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Anyone pick up the DVD's today?

I'm debating picking them up as I haven't picked up a new copy of the trilogy and have been relying on VHS tapes purchased in 1994. Been holding out hope some point Lucas would rerelease the original versions on DVD, and I'm wondering if this is as close as we'll get (until he drops dead anyway).

My big question is, how sub-par are the original versions just released today?

None of the usual dvd review sites I visit have posted a review. It's like they're trying to avoid this one.

For the quality of the original version of the films, here's a link to DVD Active's review of the ANH DVD:

http://www.dvdactive.com/reviews/dvd/st ... hope2.html

Overall they say that it isn't as bad as they thought.

Spanky The Dolphin wrote:For the quality of the original version of the films, here's a link to DVD Active's review of the ANH DVD:

http://www.dvdactive.com/reviews/dvd/st ... hope2.html

Overall they say that it isn't as bad as they thought.

Thanks. At this stage I'm thinking of just picking up ESB (my favorite of the three) and seeing how it goes. If I hate it, oh well, least I finally got one of my favorite films on DVD. If I don't guess, I'll get the other two because I've been holding out a bit too long IMHO.

I'm not bothering, myself. I'm not shelling out DVD prices for a 1993-rip from a LaserDisc. The 2004 DVD release alone could've been a lot tighter than it was (various sound problems, oversaturation in certain places, lightsabre and general colour inconsistency in several scenes) so the next release of the films will be HD format- where I live in hope they will fix all of the above problems. That the fools only gave Lowry Digital 30 days to restore three films is unbelievable by itself.

Vympel wrote:I'm not bothering, myself. I'm not shelling out DVD prices for a 1993-rip from a LaserDisc. The 2004 DVD release alone could've been a lot tighter than it was (various sound problems, oversaturation in certain places, lightsabre and general colour inconsistency in several scenes) so the next release of the films will be HD format- where I live in hope they will fix all of the above problems. That the fools only gave Lowry Digital 30 days to restore three films is unbelievable by itself.

There is a broadening sense that Lucasfilm takes its fans for granted, and I really haven't seen anything lately to dissuade me from that interpretation.

Not interested. I'm waiting for everything in one boxed set, hopefully the original version of the OT included as well.

The lightsabers in the first picture look so much better. Why did they change that?

Do they show lightsaber comparisons? That seems to be what's truly lacking in all the comparison reviews I've seen thus far...

Apparently some folks are even confused by the commercial, which shows the saber clash from the original movie and people have assumed this means it was "fixed" in the 2004 set (it hasn't).

Edit: oops, I guess they do talk about it, but you can't direct link images.
I'll check out the article!

From what I recall, apart from Ben's saber in the cantina, and Vader+Ben's sabers in the Death Star Duel (apart from a couple of frames where they are still white or lack cores), the sabers look WORSE in all shots throughout the movies (though I will admit Luke's saber in ESB seems the most resistant to problems in the 2004 set, as it only appears off a couple of times and it's hard to spot). Some of the problems are more obvious in screenshots, others when viewing.

You know, I think I finally figured out (at least in my imagination) why the lightsabers were made thinner.

Perhaps the way Lucas wants us to see the lightsabers today is more like real swords... thinner on the edge, but flatter and larger on the side (like a flat rectangular blade), rather than how I've always understood them before, a "pole" shaped energy stick that cuts through things.

And if the blades appear in profile "edge striking edge" that explains why they look thinner.

Of course I don't think this effect is consistent throughout the prequels (ROTS gave us suddenly lightsabers with pointy ends). The closest I can see to it is the scene of Luke playing with his father's saber in Ben's hut (it changes shape as he tilts it around in his hand).

I'd rather see big glow sticks than two guys fighting with laser pointers in a dusty room.

So I can understand perhaps why they were changed, I prefer the old look.

Well all this lightsaber nonsense aside. I will not be purchasing this DVD set. I, a few days ago, pulled six sets of my VHS copies out of storage. I like and miss the low hum of my VHS player as opposed to the computer sounds of my DVD player. I know that sounds silly but it makes a difference to me.

I also have no problems with the SE DVDs that I have already purchased, seeing as how they invoke the same feelings when I watch them as the old versions do.

I really have no need to get another set... well maybe just so Greedo doesn't shoot first. But again, I can always just pop in one of the old VHS versions if it really gets me down.

I bought Episode IV yesturday (12th) And i just came back from Best Buy after i bought V + VI. Remind you i never owned the original originals so i felt i needed to buy these.

I enjoyed Episode IV that i felt that since i grew up with the SE that i was missing out on originals, so if you grew up on the SE then you should really buy the set. Plus if yo uhave a best buy around you can buy an exclusive set in a 70's and 80's style Tin I didnt buy that

Heck, at Wal-Mart, for the same price as the movie alone they have a bonus pack with the DVD and a Marvel graphic novel. This is the original Marvel Star Wars, mind you. I almost picked up ANH just because of that.

