Hal, you did exactly what I did at Best Buy on 22 September. I was coming home for a four-day weekend from school, and when I stopped at Best Buy, they had the huge Star Wars display and were playing ESB on the large widescreen TV with the couch and the surround speakers. I sat down, box set in my hand, watching the asteroid chase, stood back up walked over to the sci-fi/fantasy section, took a look at the Fellowship of the Ring Extended, went back over the the TV, watched the Vader/Palpatine scene, and then walked back over to the Star Wars display. The sound and picture quality was so good! And the set was $42.99 on sale! And I had the money! And if I waited, and decided to buy it another time, I would have to pay $51.99, and I knew I didn't want to do that! Long story short, I bought the trilogy, but I also have Rikter's bootlegs, so it's not like I'm allowing myself to be brainwashed by the new versions. I mean, everytime a change comes on the screen, I playback the original in my head. I despair, but yet I don't think the new versions are complete sh*t...the only reason they are such a travesty to purists such as ourselves is that the originals aren't being preserved.

Yes, Hal...you are stronger than me in resisting in the temptation, but...Dolby 5.1 EX!! That's all I have to say...