Does anyone know where it is possible to order Transformers G1 season DVDs? And what's the price? I once saw an ad in a magazine but can't remember the firm...
TF Source has this set http://www.tfsource.com/Reissues/DVD%20-%2096%20Episodes/DVD-Boxed-Set.html I have this one as well... great stuff!
I have mixed feelings about this box set. On one hand, it's pretty much absolutely certain that any cartoon/anime series DVD that's "officially licensed in China" and is region free (and in case of anime, has both English and Chinese subtitles) is a bootleg. Sure it's a nice tin, but no official DVD release I've seen ever uses those stupid papery-plastic "pockets" to store the discs. The lack of english menus make me wonder though...
I'm sure there has to be an official set of DVDs also. I swear I saw an ad in a UK gaming magazine some time ago, but I just can't rember what was the firm that sold the DVDs...
I have this set as well and it's awesome. The quality is top notch and I like it better than the Rhino sets. I got mine when they were $50 on eBay, but I would buy another one for $100 in a heartbeat. Definitely recommended.
Who cares if they are licensed or have english menus? I'm glad to watch the cartoon! It's either buy this or wait for Sony to re-issue them! Or if you have deep pockets buy the Rhino ones.
A quite lot of people do, I'd imagine. If they're not licensed, that means they're bootlegs, and 'no english menus' means you won't have a clue of what the hell the menu selections do. Oh, you're from UK? Well that's different, the Metrodome box sets are still in print (and fairly cheap) AFAIK. There's also a complete series box but it comes with the crappy "reconstructed" DVD of The Movie.
I actually sold all of my Rhino sets and bought that boxset. Aside from the menus (which aren't that bad), everything about it is superior to the Rhino releases.
What is better? I have the Rhino sets, but if these are that much better I may do the same as you if it is worth my effort.
That's what I wanna know. Unless they're mastered from the broadcast masters and use the original broadcast audio and correct intro sequences, I really don't see a good reason to upgrade. And most of the Metrodome box sets already used the original broadcast audio.
Official DVD releases do exist in China whether you want to think it's true or not. In fact, companies will often put out DVDs of new releases in countries like China and Russia, dirt cheap and before Region 1, 2, or 4 releases as a means to beat the bootleggers at their own game and get out product that makes money for the companies themselves. I have no idea how well that's turning out, but to some degree I guess it helps. VCDs are still used to serve a similar purpose as well. There have been assertions made before that the Chinese TF DVD sets, or at least some versions of them, are official releases and not bootlegs. Some of the earliest versions I remember included Takara Robot Masters figures inserted randomly (and these were the real thing, not KOs) and printed tech specs of some TF characters. I've never heard any complaints about the Chinese sets having poor visual quality, but I specifically remember that the English audio they use is the original kind, not Rhino's weird and half-assed "superior" attempt.
Well I got all of the Metrodome DVD sets individually and that's including the Japanese spin-offs (Headmasters, Masterforce and Victory).
Hmm. I heard Metrodome had replaced the box sets with digipaks instead of keepcases (with each disc in it's own red amaray case), is this true? I'm tempted to replace mine with them so I can fit the Japanese spinoffs into the tin box that came with season 1 and thus free up some shelf space...
My brother is supposedly going to get me, for my birthday this year, a complete boxset of G1 TV that includes the '86 movie... it's in English and Chinese. Region All.
IG: This set is one of those things I kind-of want, but will probably never get around to buying. With the Transformers movie being such a huge hit and Hasbro able to hawk 7 recolors of on-screen characters with no apparent trouble, it boggles my mind that we aren't seeing original series DVDs and box sets showing up. One would think this would be the time. (It would also be a good time for reissues, but that's off topic).
I decided to purchase the TFSource box. In the end, it all about Transformers. I can always buy an official box if I stumble into one someday
There's also the Australian Madman boxset. It costs a fair bit due to the US dollar losing much of it's value lately, but it has the best presentation of the (two) official sets that I know of. There's also no proof, or at least no easily obtainable evidence to show these are indeed officially released DVDs. How can one tell in regions that have little respect for western copyright law? We trust the word of the distributor? As far as we know, there are only two companies that are currently dealing with TV Loonland, the owner of Sunbow's properties, Metrodome (owned by Loonland) and Madman Entertainment. I figure it was because Sony bought the North American rights to the G1 series... and then they closed down the subsidiary that released the original movie DVD and (I assume) either sat on the license or it reverted back to Hasbro. Both Metrodome and Madman released boxsets in time with the release of the 2007 movie, so at least two companies are on the ball. I bet you Hasbro will do something really stupid like give the G1 rights to somebody such as Paramount, who will release More Than Meets the Eye, and The Rebirth, then sit on the rest. Hey, that's what they did with Energon and Cybertron, and likely what they will do with Animated.
Well it's not like Sony is much better. Their children's subsidiary loves releasing single-disc compilations of totally random episodes and leaving it at that. Have you seen their DVDs of The Real Ghostbusters?