Is GOUT resented?

I'm new to this fan-restoration subculture of Star Wars aficionados and I hadn't really been aware that the 2006 DVD bonus feature release was called "GOUT" or even what most people's opinions of it were.

Obviously it was a highly deficient release by 2006 home video standards, even more so by current ones, even as a mere "bonus feature" on a double dip DVD release.

Personally while it is disappointing to see the films presented poorly relative to the high definition expectations of today's viewer I'm of the opinion "at least we got something" despite the fact that this represents something of a compromise to my integrity. I bought and payed for the set. It was a validation of the cynical marketing ploy that this set really was. However, I have a collection of the theatrical trilogy in widescreen format on a medium that won't degrade and capable of a presentation that is 100% digital. Boycotting it would have been a case of cutting off ones nose to spite ones face.

While some fan made laserdisc ports look better than the GOUT in some scenes and some instances, the DVD release is superior overall and might even have been relatively well received had it come early in the life of the DVD format when laserdisc ports were more common, than at the moment the DVD format had already passed its peak.

I've yet to obtain any fan-altered copies sourced from or using materials from GOUT but I have recently converted my discs to anamorphic and it really does look better on my 42" screen played from a native anamorphic disc than the 4:3 letterbox originals did using the TV's zoom function. So I'm pretty content that this, for the forseeable future, is how my Star Wars viewing will have to be done.

Which reminds me - is anyone putting their despecialization versions on hold until the Blu Rays are out? If nothing else these releases will provide the best available source to begin such a project with.

The "GOUT" was a slap in the face to those of us who want to see the originals preserved properly.  It was the last Lucasfilm product I've purchased, and will remain so until they change their tune about preserving the OOT.

Amen to that brother. That slap in the face is what recently brought me to this lovely community. I could not bear to watch the DVDs I bought in 2004 more than once, and I absolutely resent that I had to buy a second copy of them to get the GOUT.

It wasn't an accidental slap either, George wanted to piss off the people who wouldn't accept his revised vision and gave us the bare minimum, when it would have been far easier and cheaper than he claimed to give us a decent transfer.

I resent the GOUT for its quality, I resent Lucasfilm for their cash-grab release and I have resented George ever since I saw the theatrical release of Star Wars "Special Edition" in '97. No offense to 97SE fans; he has ruined the memories of three generations of fans now and that version is not available on DVD either. Where is your GOAT?

I recently got dark_jedi's GOUT V3 and the difference in color correction, antialiasing and grain removal while retaining detail is amazing. Add to that the elimination of camera shake, anamorphic presentation and six different audio tracks to choose from: I finally feel like I am watching Star Wars again, not compromising my integrity.

(Thanks dark_jedi, gforce and everyone who worked on it, in case I don't make it back to that thread).

I guess as you say, it's better than nothing. It's digital and won't degrade. It allowed the above-mentioned guys to turn it into something a lot more acceptable. I guess after saying he would never release it and getting most of us to buy the POS 2004 set, it made sense for George to take our money again.

I'm with you ChainsawAsh, Lucasfilm won't get another cent from me until the OOT is properly restored. "Jedi Rocks" in 1080p? *shudders*

I must say I think seeing the GOUT release as a deliberate slap in the face is a bit unrealistic. They just took the fastest, easiest, least effort approach by pulling their master tapes from the Laserdisc era and dusting them off a bit. I actually like the way they look anyway, its almost a grindhouse look.

Fair enough. I don't. I didn't hold back because this thread is about resentment after all. I'd be interested in hearing if others think it was just the easiest way to give us the OOT or if George wanted to deliberately release an inferior version to convert more to his revised vision. In my mind he has become a petty, ignorant man who I can easily believe would have those kind of intentions.

From the standpoint that it was a bonus disc and was actually released in some form: OK, maybe not a deliberate slap in the face. More like a younger sibling waving a hand right in front of your face while yelling "I'm not slapping you! I'm not slapping you!" The fact is he knew he would get a lot of people's money twice and that the ones most looking forward to the GOUT release would be the most disappointed.

Forcing revisions into a classic work of art and destroying the originals that so many hold dear IS a deliberate slap in the face however, and the fact that the OOT was not restored and released properly in the first place with the '04 set is the real issue.

