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The OT on HBO HD this month, unfortunately it is the SE

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ESB was on yesterday and SW was on this morning on HBO High Definition, and they looked really great, and resemble nothing of a 25+ year old movie.

It is just so frustrating as a fan who grew up with the OOT, to see the SE in High Definition on HBO, the SE in great quality on DVD, and the OOT is stuck in 1993 laserdisk land. For me, it is still the SE that piss me off, not the PT, and I honestly believe if Lucas would have never changed the OT movies, I would probably accepted the PT movies as part of the saga, but just the inferior part the way I accepted ROTJ for many years. But now I see SW on HBO HD and see how great it looks and then I have to watch Greedo shoot first, CG Jabba get his tail stepped on, and I turn it off. If the OOT is not remastered in this rumored 30th Anniversary set this year, there won't be anything on the horizons DVD or HD-DVD for many years with SW on it, I will walk away from SW fandom, because I am just getting too fucking annoyed watching inferior versions of my favorite movie of all-time, while I know there is a great transfer sitting out there in the SE. Sorry, but I love great quality when I watch a movie.
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I am glad you posted this, because I wouldn't have realized it was coming on, and probably missed it. I know it is the SE, but it will be awsome seeing these movies in HD.


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Their isn't going to be an official cleaned-up version of the OOT, just accept it and hope the X0 people do the honours!
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Well, the HD OT-SE is to be expected. It has aired many times before this as well.

As for the OOT in any watchable version, i would say logic dictates that we will see it in the box set this year but its impossible to tell since Lucasfilm rarely follows the logical course of action. Even if it is put out in a remastered DVD, it will be a constant uphill battle because then we have to fight for the HD releaese, and thats the more important one IMO; every time this things comes out it "for the last time." It'll come out eventually, its just a question of when.
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Were these the 97 versions or the 04 versions?
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LFL would have to somehow justify the 9/12 release in order for any remastered OOT release to seem logical, zombie. A good number of copies were sold of that release, yes? Even the people with HD tv's picked them up. They're going to be quite pissed when they find out an actual 16:9 transfer has been released, if that even happens. Lucas now has a choice between sticking behind his vision for "his" movies or giving into moneymaking. Maybe my mind just isn't open enough, but what I see happenning is a 6 disc saga boxset, unless LFL wants to go all out and please all of the fans, in that case they'll release it along with a pristine looking OOT. All I'm saying is that LFL releasing it the very year after they scammed us with the 9/12 release wouldn't make much sense to me.

LFL released the OT in 2004 because they wanted as many dvd players out there as possible. LFL released the OOT laserdisc onto dvd in 2006 because they didn't want to wait until there were a lot of widescreen tv's out there, they wanted to make an easy dollar.

As for the uphill battle, I can't say I really care about seeing the OOT in HD although I don't see why LFL wouldn't do an HD master before making a new dvd. No, that wouldn't stop them from holding back an HD release for years and years and years, but all any of us really wants is for it to at least look the best it can on regular ol' dvd.
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Originally posted by: Fang Zei
LFL would have to somehow justify the 9/12 release in order for any remastered OOT release to seem logical, zombie. A good number of copies were sold of that release, yes? Even the people with HD tv's picked them up. They're going to be quite pissed when they find out an actual 16:9 transfer has been released, if that even happens. Lucas now has a choice between sticking behind his vision for "his" movies or giving into moneymaking. Maybe my mind just isn't open enough, but what I see happenning is a 6 disc saga boxset, unless LFL wants to go all out and please all of the fans, in that case they'll release it along with a pristine looking OOT. All I'm saying is that LFL releasing it the very year after they scammed us with the 9/12 release wouldn't make much sense to me.

LFL released the OT in 2004 because they wanted as many dvd players out there as possible. LFL released the OOT laserdisc onto dvd in 2006 because they didn't want to wait until there were a lot of widescreen tv's out there, they wanted to make an easy dollar.

As for the uphill battle, I can't say I really care about seeing the OOT in HD although I don't see why LFL wouldn't do an HD master before making a new dvd. No, that wouldn't stop them from holding back an HD release for years and years and years, but all any of us really wants is for it to at least look the best it can on regular ol' dvd.


