was Season 1 was animated in 4:3 and that's what I want it in.

Yes, I realize there's the artistic factor. But if anyones ever compared Season 1 FS and WS airings, we're talking about character boots and sky. Adding or subtracting that really isn't that big of a deal. As with ROTJ, it was storyboarded with a cropped widescreen version in mind, but it really doesn't suffer (in my opinion) in fullscreen either.

And considering how WHV did the WS BB:ROTJ release (which wasn't Anamorphic), I could see WHV making JL:S1 in the same way, were they to release it in Widescreen. Which in the end would probably piss just as many people off.

Now if JL Season 2 isn't in widescreen, then I'll jump on this bandwagon and protest the hell out of it. Although we should really do a pre-emptive strike and email WHV about Season 2 now, that way they'd actually have time before they start the DVD making process.

-BB

[EJill34]

You must be joking. Is this a serious suggestion? You want me to tape sheets of cardboard to my screen every time I want to watch an episode of Justice League???Wow, no need to get so worked up over it. Sorry, but it's not a problem for me to just get up and tape two pieces of cardboard to my TV. Whatever happened to a little improvisation? Have we become such a lazy society that we expect every little thing to be done for us? And anyway, I was simply offering a viable suggestion for those wanting to view the episodes in widescreen.


As you can see from my post count, I am releatively new here. I expected people on these boards to boards to be a little more knowledgeable about these things. I can't believe that so many people simply don't care. I would've thought the fans of this show would understand it's not just some crappy cartoon to throw out on DVD for the kids. This is a show that should be presented in style and as the creators intended.I'm one of the last people who would take fullscreen over widescreen, but because we're not missing any of the animation with this release there's no reason to make a big deal over it. There are more important things in life. It's too bad to see people make a huge fuss about something so petty. My greatest apologies for offending you and I'm so terribly sorry I'm not as big a fan as you.

[maxnugget]

Fortunately, I have a widescreen TV and will be able to watch the episodes cropped if I choose(I'm cruious now to see the difference).
The problem with that (as per a previous debate in this thread) is that a true widescreen release would (usually) be in anamorphic widescreen. A fullscreen, 4:3 DVD image has a resolution of 720x480. A 16:9 widescreen video that is either non-anamorphic, or that is 4:3 and you zoom in on your TV to make it 16:9, has a resolution of 720x405, which doesn't look especially good. Anamorphic widescreen DVDs, on the other hand, have an effective resolution of 720x480.

The other problem is that people on non-widescreen TVs don't usually have anyway to watch the DVDs in widescreen unless their DVD player has a matting feature (most don't AFAIK).

[Tiny Toon Fan]

This has become an interesting debate on many levels. Personally, I am always in favor of Widescreen because I like to prepare for the future. I know HDTV and Widescreen TVs will soon be the standard and should be when you think about it. Then you won't have to go to the theater at all.

It is amazing how many people don't know the benefits of widescreen. The other day I was in a BestBuy and some guy was looking at a movie and asked his friend how widescreen is different than fullscreen. His buddy said that with widescreen you get those black bars on the tv and the image is smaller. The guy then said oh yeah I don't like the black bars. The lack of knowledge suprised me. I interjected saying that with widescreen you get exactly what you would see in the theater and that fullscreen is cropped where an editor decides what part of the image you will see. I also explained pan-and-scan using my favorite example Multiplicity(watch it, and you'll see some horrible pan-and-scan). The guy had no idea this is what takes place in fullscreen.

My point is that a lot of people don't get why widescreen is so much better. If the population of dvd buyers were schooled in the difference I would be willing to bet that they would buy only widescreen.

As for JL, artistically, I think there is a huge difference between wide and full screen. I have taped versions of both and widescreen looks more sofisticated. It says right away that this isn't going to be the same DCAU show you are used to. I think its what seperates JL from shows like BB and Superman.

[poddie]

Wow, no need to get so worked up over it. Sorry, but it's not a problem for me to just get up and tape two pieces of cardboard to my TV. Whatever happened to a little improvisation? Have we become such a lazy society that we expect every little thing to be done for us? And anyway, I was simply offering a viable suggestion for those wanting to view the episodes in widescreen.

I'm one of the last people who would take fullscreen over widescreen, but because we're not missing any of the animation with this release there's no reason to make a big deal over it. There are more important things in life. It's too bad to see people make a huge fuss about something so petty. My greatest apologies for offending you and I'm so terribly sorry I'm not as big a fan as you.
Heh, sorry, I really didn't mean any personal offense. I just find the suggestion that I should have to create and put on and pull down primitive manual mattes to watch a show in it's inteded aspect ratio to be a bit strange... especially given that WB could just release the things properly and there'd be no issue.

[poddie]

I emailed TVShowsOnDVD about it (stating that many fans would prefer the intended ratio) and got this response:

"I just called Warner Bros and passed along your comments. Hopefully something can be done about it. Hey, it's worked on other releases!
Oh, do you know where the creators said they preferred wisdescreen?

Gord"

So... does anyone know where specifically it was said? It seems to be common knowledge, but I have no idea where it was started...

Thanks

[Simpler Simon]

So... does anyone know where specifically it was said? It seems to be common knowledge, but I have no idea where it was started...

Thanks

Karkull's knack for archiving comes to the rescue once again:

http://jl.toonzone.net/widescreen/widescreen.htm

[A.J]

I emailed TVShowsOnDVD about it (stating that many fans would prefer the intended ratio) and got this response:

"I just called Warner Bros and passed along your comments. Hopefully something can be done about it. Hey, it's worked on other releases!
Oh, do you know where the creators said they preferred wisdescreen?

Gord"

So... does anyone know where specifically it was said? It seems to be common knowledge, but I have no idea where it was started...

