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So, um... no new DVD's announced this year? — Page 3
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I haven't seen the GOUT yet, so it's hard to say what it would look like on my tv, but I'm guessing it would be pretty good since it's smaller than what you have.
Originally posted by: CO
I bought a HDTV in 2005 for about $1,200 dollars. It is an RCA 52" Widescreen. You can get a 50" HDTV at Bestbuy in the range of $1,000-$2,000 depending on if you want DLP & LCD or just a picture tube that I have which it much thicker in the back and takes up more room. Now if you want a Plasma, they are nice as hell, but very expensive, as you can hang them on your wall.
If I didn't have an HDTV I probably wouldn't have a problem with the GOUT, cause it is not that noticeble on a 4 x 3 TV, but on an HDTV you have to zoom the picture to get whats called a fake anamorphic picture so you don't have black bars on all 4 sides. But what happens is you are losing more resolution everytime you zoom so it makes any defects in the picture quality worse! By watching just 5 minutes of the GOUT you can see grain on almost every frame especially the Hoth & Tatooine parts, and the colors are very dull too compared to the SE cause the picture has been untouched for 13 years. The other problem is the movie has that blurry feel to it because you are zooming the picture so you don't get that crisp image.
Now don't get me wrong there are parts of the movies that are pretty good quality, but they are so inconsistent cause they just didn't go back and clean the film frame to frame like the SE. Are they are unbearable? Not at all, as I have watched them many times. Are they are inferior compared to the SE quality, YES!!!! And that is the problem for anyone who watches great quality movies on an HDTV, you pop in the GOUT and the quality sticks out, where as on a 27" 4 x 3 TV, it is harder to notice any quality issues so it is more of a level playing field.
I don't want to ruin anyones love for SW, but I honestly wish I never bought an HDTV and never saw the SE quality on them, cause if I still had my 36" 4 x 3 TV, I think I would be able to enjoy the GOUT more, and probably would resist even jumping in the HD-DVD market for many years in fear that the SE would only be released in BlueRay. But that gets to my whole point, I have to resist great technology to enjoy the inferior quality of the OOT. That makes me sad.
I bought a HDTV in 2005 for about $1,200 dollars. It is an RCA 52" Widescreen. You can get a 50" HDTV at Bestbuy in the range of $1,000-$2,000 depending on if you want DLP & LCD or just a picture tube that I have which it much thicker in the back and takes up more room. Now if you want a Plasma, they are nice as hell, but very expensive, as you can hang them on your wall.
If I didn't have an HDTV I probably wouldn't have a problem with the GOUT, cause it is not that noticeble on a 4 x 3 TV, but on an HDTV you have to zoom the picture to get whats called a fake anamorphic picture so you don't have black bars on all 4 sides. But what happens is you are losing more resolution everytime you zoom so it makes any defects in the picture quality worse! By watching just 5 minutes of the GOUT you can see grain on almost every frame especially the Hoth & Tatooine parts, and the colors are very dull too compared to the SE cause the picture has been untouched for 13 years. The other problem is the movie has that blurry feel to it because you are zooming the picture so you don't get that crisp image.
Now don't get me wrong there are parts of the movies that are pretty good quality, but they are so inconsistent cause they just didn't go back and clean the film frame to frame like the SE. Are they are unbearable? Not at all, as I have watched them many times. Are they are inferior compared to the SE quality, YES!!!! And that is the problem for anyone who watches great quality movies on an HDTV, you pop in the GOUT and the quality sticks out, where as on a 27" 4 x 3 TV, it is harder to notice any quality issues so it is more of a level playing field.
I don't want to ruin anyones love for SW, but I honestly wish I never bought an HDTV and never saw the SE quality on them, cause if I still had my 36" 4 x 3 TV, I think I would be able to enjoy the GOUT more, and probably would resist even jumping in the HD-DVD market for many years in fear that the SE would only be released in BlueRay. But that gets to my whole point, I have to resist great technology to enjoy the inferior quality of the OOT. That makes me sad.
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Originally posted by: Guy Caballero
I can't be positive about Star Wars as long as the damn foundation that the whole thing is built on is treated like this. Think of ALL the other frickin merchandise that is deemed worthy to put out. You can literally buy anything but. When it come to Star Wars, this is like having a stone in my shoe.
