DBZ goes HD 1080p
— FUNimation Entertainment announces the definitive Dragon Ball Z collection available February 2007 in TV on DVD season sets —
Fort Worth, TX — November 13, 2006 — FUNimation Entertainment, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Navarre Corporation (NASDAQ: NAVR) and the market share leader for home video sales of Japanese animation in the United States, is the U.S. company behind the success of anime phenomenon Dragon Ball Z. Today, the company announced that it has digitally remastered in high definition and restored the entire Dragon Ball Z series, all 291 episodes. The Dragon Ball Z Season Sets will be available at a suggested retail price (SRP) of $49.98 at major retailers nationwide on February 6, 2007.
“This is a great announcement for the Dragon Ball Z collector and the first time fan,” says Gen Fukunaga, president and CEO of FUNimation Entertainment. “The entire DBZ series has been transferred from the original Japanese film and digitally remastered and restored.”
FUNimation worked with Dallas-based Video Post & Transfer (VPT), a full-service post-production house that provides a complete spectrum of video & film related services, for the digital remastering and restoration. The Dragon Ball Z series was digitally transferred from the original Japanese film frame by frame at 1080p. During the process, VPT utilized state-of-the-art digital noise reduction units to remove film grain and thousands of instances of dirt, scratches and debris. The transfer was performed by nationally-recognized colorist Steve Franko and supervised by FUNimation.
“It’s a new era for Dragon Ball Z and this is a project we have been looking forward to for a long time,” continues Fukunaga. “The Dragon Ball Z Season Sets will be the definitive collection for the loyal fans of the series and they are a great way to introduce the series to a new generation of Dragon Ball Z fans.”
Dragon Ball Z is the explosive sequel to Dragon Ball. The series follows the adventures of Goku and his son Gohan as they team up with their friends to battle evil forces throughout the universe to protect their beloved planet Earth.
The first Dragon Ball Z Season Set includes 39 episodes on five DVDs with over 900 minutes of action. For the first time, fans will be able to listen to the original Japanese score with either the original Japanese dialogue or the English dialogue. There is also a special “making of” section for the new high definition Dragon Ball Z masters. Other special features for the Dragon Ball Z Season Sets include revised English dialogue and a brand new 5.1 surround audio mix.
Dragon Ball Z Season Set 1 covers the Vegeta Saga and it chronicles the introduction of one of Dragon Ball Z’s main characters, Vegeta. The Dragon Ball Z Season Sets will be available at major retailers nationwide on February 6, 2007 and will have an SRP of $49.98.
About FUNimation Entertainment
FUNimation® Entertainment, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Navarre Corporation (NASDAQ: NAVR), is the leading company for home video sales of Japanese animation in the United States. The company’s most recent initiative is the FUNimation Channel, a new, 24-hour digital network featuring programming from the top anime brands in the United States. FUNimation has a proven formula for launching and advancing brands, and manages a full spectrum of rights for most of its brands including broadcasting, licensing, production, internet, and home video sales and distribution