The anamorphic thing isn't even the real issue, because it would still look almost as bad even if they'd resized it.  The failure to do even a half-decent transfer from a moderately abused but still watchable film print with some minimal touchup, let alone an actual restoration, is the problem.

I love what G-force's AviSynth script does for the GOUT, but the low resolution, DVNR smear, and the worst instances of jaggies can't be corrected by any means, and we're pretty much stuck with them.

Converting to anamorphic does involve upscaling the picture slightly. This is almost the last thing any studio or mastering facility wants to do. The only benefit I can really see is one of convenience - of not having to adjust your 16:9 TV/projector to make the image fill the screen horizontally. I converted my set to anamorphic only for this reason. Remember that the laserdisc masters were originally only ever intended to be seen on a standard definition 4:3 screen, and when viewed this way they look barely distinguishable in terms of clarity from the anamorphic SE DVD's. While lucasfilm may have added a bit of additional DVNR to the laserdisc masters to tame some of the more excessive grain and noise, this doesn't mean it wasn't already present on the master tapes. Some form of analog or digital noise reduction was standard procedure when preparing home video content in those days. The releases of course look atrocious in absolute terms on a full HD screen, but still better than the analog playback of a laserdisc player would - but changing them to anamorphic does not magically make them look much different. I've played around with sharpening, contrast boosting, grain removal and color adjusment on sections of the footage but find this always has more negative than positive effects on the overall quality so my anamorphic conversion involved upscaling only.

Relative to the age of the masters and the limitations of a standard def source though, I think they look rather good and certainly better than many a fully anamorphic transfer I've seen.

Of course by 2011 standards, now that the crossover from SD to HD is deeply entrenched throughout the consumer domain, the release is fairly ludicrous. But they could *just* get away with it 5 years ago. If they'd released them that way in 1998 or 9 they might have been fairly well regarded. 

Harmy said:

RU.08 said:

And combining the gout with HD video would be a really bad idea...

I beg to differ!

THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK Despecialized Edition HD 

 

https://picasaweb.google.com/109609428403596349302/HarmySTheEmpireStrikesBackDespecializedEditionComparisons#

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kd4aJ9IoRLY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y9HeMEL7cww

 

STAR WARS Despecialized Edition HD

 

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yz00ItrA2CE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BfSq0VG3sC8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dEzXVDDz0tY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZgZIzswT6c

 

 

 

You may indeed differ, sir :)

I am curious to know why HDTV footage is regarded more highly as a source than the '04 discs. Surely it is just that exact content upscaled to HD? Is it the quality of the upscaling that the TV station is capable of that makes it more desirable than working directly with the discs and upscaling the output yourself?

That's what I figured. But I also didn't think stations would have access to or be allowed to broadcast an HD source allowing people to capture it before the Blu-rays became available for sale. With the money involved I figured they would upscale DVD quality for anything not yet released in HD... Lucky for us :)

Well, if you want my opinion, I'm glad we got the GOUT on official DVD. To me, having something original or unaltered is precious in the digital format. I mean, if we never got the unaltered trilogy on official DVD, then what? The OT would be stuck on DVD with the 2004 SE while every other movie gets released on DVD as they were originally seen (Exceptions include unrated cuts, director's cuts, and extended editions though some people would like to own the original/theatrical version of any of those films with those said cuts). I know the 2006 transfers weren't the best but as someone who has the Dr. Gonzo fan set (no offense to him), the official release transfers look better in comparison (there's at least a little bit of more grain and detail) and George even went the extra mile to recreate the original 1977 opening crawl (complete with the lower case "r" in "rebel".). As for anamorphic, I don't care for that (incidentally, I cared when it came to Brazil from Criterion but that's because it had a new transfer which also incidentally was released the same year as the GOUT!). I still watch my films on DVD with the black bars (1.66:1-2.40:1) becuase I like to see the bars (especially the cinemascope ones). And if it wasn't for the release, we wouldn't have a new source for preserving our own preservations of the OOT. So be proud, be happy. I am. And although I'm not happy with the changes Lucas made to the Blu-Ray, I'm still happy to be a Star Wars fan.