I can't be positive about Star Wars as long as the damn foundation that the whole thing is built on is treated like this. Think of ALL the other frickin merchandise that is deemed worthy to put out. You can literally buy anything but. When it come to Star Wars, this is like having a stone in my shoe.
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Originally posted by: sunday256
I don't have that issue with my HDTV...but what I have is a rarity these days and that's because I have a 43" Toshiba 4:3 HDTV. I chose not to get a widecreen HDTV because I watch a lot of TV and I'd hate having to distort the screen. Until TV goes widescreen, it just makes sense to continue making 4:3 televisions. You can still watch widescreen movies, you'll just have the black bars.
I haven't seen the GOUT yet, so it's hard to say what it would look like on my tv, but I'm guessing it would be pretty good since it's smaller than what you have.
I don't have that issue with my HDTV...but what I have is a rarity these days and that's because I have a 43" Toshiba 4:3 HDTV. I chose not to get a widecreen HDTV because I watch a lot of TV and I'd hate having to distort the screen. Until TV goes widescreen, it just makes sense to continue making 4:3 televisions. You can still watch widescreen movies, you'll just have the black bars.
I haven't seen the GOUT yet, so it's hard to say what it would look like on my tv, but I'm guessing it would be pretty good since it's smaller than what you have.
The issue with anamorphic is that the image gets 30% better resolution, so even an Anamorphic movie on 4x3 TV wont be affected, only on Widescreen TV's. And I think that is why on a TV that is made for Anamorphic Movies, seeing it in non-anamorphic makes it that much worse, it is almost like you rigging the TV to do something it isn't made to do, and that is why I have to zoom twice to get a true anamorphic image.
I think everyone has to ask this question to themselves for the time being: Do I enjoy the OOT and will I still enjoy it years from now in laserdisk quality if Lucas does not remaster it for DVD and eventually HD-DVD? Or do you give in and just enjoy the SE and put up with all the CG and Greedo shooting first, and Hayden in ROTJ for a great quality picture?
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In my case, there's no contest. I much prefer watching the GOUT DVDs over the SEs. I don't care how much better the quality of the SE DVDs are, I refuse to watch all of the CGI crap added to the SEs- it distracts me much more than the non-anamorphic quality of the GOUT. Everytime I see Greedo shooting first, or that dinosaur thing obscuring a droid, or the rings around the death stars, or the little shop of horrors head coming out of the sarlaac pit, or Hayden Christiansen in place of Sebastian Shaw- my heart sinks.
FWIW, my niece just got a 32" widescreen LCD and everything looks awful on it. She doesn't have any HD signals yet, and so far all standard def programming looks horrible. That's why, if I can still find one, I'm going to buy a tube-based HDTV. They're much more forgiving when it comes to standard-def material (ie- all DVDs and SD cable).
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Originally posted by: Sluggo
It takes time and careful calculations to figure how best to screw over the fan base.
It takes time and careful calculations to figure how best to screw over the fan base.
LOL to the extreme, man
You can also access the entire Horriffic Violence Theater Series from my Channel Page.
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Where were you in '77?
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But you know, there is that phrase "never say never" because there's always that slim possibility he may change his mind, especially if there's money to be made. And possibly down the road, he may realize that the SE was a mistake.
What have you been smoking man? Lucas will never admit that the SE was a mistake- they are his vision! But you are right in saying that one should "never say never."
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Originally posted by: ESHBG
Here's my take on it all in another thread:
On a related note, I noticed that the prices on HD-DVD players have really dropped. With The Matrix trilogy now on the format, I'm sure LFL won't be too far behind. Since Fox is with Blu-ray (correct?) imagine how big of a push that format would get if the SW movies were released on it! Knowing Lucas, he's not going to let this opportunity slide...
Here's my take on it all in another thread:
On a related note, I noticed that the prices on HD-DVD players have really dropped. With The Matrix trilogy now on the format, I'm sure LFL won't be too far behind. Since Fox is with Blu-ray (correct?) imagine how big of a push that format would get if the SW movies were released on it! Knowing Lucas, he's not going to let this opportunity slide...
Bwahahaha. The DVD format was finalized in 1995. Lucas said, in 1999, no Star Wars on DVD until the 3 prequels are done. Lucas and Spielberg were both pusing for DIVX. Knowing Lucas' history, he will indeed let this opportunity slide. He'll hold out until the next great format and then he'll release Star Wars on BD or HD (whichever happens to win).
