This coming from htf, cannot find the links, and amazon.com reviews.
So the superbit is out of print and has not been re-issued in this set. supposedly this set also lacks the dts sound.
The rumored new transfer for blu ray will probably just go straight to blu and not stop on standard dvd along the way. I cannot find any info if the blu ray transfer is supervised by harris or not.
Reading reviews of the earlier dvd releases it appears the dvd's are not as good as the restored 70mm prints that were shown in theaters. Additionally one reviewer on amazon states the U.S. dvd releases have digital grain removal added to them not on the european dvd release and not authorised by robert harris.
That really has to suck to get a proper release you have to deal with pal speedup to get Robert Harris transfer untouched.
unless pal is considered the proper way to watch a david lean film since he was european.
kind of how some purists say the same about kubrick films.
not every film is supposed to be entirely clean and new looking some films are shot to look that way stylistically like american graffiti and thx 1138 being shot on 16mm film because the anamorphic process was cheaper to reproduce as well as gave the films a more documentary style feel. THX 1138 was shot on super 16 according to lucas in an interview with lawrence sturhann.
the theatrical cuts of such films do not exist on dvd however or unaltered.
can you believe G.L. actually wrecked american graffiti and thx by adding cgi to them?
only being able to enjoy theatrical cuts of films in 4:3 letterbox on laserdisc that is George's legacy, and the bonus disc on 2006 is the same as the 1993 definitive collection. the only difference i noticed between my laserdisc and dvd is apparent false sharpening being applied to the picture, because dvnr was used to conceal dirt and scratches and removed fine detail.
Not exaxtly being definitive even then. i have a laserscan magazine where the reviewer bashes the picture by saying it looks scratched and washed out as well as overly dvnr, only positive review was on the remastered sound even the supplements got poor reviews, the guy claimed the trailers did not look remastered and as though they were recorded off a tv screen with a camera bootleg style.
Since star wars was shot on anamorphic lenses with a very wide negative vistavision i hardly count the 2006 release close to the original theatrical presentations. unless 4:3 letterbox video is to be compared to 35mm film that 2k dlp cannot even rival as yet.
which brings me to the south park free hat episode as commentary on walkie talkies in e.t. and greedo shooting first, wtf? have George and steven lost their frickin minds?
i'm still pissed the theatrical version of close encounters is only included in the expensive box set, kind of like when e.t. was released. sure later on speilberg changed his mind or saw dollar signs and alllowed it to be released separtely after the sixty dollar box set.
i think the original cut of e.t. might even be anamorphic on dvd, but it sure as hell is not remastered.
it is pretty goddamn bizarre that it is left up to fans to cobble together a restored theatrical release by using both dvd's as sources.
Believe it or not special editions of the original indiana jones trilogy were actually considered, i shudder to think what kind of phony cgi fakery might have been added to ruin the movies.
"I DID restore the trilogy, it costs millions of dollars and came out on DVD in 2004"
butcher maybe, restore no.
sure bottom bin pornos can be restored and remastered but not the most influential film series in hollywood history that changed the ways films were made and marketed.