Why isn’t it easier to acquire Harmy’s Despecialized Editions?
Firstly, you MUST own a copy of the Original Trilogy on blu ray or the Digital Download to be able to acquire the Despecialized Editions. Please see the Preservation / Fan Edit Rules & FAQ - and Harmy’s own requirements and reasons.
It IS quite easy to acquire the Despecialized Editions. There is some effort involved in obtaining them - yet this pales into insignificance the efforts, dedication, time, mistakes - and learning from them, money invested, sacrifices made, and ‘blood, sweat & tears’ that Harmy and his fellow contributors undertook to bring about these Editions - as well as the work and projects that went before - all of which are available for free.
Many, many people with hardly any IT / computing skills at all (and also those for whom English is NOT their first language - or may have struggled with)… have managed to acquire a copy of the Despecialized Editions - by following HanDuet’s clear and concise The Ultimate Introductory Guide or solkap’s superb Guide / Instructions in his thread, here - link.
A little patience and effort is often all that is required (as well as a pc and an internet connection 😉) Don’t be intimidated or overawed - just take your time and follow the instructions - one step at a time.
If you get stuck on a particular issue / step… as Section 10 of HanDuet’s superb guide states:-
'If you find any errors, have feedback, or can think of ideas for improving this guide, please leave a comment on my Facebook page. I will also post on that page when a new version of this guide is published, so please “like” the page if you’d be informed of future updates:
https://www.facebook.com/HanDuet.SWDE/’
Alternatively…
Bluto’s comprehensive and quality ‘Guide to Downloading Projects from Usenet’ thread, in the How-To’s and Technical Discussions section of the site, may also be of interest for those members looking to acquire certain projects.
solkap’s ‘NJVC Custom Blu-ray Set of Harmy’s Despecialized Editions now available on Mega’ thread - with helpful and concise step-by-step guide - is a great option on how to acquire this particular Set.
The Despecialized Editions are also available on public and private torrent sites - in various file sizes and format types.
For non-Despecialized projects…
ZigZig’s kind & generous Monthly shares thread may be of some assistance for members looking to acquire certain projects.
It may also be worth reading through the respective threads on here to see if it has already been addressed/answered - and if not, then there are usually a good few members on here who’ll try and answer any questions - to help you along the way.
Please also see the ‘Why don’t you guys just have links to downloads (torrents and file share sites etc) on here?’ Q&A, for more information.
Note: As many modern tv sets have USB ports built-in… you don’t even have to burn the Despecialized Editions to blu ray discs any more to be able to watch them. A simple and relatively cheap USB Drive (aka a flash drive - or ‘thingy stick’ 😃) will play the films just fine - in an mkv or mp4 format etc.
Others often use devices such as Chromecast or WDTV, XBox, Plex or other ‘media centre’ style setups (or just a pc with a video cable to the tv) to play back their catalogue of film, tv and music etc.
For those who do wish to have the Despecialized Editions on blu ray discs - yet do not have a blu ray re-writer on their computer… they now cost around $50 / £45 for an internal burner, and $80 / £70 for an external burner. Prices continue to drop over time… and pre-owned writers are available at even lower prices.
Alternatively, a friend, neighbour, colleague, or family member with a blu ray writer (or other equipement) can be worth asking if they are able to help - or maybe even trying the local internet cafe or library etc.
The Despecialized Editions by Harmy : Index of ‘How-To’s & Help’ Threads | Index of ‘General Despecialized Threads’ | ‘Where are they? And how do I get them?’ mega-merge thread… thread may also be of interest.
As is the Some info & help for Harmy’s Despecialized Editions of the Original Trilogy… thread.