The Matrix was released on DVD in 1999, a full 2 years before TPM got a DVD release and 7 years before the OOT would be available. Lucas said on more than one occasion that he was releasing the OT on DVD in order to combat "rampant piracy", even though Star Wars had been available on chinese bootleg DVDs (5 star collection anyone?) for many years.
Lucas might be a forerunner when it comes to cinema, but he seems to "miss the boat" when it comes to home video.
You are disciplined but tolerant; a true American.
Pissing off Rob since August 2007.
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SD channels still look bad on a 50" HDTV CRT (that's what I have) if you're closer than 10 ft. From 20 ft away they look alright (my couch is 20 ft away, across the room), but HD still looks a ton better.
You are disciplined but tolerant; a true American.
Pissing off Rob since August 2007.
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Originally posted by: SilverWook
Mielr, did your niece buy a EDTV by accident?(Extended Definition, which isn't true HD and looks like crap in every store model I've seen.) Most current HDTV sets should be able to upscale DVD nicely. Having a progressive player hooked up properly helps too. Most cable systems are using overcompressed crappy signals to begin with.
Mielr, did your niece buy a EDTV by accident?(Extended Definition, which isn't true HD and looks like crap in every store model I've seen.) Most current HDTV sets should be able to upscale DVD nicely. Having a progressive player hooked up properly helps too. Most cable systems are using overcompressed crappy signals to begin with.
Actually, EDTV means "enhanced" definition. Also, as many have pointed out before, almost all tvs look like crap when you pull them out of the box. They have to be properly calibrated. Perhaps that's the problem with this LCD? (FWIW, i've never seen an LCD tv that i thought looked very good, picture quality wise.)
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http://www.highdefdigest.com/news/show/Lucasfilm/Disc_Announcements/Lucasfilm_to_Star_Wars_Fans:_No_Blu-ray,_HD_DVD_on_the_Horizon/644
Lucasfilm to 'Star Wars' Fans: No Blu-ray, HD DVD on the Horizon
Mon May 21, 2007 at 11:59 AM ET
Responding to persistent rumors of a pending release of the 'Star Wars' films on high-def disc, Lucasfilm has issued a statement denying any such plans for the series in the foreseeable future.
Ever since both next-gen formats launched last year, George Lucas' blockbuster space saga has been one of the most highly-requested "holy grails" on high-def.
But hopes hit a new high several weeks ago when early adopters started buzzing about this Amazon.com listing for the Star Wars Trilogy on Blu-ray. Such "placeholder" pages for highly anticipated titles are common practice with the web's biggest retailer, enabling customers to sign up for an email alert when the item in question becomes available. Unfortunately, this can lead to confusion for some consumers, who mistake these placeholders to mean the title has been officially announced.
Hoping to quell the web wildfire, the folks at PC World contacted Lucasfilm for comment early last week, and were told the following by company spokesperson John Singh:
"Lucasfilm Ltd. has no plans to release any of the Star Wars movies on Blu-ray or HD DVD. Listings on Amazon.com or any other Web site are purely speculative and erroneous."
It's worth noting that such a statement should not be much of a surprise (if still a disappointment) to long-time industry watchers. Lucas was one of the longest hold-outs on DVD despite that format's fast-growing mainstream acceptance, waiting over four years after launch before he allowed the first 'Star Wars' film to be released on disc (which turned out to be 'Episode I: The Phantom Menace' in September 2001).
Needless to say, we'll keep you posted on any future news of a 'Star Wars' release on high-def disc. Stay tuned...
Mon May 21, 2007 at 11:59 AM ET
Responding to persistent rumors of a pending release of the 'Star Wars' films on high-def disc, Lucasfilm has issued a statement denying any such plans for the series in the foreseeable future.
Ever since both next-gen formats launched last year, George Lucas' blockbuster space saga has been one of the most highly-requested "holy grails" on high-def.
But hopes hit a new high several weeks ago when early adopters started buzzing about this Amazon.com listing for the Star Wars Trilogy on Blu-ray. Such "placeholder" pages for highly anticipated titles are common practice with the web's biggest retailer, enabling customers to sign up for an email alert when the item in question becomes available. Unfortunately, this can lead to confusion for some consumers, who mistake these placeholders to mean the title has been officially announced.
