Negative1, I don't mean to be a dick, but you didn't answer my question. I have seen all the '04 DVD versions (or lack of). I am aware that the '04 DVDs is what created the existence of this website. I bought the '04 DVD set (like the rest of us suckers who did) back in '05. Before buying them, I already knew what to expect when watching them because I read a lot of forums and reviews of the set prior to purchase. I bought them anyways because of the commentary and bonus material included with the set. I plan on searching the internet for fan edits and sets on the that would appeal to people like me. Could you Help me out? I know my title of this thread kind of insinuates that it is my first veiwing.
The changes GL made to the movies are the kind of changes you might think would be good ideas as a child, but the older you get the more you realize that the original versions are really good as they are. Sure there's always subtle things here and there, but the fact that the films are now all over 25 years old, it is well beyond the time of tampering without including the original versions in a DVD set. After over 25 years people have become nestalgic of the original versions and it is a crime to our poeple to try to make them forget it. I know back in the early '80s they made a few minor changes to the movies like the episode and title of the movie in the opening scroll and included dialog in ANH. But those changes were so minor those were the kind that you could get away with even from the hardcore fans. This was back when the films were much younger and people didn't have the nastagia like now. Watching the films now after gaining more knowledge of filmaking, I can totally see the screenplay and editing is much smarter and more interesting than the prequels. It is almost like a group of people with much higher IQs made the OT vs the prequels.
I might be wrong, but I'm pretty sure that the '04 DVD fiasco is what made Ridley Scott become very cautious about his '07 Blade Runner DVD collection. I think Ridley Scott would've included at least one theatrical version along with his final cut in his '07 Blade Runner DVD set, but he decided to include all versions ever made because he saw the upheavle that GL created with his '04 DVD debacle and didn't want to take the risk of letting down his fans. I'm actually not pleased the with the color and sound correction he made to the movies on his '07 DVD set. I actually prefer the '97 Directors Cut DVD over his '07 set because the colors look better on my old TV. One thing I notice is he was able to pack 3 different versions of Blade Runner on one disc without compressing or otherwise comprimising resolution becasue the versions were all the same except for a few things so every version you watch is the same print and only little differences in the version is what is modified in the print. So he was able to store 3 differnet version without actually having to print it 3 times which otherwise would've made them need to store them on 3 discs. I hope that made sense to you. I'm not a well educated in the profession of DVD printing so I don't know all the technical language you use to describe that.
I really hope GL has learned from the '04 DVD debacle and from Ridley Scott's '07 blade runner DVD collection that he will include all versions on his next Blu-Ray DVD set. He shouldn't have re-released the '04 set back in '05 and he shouldn't have done that crappy half-assed attempt to shut up the fans without comprimising his ego '06 re-release. Now there is an oversaturation of crappy Star Wars DVDs on the market and Blu-ray has just become the new definitive standard media for movies to come. He should've got his head out of his rear back in '04, learned his mistakes from the '04 release skipped the '05 and '06 releases and got to work on the Blu-Ray release restoring the original versions along with his precious SE and had it done and out on the market for Star Wars 30th aniversary. '07 turned out to be a dead year for Star Wars because he oversaturated the market with crappy Star Wars DVDs the 3 years prior.