Turns out the the pan/scannd TWC328/RotJ_TP pans far enough to the right to catch the cue markers for the recently mentioned reel change.  Oddly this first marker is split over two shots.  Luke running toward Leia and the bike and Leia getting on the bike.

and the change over is when Han flips the trooper:

http://www.starburstmagazine.com/features/feature-articles/336-star-wars-from-a-certain-point-of-view

But skirting around vaguely dodgy circles my Dad came home with a few tapes that were amazing quality bootlegs and I finally had my hands on the third film of the trilogy.

Return of the Jedi is probably the film I’ve seen most in my time on this planet

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/05/24/star-wars-35th-anniversary_n_1542414.html

Jay Chandrasekhar ("Super Troopers," "The Babymakers")

My family was an early adopter of home-entertainment technology: We owned both a large-screen projection television and an early-model VCR. And in 1979, my dad went to a medical conference in Houston, TX, and returned with something that made me the most popular kid in the neighborhood: a bootleg VHS copy of "Star Wars." Yes, the picture quality was lousy -- it was staticky and small chunks of the film just weren’t there. But it was "Star Wars," in my basement, and I was the kid who owned it. We wore out that tape, watching it close to 50 times. As I think back on it, bringing back that tape was a wildly uncharacteristic move for my dad. You have to understand, my dad is a highly moral man, who always overpaid his taxes, and returned money at stores when he was given too much change. But when faced with the prospect of obtaining a "Star Wars" bootleg, he buckled. He wanted to make his kid happy. He violated his own moral code to do something he knew was wrong. He couldn’t resist. After all, he was the dad that brought home "Star Wars." Thanks, Dad.

http://christianfighterpilot.com/blog/2012/05/09/do-the-right-thing-bootleg-movies-and-deployed-troops/

The movie Star Wars III was available on DVD on the street outside Osan Air Base less than 24 hours after it hit theaters in the states.  Many military members — including some Christians — seemed to have no problem purchasing a $5 DVD even though it was obviously pirated; many rationalized it…

http://cinematreasures.org/blog/2012/5/25/celebrating-the-original-star-wars-on-its-35th-anniversary

Edward Havens on May 25, 2012 at 9:10 am

As chance would have it, one of my friends from school was one of the first families to have a VHS player, and somehow his dad had gotten ahold of a top-quality bootleg tape of Star Wars. He lived right across the street from school, so every day after school for an entire year, we’d rush over to his house and watch Star Wars. We easily watched it three hundred times.

Later member of Centropy release group is kickstarting a book. interview:

http://torrentfreak.com/i-was-a-member-of-centropy-the-worlds-leading-movie-piracy-group-120526/

http://bluebattinghelmet.wordpress.com/2012/05/25/the-movie-that-changed-everything/

The year after Star Wars came out, I saw a pirated copy of it on a Betamax machine. It was a glimpse into the future of home entertainment, I suppose.

^ It's fine to me. I believe I wrote early on that this threads ideal goal would be versions which contained crowd interaction and were showcasing not just how the movies once were but also how people interacted with the films, but understood that discussion would turn predominately toward early bootlegs and the aspects of the films which have been lost in home video variations. This EViLiSO TPM seems like the counterpart to the Centropy AotC. I'm fine with conversation continuing here, it may get a larger audience in it's own thread, and maybe it's worth cross contaminating some other TPM preservation threads to get word out.

EDIT

The cropping of TPM has been one of those unknown quantities as the home video versions got seriously clipped.  The 'Z' version gives a good sense of the cropping, curious as this is a telecine, how much might have been lopped off in that process?  Or is a telecine typically very close to full frame as it's a mechanical process.

Here's the .nfo from the version in current discussion.

File name: vcdeu-tpmtc.nfo

VCDE-Uknowwho & LookAsArtz(TW) PRESENTS:

STAR WARS EPISODE 1 The PHANTOM MENACE          

WIDESCREEN-SCREENER (SUBTITLED)

⁄ƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒø
≥     SUPPLiER :                         Release Date : 10/07/99             ≥     
≥                                                                            ≥      
≥    .:. u know who .:.                  Release Type : Screener             ≥
≥                                        Special Note : Subtitles            ≥
≥                                                                            ≥    
≥                                        Audio Quality: Good                 ≥
≥                                        Image Quality: Good                 ≥
≥     PACKAGED :                         Format       : BIN/CUE              ≥       
≥                                        Size         : 2 cdz                ≥
≥    .:. A good Friend .:.                                                   ≥            
≥                                                                            ≥         
¿ƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒŸ

⁄ƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒø
≥                            Movie - INFORMATION                             ≥
¿ƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒŸ

 --== Genre ==-- 

 Sci-Fi / Action / Adventure

 --== Plot ==--

 When the evil Trade Federation plots to take over the peaceful planet of
 Naboo, Jedi warrior Qui-Gon Jinn and his apprentice Obi-Wan Kenobi embark
 on an amazing adventure to save the planet. With them on their journey is
 the young queen Amidala, Gungan outcast JarJar Binks, and the powerful
 Captain Panaka, who will all travel to the faraway planets of Tatooine and
 Coruscant in a futile attempt to save their world from Darth Sidious, leader
 of the Trade Federation, and Darth Maul, the strongest Dark Lord of the Sith
 to ever wield a lightsaber.



