I know. Analyzing all this third party info is worthy of Sherlock (the newest incarnation -- thank you, BBC, for my new hero!). But all this thread's outside links (and informed, Internet Kubrick-discussions in general) demonstrate Kubrick's meticulous dedication to his (original & finished) visions, and pragmatism only when they were outside of his control (studios, theaters). And this last, authoritative Kubrick Questions Finally Answered (previously linked) definitively settles the "aspect ratio" question ... as well as surrounding issues, regarding Kubrick himself.

So, now, a 2001 preservation needs the director's original color. It also needs the highest resolution presentable on our useful formats (DVD, HD). I excitedly made this H-S-L test, combining the Hue and Saturation of the Criterion laserdisc image and the Lightness of the 2001-released DVD image (from the DVDBeaver 2001 comparative review, previously linked), just to see what it might look like. (That DVD-version image was used before discovering Kubrick's involvement with it was a false or exaggerated report.) It was an easy matter to use the paint program functions of Split HSL get the break-downs and Combine HSL to put together the desired parts, to accomplish this task:

Oooo, pretty! But more important ... finally accurate.