Kamen Rider DVD/Blu-Ray Questions

[Dr Kain]

Can anyone explain just WHY the DVDs in Japan are so expensive? That's more than most high-grade figures that I buy from over there...hell, the rare Tajador Combo Change figure is a mere $75...the price of one DVD.

How can anyone in Japan afford to get a set of these DVDs? They don't make THAT much money over there...I mean, where's the business model? Supply and demand you crazy Japanese companies. SUPPLY AND DEMAND.

Everything is more expensive in Japan. I have a friend who lives over there and movie tickets are pretty much $20 over the there.

I disagree with the statement about Blu-Rays being overrated. If Toei ever releases DaiRanger, KakuRanger, GekiRanger, AbaRanger, Blade, Black, W, or Kiva on BD, I will definitely buy them.

I was initially planning to just rebuy all of my REgion 2s on BD if they ever hit it, but with fansub groups expanding beyond the series currently airing, I think I am just going to keep my DVDs to show that I supported the show and watch the fansubs as long as they are DVD/BD rips and work on my tv.

But then, you never know. Maybe Toku will experience a boom in the US in 10 years the way anime did ten years ago.

 

[Black Ranger RX]

I disagree with the statement about Blu-Rays being overrated. If Toei ever releases DaiRanger, KakuRanger, GekiRanger, AbaRanger, Blade, Black, W, or Kiva on BD, I will definitely buy them.

But why? What difference will it make? From what I heard Toei NEVER digitally re-masters their shows, they only release them in the same quality as they were originally aired.

 

[Frumix]

From what I heard Toei NEVER digitally re-masters their shows, they only release them in the same quality as they were originally aired.

Aaaand you're pretty much completely wrong about that. In fact, most of older shows have been remastered for DVD and it really really shows when you put them side by side with shows that for some reason have not.

 

[Black Ranger RX]

Aaaand you're pretty much completely wrong about that. In fact, most of older shows have been remastered for DVD and it really really shows when you put them side by side with shows that for some reason have not.

I heard Tsuburaya did it with Ultraman, just not Toei.

 

[Frumix]

I heard Tsuburaya did it with Ultraman, just not Toei.

They both did of course.
Although Tsubaraya's remasters are way better.

 

[Glamador]

DVDs have never stopped being collector's items in Japan, instead, they have a well-developed cheap rental service. Probably has to do with Japanese city lifestyle (small aparments, lack of time) that doesn't go well with buying tons of DVDs.

Ah hah. So the issue is on the demand side of things. There's no demand for DVDs because of rentals...yeah, the US doesn't have anything like that. We've got Netflix.

Even as a collector's item though, I find it hard to believe that it's worth that much to ANYONE to pay 10s of thousands of yen to get a set of all 12 DVDs for a 50-episode series. Collectors could get nearly 2 dozen good quality figures for that much cold hard cash. And with the prevalence of these things online in HD quality...it just doesn't make financial sense.

 

[Dr Kain]

But why? What difference will it make? From what I heard Toei NEVER digitally re-masters their shows, they only release them in the same quality as they were originally aired.

Because I will not have to deal with the region coding. My Region Free DVD player is not going to live forever. Plus, I like those shows enough to buy them again (well, Geki, W, and Kiva will be the first time I buy them). And to support the shows I like.

though, I find it hard to believe that it's worth that much to ANYONE to pay 10s of thousands of yen to get a set of all 12 DVDs for a 50-episode series. Collectors could get nearly 2 dozen good quality figures for that much cold hard cash. And with the prevalence of these things online in HD quality...it just doesn't make financial sense.

 

[Khaiden]

And with the prevalence of these things online in HD quality...it just doesn't make financial sense.

I disagree. One of the reasons on why I'm planning to buy them (besides the support reason Kain said) is to have them available in the best quality possible.

Now, I'm a caveman when it comes to technology, but I understand that transferring episodes into a computer sometimes has encoding issues and they end up looking differently. There's also the limitations the computer itself may have.

I remember this video posted in Youtube a long time ago, it was like 20 seconds of the Kamen Rider vs Shocker movie, but the HD quality was GLORIOUS. I have never seen anything like that anywhere else, and as Igadevil said to me, it's from one of the dvds. I wish the link was still around for you to see, the difference is huge.

 

[GekiBlack]

Because I will not have to deal with the region coding. My Region Free DVD player is not going to live forever. Plus, I like those shows enough to buy them again (well, Geki, W, and Kiva will be the first time I buy them). And to support the shows I like.

Wow, that is worth more than $10,000 worth than DVDs ... Most expensive DVD collection !

 

[FortMax]

Because I will not have to deal with the region coding. My Region Free DVD player is not going to live forever. Plus, I like those shows enough to buy them again (well, Geki, W, and Kiva will be the first time I buy them). And to support the shows I like.

Any chance you mind sharing isos of some of those? Some of those series could benifit from new encodes for use with subs.