Info Wanted: What is the best Fan preservation of the Original Star Wars available?

Hi, I’m a big fan and the greatest of admirers of anyone who works on these films, but since there are alot of preservations out there, I’d love to get a general idea on who has the best looking work out there?

/thread

Is there a thread specifically about my subject?

lordsidi said:

Is there a thread specifically about my subject?

 Try this one.

Harmy's hands down.

Actual preservation of the original?

Puggo Grande - Puggo's 16mm transfer

Recreation of the original?

Harmy's - an amazing recreation using best available sources.

Laserdisc transfer?

My favorite is Mysycamore's Technidisc transfer. It is free of the DNR that ruins the other laserdisc's / GOUT (imo). All of which are the original film except they have the 1981 "episode IV" crawl / intro.

They all have a different look and feel, check em out and see what you like best.

For me Harmy's blows everything else out of the water. While it is reconstruction, meaning it's not frame for frame the original celluloid, the PQ difference between it and other preservations is staggering and makes for a vastly superior viewing experience. If you're more interested in a pure transfer of the original film, Team Blu's work is very solid, but when watching Harmy's, nothing every stuck out to me as clearly manipulated or recomposited.

Octorox said:

 but when watching Harmy's, nothing every stuck out to me as clearly manipulated or recomposited.

 I disagree with that. While Harmy's is the overall best in terms of quality, it varies widely from shot to shot. If that doesn't bother you, he has the best versions of SW and ESB available. I wouldn't recommend his RotJ until 2.0 comes out, so I would stick to Dark_Jedi's GOUT V3 for that. If you want consistent quality throughout, Dark_Jedi's GOUT V3, even though the quality is piss poor (a problem with the source, not the upscale work).

Wazzles said:

Octorox said:

 but when watching Harmy's, nothing every stuck out to me as clearly manipulated or recomposited.

 I disagree with that. While Harmy's is the overall best in terms of quality, it varies widely from shot to shot. If that doesn't bother you, he has the best versions of SW and ESB available. I wouldn't recommend his RotJ until 2.0 comes out, so I would stick to Dark_Jedi's GOUT V3 for that. If you want consistent quality throughout, Dark_Jedi's GOUT V3, even though the quality is piss poor (a problem with the source, not the upscale work).

Agreed. Not only the quality varies widely from shot to shot though, the colours do too. I am too sensitive to sudden changes in colour during films to watch a release with colours constantly changing from shot to shot.

I would personally recommend watching Dark_Jedi's GOUT V3, an impressive release, especially considering that they were using the GOUT as their source. The detail they managed to get out of the GOUT was pretty amazing I must say.

Check out my project, if you don't need HD-Quality:

http://originaltrilogy.com/forum/topic.cfm/SD-Quality-DVD-reconstruction-of-the-original-theatrical-version-trilogy-in-the-european-PAL-TV-Version-fit-for-16-9-TV-screens/topic/17046/

kk650 said:

Agreed. Not only the quality varies widely from shot to shot though, the colours do too. I am too sensitive to sudden changes in colour during films to watch a release with colours constantly changing from shot to shot.

Really? The colors are the best thing about Harmy's releases if you ask me. I didn't notice any variation at all in SW 2.5 or ESB 2.0, at least nothing that took me out of the movies.

Though I can't fault Dark_Jedi's GOUT V3 in any way. It's a fantastic set.

Erik Pancakes said:

kk650 said:

Agreed. Not only the quality varies widely from shot to shot though, the colours do too. I am too sensitive to sudden changes in colour during films to watch a release with colours constantly changing from shot to shot.

I didn't notice any variation at all in SW 2.5 or ESB 2.0, at least nothing that took me out of the movies.

 That's why they were talking about Harmy's ROTJ 1.0 and not the other two.

Ah, my mistake. Been awake too long for my reading comprehension skills to function properly, it seems.

Laserschwert said:

Erik Pancakes said:

kk650 said:

Agreed. Not only the quality varies widely from shot to shot though, the colours do too. I am too sensitive to sudden changes in colour during films to watch a release with colours constantly changing from shot to shot.

I didn't notice any variation at all in SW 2.5 or ESB 2.0, at least nothing that took me out of the movies.

 That's why they were talking about Harmy's ROTJ 1.0 and not the other two.

No, I was actually talking about Harmy's latest Star Wars and Empire Strikes Back Despecialised Editions, especially Star Wars. I believe Wazzles was refering to those two as well, not ROTJ. Its especially noticable on my professionally colour calibrated monitor but also on my TV. 

After having done a lot of colour grading over the last 2 years I have become more sensitive to sudden changes in colour from shot to shot, so that sort of thing takes me straight out of the film. That's why I put so much importance on consistancy in colour grading with all my regraded releases. Everybody's sensitivity to colours is different so some will notice the sudden shifts in colour from shot to shot, some won't. I do though, it takes me right out of the film, so its a deal breaker for me.

Dark_Jedi's Star Wars GOUT V3 is more consistant colourwise so that why it gets my vote as the best Star Wars fan preservation i've ever seen. I've never seen Puggo's releases so I can't comment on those.

Thanks you guys for the compliments, but you guys are still preferring the v3 DVD over our new Team Blu-ray release of SW 77? We think this BD just blows away the v3 DVD, you guys don't agree?

Thanks again

Haven't seen the Team Blu releases. Frankly, after Harmy's V2's started coming out, I stopped bothering with laserdisc/GOUT-based projects. No offense intended, of course.

kk650 said:

my professionally colour calibrated monitor

 I want to see a receipt.

dark_jedi said:

Thanks you guys for the compliments, but you guys are still preferring the v3 DVD over our new Team Blu-ray release of SW 77? We think this BD just blows away the v3 DVD, you guys don't agree?

Thanks again

 You guys did an amazing job, it's hard to believe you got the detail you did from GOUT. That said, you can't really put back what the excessive DNR destroyed.

Both your releases are excellent. If I had to choose, I would watch your V3. I find the added grain in the Blu-ray release somewhat distracting.

dark_jedi said:

Thanks you guys for the compliments, but you guys are still preferring the v3 DVD over our new Team Blu-ray release of SW 77? We think this BD just blows away the v3 DVD, you guys don't agree?

Thanks again

 The only reason I would watch the DVD V3 over the Blu Ray is because I don't have a Blu Ray player. I use a computer to watch Despecialized, but if I have the option, I prefer a physical copy (such as an actual burnt copy of the V3 DVDs). I also use VLC, which sucks for Blu Rays, and it  just makes it a hassle. The V3 of RotJ is also the best available version of that currently available.

Wazzles said:

dark_jedi said:

Thanks you guys for the compliments, but you guys are still preferring the v3 DVD over our new Team Blu-ray release of SW 77? We think this BD just blows away the v3 DVD, you guys don't agree?

Thanks again

 The only reason I would watch the DVD V3 over the Blu Ray is because I don't have a Blu Ray player. I use a computer to watch Despecialized, but if I have the option, I prefer a physical copy (such as an actual burnt copy of the V3 DVDs). I also use VLC, which sucks for Blu Rays, and it  just makes it a hassle. The V3 of RotJ is also the best available version of that currently available.

 You don't need a blu ray burner.  You can still get good quality by converting the blu ray to an AVCHD DVD9 or DVD5.  I highly recommend Ripbot264 for this.  (This goes for any blu ray, of course)

It sounds like the best transfer direct from film is currently Puggo for SW and ESB.  Still waiting on ROTJ!