Thanks

Wow, this is GREAT to know...I really hope it works out :)

[Silly McGooses]

YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!!!!!:D

I never expected this news so soon!
And a big yes to the OAR and regular season sets as opposed to volumes.
The SFs for JL also look promising.

[maxnugget]

There are more important things in life. It's too bad to see people make a huge fuss about something so petty.I can't speak for others, but my reason for being in this discussion is more as an on-principle debate than any great desire to see JL season 1 in widescreen. If this were a season I liked more (like season 2!) that'd be a different story. :)


Yes, I realize there's the artistic factor. But if anyones ever compared Season 1 FS and WS airings, we're talking about character boots and sky. Adding or subtracting that really isn't that big of a deal. As with ROTJ, it was storyboarded with a cropped widescreen version in mind, but it really doesn't suffer (in my opinion) in fullscreen either.In sticking with my on-principle comment from above (:)), the real detriment to pan-n-scanning comes more from the presentational changes than the specifics of what gets cut off-screen. To use one example, in art/photography, there's a rule of thumb called the "rule of thirds," which basically suggests that if you were to draw an evenly-distributed tic-tac-toe board over your canvas, the four points where the lines intersect are where the audience is most likely to focus their eyes. For this reason, many photographers/artists tend to place the things in the image that they want to draw attention to, at these intersection points. It's simple but often very effective. Now, if someone were to then come in and change the dimensions of the canvas, this changes the location of these intersection points and thus moves where the viewer is likely to focus away from the artist's intended focal points. I cite this not so much to say "you're screwing things up for anyone who uses the rule of thirds!" as to say, as a general point (and using the word "boundaries" both metaphorically and literally), that art does not exist in a vaccuum, it exists within a particular set of boundaries. These boundaries are part of how the art is defined. To change the boundaries, is to change the art.

Beyond the above example, on a more fundamental level, there's a specific artistry in the framing of an image. The artist isn't usually thinking in terms of explicit rules like the one above -- they usually just have an inherent, subconscious sense of what aesthetics are artistically "right" in their mind. The dimensions of the canvas are specifically chosen by the artist, as an artistic decision, and the picture is specifically created to fill that canvas in a way particular to the canvas.

Like most things in a piece of art, the effect it has on its audience does not usually register in a conscious sense. It's an overarching, subtle aesthetic. This is important, because it means it's a bit improper for someone to say "it doesn't make a difference to me if they crop the picture," because the audience isn't usually cognizant of what exactly the effect these properties of a piece of art has on them, and to say "it makes no difference," suggests that you are fully aware of the artistic impact it has on you, which is usually not the case.

Perhaps in a board filled with lots of comics fans, the best analogy here is comic book panels. In the same way that there's quite clearly an artistic significance to the creative use of panels in comic books, the same applies to film, TV, paintings, photography, and more. If someone were to re-publish a famous comic book, and they re-arranged and re-sized all the panels to fit some new book format, it's easy to see how, even though the drawings featured may not change, the changing of the panels is clearly "changing" the artistic content of the comic in a way that will affect the impact it has on the audience.

Although there are other reasons why pan-n-scanning films is a terrible thing to do, the reason I outlined above is really the primary reason. In some ways Blockbuster, Best Buy, and all the other retails and organizations, with their "wider is better" campaigning and showing how pan-n-scanning cuts off parts of the picture, have done a disservice to the cause, because they try to convince consumers that pan-n-scanning is bad (which is a good goal), but they use secondary arguments in trying to make the case for it.

[Funkatron]

So ok, I'm alright with FS season 1. But season 2 better be WS.

Hey, can a mod change the title of the Letter thread to season 2 instead of season 1? Hopefully we can let them know we want WS for season 2 before they press any copies

[maxnugget]

It's unfortunate that amidst these two absolutely HUGE announcements, we're all stuck in a debate over widescreen.

So let me just say, my jaw dropped when I saw the headline on TZ's news page, and it was almost surreal seeing the cover art for both sets. The Batman Beyond cover art looks really cool, especially.

[EJill34]

Heh, sorry, I really didn't mean any personal offense. I just find the suggestion that I should have to create and put on and pull down primitive manual mattes to watch a show in it's inteded aspect ratio to be a bit strange... especially given that WB could just release the things properly and there'd be no issue.

I can't speak for others, but my reason for being in this discussion is more as an on-principle debate than any great desire to see JL season 1 in widescreen. If this were a season I liked more (like season 2!) that'd be a different story. :)
Yeah, sorry I overreacted. Here's hoping Season 2 is in widescreen.

[Hades]

ABOUT FRIGGIN TIME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Guess it is time to sell off all of my single disc releases. Yay, I could use the money.

So does this mean the next batch will be Batman Beyond Season 2 and Superman Volume 3?

[The_Magick_Hat]

No kidding. This is a happy day! JL and BB season sets are official and due for March! w00t! I can finally see BB again and see JL for the first time. I'm so glad I held out for season sets.

I still have a load of catching up to do. I had to postpone my purchase of BTAS vol.4 and I still have yet to pick up STAS. I want to at least see those before I dive into JL or BB.

[FALLEN ELDOR]

Now if JL Season 2 isn't in widescreen, then I'll jump on this bandwagon and protest the hell out of it. Although we should really do a pre-emptive strike and email WHV about Season 2 now, that way they'd actually have time before they start the DVD making process.

-BB

Just tell me where to sign ;)

[poddie]

So ok, I'm alright with FS season 1. But season 2 better be WS.

Hey, can a mod change the title of the Letter thread to season 2 instead of season 1? Hopefully we can let them know we want WS for season 2 before they press any copiesSo now after maxnugget's very eloquent explanation (thank you! couldn't have said it better) of why fullscreen SHOULDN'T be used now you're ok with it? This battle is going the wrong way... very depressing... :(

[poddie]

Karkull's knack for archiving comes to the rescue once again:

http://jl.toonzone.net/widescreen/widescreen.htmThanks! I forwarded that link to Gord. I saw it before but couldn't remember where it was...