Hoping to quell the web wildfire, the folks at PC World contacted Lucasfilm for comment early last week, and were told the following by company spokesperson John Singh:
"Lucasfilm Ltd. has no plans to release any of the Star Wars movies on Blu-ray or HD DVD. Listings on Amazon.com or any other Web site are purely speculative and erroneous."
It's worth noting that such a statement should not be much of a surprise (if still a disappointment) to long-time industry watchers. Lucas was one of the longest hold-outs on DVD despite that format's fast-growing mainstream acceptance, waiting over four years after launch before he allowed the first 'Star Wars' film to be released on disc (which turned out to be 'Episode I: The Phantom Menace' in September 2001).
Needless to say, we'll keep you posted on any future news of a 'Star Wars' release on high-def disc. Stay tuned...
"Well here's a big bag of rock salt" - Patton Oswalt
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Originally posted by: SilverWook
Mielr, did your niece buy a EDTV by accident?(Extended Definition, which isn't true HD and looks like crap in every store model I've seen.) Most current HDTV sets should be able to upscale DVD nicely. Having a progressive player hooked up properly helps too. Most cable systems are using overcompressed crappy signals to begin with.
No, she's got an HDTV. I don't think her DVD player upscales (but I'm not sure about that), but standard cable broadcasts look pretty bad.
Originally posted by: lordjedi
Mielr, tell your niece to get the HD channels. The difference is like night and day. On a bad day, yeah, the over compressed stuff looks nasty, but most of the time it looks beautiful. I've found that it's more the SD channels that get over compressed and look like hell than it is the HD channels.
SD channels still look bad on a 50" HDTV CRT (that's what I have) if you're closer than 10 ft. From 20 ft away they look alright (my couch is 20 ft away, across the room), but HD still looks a ton better.
Mielr, did your niece buy a EDTV by accident?(Extended Definition, which isn't true HD and looks like crap in every store model I've seen.) Most current HDTV sets should be able to upscale DVD nicely. Having a progressive player hooked up properly helps too. Most cable systems are using overcompressed crappy signals to begin with.
Originally posted by: canofhumdingers
Actually, EDTV means "enhanced" definition. Also, as many have pointed out before, almost all tvs look like crap when you pull them out of the box. They have to be properly calibrated. Perhaps that's the problem with this LCD? (FWIW, i've never seen an LCD tv that i thought looked very good, picture quality wise.)
Actually, EDTV means "enhanced" definition. Also, as many have pointed out before, almost all tvs look like crap when you pull them out of the box. They have to be properly calibrated. Perhaps that's the problem with this LCD? (FWIW, i've never seen an LCD tv that i thought looked very good, picture quality wise.)
No, she's got an HDTV. I don't think her DVD player upscales (but I'm not sure about that), but standard cable broadcasts look pretty bad.
Originally posted by: lordjedi
Mielr, tell your niece to get the HD channels. The difference is like night and day. On a bad day, yeah, the over compressed stuff looks nasty, but most of the time it looks beautiful. I've found that it's more the SD channels that get over compressed and look like hell than it is the HD channels.
SD channels still look bad on a 50" HDTV CRT (that's what I have) if you're closer than 10 ft. From 20 ft away they look alright (my couch is 20 ft away, across the room), but HD still looks a ton better.
As it stands, she's getting free cable (due to a cable company screw-up) so I don't think she wants to make any waves right now, but I told her that she could probably pull in some HD channels with an antenna.
Her TV also needs to be properly calibrated, I'm sure.
So, SD sources still look bad on a HD-CRT? I was going to try and get one of those 34" Sony HD-CRTs before they're gone for good, because I'd heard they were better for standard cable/DVDs. I may not bother now if all of my DVDs are going to look like crap on that, too. I have no plans for buying a blu-ray player anytime soon.
