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Star Wars on Blu in 2011?

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On the DigitalBits rumor mill, it is said that SW will be released in 2011 on Blu-Ray. This is just the rumor mill page which is usually right about half of the time. It is also speculated that Indy and even Lawrence of Arabia will hit within the next couple of years.

It could be just the prequels, but at least its a step in the right direction. Lucasfilm will accept the format unlike how they never accepted DVD until it was near the end of its reign.

http://www.thedigitalbits.com/rumormill.html#121509

VADER!? WHERE THE HELL IS MY MOCHA LATTE? -Palpy on a very bad day.
“George didn’t think there was any future in dead Han toys.”-Harrison Ford
YT channel:
https://www.youtube.com/c/DamnFoolIdealisticCrusader

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It's not a step in the right direction, because there's no reason to think it's sign that it's a step towards getting the OOT on blu-ray. Any other Star Wars on blu-ray is useless.

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Vaderisnothayden said:

It's not a step in the right direction, because there's no reason to think it's sign that it's a step towards getting the OOT on blu-ray. Any other Star Wars on blu-ray is useless.

 Ditto.  Unless it is the OOT, I ain't buying it.

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If there was OT deleted scenes I would rent it.

I guess this means that our petition couldnt have come at a more pressing time: if we don't challenge Lucasfilm on this now, we might never be able to.

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I bought the 2004 DVDs because I felt I had to.  I think I can firmly agree with these other sentiments here: If it's the same crap as what has been going on with the SE, I will not buy.

IT'S MY TRILOGY, AND I WANT IT NOW!

"[George Lucas] rebooted the franchise in 1997 without telling anyone." -skyjedi2005

"Yeah, well, George says a lot of things..." a young 1997 xhonzi on RASSM

"They're my movies." -George Lucas. 19 people won oscars for their work on Star Wars (1977) and George Lucas wasn't one of them.

Rewrite the Prequels!

 

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You know, the more I think about it, I wouldn't mind more changes as long as the colors were right...  I'd rather have a super-duper-special edition and the OOT in a set, of course.

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I severely doubt it will be anything but the HD scan they made in 2004. Maybe with some new effects, but the impressioin I get is that was the sort of "for all time" master, at least certainly for home video--they've already released it in HD to numerous cable providers after all. They did it in HD so that they could release it in HD down the road, which would be Blu Ray--the cable high-def broadcasts seem to be more a matter of convenience, as in "well, we do have it in HD just sitting here so why not let it be shown on cable until the disk-based version is ready for release." Otherwise, if it was just intended for DVD, they needn't have done it in HD in the first place, nor spent all that money on the new special effects.

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I wouldn't be surprised either. If the Blu is indeed the 2004, at the very least it should be color corrected to look more like the actual film (at least restored to the 97 look like Adywan's ANH and ESB.) and have all the nagging visual and audio problems fixed. (Why the heck didn't they just clean up the 97SE version-at least that is watchable!)

This shows that Lucasfilm is behind the format. It would make sense for them to finally end all ill will and negative feedback from fans by releasing a comprehensive Blade Runner style set but I doubt it will happen. Dream of it, yes-but think it will really happen, no.

A Star Wars Blu-Ray should include restored theatrical originals with as many soundtracks as are available and the 1997 Special Editions with the 1997 5.1 mix. Any other final cut can be an extra. Deleted Scenes should finally be included as well as alternate takes etc. It's not like we haven't waited since the birth of home video for a truly "definitive collection".

I won't buy the thing if it is just the 2004's all over again. I still remember the gut punch the night of September 21st 2004.

VADER!? WHERE THE HELL IS MY MOCHA LATTE? -Palpy on a very bad day.
“George didn’t think there was any future in dead Han toys.”-Harrison Ford
YT channel:
https://www.youtube.com/c/DamnFoolIdealisticCrusader

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There must be a good financial reason for Lord of the Rings and Star Trek to follow the "theatrical versions now, special editions later" pattern. I would love to hear the debate at Lucasfilm. Surely somebody over there must be pondering why they don't do the same thing.

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Because then people spend the money twice, instead of a larger box set which would be less expensive. LFL did this--the 2004 releases of the SE then the 2006 OOT releases. Most people bought the 2004 release, and then a lot of us bought the 2006 release again.

