I can't say this news is too surprising. I am still debating on if I am going to buy them or not, as I don't know how big of a deal this whole anamorphic thing is to me yet. Yes, I too wish for much better treatment for our beloved OOT. But at the same time I see we aren't dealing with a rational man here, so I'm not holding my breath. It has been a decade+ since the DVD format took off and became commonplace, and Lucas has yet to release them. Now here we are in 2006 with the biggest fan outcry ever IMO and he is STILL fighting tooth and nail...

I think I am going to wait and see what the reviews say after the 12th. If the DVDs turn out to be halfway decent, I may buy them and leave them sealed for a few reasons:

1. I still have my widscreen VHS copies to watch when the mood strikes me. Also, I found some people who can transfer them to DVD for me since I don't have the time or technology to do so, killing two birds with one stone (preserving my VHS copies and having them on DVD).
2. If Lucas does decide to make these DVDs the finale for the OOT sadly, they will be worth some money in years to come (but I don't think I will leave them sealed, though, and will be keeping them for myself). Non-anamorphic DVDs are still DVDs.
3. If Lucas finally sees the light and releases future, better versions of the OOT, I will fetch more for sealed copies vs. opened ones. Yes, it will still be a loss to me cost-wise possibly, but I will definitely be able to offset some of that for sure by leaving them sealed.

*FYI reading reviews saved my a** in the past. I bought the '04 versions the day they came out but I just KNEW something fishy was up with them and I made it a point to read some reviews before I opened them. Once I learned about all of the insane changes (yet again *sigh*) I returned them to the store for a full refund the next day. The really sad part in all of this is I was expecting the '97 versions and was okay with that...well let's put it this way: okay enough with it that I still would've bought them, but I always wanted the OOT on DVD...

EDIT: And I could always rent the Sept. ones too, watch them, and make up my mind for myself.