[Yojimbo]

Can't say I'm surprised, but man, this thread exploded with a good reason. Excellent news.

[Duke]

So now after maxnugget's very eloquent explanation (thank you! couldn't have said it better) of why fullscreen SHOULDN'T be used now you're ok with it? This battle is going the wrong way... very depressing... :(The reason people are OK with it is because S1 isn't in true widescreen. Nobody here is saying that widescreen should die a horrible death or anything like that. In fact, everybody wants S2 in widescreen, since it was animated that way.

[William C. Maune]

I still think S1 is true widescreen, as I don't see much of a difference between Seasons 1 and 2. But, I seem to be in the minority.

[r0derix]

The thing I don't like about the cover of Justice League is right under where it says Season 1 it says "26 Episodes on Four Discs". Why does it say that on the cover and not the back? We dont need that on the cover, its just useless text and makes it look a little worse.

[FunTurtle]

Hopefully they don't screw us out of special features. The Justice League Season 1 box should have, at the VERY LEAST, all the special features that their other piddly releases had...the episode introductions they already have taped, "Storyboards for Justice", "The Look of the League", "Draw the Dark Side", and "Behind the Brave and the Bold." That's all the special Season 1 stuff they've done, and I'm selling these worthless DVDs now to save up for the box set. As long as they have all those features, and commentary on the better episodes (Injustice for All and Savage Time, hopefully), I'll be happy.

[Duke]

Hopefully they don't screw us out of special features. The Justice League Season 1 box should have, at the VERY LEAST, all the special features that their other piddly releases had...the episode introductions they already have taped, "Storyboards for Justice", "The Look of the League", "Draw the Dark Side", and "Behind the Brave and the Bold." That's all the special Season 1 stuff they've done, and I'm selling these worthless DVDs now to save up for the box set. As long as they have all those features, and commentary on the better episodes (Injustice for All and Savage Time, hopefully), I'll be happy.Special Features have already been listed:


Audio Commentary: The Enemy Below, Pt.2 Audio Commentary: Audio Commentary with Bruce Timm- Producer, James Tucker- Producer, Glenn Murakami- Producer, Rich Fogel- Producer & Dan Riba- Director
Audio Commentary: Legends, Pt.2 Audio Commentary: Audio Commentary with Bruce Timm- Producer, James Tucker- Producer, Glenn Murakami- Producer, Rich Fogel- Producer & Dan Riba- Director
Audio Commentary: The Savage Time, Pt.2 Audio Commentary- Audio Commentary with Bruce Timm- Producer, James Tucker- Producer, Glenn Murakami- Producer, Rich Fogel- Producer & Dan Riba- Director

Interviews: - Inside Justice League: A private panel discussion takes place between Bruce Timm and his team of creators about Justice League with some special surprises
- The Look of The League: Bruce Timm explains character design of Justice League

Storyboards: Storyboards: The Blueprint For Justice: The creative team of Justice League discuss storyboarding process

Other: Justice League: The First Mission: Watch this exciting "Never Seen Before" promo which helped Justice League leap into action

[Dogbert]

Anywho, Speculatory DVD release Fantasy Scheduale!

March 2006
Batman Beyond Season 1
JL Season 1

June-July 2006
Superman v3
Batman Beyond Season 2.1 or Season 2

Oct-Nov 2006
Batman Beyond Season 2.2 or Season 3
Jl Season 2I disagree. WB always (at least for classic DC and Looney Tunes) releases these DVD sets as one four-disc and one two-disc on a single date. I do agree, however, that they will be replacing Batman TAS's trend of always a Batman with Batman Beyond. Here's my theory:

June/July 2006
Batman Beyond S2
Superman V3

Nov/Dec 2006
JL S2
Batman Beyond S3

Feb/March 2007
JLU S1 or S1+2
The Zeta Project S1 or Complete Series

[James Harvey]

I gotta admit I love the fact that BB and JL are going to be release as SEASON sets and not Volumen sets. Extras should be interesting. I cant wait...please give us those front and back covers soon! While Justice League will remain as "season sets," there is a chance Batman Beyond might change to "volume sets" given the large amount of episodes aired during the second season. The set would have to basically double in size, and WHV might not feel that Batman Beyond is not a strong enough brand to warrant it. There’s no guarantee this will happen, but it is a strong responsibility. As for Batman Beyond commentaries, I’d expect "Rebirth, Part 1" and possibly "Meltdown" or "Ascension" to be the lucky candidates. Official information should be forthcoming soon, though.

[Crow]

Try as I might, I can't follow the WS/FS debate going on here, I thought I knew all about DVD aspect ratios and such but it's confusing in this context. But forget all that for the moment.....

This is lovely news, how long has Jim Harvey been sitting on this news? I'm disappointed there's no Fone Bone posts yet, he's probably fainted....

The JL DVDs are almost like my VHS collection too.

I would like to know what sort of audio will be on these releases - the 2.0 Stereo won't do Batman Beyond justice.

[Funkatron]

While Justice League will remain as "season sets," there is a chance Batman Beyond might change to "volume sets" given the large amount of episodes aired during the second season. The set would have to basically double in size, and WHV might not feel that Batman Beyond is not a strong enough brand to warrant it. There’s no guarantee this will happen, but it is a strong responsibility. As for Batman Beyond commentaries, I’d expect "Rebirth, Part 1" and possibly "Meltdown" or "Ascension" to be the lucky candidates. Official information should be forthcoming soon, though.They might pull a Gargoyles and call it Season 2 part 1 or Season 2 vol 1 or Season 2.1(sorta like Battlestar Galactica season 2.0)

[Sue]

Fullscreen, widescreen, I don't give a damn; JL's entire first season's being collected in one set, and that's all that matters to me :D

[Crow]

I don't want to go too off-topic, but is that ROTJ 'The Uncut Original Version' (in Red Writing) in fullscreen or widescreen? Also, what are its extras?