They would justify the release as testing the water before doing a more "expensive" restoration project. As Lucas says, "now we'll see how many people want this." They know damn well how many want it, but i can see the press release--"due to the overwhelming success of the 2006 limited edition bonus disk edition, Lucasfilm is now undertaking a costly restoration to produce a new HD telecine in anamorphic widescreen!" Will they have scammed us? Yes. But they scammed us the moment that disk came out. Whether the OOT gets remastered next month, next year or next decade, the scam will remain unchanged. And the truth is that we will accept it. I'll admit that i will gladly pony up for a remastered edition of Star Wars, even though i bout the 2006 GOUT--and if it really pissed me off i wouldn't spend the money. LFL have shamed themselves a long time ago and really it can't get any worse so I'm beyond the point of shaking my head at them. Whether the boxset is the SE or the OOT, a new version of either or the previous versions of either, the box set is a sort of scam, by which i mean that things should have been done right the first time. The glaring video and audio problems of the 2004 OT-SE disk should never have been released, but it was, and then it was re-packed every year after that; the glaring video and audio problems of the OOT should have been released, but it was, and it might very well be again. Either way you look at it, LFL is guilty. With this in mind, the only significant market left for them is the remastered OOT. Who will buy the boxset? Only the hardest of hardcore fans. And those fans already have all the individual PT titles, the 2004 SE, plus the 2006 OOT, plus the Clone War cartoons. Theres very few things that they can add, and no new documentaries are being produced of significance--Mark Hammil, et all were called in for the 2004 release and it is doubtful that they will add anything more, nor has any news surfaced of such plannings. Basically, all there is left is maybe a few PT featurettes and the OT deleted scenes--but those are not at all enough to persuade any fan to buy the same movies, six no less, that he already owns, even if every film is updated in more special edition scenes. In order to make any cash on this thing it has to have the OOT remastered. That way, all the oldschool fans who just want a decent version of Star Wars will have to buy the boxset and get all this shit that they either already have or don't want--and most of us will. I certainly would, and i think most here would as well. Because really, the boxset basically amounts to simply the indvidual dvds that already exist re-packaged in a big cardboard case. $100 for that? I don't think so. The 2004 set appealed to the general public, but the 2007 set appeals only to fans. Without giving them what they want, it serves little purpose.

And of course, what better time to finally release it than the 30th anniversary, and LFL is already hyping up the OT vintage imagery. With Celebration IV targeted as a celebration of the original film and the new series, i can't thing of a better way to commemorate it with than by making the announcement there. This, to me, all seems inevitably and logical. But, like I said, LFL is so callous and illogical that i would be equally unsurprised if none of this happened, if it was just the same PT disks and 2004 OT disks in a $100 cardboard box.

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Zombie, I watched the ANH HD version on HBO today, and then popped in the 2004 ANH DVD, and you may have a better eye then me, so tell me if I am wrong, it wasn't THAT much better. I think HD is great, and 1080i is better then 720i, so I am not disputing HD is better, but if the OOT came out fully restored on DVD this year and looked exactly like the 2004 versions without all the SE crap, I would be satsfied forever. I know HD is the wave of the future, and I have an HDTV, so I see all the great programming it has, but I am just not that psyched of HD-DVD the way I was when DVD came out in 1997, cause DVD was such a leap from VHS and Laserdisk, it was so obvious the resolution difference when something was restored 16 x 9. HD-DVD will be better of course, but I am not itching for all my movies to be released like I was when DVD took off in the late 90's. What do you think?
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They could sell the original versions in a set called "Star Wars Archives", like a "rarities" box set for music. The theatrical versions of all 6 movies plus the lost cut, or any rough cuts that exist. (Revenge of the Jedi with blue lightsaber, sandstorm etc.)
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Originally posted by: CO
Zombie, I watched the ANH HD version on HBO today, and then popped in the 2004 ANH DVD, and you may have a better eye then me, so tell me if I am wrong, it wasn't THAT much better. I think HD is great, and 1080i is better then 720i, so I am not disputing HD is better, but if the OOT came out fully restored on DVD this year and looked exactly like the 2004 versions without all the SE crap, I would be satsfied forever. I know HD is the wave of the future, and I have an HDTV, so I see all the great programming it has, but I am just not that psyched of HD-DVD the way I was when DVD came out in 1997, cause DVD was such a leap from VHS and Laserdisk, it was so obvious the resolution difference when something was restored 16 x 9. HD-DVD will be better of course, but I am not itching for all my movies to be released like I was when DVD took off in the late 90's. What do you think?


