Info Wanted: Which OT preservation is right for me?

Hi, I’m a total noob when it comes to all the releases here, so sorry for that dumb question, but I’m pretty much ok with the 2006 DVDs of the trilogy (at least for now), but there are two things I would like to see changed:

• Not good for 16x9 TVs

• more Audio mixes (maybe even 5.1)

So my question, which of the fan preservations here comes closest to the 2006 DVDs (meaning not too much color correction, etc.)?

(And I don’t know anything about re-authoring my own DVDs, if that’s even possible 😃 )

CatBus said:

As for color correction, these both are color corrected, because the color on the 2004 DVDs is simply badly inaccurate by any objective standard.

timdiggerm said:

The 2004 DVDs are awful in terms of color.

Actually, he said 2006 and meant the bonus DVDs. (GOUT)

@TheObi: Color correction is a good thing, it's just that Lucasfilm has had some people believe otherwise. Their so called color correction is actually the opposite. They've moved away from how the movies are supposed to look.

The original movies were colorful but much more realistic-looking than the special editions, and in fact, the 2006 bonus DVDs you're mentioning isn't even close to that since they're very washed out.

I think you would enjoy both Harmy's and dark_jedi's version. And if you can wait for a while, me and dark_jedi are working on a blu-ray upscale of those 2006 bonus DVDs where we've restored and balanced the colors and fixed lots of errors.

Definitely go for the Dark Jedi V3 DVDs.

Anamorphic, stabilized, cleaned-up video with a light touch on the color correction (what color correction is there is meant to bring it as close to the original '77 color timing as possible), subtitles that are designed to emulate the original theatrical subtitles (for Huttese parts in SW and Jedi), and the audio mixes for Star Wars include:

- 1977 Theatrical Stereo
- 1977 Theatrical Mono
- 1985 Stereo Remix
- 1993 Stereo Remix (the audio that's on the 2006 DVDs)

And, the kicker - and the default audio track:

- Hairy_Hen's excellent Dolby Digital 5.1 recreation of the 1977 Dolby 70mm Six-Track audio mix.

My god, does that track sound brilliant...

Empire and Jedi also have 5.1 audio made by Hairy_Hen, but they're not attempts at recreating the 70mm audio because, well, we don't have a reference source for the 70mm audio of each of those.

So yeah - I think Dark Jedi's GOUT V3 is exactly what you're looking for.

First of all, thank you guys! :-)

Yeah, I meant the 2006 or how they called most of the time here: GOUT DVDs.
I should probably clarify what I meant with no color correction: I own the GOUT DVDs and some old THX VHS and they both look very similar (probably because it is the same transfer), so for me that was how the "old" Star Wars looked in the past years. I'm too young to saw them in theatre, so I have no idea how they are supposed to look like, but if someone really has an "official" source about the original color timing, I have no problem with some slight color adjustments! But nothing to drastic.
And I just don't want someones own interpretation of how he thinks Star Wars has to look. Or even worse trying to make them look "modern and cool"... I have the official Blu-Rays for that and well... you probably all know how they look :-)

So is Dark Jedi V3 still what I'm looking for?

And yeah Harmy's despecialization sounds interesting, for what I understand he used a lot of difference sources and combined them, even with custom mattes. I wonder if it really combines unnoticeable. But definitely going to check out his V2.0 for Star Wars when it is released ;-)

TheObi said:

... And yeah Harmy's despecialization sounds interesting, for what I understand he used a lot of difference sources and combined them, even with custom mattes. I wonder if it really combines unnoticeable. But definitely going to check out his V2.0 for Star Wars when it is released ;-)

You'd be surprised how well the majority of the alternate sources blend with the hi-def material. I'd be lying if I said it was perfect but then it never could be with what he has to work with. It's no exaggeration to say that it's a stunning effort. The colour, in particular, is sensational.

TheObi said:

And I just don't want someones own interpretation of how he thinks Star Wars has to look. Or even worse trying to make them look "modern and cool"...

Believe me, that is not the point of the restorations on this site. Most restorations are aimed for the original look of the movies. There are lots of sources which can guide us and we all try to make the best of it. No own interpretations there.

On the other hand, both the GOUT and the blu-rays can't be completely corrected to look like the original prints, unless someone was to repaint them by hand, frame by frame. But you'll be surprised how much can be done with them.

By the way, you might be interested in looking at this site: http://www.jedi1.net/

They have some pretty nice scans of some original prints. Though the color isn't balanced in all of them, they give you a hint of how colorful the originals were back in the day.

[removed as per request; dark_jedi, you should probably edit your quote of my post, too]

The Dark_Jedi V3 DVDs are my version of choice.  I respect what Harmy and co are trying to do with the combination of sources, but GOUT restorations are better for me, both from a purist standpoint (NO SE changes, no matter how miniscule), and from an aesthetic standpoint (while it's all quite seamless, I still notice the transition from one source to another; I prefer it to be uniform, even if the overall quality isn't as good).

ChainsawAsh said:

deleted for the extreme paranoid

But in the meantime, the Dark_Jedi V3 DVDs are my version of choice.  I respect what Harmy and co are trying to do with the combination of sources, but GOUT restorations are better for me, both from a purist standpoint (NO SE changes, no matter how miniscule), and from an aesthetic standpoint (while it's all quite seamless, I still notice the transition from one source to another; I prefer it to be uniform, even if the overall quality isn't as good).

Thanks CA, I really appreciate that comment very much, but just wait until you see the new version U2 and I are doing, I am also going to encode a new DVD file for those with the V3 so they can swap out the vids to make a V4 DVD.

again, Thanks for the kind words.

Dark Jedi V3s are definitely a valued addition to my collection, I was just able to obtain them recently.  The audio options and menus are a very nice touch as well.  It's really how they should have been released....I still remember the huge disappointment when watching the official GOUT release for the first time.  I'm grateful to the people who put in all the time to do these versions without getting anything in return.  It definitely makes watching Star Wars fun and enjoyable again.

Thanks CA, I really appreciate that comment very much, but just wait until you see the new version U2 and I are doing, I am also going to encode a new DVD file for those with the V3 so they can swap out the vids to make a V4 DVD.

again, Thanks for the kind words.

Hey, I talk up your set to anyone who'll listen to me!  It's pretty fantastic.

What sort of improvements will the V4 version have?  I guess I should just go check out your thread...

Nobody here wants them to look all "slick and modern" like the blu-rays.

And yes, Harmy has probably the best source possible for the original color timing.

Ok, you convinced me to trust you guys :-)

I was only a little bit skeptical about the idea of someone changing the look of Star Wars whose not the original creator, but when I look at what George Lucas did to his movies...

I respect what Harmy and co are trying to do with the combination of sources, but GOUT restorations are better for me, both from a purist standpoint (NO SE changes, no matter how miniscule), and from an aesthetic standpoint (while it's all quite seamless, I still notice the transition from one source to another; I prefer it to be uniform, even if the overall quality isn't as good).

Jup, that's pretty much sums up my reservations with Harmy's version, but I still will give them a try someday. :-)

So yeah, I think Dark Jedi v3 it is for me! Looking forward to see the original version again :-)

Oh and:

By the way, you might be interested in looking at this site: http://www.jedi1.net/

WOOOW, hope to see the result of this project one day!