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Baronlando said:

There must be a good financial reason for Lord of the Rings and Star Trek to follow the "theatrical versions now, special editions later" pattern. I would love to hear the debate at Lucasfilm. Surely somebody over there must be pondering why they don't do the same thing.

Maybe Jim Ward. I think I read somwhere that he begged Lucas to let them do the originals on dvd.

I can proudly say I never bought the 2004 dvd set. I went like "Special edition on dvd? Fuck that." And it was worse than the SE on dvd. It was the special special edition. Hayden Anni-kins' ghost and Jango Boba Fett. Plus Jar Jar being jarring in the celebrations. "Wesa free!" Wesa not fucking free of the bullshit yet. 

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captainsolo said:

This shows that Lucasfilm is behind the format.

Well seeing as BD beat HD-DVD a while ago now, LF should be all out of excuses for holding back on any type of HD release.

If I see a pick and yellow poker-dot lightsaber in Vader's hand in a next release I think I'll die a little more inside.

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This could be a good opportunity for LFL to make amends on some things.  Throw in the OOT (bonus points if they include the mono, stereo/surround and 6-track soundtracks!) and also include George's latest "original vision".  It'd be neat if they threw in commentary from Kurtz, Kasdan, Kazananjaijanianajakasajianwhatever, Oz, Hamill and maybe Ken Ralston or some other effects guys on the OOT discs or something.

Shit, all I really care about is just getting the OOT.  Bonus stuff is not even under consideration anymore.

All I really want is each film as it was originally seen and heard in theaters; no fixes, corrections, "improvements" or modifications necessary.

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Oh wow 2011, LFL you are soooo up on the new and current technology!  Hey maybe in 2012 we can get the super duper version on Betamax!!! 

LFL/Luca$ has shown us all time and time again that they are a total joke of the industry, the originals were flukes and only ended up as the magical masterpieces that they were because Luca$' fat hands were inadvertently kept out of most of it, and he has successfully killed SW and turned away all of the true fans...

Until I see a *TRUE* OOT restoration out there (no crappy Laserdisc rip, non-anamorphic crap either), they don't get another dime from me...

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ESHBG said:

Oh wow 2011, LFL you are soooo up on the new and current technology!  Hey maybe in 2012 we can get the super duper version on Betamax!!! 

LFL/Luca$ has shown us all time and time again that they are a total joke of the industry, the originals were flukes and only ended up as the magical masterpieces that they were because Luca$' fat hands were inadvertently kept out of most of it, and he has successfully killed SW and turned away all of the true fans...

Until I see a *TRUE* OOT restoration out there (no crappy Laserdisc rip, non-anamorphic crap either), they don't get another dime from me...

 I really don't understand this mentality.  Whether or not it's true, it simply defies logic.  This is LFL we're talking about.  Not Warner Bros, not Sony Pictures, not Paramount, etc.  LFL.  How many top tier releases does LFL have in their archives?  Well, there's Star Wars and Indy.  And that's about it.  WB has numerous hit titles.  If they screw up one title, they can learn their lesson and apply their new wisdom to some other title.  And hey, maybe rerelease the first title a few years later.

LFL?  Just Star Wars and Indy.  A lot less room for mistakes.

What kind of budget does your average big Hollywood studio have to work with when making DVD's?  I don't know either but 10:1 it's a lot bigger than LFL's budget.

Why should LFL automatically take the plunge on such a big venture when (A) the 2004 and GOUT discs are and were such nice, tidy sellers and (B) there's no reason to think the Blu-Ray market has even begun to peak just yet?

I'm not going to sit here and tell you that I'm this big Hollywood/DVD industry expert and all that but what I know of business and entering new ventures indicates that LFL (with their smaller catalogue and lesser budget) has been wise to stay out of the rat race like they have given how well their standard res DVD's are selling.

The LFL folks have made many mistakes (2004 remastering/audio problems) and bad choices (letterboxed widescreen GOUT discs) but keeping out of the Blu-Ray pissing contest isn't one of 'em.

All I really want is each film as it was originally seen and heard in theaters; no fixes, corrections, "improvements" or modifications necessary.

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thecolorsblend said:

ESHBG said:

Oh wow 2011, LFL you are soooo up on the new and current technology!  Hey maybe in 2012 we can get the super duper version on Betamax!!! 

LFL/Luca$ has shown us all time and time again that they are a total joke of the industry, the originals were flukes and only ended up as the magical masterpieces that they were because Luca$' fat hands were inadvertently kept out of most of it, and he has successfully killed SW and turned away all of the true fans...