Yes, I bought the packages with the comics from wal-mart (rather than save money, at Circuit City). Shows what a fanboy I am...!

I had one of the original comics for Star Wars, and in it Luke's lightsaber was RED (the issue where he's training on the Falcon, that begins with Tarkin interrogating Leia, and ends in the corridor of the detention block).

I guess when they printed up the graphic novel collection ("Classic Star Wars A New Hope"), they figured they'd match the movies and make it blue (and hence reprinted here it appears blue once more).

I'd never read the ROTJ comics at all before... so that's cool.

Edit: I see in ESB comic Yoda is now GREEN (instead of blue; as he appeared in the comics digest version I read back in the day).
Even the comic books are "special edition restorations" (not that I'm complaining!).


I feel silly owning two copies of the shoddy 2004 editions now, but I do like these, even if they aren't anamorphic, and are 2.0 only, and contain no special features (gotta fit a whine in there somewhere, but it's true! I couldn't care less about this lego game taking up space), but it's better than the best LD transfers I've seen, so that's worth something. I'm going to print up some better covers though I think soon, these suck!

Sell your 2004 set (but keep the bonus dvd), and get this one (or rather, "these three sets"). Then sell your 2004 discs from that set (disc 1's), and if you really want to see Lucas's "Definitive Vision circa 2007" wait for the set next year.

I have a question for those who bought the DVDs. In ESB, when the TIE Fighters chase the Millennium Falcon through the asteroid field, and more precisely, when they fly over the big asteroid, right before the last two TIEs die, what colour is the shots from the TIEs' blasters? Because in the old VHS version that I have, they are blue, but they changed it for the 2004 DVDs (and the 1997 SE also, I think). Note though, that they still have the same sound effect, which is different from the usual TIE blaster sound, and actually sounds like the ion cannons in the games (and the ion cannons also fire blue shots, as you might know).

Dooey Jo wrote:I have a question for those who bought the DVDs. In ESB, when the TIE Fighters chase the Millennium Falcon through the asteroid field, and more precisely, when they fly over the big asteroid, right before the last two TIEs die, what colour is the shots from the TIEs' blasters? Because in the old VHS version that I have, they are blue, but they changed it for the 2004 DVDs (and the 1997 SE also, I think). Note though, that they still have the same sound effect, which is different from the usual TIE blaster sound, and actually sounds like the ion cannons in the games (and the ion cannons also fire blue shots, as you might know).

1993 DVD Edition (Bonus Disc): They're green the entire time.

Double checked against a LaserDisc transfer of the OOT and they're green there too. This is on my new lcd monitor and I've never tinkered with the color settings factory defaults.

(nitpick: the only ion cannons we ever see in the classic trilogy [ESB] are red, despite what the games may say!)

For someone who doesn't have any of the OT on DVD, should I consider getting these new DVDs, or should I get the box set?

Kurgan wrote:1993 DVD Edition (Bonus Disc): They're green the entire time.

Double checked against a LaserDisc transfer of the OOT and they're green there too. This is on my new lcd monitor and I've never tinkered with the color settings factory defaults.

Well snap. I really like that blue colour, it's quite awesome. And I checked my old VHS (which was recorded from TV maybe ten years ago) again, the blasts are definitely blue. It's that nice blue colour Obi-Wan has on his lightsabre. I'd get a screencap if only I could. (It's a full-frame version BTW, so you can't see the pilot flying out the first TIE that collides with an asteroid, because they cropped it).

(nitpick: the only ion cannons we ever see in the classic trilogy [ESB] are red, despite what the games may say!)

I know the games made up that they were ion cannons, but they really were blue. Makes me wonder why they changed the colour but kept the different sound... Oh well...

I also remember the bolts being blue... I must look for my old VHS copy...

EDIT: I checked the "Last time available" TESB VHS (which is full-screen as well) and yes, the bolts are soft blue.

So the THX Enhanced "Faces" has blue? Do they turn blue or are they blue the whole time?

I would hazard to guess the colors were just faded with age (or the color settings on your TV were off) if I didn't know better. So you don't have a TV capture card on your pc huh?

Alyeska wrote:For someone who doesn't have any of the OT on DVD, should I consider getting these new DVDs, or should I get the box set?

Screw the boxed set. If you mean the 4 disc 2004 set, forget that crap. You can order the Bonus Disc from that on Amazon for like $15 or less, if you must see "Empire of Dreams" (and the behind the scenes gallery, trailers).

The May 2007 set by all reports is going to be modified again, with no originals in sight (SW.com repeatedly proclaimed this is the "first and only time" the theatrical versions are coming to DVD). Plus getting that future set means you'll be getting modified versions of the prequels as well. Do you really want that? Sounds like a netflix release if I ever heard of one...

So yeah, get the "limited edition" trilogy this time.