Cheers.

[DreamTripper]

So now, static Shock, Zeta, and Krypto are the only DC Animated shows not announced for seasonal DVD sets? well, other than more of the Superfriends, the Filmation cartoons, and the late 80's Superman?

[Sacbrain]

The problem with that (as per a previous debate in this thread) is that a true widescreen release would (usually) be in anamorphic widescreen. A fullscreen, 4:3 DVD image has a resolution of 720x480. A 16:9 widescreen video that is either non-anamorphic, or that is 4:3 and you zoom in on your TV to make it 16:9, has a resolution of 720x405, which doesn't look especially good. Anamorphic widescreen DVDs, on the other hand, have an effective resolution of 720x480.

The other problem is that people on non-widescreen TVs don't usually have anyway to watch the DVDs in widescreen unless their DVD player has a matting feature (most don't AFAIK).
Actually, the Panasonic plasmas(not sure about the others) have a mode called JUST that is sort of a mix between zoom & full screen (streched for regular TV). It zooms only partially clipping a bit of the top & bottom & streches just the sides where not much action is. It works very effectively for watching regular 4:3 TV without the resolution loss of zoom.

You are correct however about non-widescreen TV's.

I'm just thrilled that this show is finally coming to DVD.:)

-Mark

[klammed]

Actually, I think it's to do with the television itself, not the player. There are some fullscreen televisions out there with 'widescreen viewing' as it were.

Which is good. :D

btw, anyone know of when the dvds for code 3 might be released?

[maxnugget]

My note about anamorphic widescreen vs. non-anamorphic/zoomed-in vs. fullscreen is just about resolution in terms of how many pixels worth of "unique" information is stored. Doesn't really make a difference what your TV does to it. When I refer to anamorphic widescreen as being 720x480, for example, that's not the resolution it's displayed at, that's just my shorthand for noting its quality, saying that the resolution in terms of non-redundant pixels stored for each image, is 720x480. When your TV displays it, it stretches it out to around 852x480, but the extra horizontal data is redundant so I don't count it.

If you understand how anamorphic widescreen works then what I just said will probably make sense. If not, well, my previous post, as well as this one, are bad teachers, as they skip all the steps in the middle...you should probably just ignore them. Sorry! :)

Interestingly b.t. stated in the season 2 letter-writing thread that both JL season 1 and 2 were intended for 1.85:1, which is news to me, I had just assumed they were animated for 16:9 (which is approx. 1.78:1 -- less wide than 1.85:1). I wonder if CN was actually airing season 2 (or season 1) in 1.85:1 or whether they cropped it down to 16:9. Anyone know? (I'm too lazy to check my recordings :))

[Bones Justice]

Not to make light of your pain, but I couldn't help noticing:

The call by fans for a slow release of box sets so as to encourage sales of the casual buyer.

-versus-

The anger by fans over a full screen release which is intended to encourage sales of the casual buyer.

C'mon, you have to admit that the contrast is funny! :D

Hope you all get what you wish for. Happy holidays!

[Douglas Fir]

Woooo-hoooooooooooooooo!!!

I will definately be getting JL & BB! And just after my 30th birthday - shame it wasn't before I've always imagined spending my 30th watching 'toons! ;)

This is great news - I can honestly see Zeta & Static getting released at some point now (if they had any sense they could easily add a featurette about Zeta on a future BB set to help promote a future DVD release).

Still great news all round - sucks about being fullscreen (I know I've read all the pro & con arguments - but I'd like the shows that were animated in widescreen to be released that way and if they are the early episodes stand out as being different)... but like many here - I don't care because I will be getting them!

The big question is will JL be the individual episodes or the edited together "movies"?

[A.J]

Dude, this thread exploted like da bomb yesterday! Its just incredible how the news about the JL box set created all this arguments. I am so glad it did! JL deserves the best only, its an epic show and we shouldnt let WHV to not respect it and give it what it deserves. My friends and I letters are going in the mail v v soon!

[Duke]

but I'd like the shows that were animated in widescreen to be released that way and if they are the early episodes stand out as being differentI hate to bring this arguement up again...

That's just it. It wasn't animated like that, or else it would be the original aspect ratio. If the OAR was in widescreen (like S2+), then it should be widescreen.


The big question is will JL be the individual episodes or the edited together "movies"?According to TVShowsOnDVD, all the episodes are individual.

[Douglas Fir]

I hate to bring this arguement up again...

That's just it. It wasn't animated like that, or else it would be the original aspect ratio. If the OAR was in widescreen (like S2+), then it should be widescreen.
I didn't say it was! I'm saying that because later seasons were animated that way and I'm hoping they will be released in widescreen it will seem odd to have Season 1 in fullscreen (my fear is because this first set is fullscreen they all will be). It's not going to stop me buying the sets as I'm just happy to get them on DVD finally! But we are in agreement - don't worry! :p

[poddie]

Not to make light of your pain, but I couldn't help noticing:

The call by fans for a slow release of box sets so as to encourage sales of the casual buyer.

-versus-

The anger by fans over a full screen release which is intended to encourage sales of the casual buyer.

C'mon, you have to admit that the contrast is funny! :D

Hope you all get what you wish for. Happy holidays!
The average DVD buyer is not as fearful of widescreen transfers as they were 10 years ago. It is a (hopefully) false assumption by WB that buyers will go away in droves because a release is "widescreen". Studios gave up this attitude years ago for live action, and at this point only cartoons are stuck with it because WB considers them to be only for kids, and not artistically important.

