The benefit would be to utilize both 4k77 and the Blu-ray to create something that takes the best from both sources. Because as great as 4k77 is, it was sourced from release prints whereas the Blu-ray had access to the original negative and even the camera negatives. And while there are a few shots in 4k77 here and there that exceed the detail found on the Blu-ray, the reverse is also true a lot of the time.

So my guess for future DE versions would be that the Blu-ray would be the base since it still has more detail overall. And then 4k77 would be used to remove special edition changes…to “de-specialize” them, if you will.