PS: I do find it ironic that the 2005 "Limited Edition" repackaging of the 2004 set is still being sold today, a year later! I guess customers quite as gullible as Fox/Lucas thought they'd be? (gotta add something new, not take away stuff, to make them buy another copy of the same movie every year)

Wait, there is a 2007 version? What the hell?

Personally, I don't plan to buy the re release. It's a bloody waste of money if you ask me.

Fingolfin_Noldor wrote:Wait, there is a 2007 version? What the hell?

All 6 movies in one big expensive thing, to coincide with SW's 30th anniversary.

Kurgan wrote:So the THX Enhanced "Faces" has blue? Do they turn blue or are they blue the whole time?

I would hazard to guess the colors were just faded with age (or the color settings on your TV were off) if I didn't know better. So you don't have a TV capture card on your pc huh?

No, they were always blue (for that release at least) for the asteroid chase only. I haven't checked the really old tape (~1988 which is lying around somewhere) when I taped TESB when it was aired by one of the commercial channels here.

Gandalf wrote:

Fingolfin_Noldor wrote:Wait, there is a 2007 version? What the hell?

All 6 movies in one big expensive thing, to coincide with SW's 30th anniversary.

That hasn't been officially confirmed (at least not yet).

I wasn't talking price in regards to the DVDs. I understand that ANH in the OT box set had intentional bad quality put in and yet the other movies didn't. I wanted to know if the new DVDs had better quality or what cuts of the movie they incorperated.

Mange wrote:

Kurgan wrote:So the THX Enhanced "Faces" has blue? Do they turn blue or are they blue the whole time?

I would hazard to guess the colors were just faded with age (or the color settings on your TV were off) if I didn't know better. So you don't have a TV capture card on your pc huh?

No, they were always blue (for that release at least) for the asteroid chase only. I haven't checked the really old tape (~1988 which is lying around somewhere) when I taped TESB when it was aired by one of the commercial channels here.

Gandalf wrote:

Fingolfin_Noldor wrote:Wait, there is a 2007 version? What the hell?

All 6 movies in one big expensive thing, to coincide with SW's 30th anniversary.

That hasn't been officially confirmed (at least not yet).

Not officially confirmed true (not announced on StarWars.com). However since Lowry Digital was talking about it as far back as 2004, and DigitalBits is talking it up as certain, from inside sources, I think it's a pretty safe bet.

Everybody "knows" that Episode I will be modified with CG Yoda. The rumor is that all six movies will be tweaked in some way.


Blue TIE lasers:

As far as the Asteroid chase, I watched the scene again (late last night, so unless I was asleep..) and the TIE's don't actually shoot on-camera during the initial chase, they just fly and crash into things. As they skim closer to the "big asteroid" they eventually hide in, the TIEs fire, and the shots are all green in the versions I checked (1993, and the LD transfer). I didn't compare the 2004 version though. My SE tapes are out of state or I'd check those too. I don't have the THX or earlier versions available to look at, unfortunatley.

It's not that I don't believe people, I'm just pretty sure if it's there, it's a mistake, not canonical evidence of "ion cannons."

PS: If I'm not mistaken, while the TIE laser sound effects in that scene sound different than other places, they do match the sound of the (green) turbolasers fired by the Star Destroyers in the same movie (far off the turbolasers appear uncolored in one scene in the 1993 edition DVDs though).

Alyeska wrote:I wasn't talking price in regards to the DVDs. I understand that ANH in the OT box set had intentional bad quality put in and yet the other movies didn't. I wanted to know if the new DVDs had better quality or what cuts of the movie they incorperated.

Are you talking the 2004/2005 boxed sets?

The "intentional bad quality" you speak of must be the "deliberate creative decision" to reverse the audio channels, and have the X-Wing engines drown out the "Force Theme" on the first Death Star trench approach ("cut across the axis and draw their fire..." scene).

Such audio quirks don't appear on the 1993 edition ("bonus disc" for Star Wars pack in the 2006 edition).

The 2004 editions that appear in these new Limited edition sets are UNMODIFIED from how they appeared in 2004/2005.

So all the quirks of the 2004 set are present. Thankfully you get a pristine 1993 "bonus disc" of the movie to offset that bad taste. (Too bad it's not anamorphic and Dolby 2.0 only..)


You know, what's funny is that StarWars.com even lists a Q&A from 2002, which explicitly states that the 70mm six channel STEREO mix of the original Star Wars was the first one released to cinemas. THEN we got the 35mm mix and the Mono mix (and each had some different lines and sound effects).

It says the home video versions were a "medley" of the different versions (of course one might add to that, that the THX Enhanced release had some changes even from previous video versions). The SE had its own mix (extended in places for the new/extended scenes), and the 2004 version had yet another iteration.

Apparently, iirc, the one most people saw back in the day was actually the mono mix, because a lot of theaters weren't equipped for the six channel version in '77. I guess sort of like how most of us who saw AOTC saw the "film" version, rather than the digital cut.