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I have had one problem with it though, & that's been edge ghosting. It can be pretty annoying at times. I think the tv just needs a good professional calibration, but Circuit City has been no help there. I have a 3 year service plan & have made 3 attempts to get it fixed & nothing's been done. The first company they sent, the repair guy was very uneducated about his profession. I had done my research & knew the right questions to ask & he couldn't answer any of them. He told me that edge ghosting was normal & all HDTVs do that unless it's showing an HD signal. Needless to say, nothing got fixed. The second repair company never showed up, & now i'm on the third. They've been nice over the phone, but they haven't come out to the house yet. they were going to, but said they talked to phillips technical support, who told them that replacing a certain part would fix the problem. so, they canceled the house call, ordered the part & said they'd contact me when it came in to set up an in home repair visit. well, it's been 2 weeks & i haven't heard back..... I'm about ready to give CC customer service a piece of my mind about the companies they contract for tv repair.... Which is sad b/c when i bought the tv, i was very happy with CC as they price matched it with walmart & then gave me a discount on top of that, saving me almost $200 altogether.
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Originally posted by: see you auntie
http://www.highdefdigest.com/news/show/Lucasfilm/Disc_Announcements/Lucasfilm_to_Star_Wars_Fans:_No_Blu-ray,_HD_DVD_on_the_Horizon/644
http://www.highdefdigest.com/news/show/Lucasfilm/Disc_Announcements/Lucasfilm_to_Star_Wars_Fans:_No_Blu-ray,_HD_DVD_on_the_Horizon/644
Lucasfilm to 'Star Wars' Fans: No Blu-ray, HD DVD on the Horizon
Mon May 21, 2007 at 11:59 AM ET
Responding to persistent rumors of a pending release of the 'Star Wars' films on high-def disc, Lucasfilm has issued a statement denying any such plans for the series in the foreseeable future.
Ever since both next-gen formats launched last year, George Lucas' blockbuster space saga has been one of the most highly-requested "holy grails" on high-def.
But hopes hit a new high several weeks ago when early adopters started buzzing about this Amazon.com listing for the Star Wars Trilogy on Blu-ray. Such "placeholder" pages for highly anticipated titles are common practice with the web's biggest retailer, enabling customers to sign up for an email alert when the item in question becomes available. Unfortunately, this can lead to confusion for some consumers, who mistake these placeholders to mean the title has been officially announced.
Hoping to quell the web wildfire, the folks at PC World contacted Lucasfilm for comment early last week, and were told the following by company spokesperson John Singh:
"Lucasfilm Ltd. has no plans to release any of the Star Wars movies on Blu-ray or HD DVD. Listings on Amazon.com or any other Web site are purely speculative and erroneous."
It's worth noting that such a statement should not be much of a surprise (if still a disappointment) to long-time industry watchers. Lucas was one of the longest hold-outs on DVD despite that format's fast-growing mainstream acceptance, waiting over four years after launch before he allowed the first 'Star Wars' film to be released on disc (which turned out to be 'Episode I: The Phantom Menace' in September 2001).
Needless to say, we'll keep you posted on any future news of a 'Star Wars' release on high-def disc. Stay tuned...
Mon May 21, 2007 at 11:59 AM ET
Responding to persistent rumors of a pending release of the 'Star Wars' films on high-def disc, Lucasfilm has issued a statement denying any such plans for the series in the foreseeable future.
Ever since both next-gen formats launched last year, George Lucas' blockbuster space saga has been one of the most highly-requested "holy grails" on high-def.
But hopes hit a new high several weeks ago when early adopters started buzzing about this Amazon.com listing for the Star Wars Trilogy on Blu-ray. Such "placeholder" pages for highly anticipated titles are common practice with the web's biggest retailer, enabling customers to sign up for an email alert when the item in question becomes available. Unfortunately, this can lead to confusion for some consumers, who mistake these placeholders to mean the title has been officially announced.
Hoping to quell the web wildfire, the folks at PC World contacted Lucasfilm for comment early last week, and were told the following by company spokesperson John Singh:
"Lucasfilm Ltd. has no plans to release any of the Star Wars movies on Blu-ray or HD DVD. Listings on Amazon.com or any other Web site are purely speculative and erroneous."
It's worth noting that such a statement should not be much of a surprise (if still a disappointment) to long-time industry watchers. Lucas was one of the longest hold-outs on DVD despite that format's fast-growing mainstream acceptance, waiting over four years after launch before he allowed the first 'Star Wars' film to be released on disc (which turned out to be 'Episode I: The Phantom Menace' in September 2001).
Needless to say, we'll keep you posted on any future news of a 'Star Wars' release on high-def disc. Stay tuned...