Until I see a *TRUE* OOT restoration out there (no crappy Laserdisc rip, non-anamorphic crap either), they don't get another dime from me...

 I really don't understand this mentality.  Whether or not it's true, it simply defies logic.  This is LFL we're talking about.  Not Warner Bros, not Sony Pictures, not Paramount, etc.  LFL.  How many top tier releases does LFL have in their archives?  Well, there's Star Wars and Indy.  And that's about it.  WB has numerous hit titles.  If they screw up one title, they can learn their lesson and apply their new wisdom to some other title.  And hey, maybe rerelease the first title a few years later.

LFL?  Just Star Wars and Indy.  A lot less room for mistakes.

What kind of budget does your average big Hollywood studio have to work with when making DVD's?  I don't know either but 10:1 it's a lot bigger than LFL's budget.

Why should LFL automatically take the plunge on such a big venture when (A) the 2004 and GOUT discs are and were such nice, tidy sellers and (B) there's no reason to think the Blu-Ray market has even begun to peak just yet?

I'm not going to sit here and tell you that I'm this big Hollywood/DVD industry expert and all that but what I know of business and entering new ventures indicates that LFL (with their smaller catalogue and lesser budget) has been wise to stay out of the rat race like they have given how well their standard res DVD's are selling.

The LFL folks have made many mistakes (2004 remastering/audio problems) and bad choices (letterboxed widescreen GOUT discs) but keeping out of the Blu-Ray pissing contest isn't one of 'em.

Almost.

It isn't LFL renting a warehouse and ripping discs on a few desktop PC's.  They signed with 20th Century Fox for a reason.  And Fox does have plenty of experience with the format.  

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Eh, porno outfits have already managed to put out blu-rays. LFL just love to cultivate that image that everything they have is a special golden treasure that they occasionally deign to sell us if we wait long enough.

Actually, the disc budget at the big studios is so tiny these days, the guys doing  catalog 70s titles like Logan's Run would probably kill for the time and money LFL could lavish on a bare bones Star Wars '77 disc. (compare the Young Indiana Jones dvd sets to any big studio release of a failed 90s tv show)

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Baronlando said:

Eh, porno outfits have already managed to put out blu-rays. LFL just love to cultivate that image that everything they have is a special golden treasure that they occasionally deign to sell us if we wait long enough.

Actually, the disc budget at the big studios is so tiny these days, the guys doing  catalog 70s titles like Logan's Run would probably kill for the time and money LFL could lavish on a bare bones Star Wars '77 disc. (compare the Young Indiana Jones dvd sets to any big studio release of a failed 90s tv show)

An apples and oranges comparison as most studios have a litany of moderately successful and/or outright failed TV shows from which to choose.

LFL had Young Indy and now Clone Wars.

The porno thing is even worse.  The subject matter rather than the specific title and/or content is what sells discs in that, ahem, genre.  The fact that some porn outfit regularly releases BR discs only serves to prove my point that LFL has to be choosy about how and when they release new material.  People watch porno flicks for utterly different reasons than mainstream Hollywood fare.  It's not title specific in the porn industry, it's subject matter specific.  And in many cases, one porno title is about as good as another.  Again, LFL has only three or four titles to release at any given time.  A certain amount of caution is good business on their part.

And just so we're clear, I'm not defending the hackjob 2004 remaster, releasing GOUT in letterboxed widescreen only, edge halos on TPM, etc.  This isn't about quality control, it's about caution in any new format/business venture.

All I really want is each film as it was originally seen and heard in theaters; no fixes, corrections, "improvements" or modifications necessary.

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My point was that blu-ray doesn't pose some special risk just to LFL. They aren't holding off until 2011 because they're being cautious about a new format. They know the new format is perfectly viable.

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I think SW on blu-ray would definitely be a step in the right direction, SE or not.  I would imagine that the blu-rays would sort out some problems that were present in the DVD SE audio, as most blu-rays feature improvments to the audio.  I imagine they would be better HD sources than the HDTV broadcasts. 