It would appear on this board that most of the viewers would not be opposed at all to a widescreen release, and those that are would not be opposed to the ratio as much as loosing what they feel is "valuable" animation at the top and bottom. Apparently Bruce Timm is not allowed to determine what is valuable, and these people's opinions are much more important and correct.

But as I said, it appears that the vast majority is responding to this argument with complete apathy. Which I find "funny" given that this is a board of fans who generally respect and admire Bruce Timm and the shows he creates. But in this case, they just don't care.

[adoptedBatpuppy]

WB is finally listening to us! :D I'm for one is really happy about the Justice League Season 1 being released on DVD and Batman Beyond Season 1 too!! :)

On Toon Zone they say DVD Sets are scheduled for March 21, 2006. That seems like a very long time away! :sweat:
Take a look at the covers:


http://news.toonzone.net/images/2005-12/t-jlc.jpg (http://news.toonzone.net/image.php?imageID=795&___r=%2Farticle.php%3FID%3D7480)http://news.toonzone.net/images/2005-12/t-bbc.jpg (http://news.toonzone.net/image.php?imageID=796&___r=%2Farticle.php%3FID%3D7480)

[Duke]

But as I said, it appears that the vast majority is responding to this argument with complete apathy. Which I find "funny" given that this is a board of fans who generally respect and admire Bruce Timm and the shows he creates. But in this case, they just don't care.If I didn't respect the damn work, I wouldn't have the friggin box set in my wishlist or my birthday list. If I didn't respect the damn work, I wouldn't watch the series at all. If I didn't respect the damn work, then I wouldn't even be having this discussion.

As I have repeated over and over and over and over and over again: I want the ORIGINAL ASPECT RATIO. If the OAR is widescreen, then I want that. If it's fullscreen, then that. If Teen Titan's and The Batman's OAR is widescreen, then I want those releases in widescreen. If Justice League's 2nd Season's and Justice League Unlimited's OAR is widescreen, I want that in widescreen. If Superman: The Animated Series's OAR is widescreen, then I want it in widescreen too. If Ghost in the Shell is in widescreen, then put it in widescreen. If Pokémon is in fullscreen, then it should be in fullscreen. It has nothing to do with artistic intent or anything like that. I just want the original masters.

[Bird Boy]

But as I said, it appears that the vast majority is responding to this argument with complete apathy. Which I find "funny" given that this is a board of fans who generally respect and admire Bruce Timm and the shows he creates. But in this case, they just don't care.

Just a note to calm this situation down: Please read this (http://forums.toonzone.net/showpost.php?p=1997412&postcount=14) post that Timm made concerning the aspect ratio.

Also: http://news.toonzone.net/article.php?ID=7480

Official special features for Batman Beyond is listed. That music only track sounds like fun stuff.

Though..."Shriek" with commentary? It was a good ep and all but...

-BB

[Tom Servo]

Just a note to calm this situation down: Please read this (http://forums.toonzone.net/showpost.php?p=1997412&postcount=14) post that Timm made concerning the aspect ratio.

Also: http://news.toonzone.net/article.php?ID=7480

Official special features for Batman Beyond is listed. That music only track sounds like fun stuff.

Though..."Shriek" with commentary? It was a good ep and all but...

-BB
Am I the only one that finds it completely backwards that the music-only track is on the series which had some of the most ear-splitting, annoying music? Ahem, no one thought we'd appreciate music-only tracks on the BTAS sets? THOSE are the classic, evocative scores that fans want to hear isolated out...

[James]

Am I the only one that finds it completely backwards that the music-only track is on the series which had some of the most ear-splitting, annoying music? Ahem, no one thought we'd appreciate music-only tracks on the BTAS sets? THOSE are the classic, evocative scores that fans want to hear isolated out...

Understandable, but that boils down to opinion and, well just getting yourself frustrated.

Come on, an isolated score is cool. Be happy. Should there be a down side to ever DVD feature that's announced? With these sort of arguments NOTHING they do will be cool enough as "should" have been done with the BTAS DVDs..

It just comes dangerously close to shooting your own enjoyment in the foot.

[A.J]

Also: http://news.toonzone.net/article.php?ID=7480

Official special features for Batman Beyond is listed. That music only track sounds like fun stuff.

Though..."Shriek" with commentary? It was a good ep and all but...

-BB
Well, the extras sounds pretty weak if you ask me. Still I guess we will have to wait once it comes out to find out all of the extras included. However, good extras or not Ill get this box set as fast as a speeding bullet!

[Duke]

As long as we get the theme song, I'll be happy in regards to the music extra. Preferably a full version, but I think we'll probably get the TV-size version. (Makes me wish ROTJ got a soundtrack)

[Noukon]

As long as we get the theme song, I'll be happy in regards to the music extra. Preferably a full version, but I think we'll probably get the TV-size version. (Makes me wish ROTJ got a soundtrack)
It did. (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/B00004YLI9/qid=1134064668/sr=2-1/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_1/102-8908417-1617740?v=glance&s=music)

[poddie]

Just a note to calm this situation down: Please read this (http://forums.toonzone.net/showpost.php?p=1997412&postcount=14) post that Timm made concerning the aspect ratio.
-BBIn which he again states his preference for widescreen. I can understand his comment about considerations about putting the full ratio on dvd, but I still want what is artistically superior.

It makes no sense to me to want the master aspect ratio just because the additional information exists.

The additional information exists for many, many live action films that were shot this way too. Doesn't mean that's how it should be presented.

But I can see it's an argument that's already been lost in this forum. I'm sure the topic and the title will get the respect I feel it deserves on Home Theater Forum. It was down yesterday but they seem to be back up again... I will post my concerns there from now on.

I really didn't mean to offend anyone... if I have I'm sorry. I just feel very strongly about this issue and was very much looking forward to the widescreen releases. From now on I will try to limit my campaigning here to S2 onward... makes no sense to continue the effort for S1.

