Anyway, discs are burned.
Matrix 2 is being called v1.01. The only real difference from the xvid release is that all edits are now done with Avisynth instead of Womble. It makes for much cleaner transitions and better quality.
Matrix 3 I'm calling v1.5, but that's just a number. I can no longer remember all the changes that have been made since the Xvid release. Off the top of my head:
The opening voice over is removed.
All transitions are now avisynth instead of womble.
Many audio crossfades have been tweaked.
Neo's jack in is extended/flipped with an added scene of him looking for the Oracle who is now missing (with Voice over).
Continuity has been greatly improved.
Several clips have been added/extended (we're talking seconds worth really).
What wasn't done that might have been:
Zion Rave wasn't cut. Sitting through it, I didn't mind the length. In fact after all the action is was a nice change of pace before getting back into the action again.
No line of dialog was added before Smith/Bane is killed. Voice overs from other sources usually sound like crap. Smith thundering on pointlessly seemed like a better alternative.
A better impression of Neo being returned from Zion wasn't possible. No footage of sufficient length exists that could be used/reused.
Um, that's all I can think of. It's a bit smoother, but the beginning is still kind of rough but much much better. I just hit the limitation of the source material.
I wish the ending was bigger, it's not, but it is where I wanted the story to go. I hope you all enjoy.
These edits can be summed up as:
Matrix 2 was my attempt to fix the philosophy and pace.
Matrix 3 was to fix the philosophy and tone and to rewrite the ending (even at the occasional expense of pace).