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LFL has a lot more product than it seems they do:

-CW (CG)

-CG(non-CG)

-Indy IV

-PT

-OT SE

-Radioland Murders

-Young Indy series

-Tucker

-Howard the Duck

-Ewok Adventure

-Ewoks: Battle for Endor

-Droids series

-Ewoks series

-Captain Eo

-Indy trilogy

-More American Graffiti

-OOT

-American Graffiti

-THX 1138 SE

-THX 1138 original

Here's the kicker: they are distributor for none of these. Not one. Lucasfilm isn't a studio and they aren't a distributor, they are just a production company that gets to oversee the films they were involved with. Star Wars is slightly different because they actually own the copyright, but they share none of the marketing, manufacturing and distribution costs there. 

If you look at the track record here, there's not a lot of winners. The Indy DVD set had the films in excellent quality, but poor special features; the THX 1138 DVD had both great picture and features, but it didn't have the original. Young Indy was an interesting set, but it was ridiculously overpriced. Other than that, everything seems to be from pre-existing Laserdisks, except Tucker, Radioland Murders and American Graffiti, both of which have outdated DVDs by now anyway which are basically barebones.

Lucasfilm has the worst track record in DVD. I don't know who manages their DVD department there, but whoever he is he is a total idiot.

 

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zombie84 said:

LFL has a lot more product than it seems they do:

-CW (CG)

-CG(non-CG)

-Indy IV

-PT

-OT SE

-Radioland Murders

-Young Indy series

-Tucker

-Howard the Duck

-Ewok Adventure

-Ewoks: Battle for Endor

-Droids series

-Ewoks series

-Captain Eo

-Indy trilogy

-More American Graffiti

-OOT

-American Graffiti

-THX 1138 SE

-THX 1138 original

Here's the kicker: they are distributor for none of these. Not one. Lucasfilm isn't a studio and they aren't a distributor, they are just a production company that gets to oversee the films they were involved with. Star Wars is slightly different because they actually own the copyright, but they share none of the marketing, manufacturing and distribution costs there. 

If you look at the track record here, there's not a lot of winners. The Indy DVD set had the films in excellent quality, but poor special features; the THX 1138 DVD had both great picture and features, but it didn't have the original. Young Indy was an interesting set, but it was ridiculously overpriced. Other than that, everything seems to be from pre-existing Laserdisks, except Tucker, Radioland Murders and American Graffiti, both of which have outdated DVDs by now anyway which are basically barebones.

Lucasfilm has the worst track record in DVD. I don't know who manages their DVD department there, but whoever he is he is a total idiot.

I was under the impression that THX 1138 was a Warner Bros film in association with Coppola's American Zoetrope.  Nothing to do with LFL.  That may not be right though.

As for Clone Wars, the Cartoon Network series has already had a DVD release.  The CG thing is, admittedly, fair game.  I've ignored pretty much the CG Clone Wars so I have no idea what the ratings and general consumer interest might be.

As for the other titles you cite, yes, LFL can certainly release them but (aside from maybe AG) those aren't the top tier, guaranteed sellers that SW and Indy are.

All I really want is each film as it was originally seen and heard in theaters; no fixes, corrections, "improvements" or modifications necessary.

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thecolorsblend said:

As for Clone Wars, the Cartoon Network series has already had a DVD release.  The CG thing is, admittedly, fair game.  I've ignored pretty much the CG Clone Wars so I have no idea what the ratings and general consumer interest might be.

The CG series Season 1 is out on DVD and Blu-ray, with extended episodes and bonus features galore.  That seems to be done right.

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THX 1138 is a Lucasfilm production of a Warner Brothers release, just like Indiana Jones is a Lucasfilm production of a Paramount release, and Star Wars is a Lucasfilm production of a Fox release. This has been the norm with everything except ROTJ and the PT (ESB had a bit of financial support from Fox so they have a better deal).

It's true that some of those aren't top-tier, like Radioland Murders and More American Graffiti, but then most studio library releases aren't either. LFL has Howard the Duck and THX 1138, two cult classics that Anchor Bay would probably gladly pick up if it could, and Captain Eo would be very timely since everyone is about Michael Jackson now (that--and its a really good film). Droids and Ewoks would be bought by every SW fan that buys every fucking Steve Sansweet book. American Graffiti is a classic of cinema, period, that deserves a delux release and that would be immensely popular. Tucker and Willow are good releases too, but the existing DVDs are nothing special (Willow has some features, but I think its actually the Laserdisk video).

The thing is, a lot of these titles have been forgotten--because LFL keeps them locked up! Yeah, there's little demand, but there's little demand because the de-saturation of them from the marketplace takes away their own popularity.