On the other side we also have a desire to sit, watch and enjoy the movies we are attempting to preserve. It is our love for them that has us here to start with after all.
Now I know I am leaning quite far into the latter category with my project, and perhaps I wasn't clear from the start. (Though calling it "Reinventing The Wheel" should tip you off that I am aware of the real necessity of my project.) It's also understood that from a preservation stand-point re-encoding a DVD isn't your finest method.
Think of it as a homage to Moth3r's beautiful transfer, which is perhaps the best of all current and complete sets that have been made.
I started this because I want to be able to watch and enjoy his fine work from my sofa, away from my PC. I only have a NTSC DVD player, and I saw a few tweaks that might elevated the movies further. That's why I set about producing these discs for myself. Public release will only be a side-effect since just about anyone could do this (or their interpretation) on their own.
Am I preserving the OT for future generations? Not well I'm not. That's a conscious decision. Heck, my current set of laserdiscs are of the "Incredible Shrinking Aspect-Ratio" set, not exactly one worth remembering.
If your goal is pure preservation, you could grab Cowclop's latest masterpiece, get the original Moth3r set if PAL is your bent, donate to the X0 project, or buy some hardware and start your own archive edition.
I am perfectly aware that what I have done will be obsolete (maybe even before I finish), but that isn't the point. (Look for a possible v2.0 after Citizen has his say). I've never made a secret of my general dislike for the quality of almost all current transfers for one reason or another. What I want is the best home viewing experience I can muster with what is available and not starting from scratch. The PAL resolution of Moth3r's was a great starting point.
And that's why the black bars, that's why the color and brightness tweaks. Are they correct decisions? Maybe not. That's why I'm so willing to take input from people that aren't partially color blind (as I am) or probably just plain know more than I do. Is it pleasing to watch from my sofa? Oh, yes it is.
So I agree 100% that I could have done more to preserve the series, but there are better people than I already doing it. If that's what you want than these are not the discs you're looking for.
BUT deep down, in places you don't talk about at parties, you want me on that wall. You need me on that wall.