[Duke]

It makes no sense to me to want the master aspect ratio just because the additional information exists.I don't want the original aspect ratio because it has additional information. I want the original aspect ratio because it's the original aspect ratio.

[Simpler Simon]

Though..."Shriek" with commentary? It was a good ep and all but...

-BB
Maybe they really wanted to comment on the sound(less) battle at the end.

Does seem a bit odd for WHV to suddenly go out for a "music only" track as an extra, but I couldn't be happier. I cant wait for these sets.

[A.J]

In which he again states his preference for widescreen. I can understand his comment about considerations about putting the full ratio on dvd, but I still want what is artistically superior.

It makes no sense to me to want the master aspect ratio just because the additional information exists.

The additional information exists for many, many live action films that were shot this way too. Doesn't mean that's how it should be presented.

But I can see it's an argument that's already been lost in this forum. I'm sure the topic and the title will get the respect I feel it deserves on Home Theater Forum. It was down yesterday but they seem to be back up again... I will post my concerns there from now on.

I really didn't mean to offend anyone... if I have I'm sorry. I just feel very strongly about this issue and was very much looking forward to the widescreen releases. From now on I will try to limit my campaigning here to S2 onward... makes no sense to continue the effort for S1.
Poddie man, take it easy. I understand how you feel, I feel exactly the same, Ive been expecting the WS releases forever. I reallly really wanted JL S1 in WS due to the fact that here in Costa RIca CN only airs JL & JLU in FS. Ive always wanted to see it in WS. Too bad but I guess that if even b.t isnt interested on preserving S1 in WS then there is nothing we cant do about it.

[Silly McGooses]

Am I the only one that finds it completely backwards that the music-only track is on the series which had some of the most ear-splitting, annoying music? Ahem, no one thought we'd appreciate music-only tracks on the BTAS sets? THOSE are the classic, evocative scores that fans want to hear isolated out...Yeah, I was thinking the same thing; BB has the most annoying music of any DCAU music, IMO.

Well, I'm certainly worried about S2 being fullscreen from that post b.t. did. I guess if he thinks that letters in volume might make a difference, I'll definitely write one.

[poddie]

I don't want the original aspect ratio because it has additional information. I want the original aspect ratio because it's the original aspect ratio.
This position actually interests me... so do you prefer live action films that are designed to be presented in matted widescreen but are filmed by exposing the full frame to be widescreen on dvd? Or full frame?

I am going to be taking it easy now... I have given up the battle (here at least)... just trying to have a discussion now. :)

[Duke]

This position actually interests me... so do you prefer live action films that are designed to be presented in matted widescreen but are filmed by exposing the full frame to be widescreen on dvd? Or full frame?I don't know of any films like that (then again, I don't watch that many live-action films anymore, as 90% of my viewing has been turned on animation with 8% of the final 10% being PTI, The Daily Show, NCIS, and Colbert Report), but in the end, I want whatever the original aspect ratio on the masters are. If it's the matted widescreen, so be it. If it's fullscreen, then that's the way I want it.

[William C. Maune]

I still wonder what the OAR of the masters is though. CN has aired both the fullscreen and widescreen versions. Perhaps there are both fullscreen and widescreen masters.

[Crossdive]

Yay! JL S1, BB S1, TT S1, and TB S1 announced!! They look awesome, I especially can't wait to get my hands on the JL Season 1 Box! :D

Btw, any news concerning Static Shock or Zeta Project box sets, out of curiousity?

[DisneyBoy]

Okay, I'm happy...but confused. Where do things stand with the information we've been given as far as Widescreen versus Fullscreen is concerned? Someone spell it out for me, cause otherwise I won't be able to deduce what the outcome is now...I mean, from what's been listed as information, can we tell what the case is?

So, YAY! Justice League hitting DVD. Three commentaries seems a little weak, but since JL is recent, and the creative team has been doing mucho interviews, I suppose they're sick to death of talking about how Lex went through all his phases in "Injustice" and how they had to keep Hawkgirl's history a secret, etc. I think the audio commentaries are all good choices, especially since I really didn't care for LEGENDS...mainly because I didn't get it, in the end. Savage Time Part Two is good because it'll give them some time to explain Diana's development (which you KNOW I'm looking forward to) and The Enemy Below had some great animation, and easily, the coolest Aquaman moment ever. In fact, that moment make me like Aquaman to begin with!

I'm bummed that there aren't episode introductions, especially since there aren't too many story arcs in season one, and the intros wouldn't have to be longer than a minute or two, but oh well. At least we're getting the pitch/promo reel, and a featurette which will hopefully be good. Anyone else think it would be cool if DC and Mattel let there be a featurette on how the show was marketed? I'd love to see some concept footage of the toys and their release. Heck, even a featurette about the pressures of launching the show would be cool. And are we going to get to see the entire cast of voice actors this time around? Hope so. Still feeling gipped from the B:TAS sets about that...

I'm not too into Batman Beyond, so I think I'll skip this set. Still, this is good news. And here's a question for ya:

Following the list of Special Features for the JLS1 set, what would you like to see for the S2 set?

Commentaries on Maid of Honor Part One, Starcrossed Part Two and either part of A Better World would be good I think. Still, I think the DVD release of Starcrossed should have had a complete audio commentary.

[poddie]

I don't know of any films like that (then again, I don't watch that many live-action films anymore, as 90% of my viewing has been turned on animation with 8% of the final 10% being PTI, The Daily Show, NCIS, and Colbert Report), but in the end, I want whatever the original aspect ratio on the masters are. If it's the matted widescreen, so be it. If it's fullscreen, then that's the way I want it.That's what I figured...