 --== Starring ==--

 Liam Neeson            -=-        Qui-Gon Jinn 
 Ewan McGregor            -=-        Obi-Wan Kenobi 
 Natalie Portman        -=-        Queen Amidala/PadmÈ Naberrie 
 Jake Lloyd (I)            -=-        Anakin Skywalker 
 Ian McDiarmid            -=-        Senator Palpatine 
 Pernilla August         -=-        Shemi Skywalker 
 Oliver Ford Davies        -=-        Sio Bibble 
 Hugh Quarshie            -=-        Captain Panaka 



 --== Also Known As ==--
 
 Star Wars: Episode I (1998) (USA: working title)

 MPAA:         Rated PG for sci-fi action/violence. 
 Runtime:     USA:131
 Country:     USA 
 Language:     English 
 Color:     Color (DeLuxe) 
 Sound Mix:     DTS / Dolby EX 6.1 / SDDS 
 Certification: USA:PG / Australia:PG / Hong Kong:I / Singapore:PG 
 
 

 --== Internet Movie Database ==--

 http://uk.imdb.com/Title?0120915

 --== Rating IMDB ==--

 8.0/10
⁄ƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒø
≥ Members                                                                 ≥
¿ƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒŸ
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    Suppliers: The Siths, The Chewbaccas, one of Binks




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≥                              DISCLAIMER                                    ≥
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 This movie is for educational purpose only.
 If u like the movie, then watch it in the theaters.

 Delete within 24 hours of download.

⁄ƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒƒø
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                       V C D -  S U R I N A M E / EFNET 
       
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                  NeBraska for providing the ASCII layout!

Some links/info SKot uncovered:

http://groups.google.com/group/alt.videos.bootlegs/browse_thread/thread/ca7e84da98ab3cb7/128d37bd93fbe127?q=phantom+menace+telecine#128d37bd93fbe127

In article <37a3c080.22072...@news.giganews.com>, sociall...@iname.com wrote:
>I'm sure many people out there have the 'Z' version of Phantom Menace
>and are now wondering if they should bother to get the Screener. I
>threw together a webpage comparing screen shots that hopefully can
>help. Have a look and decide for yourself!

>http://www.geocities.com/~sociallove/swcompare.html

Jonathan,
Its not a screener, its a telecine. there is not screener of SWEP1, then again
a telecine in my view is better then most screeners as its widescreen its very
rare that you see a telecine. I can name only 4 movies this year that have
been telecine rips.

waybackmachine archive of that page:

http://web.archive.org/web/19991012214838/http://geocities.com/~sociallove/movies.html

http://web.archive.org/web/19991013014615/http://geocities.com/~sociallove/swcompare.html

Initial thought because of the thai subs is that EViLiSO is one and the same as the above .nfo.  But as the .nfo is dated 1999.07.10 and the link below places EViLiSO closer to opening day, the .nfo could be a repack.

Seems EViLiSO's TPM was released on 1999.05.24

http://web.textfiles.com/ezines/NWR/nwr48.txt

05241999 - Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace - Telesync - VCD-EUROPE
05241999 - Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace - Telesync - EVILISO 

Do not bother with VCD-Europe's pathetic attempt at getting the glory from 
this movie. Eviliso has produced the best telesync I've seen. Very few 
sound glitches and a nearly perfect picture. Mass props to them for the 
respect shown by only releasing a TS worthy of the film.

and as the .nfo is called vcdeu that's gotta be VCD-Europe as mentioned above.  Confusing, is this a bash of different .nfo with different bin/cue files?

and the EViLiSO names was used in some articles on piracy in the months after release:

http://www.laweekly.com/content/printVersion/31007/

In other words, regardless of George Lucas' paranoia, online Star Wars piracy will have little impact, restricted by oppressive download waits. Episode II is safe. Safe, that is, from everyone but Evil ISO and their nefarious ilk, who will be there with camcorders ready and aimed at the screens.

This is odd:

http://partners.nytimes.com/library/tech/99/07/circuits/articles/29pira.html

There are 15 to 20 groups, with names like Eviliso and VCD-Europe, that are regularly found on pirate Web sites. (Eviliso digitally brands its copies with a letter Z that appears in the corner of the screen.)

http://articles.latimes.com/2001/nov/01/business/fi-64061

Police in Thailand for the first time have uncovered an underground factory that produced illegal DVDs, increasing movie industry fears about the rapid rise of DVD piracy.

The Thai factory had two production lines, one for VCDs and the second for DVDs. Thai police confiscated 3,000 VCDs, including copies of "Dr. Dolittle 2" and "The Mummy Returns;" 7,000 DVDs, including "Star Wars: Episode I The Phantom Menace"

I'm guessing these TPM bootleg DVDs probably used the official DVD which came out a month or two prior to this article.

http://www.wired.com/culture/lifestyle/news/1999/05/19562

"We have referred certain matters to the FBI," said attorney Terrence P. McMahon, whose firm, Orrick, Herrington & Sutcliffe, is Lucasfilm's Phantom piracy representative. "We are combining forces with law enforcement and the motion picture industry to attempt to eliminate the distribution of bootleg and pirated copies of Episode I."

Perhaps that's why Lucasfilm has seemingly decided that the best defense is swift offense. Last week Lucasfilm representatives sent letters to about 700 ISPs, warning them that unauthorized distribution of copyrighted material on their servers would bring swift retribution under the aegis of the October 1998 Digital Millennium Copyright Act. The prospect of Lucasfilm and attorneys swooping down on noncompliant fan sites is a scary one for Star Wars fans -- but not as scary as the possible outcome of rampant piracy.

"The fans need to listen to what Lucas has said about piracy," Jacobsen said. "If no income is generated from this movie, we won't be seeing the next episode."