EVERYTHING that comes out of LFL needs to be taken with a grain of salt...remember how many times we heard "Never" or "No plans to" and it ended up happening.
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Originally posted by: generalfrevious
Well, I have bigdaddyvader cheering me up, and then CO telling me we are in SW hell, so I got frustrated. How bad does the GOUT look on a 52" TV, and how much did this TV cost CO?
(screenshots would help)
Well, I have bigdaddyvader cheering me up, and then CO telling me we are in SW hell, so I got frustrated. How bad does the GOUT look on a 52" TV, and how much did this TV cost CO?
(screenshots would help)
Glad I can cheer people up still.
<span style=“font-size:14pt;line-height:100%”></span>
http://www.bigbaddaddyvader.com
Original Star Wars Props and Production Material
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Originally posted by: Guy Caballero
I have a question. If the current versions of the movies WERE released on BluRay or HDDVD, how much better would they look than the current hidef showings on HBO? Like on a scale from 1 to 10?
I have a question. If the current versions of the movies WERE released on BluRay or HDDVD, how much better would they look than the current hidef showings on HBO? Like on a scale from 1 to 10?
I think the BlueRay/HDDVD would be slightly better just because I know that HBO compresses their signals sometimes, so you don't get the maximum resolution as watching it on a disk where the movie is the only thing.
As for HD-DVD/BlueRay compared to DVD, it is better, but it not a huge jump like DVD was to VCR & Laserdisk where it was so obvious about the quality. I for one can wait til the HDDVD/BlueRay fight it out for one format, cause I am very happy with my Anamorphic DVD's now.
I think HD-DVD/BlueRay will be a niche format in the coming years, sort of like Laserdisk was, for mostly movie-buffs with the epuipment that can produce great quality. I just don't see the average consumer who has a DVD player now rush out and buy an HD-DVD Player and then re-buy all their movies. When DVD came out, most people didn't mind replacing all their VHS tapes cause DVD's are much better quality, you don't have to Rewind them when your done, and they will last longer.
I think this is why I get so frustrated that Lucas didn't remaster the OOT, I would be content with an anamorphic DVD set forever, cause as I said, HD is better, but not so much better where it is like night and day.
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Originally posted by: see you auntie
http://www.highdefdigest.com/news/show/Lucasfilm/Disc_Announcements/Lucasfilm_to_Star_Wars_Fans:_No_Blu-ray,_HD_DVD_on_the_Horizon/644
http://www.highdefdigest.com/news/show/Lucasfilm/Disc_Announcements/Lucasfilm_to_Star_Wars_Fans:_No_Blu-ray,_HD_DVD_on_the_Horizon/644
Lucasfilm to 'Star Wars' Fans: No Blu-ray, HD DVD on the Horizon
Mon May 21, 2007 at 11:59 AM ET
Responding to persistent rumors of a pending release of the 'Star Wars' films on high-def disc, Lucasfilm has issued a statement denying any such plans for the series in the foreseeable future.
Ever since both next-gen formats launched last year, George Lucas' blockbuster space saga has been one of the most highly-requested "holy grails" on high-def.
But hopes hit a new high several weeks ago when early adopters started buzzing about this Amazon.com listing for the Star Wars Trilogy on Blu-ray. Such "placeholder" pages for highly anticipated titles are common practice with the web's biggest retailer, enabling customers to sign up for an email alert when the item in question becomes available. Unfortunately, this can lead to confusion for some consumers, who mistake these placeholders to mean the title has been officially announced.
Hoping to quell the web wildfire, the folks at PC World contacted Lucasfilm for comment early last week, and were told the following by company spokesperson John Singh:
"Lucasfilm Ltd. has no plans to release any of the Star Wars movies on Blu-ray or HD DVD. Listings on Amazon.com or any other Web site are purely speculative and erroneous."
It's worth noting that such a statement should not be much of a surprise (if still a disappointment) to long-time industry watchers. Lucas was one of the longest hold-outs on DVD despite that format's fast-growing mainstream acceptance, waiting over four years after launch before he allowed the first 'Star Wars' film to be released on disc (which turned out to be 'Episode I: The Phantom Menace' in September 2001).
Needless to say, we'll keep you posted on any future news of a 'Star Wars' release on high-def disc. Stay tuned...