There are quite a few films that are made this way. They film them at 1.33:1 and "matte out" the top and bottom of the frame to get it to it's INTENDED ratio. This used to be more common because it allowed them to more easily make full frame home video transfers.

The most famous example is probably Big Top Pee Wee, where there's a gag where he pulls a chain out of a basket or something. The basket is at the bottom of the screen and he keeps pulling and pulling on the chain and it keeps coming. But on the full frame video transfer you can clearly see the bottom of the basket has a hole in it with the chain coming up through it while he's pulling, thus destroying the joke. There are lots of films like this, where things you're not supposed to see end up visible. That's not a problem for animation, of course...

The important part, of course, is that the images are composed for a widescreen ratio and that design is destroyed when "opening up" the frame by removing the matte bars. Same thing happens with JL season 1 in full frame.

[poddie]

I still wonder what the OAR of the masters is though. CN has aired both the fullscreen and widescreen versions. Perhaps there are both fullscreen and widescreen masters.
I suspect the masters ARE full frame, and then they just created a second set by electronically stripping off the top and bottom.

However, I think the term OAR is being perverted here a bit... it's a term that was supposed to be used to express what the INTENDED ratio was... not what the FILMED ratio was.

As I have said in my other responses, there are many live action films that are filmed at a 1.33 ratio but intended to be viewed widescreen. In these cases it's generally accepted that OAR would be the widescreen version... that's what it was supposed to be when not compromized by a venu that doesn't fit it's shape (i.e. the standard 1.33 ratio of TV).

[Silly McGooses]

I thought I remembered b.t. saying that the widescreen was C.N.'s idea a far while into production. The thing is, ALL of the S1 JL eps were aired in fullscreen first, then the cropped versions were played later at night another day. The widescreen makes some shots work artistically better, but I don't like losing that chunk of the image.

[batmanbeyond13]

As to full screen and widescreen, I believe all the Justice League and J L U episodes were made in fullscreen. Then, the episodes were put as widescreen. I would rather have the episodes how they were originally made. I have seen some of the new episodes in fullscreen and it seems to me like they crop both top and bottom of the show to put them out as widescreen. I could be wrong. Anyone care to comment on this?

[Trevor Balena]

As to full screen and widescreen, I believe all the Justice League and J L U episodes were made in fullscreen. Then, the episodes were put as widescreen. I would rather have the episodes how they were originally made. I have seen some of the new episodes in fullscreen and it seems to me like they crop both top and bottom of the show to put them out as widescreen. I could be wrong. Anyone care to comment on this?Short version: You're wrong.

Long version: It probably would have been a good idea to read just about any other post in this thread, before posting yourself.

[Yojimbo]

I don't want to go too off-topic, but is that ROTJ 'The Uncut Original Version' (in Red Writing) in fullscreen or widescreen? Also, what are its extras?

Cheers.
widescreen

Commentary by Bruce Timm, Paul Dini, Glen Murakami and Curt Geda (I think)

Behind the scenes documentary

some deleted scenes from the storyboard phase

animation tests

music video of the song "crash"

some generic character bios

[Crow]

Happy Christmas and Merry New Year!

[batmanbeyond13]

Well, I have seen most of the episodes in fullscreen and widescreen and it does seem to me like it is cropped. I noticed it when I saw Divided We Fall on a Sunday night repeat.

[Noukon]

I've done a direct comparison. The first season of JL was created in 1.33:1 and vertically cropped. (The same is true for the RotJ uncut DVD.)

The widescreen version does look better, though, since the episodes were all framed with widescreen in mind. You're losing information in the widescreen version, but none of it is important information, and the shots look better cropped.

As has been said, a great many live action movies have been made like this. Even now, the technique has graduated; many films (including such big ones as the Lord of the Rings trilogy and Harry Potter series) are filmed in 1.85:1, and both the widescreen and fullscreen versions are cropped (just in different directions).

[Bird Boy]

Well, I have seen most of the episodes in fullscreen and widescreen and it does seem to me like it is cropped. I noticed it when I saw Divided We Fall on a Sunday night repeat.

JL Season 2 and all of JLU was animated in Widescreen. Your eyes must be playing tricks on you if you thought Widescreen was a cropped version.

Please refer to this (http://forums.toonzone.net/showthread.php?t=154685) thread to see what was animated Widescreen and what is Fullscreen.

-BB

[Hades]

On Toon Zone they say DVD Sets are scheduled for March 21, 2006. That seems like a very long time away! :sweat:

Hey, March is a great month. I might actually get my 360 I preordered back in July by then. :D

[Blue Zeo]

I thought I would post these comparisons for those of you who are still confused about the WS versions on JL season 1. As you can see there is more picture in the full version. In order to make these epispdes WS the top and bottom of the picture was cut off.


http://ourworld.cs.com/Phantom%20Dude%20003/Fury+-+PT+2+fs.JPGhttp://ourworld.cs.com/Phantom%20Dude%20003/Fury+-+PT+2+ws.JPG

http://ourworld.cs.com/Phantom%20Dude%20003/Paradise+Lost+-+PT+1+fs.JPGhttp://ourworld.cs.com/Phantom%20Dude%20003/Paradise+Lost+-+PT+1+ws.JPG

http://ourworld.cs.com/Phantom%20Dude%20003/War+World+-+PT+2+fs.JPGhttp://ourworld.cs.com/Phantom%20Dude%20003/War+World+-+PT+2+ws.JPG

http://ourworld.cs.com/Phantom%20Dude%20003/Secret+Origins+-+PT+1+fs.JPGhttp://ourworld.cs.com/Phantom%20Dude%20003/Secret+Origins+-+PT+1+ws.JPG

http://ourworld.cs.com/Phantom%20Dude%20003/The+Brave+And+The+Bold+-+Part+1+fs.JPGhttp://ourworld.cs.com/Phantom%20Dude%20003/The+Brave+And+The+Bold+-+Part+1+ws.JPG

[Duke]

Wow. I forgot how horrible S1 Superman looked...