Its true that the difference between DVD and current HD content (ie Bluray, HDDVD, etc.) is not the same leap that VHS to DVD was. That was a massive leap that probably will not be repeated again. VHS was a poor format from its birth, even by standard-definition standars, while DVD, despite being compressed, is among the higher SD formats. But there is a large difference in DVD and HD content, its just not the same leap that DVD was from VHS. VHS gave us the main detail, DVD gave us the fine detail, and HD is basically the super-fine detail, the stuff that many people do not appreciate or notice because its no immediately obvious in the same way that DVD was. Its a crisper, deeper image with better colour fidelity and more detail. But i agree that DVD is a fine format--i have almost 1000 DVD and the majority of those will not be re-purchased in any future formats; I'll be watching some of these when i am 80 I'm sure, that is if they haven't rotted away.

Anyway, in short, HD is not a jarring leap, but it is a leap. Many people didn't think DVD was all that great--"whats wrong with VHS?" was the main argument against upgrading. Well, nothing really, i mean we watched VHS for years and years and were fine. Its only when you watch DVD and then go back to VHS that you really notice the difference. Thats kind of how i feel with HD--at first you sort of think "its better but not the hyped up leap it is known as," and then you take a look at the same scene in DVD and you think "jeez, is DVD really this soft and fuzzy?"
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Originally posted by: zombie84

Anyway, in short, HD is not a jarring leap, but it is a leap. Many people didn't think DVD was all that great--"whats wrong with VHS?" was the main argument against upgrading. Well, nothing really, i mean we watched VHS for years and years and were fine. Its only when you watch DVD and then go back to VHS that you really notice the difference. Thats kind of how i feel with HD--at first you sort of think "its better but not the hyped up leap it is known as," and then you take a look at the same scene in DVD and you think "jeez, is DVD really this soft and fuzzy?"


I do agree with you Zombie, it is a leap, but I think many people who purchased DVDs over the last 10 years will not even buy an HD Player, and even if they do, I can only see them buying the movies like SW, LOTR, and The Matrix for that matter.

I see HD-DVD going the route of Laserdisk, a niche market of people who see the difference, and want every possible resolution they can when watching a movie. I am amazed at HD quality, but for some reason, I am just not interested in buying a player, despite they can't settle on one format. I have hundreds of DVD's too, and I just can't see myself running out and rebuying 'A Few Good Men' or 'Platoon' or even 'The Godfather' cause those are some of my favorite movies. Maybe if the OOT came out in BluRay in 2010, that would get me to buy an HD player, but with DVD, it was the DVD player that made me run out in 1998, not the selection of movies they had back then, cause it was a very thin lineup for many years before DVD exploded in 2000-01. I guess thats why I am so hoping the OOT comes on DVD this year fully remastered, cause I know that would satisfy me forever, and I would then be in the position if the OOT came out on BlueRay, I would think of buying it, but won't pull my hair out that I have to have it like I do now. I am telling you if Lucas could just put the OOT out this year fully remastered, I would forgive the guy for all he did since 1997, though I would never forget.

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High Definition is simply a by-product, rushed out, and used as a marketing tool by the industries to sell us what they really want to push upon us now -Digital Rights Management, as DVD is a totally compromised format.

Once they have pumped the buying public with enough incentive to adopt HD as the new mainstream, i would imagine the release of DVD titles will be promptly suffocated very shorlty after.

I bet we're going to get plenty of sub-par HD transfers once HD is the standard, by then DVD will be lost forever.

We vote with our wallets, and many people are already jumping on the HD bandwagon. Yet ultimately, the choice may already be made for us anyhow.
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I agree that HD-DVD/BD will be the Laserdisk to DVD's VHS.

Also, think of it this way: HD-DVD, Blu-Ray should not be solely equated with HD. HD is really simply a resolution, while HD-DVD and Blu-Ray are simply commercial formats. Remember the early DVD titles? The original Blade Runner dvd for instance? They look like really good Laserdisk ports, which they pretty much were, similar to the way that early HD-DVD looks like really good DVD upconversions. Comparing the original Blade Runner disk to the new one speaks of the leaps a single format can make, and when you extrapolate that to HD-DVD and Bluray Disk, which are both only now in the last couple months even properly utilising the disk space and technological capabilities of their format, its easy to see how much the images can potentially grow.