Mon May 21, 2007 at 11:59 AM ET
Responding to persistent rumors of a pending release of the 'Star Wars' films on high-def disc, Lucasfilm has issued a statement denying any such plans for the series in the foreseeable future.
Ever since both next-gen formats launched last year, George Lucas' blockbuster space saga has been one of the most highly-requested "holy grails" on high-def.
But hopes hit a new high several weeks ago when early adopters started buzzing about this Amazon.com listing for the Star Wars Trilogy on Blu-ray. Such "placeholder" pages for highly anticipated titles are common practice with the web's biggest retailer, enabling customers to sign up for an email alert when the item in question becomes available. Unfortunately, this can lead to confusion for some consumers, who mistake these placeholders to mean the title has been officially announced.
Hoping to quell the web wildfire, the folks at PC World contacted Lucasfilm for comment early last week, and were told the following by company spokesperson John Singh:
"Lucasfilm Ltd. has no plans to release any of the Star Wars movies on Blu-ray or HD DVD. Listings on Amazon.com or any other Web site are purely speculative and erroneous."
It's worth noting that such a statement should not be much of a surprise (if still a disappointment) to long-time industry watchers. Lucas was one of the longest hold-outs on DVD despite that format's fast-growing mainstream acceptance, waiting over four years after launch before he allowed the first 'Star Wars' film to be released on disc (which turned out to be 'Episode I: The Phantom Menace' in September 2001).
Needless to say, we'll keep you posted on any future news of a 'Star Wars' release on high-def disc. Stay tuned...
Not exactly a huge surprise.
“What Orwell feared were those who would ban books. What Huxley feared was that there would be no reason to ban a book, for there would be no one who wanted to read one.”
Neil Postman, Amusing Ourselves to Death
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Originally posted by: CO
I think the BlueRay/HDDVD would be slightly better just because I know that HBO compresses their signals sometimes, so you don't get the maximum resolution as watching it on a disk where the movie is the only thing.
As for HD-DVD/BlueRay compared to DVD, it is better, but it not a huge jump like DVD was to VCR & Laserdisk where it was so obvious about the quality. I for one can wait til the HDDVD/BlueRay fight it out for one format, cause I am very happy with my Anamorphic DVD's now.
I think HD-DVD/BlueRay will be a niche format in the coming years, sort of like Laserdisk was, for mostly movie-buffs with the epuipment that can produce great quality. I just don't see the average consumer who has a DVD player now rush out and buy an HD-DVD Player and then re-buy all their movies. When DVD came out, most people didn't mind replacing all their VHS tapes cause DVD's are much better quality, you don't have to Rewind them when your done, and they will last longer.
I think this is why I get so frustrated that Lucas didn't remaster the OOT, I would be content with an anamorphic DVD set forever, cause as I said, HD is better, but not so much better where it is like night and day.
Originally posted by: Guy Caballero
I have a question. If the current versions of the movies WERE released on BluRay or HDDVD, how much better would they look than the current hidef showings on HBO? Like on a scale from 1 to 10?
I have a question. If the current versions of the movies WERE released on BluRay or HDDVD, how much better would they look than the current hidef showings on HBO? Like on a scale from 1 to 10?
I think the BlueRay/HDDVD would be slightly better just because I know that HBO compresses their signals sometimes, so you don't get the maximum resolution as watching it on a disk where the movie is the only thing.
As for HD-DVD/BlueRay compared to DVD, it is better, but it not a huge jump like DVD was to VCR & Laserdisk where it was so obvious about the quality. I for one can wait til the HDDVD/BlueRay fight it out for one format, cause I am very happy with my Anamorphic DVD's now.
I think HD-DVD/BlueRay will be a niche format in the coming years, sort of like Laserdisk was, for mostly movie-buffs with the epuipment that can produce great quality. I just don't see the average consumer who has a DVD player now rush out and buy an HD-DVD Player and then re-buy all their movies. When DVD came out, most people didn't mind replacing all their VHS tapes cause DVD's are much better quality, you don't have to Rewind them when your done, and they will last longer.
I think this is why I get so frustrated that Lucas didn't remaster the OOT, I would be content with an anamorphic DVD set forever, cause as I said, HD is better, but not so much better where it is like night and day.