[The Penguin]

Wow. I forgot how horrible S1 Superman looked...As did I.

The picture do show that S1 was cropped (as we all knew), but also that nothing was really lost because they weren't designed to be that way. The tip of J'onn's head and Batman and Superman's boots don't add anything to the presentation.

[James Harvey]

The official websites for Batman: The Animated Series - Volume Four (http://www2.warnerbros.com/warnervideo/classiccartoons/batman4/index.html) and Superman: The Animated Series - Volume Two (http://www2.warnerbros.com/warnervideo/classiccartoons/superman2/index.html) are now online. Note that the photo gallery of the website, among other sections, for Batman: The Animated Series - Volume Four has mixed some images from The Batman, as well as the older "classic" animated style, with Batman: The Animated Series, as seen in the following example:


http://www.worldsfinestonline.com/wfboards/rtbb.jpg

Unlike many posters I wouldn't call this a conspiracy, just a clueless, ignorant webmaster who has no idea what he's doing. Pretty funny, though.

[Duke]

Well, that's a screencap from the commercial, so it's not just the webmaster who's clueless. Of course, the commercial also has scenes from B:TAS. In fact, the TNBA Batman doesn't show up until the final second or so!

[The_Magick_Hat]

Wow. I forgot how horrible S1 Superman looked...I was going to say...did Superman always look that old in JL? he doesn't look nearly that old in episodes of STAS that I've seen.

[Duke]

I was going to say...did Superman always look that old in JL? he doesn't look nearly that old in episodes of STAS that I've seen.They added some age lines in S1 as well as the grey highlight (since a few years passed between the two series). They got rid of the cheekbones and age lines in Season 2.

[poddie]

I thought I would post these comparisons for those of you who are still confused about the WS versions on JL season 1. As you can see there is more picture in the full version. In order to make these epispdes WS the top and bottom of the picture was cut off.
Thanks for taking the time to do this.

That is the framing I am talking about. The widescreen shots are obviously composed to look best... the other information is superfluous. It's only there to make people happy who can't stand widescreen (mostly CN executives I suspect). So why do we need it?

I could care less whether I'm seeing less or more information, as long as I'm seeing the infromation I'm SUPPOSED to see.

And of course it will be especially galling to watch these on my portable DVD player which is widescreen and has no zoom mode (as many don't). I'll have nice black bars at the sides and lots of useless but colorful information presented at the top and bottom.

I know which one looks better to me! Unfortunately, I also know which one the majority here will go with...

And yes, Superman sure does look like an old fart. :)

[Hades]

I for one preferred the older looking Superman in JLS1. Heck, I thought his design in BB was quite cool.

[cameronpoe1986]

do you think that Batman Beyond will be released over four sets? Here's why I'm thinking so:

Okay, these box-sets always have roughly the same number of episodes per set right? Well, the first set for BB has 13 episodes. And if you divide four into the total number of episodes, it comes out even.....

Guess we'll have to save those pennies......although I could care less and am extremely pleased with the extras announced. Music-only tracks? I might as well mail my money to WB now.....

[Douglas Fir]

do you think that Batman Beyond will be released over four sets? Here's why I'm thinking so:

Okay, these box-sets always have roughly the same number of episodes per set right? Well, the first set for BB has 13 episodes. And if you divide four into the total number of episodes, it comes out even.....

Guess we'll have to save those pennies......although I could care less and am extremely pleased with the extras announced. Music-only tracks? I might as well mail my money to WB now.....
If I were a betting man I would say we can expect four 2-disc sets - Season 1, Season 2 Part 1, Season 2 Part 2 and Season 3 (each with, as you said, 13 episodes). It would make little sense to do two 2-disc sets and one 4-disc one... but then again we are talking about WHV here! ;) Either way as long as we get all of BB on DVD (hey, that's catchy!) I'm happy! :D

[A.J]

Ok, I gotta ask this again: Could someone please provide here the BACK COVER OF BTAS VOL. 4? Thanks!

[Silly McGooses]

oh, it's really nothing special...the images make the show look really childish, anyway. My scanner is broken, so sorry.

[warmachine04]

HERE YOU GO.

http://images.dvdempire.com/gen/movies/745486bh.jpg

[A.J]

Geez warmachine, thanks a lot! Finally the cover art! One more question people, can somebody confirm if this set contains the ESPAÑOL (SPANISH) AUDIO TRACK or just the spanish subtitles? Please let me know :crying:




HERE YOU GO.

http://images.dvdempire.com/gen/movies/745486bh.jpg

[Hero Supreme]

Geez warmachine, thanks a lot! Finally the cover art! One more question people, can somebody confirm if this set contains the ESPAÑOL (SPANISH) AUDIO TRACK or just the spanish subtitles? Please let me know :crying:
it only has english and french audio tracks, and english, french and spanish subtitles.

[A.J]

it only has english and french audio tracks, and english, french and spanish subtitles.
No way! How come? They kept all of the original voices from BTAS for TNBA in spanish. How sad...Oh well...maybe they will release them with the audio track on the Latinamerica version (R4) :sad:

[Sacbrain]

I did my part and called Warner at the following number and voiced my opinion about WS S2 JL & beyond.

818-954-6000

Ask for the animation department. When there tell them you would like to voice your opinion about the S2 JL DVD set. They will route you to the proper people. The lady I spoke with was very nice and seemed interested in what I had to say. She asked for my name & phone # and said she would make sure that my opinion was forwarded to those that make the decisions.

One call won't make a big difference. But, if we all call they will start to get the picture. Letters are probably even better. But, I know what a procrastinator I am & would probably never end up sending one out.

Call today if you can & maybe with enough calls close together we can tip the scales for WS.

-Mark