Best Betty Boop DVD?

[matiasdf]

Hello, I want to buy a Betty Boop DVD collection, but since there are so many bootlegs and nothing official, i would like to know, as of now whats the best option available?

[dandu]

I guess the tons of Public Domain discs out there!

[GarudaBoy!]

Originally Posted by dandu

I guess the tons of Public Domain discs out there!

Yes, but which one(s)?

[FishBulb]

This is possibly an unhelpful answer, but if you still have a VHS player (and one that is NTSC compatible) and can get it in good condition for a decent price I would recommend getting the Republic Betty Boop: The Definite Collection VHS set (and then transferring it to DVD if you think necessary). The picture quality is excellent for VHS, and certainly far better than any public domain Boop DVD I've seen. The set is about as complete as it could have been at the time, certainly far more than any easily available DVD set. It was also released on Laserdisc, but I've heard that release was riddled with DVNR if that bothers you. If you wanted a smaller selection just go for Volume 2 of the Republic set Pre-Code which has many of the best Boop cartoons (Snow White, Minnie the Moocher etc.). Sorry to recommend VHS when you were looking for DVD, but I do not know of any Boop DVDs truly worth recommending.

[matiasdf]

Originally Posted by FishBulb

This is possibly an unhelpful answer, but if you still have a VHS player (and one that is NTSC compatible) and can get it in good condition for a decent price I would recommend getting the Republic Betty Boop: The Definite Collection VHS set (and then transferring it to DVD if you think necessary). The picture quality is excellent for VHS, and certainly far better than any public domain Boop DVD I've seen. The set is about as complete as it could have been at the time, certainly far more than any easily available DVD set. It was also released on Laserdisc, but I've heard that release was riddled with DVNR if that bothers you. If you wanted a smaller selection just go for Volume 2 of the Republic set Pre-Code which has many of the best Boop cartoons (Snow White, Minnie the Moocher etc.). Sorry to recommend VHS when you were looking for DVD, but I do not know of any Boop DVDs truly worth recommending.

I have read that the LD is mostly sourced from the same materials that the vhs was. And Romantic Melodies is a redrawn converted to black and white.

[Gasmask Ted]

How are you defining best?

There are 41 Betty Boop cartoons on the Mill Creek 600 compilation, which can be easily obtained for under $20, and which will provide you a great deal of other cartoons as well. The BB shorts are contained on two of the discs, making them fairly well organized. However, sometimes the Mill Creek discs have some issues playing back on computer drives and some dedicated dvd players, and the jampacked discs don't exactly provide the highest bit rate (tho they are generally pretty watchable). And the 600 has a number of important omissions, like Snow White, Minnie the Moocher, and I'll be glad When You're Dead... For sheer general coverage, the 600 is a good collection that is worth having on general principle, but it is not anywhere close to complete, even in terms of "the complete Betty Boop essentials". But then, I'm not sure there is a single commercially available PD compilation that covers more of the series than the 600 does.
See a complete list of the 600's contents at:
http://forums.goldenagecartoons.com/...7&postcount=16

[FishBulb]

Originally Posted by matiasdf

I have read that the LD is mostly sourced from the same materials that the vhs was.

I've read that the VHS doesn't have the same DVNR the LD does, although I have no eye for DVNR so I couldn't tell you myself.

Originally Posted by matiasdf

And Romantic Melodies is a redrawn converted to black and white.

This is true; certainly the set has flaws, but less than most Boop releases in my experience/opinion.

[matiasdf]

Originally Posted by Gasmask Ted

How are you defining best?

There are 41 Betty Boop cartoons on the Mill Creek 600 compilation, which can be easily obtained for under $20, and which will provide you a great deal of other cartoons as well. The BB shorts are contained on two of the discs, making them fairly well organized. However, sometimes the Mill Creek discs have some issues playing back on computer drives and some dedicated dvd players, and the jampacked discs don't exactly provide the highest bit rate (tho they are generally pretty watchable). And the 600 has a number of important omissions, like Snow White, Minnie the Moocher, and I'll be glad When You're Dead... For sheer general coverage, the 600 is a good collection that is worth having on general principle, but it is not anywhere close to complete, even in terms of "the complete Betty Boop essentials". But then, I'm not sure there is a single commercially available PD compilation that covers more of the series than the 600 does.
See a complete list of the 600's contents at:
http://forums.goldenagecartoons.com/...7&postcount=16

For example, i would like the best picture quality possible, I´ve read some reviews which state that the Platinum DVD collection is better at this.

[Cdawg]

My favorite Betty Boop DVD collection which may still be available at Best Buy is a 2 DVD set called: Betty Boop 23 Classic Cartoons. It claims to be digitally enhanced audio 5.1, and it is released by the Platnum disc corporation. It contains Minnie the Moocher, I'll be glad when you're dead you rascal you, and Snow White to name three. It comes in a white paper box.

[Gasmask Ted]

The Platinum cartoons have irritating introductions and outros attached to each cartoon, and at least some have Platinum bugs imposed on the cartoons. I looked at the first 30 seconds of Betty Boop and the Little King on the 600 and the Platinum. They seem to be from the same source, ultimately, as the dust and scratches on the cartoons appear identical. The Platinum version cuts off the NTA screen at the beginning (tho they add their own extremely disruptive animated screen at the beginning), and a few seconds of music along with it. I did not notice any added digital issues on the 600. So, based on that quick review of a random 30 seconds, the prints look essentially the same, but Platinum has added their own crap to it and removed some of the source material.