Being that HD is still in its infancy, most examples aren't impressive. Anyone remember DVD back in 1997? It was impressive but not like it got to be around 1999. Once you've seen a good HD demo trust me--its every bit the leap that DVD was from VHS. After watching a movie in high quality HD you go and look at the DVD version and it looks all fuzzy and undetailed--just like how VHS, fine for everyone for dozens of years, suddenly looked like shit once we got used to DVD. It'll remain a niche format for the next four or five years but after that HD will become the new standard (or semi-standard--like how only 50% or so of people had a VHS player in 1990) and Blu-Ray or the post-Blu-Ray format will exist alongside DVD, the way VHS existed alongside DVD, for a few years before SD fades away as a standard format--probably around 2015 or so
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Originally posted by: CO
Zombie, I do agree with ya that HD-DVD technology will get better through the years, but you have to admit the OT SE movies are probably one of the greatest transfers on the market for Standards DVD's. I know the lightsabers are f'd up, and the ANH score is backwards in some places, but overall the movies look really awesome on a widescreen HDTV, and if Lucas were able to duplicate this with the OOT movies, I would be very content with these, and sure I would buy them when a SW HD-DVD hit the market, but I wouldn't be as impatient as I am now cause all we really have is laserdisk transfers.
Zombie, I do agree with ya that HD-DVD technology will get better through the years, but you have to admit the OT SE movies are probably one of the greatest transfers on the market for Standards DVD's. I know the lightsabers are f'd up, and the ANH score is backwards in some places, but overall the movies look really awesome on a widescreen HDTV, and if Lucas were able to duplicate this with the OOT movies, I would be very content with these, and sure I would buy them when a SW HD-DVD hit the market, but I wouldn't be as impatient as I am now cause all we really have is laserdisk transfers.
True--but in 1995 we would have been saying the same thing about the VHS release of the OOT. It looked good, and "we were happy to it." Then we discovered how much better the film could look on DVD and suddenly that VHS looked like shit. After viewing some HD caps of ANH and then comparing them to the DVD caps from the 2004 SE, the same thing happens--the 2004 SE, one of the best examples of the DVD format, suddenly looks soft and undetailed. Seriously. It'll happen with us again, eventually, once HD becomes a standard. But of course, like when we watch VHS today, after about five minutes your eye and mind adjusts and you get wrapped up in the story.
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Originally posted by: Mielr
As it stands, she's getting free cable (due to a cable company screw-up) so I don't think she wants to make any waves right now, but I told her that she could probably pull in some HD channels with an antenna.
Her TV also needs to be properly calibrated, I'm sure.
So, SD sources still look bad on a HD-CRT? I was going to try and get one of those 34" Sony HD-CRTs before they're gone for good, because I'd heard they were better for standard cable/DVDs. I may not bother now if all of my DVDs are going to look like crap on that, too. I have no plans for buying a blu-ray player anytime soon.
As it stands, she's getting free cable (due to a cable company screw-up) so I don't think she wants to make any waves right now, but I told her that she could probably pull in some HD channels with an antenna.
Her TV also needs to be properly calibrated, I'm sure.
So, SD sources still look bad on a HD-CRT? I was going to try and get one of those 34" Sony HD-CRTs before they're gone for good, because I'd heard they were better for standard cable/DVDs. I may not bother now if all of my DVDs are going to look like crap on that, too. I have no plans for buying a blu-ray player anytime soon.
She can use the antenna, until it rains. Then the signal will get choppy (picture/audio will freeze, blanks out, then comes back). A guy at work tried this and he said it wasn't worth it. It can be done if you live in a clear area with very little rain. Unfortunately it's not like analog where the signal can be really poor and you still have TV. As soon as the signal goes below a certain level, your picture is gone.
SD sources look alright on an HDTV CRT. They don't look fantastic. It's a noticeable difference.
That news release from LFL doesn't surprise me at all. I won't expect to see Star Wars on an HD format until people (or standards groups) start talking about the next format. So yeah, around 2015.
You are disciplined but tolerant; a true American.
Pissing off Rob since August 2007.
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Well regardless, the point in all of this is you shouldn't even have to worry about such things with iconic movies such as these, and pristine versions of ALL versions of the movies should already be out there. It's really sad (and sickening) to think there is a man/company in this world that is consistently biting the hand that feeds them.