Also, consider this: HD is a fairly new format. SD has been around for decades. These early HD broadcasts of the last few years are comparable to the early SD colour broadcasts of the early 60's--compare those fuzzy, horrible images to the crisp, clear images of, for example, digital satellite movies with 5.1 DD sound. HD is brand new. HD-DVD and Bluray-disk, then, are like VHS and Betamax. Comparing HD to Laserdisk is apt, but really its not, because Laserdisk was a pivotal development that basically bridged the gap between VHS/Betamax and DVD. So really, the next-gen formats, the post-HD-DVD/BD format, will be equivalent to Laserdisk, and then the format after that will be comparable to DVD. One can imagine how good the images will look by then. And they will be the same resolution as the HD broadcasts that ESPN uses. When you saw Revenge of the Sith projected digitally, its an HD source--this is the potential that the format has to offer. Right now we are dealing with primitive commerical formats, and the results are impressive but unsurprisingly crude considering. I might not ever own a Bluray player because i probably won't own an HD television set for a long time but it is exciting to think where the technology may one day lead--and there are even efforts underway to develop 2K home projection technology, which is astounding.
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I have a HD-DVD player and love it. I only buy movies on this format unless it is only available on Blu-Ray in which case I buy it on Standard definition dvd, becasue I haven't purchased a PS3 yet. The HD channels cable companies provide are not the same quality as HD-DVD and Blu-ray. The cable channels have been compressed more and I can tell you first hand don't look anywhere near as clear as HD-DVD or Blu-ray. To experience true 1080p HD video you have to watch HD-DVD or Blu-ray. I would love to see Star Wars eventually released on one of the new formats.


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I guess I will play devils advocate with HD as compared to my CD collection of music. I bought a CD player back in 1989 and within 2 years had all my favorite bands albums, and I have been satisfied for almost 20 years now with that quality. Now I do believe that mini CDs? Correct me if I am wrong? are a better technology then CD's and sound better, but I have never even cared to upgrade or even sample because CD quality of the music I listen to is still satisfying to me today. I am not saying HD-DVD's aren't awesome looking, just for me personally, if Lucas could just put out a fully restored OOT DVD, it will be like CD's for me, good enough.
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I agree CO, the OOT remastered on DVD would be fine for me. But I would like to have it in HD just as something to have. Its kind of like now with the 2006 OOT DVD release, I have the 2006 OOT release on DVD, but still watch my VHS set more. I don't know why, but I get this nostalgic feeling when watching the OOT on VHS that I don't get when I watch it on DVD.


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Like I said in another post somewhere, my computer monitor is 1024 by 768 which is perfect for watching 16:9 dvd's at their full resolution as oppossed to watching them on 4:3 tv at only 2/3 or 3/4 the resolution or whatever the downconversion is. This is why I only want the OOT looking and sounding the best it possibly can on regular ol' dvd. Until there's an affordable HD format that can rival the resolution and quality of 35mm film, I couldn't care less.
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what the hell are you talking about?
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What part of my post did you not understand? You could start there.
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Anyone who has seen a Star Wars film in a movie theater has seen it in "hi-def". Some of us are luckier than others and saw the OOT versions in a theater, and some even luckier bastards saw them in 70mm as well!

So frankly, seeing the SEs in HDTV doesn't really excite me too much, although I guess it's nice for those who like the SEs (in whatever revised form they currently exist) or have never seen any of the OT films in a theater.


On a somewhat related note, I got my copy of SWI today, and it mentioned a new book about the making of the original Star Wars coming out in April. It looks like it might be an interesting book and I'm hoping it won't contain any hints of 'revisionist history'.

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I cant afford HD so am sticking to dvd as for sw well we will be very lucky to see the OOT on dvd let alone HD . I do hope GL tells us when the saga box set is comming out .
May the force be wth you .........
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Of course we should be so lucky, but that's another story. You have to wonder how many people are actually bothering to sit down and watch the OT SE in HD on HBO. Are people by and large really that accepting of the SE? Regardless of Sansweet's comments at comicon, no one simply "doesn't care" which version they're watching. There will always at least be a marginal preference for one over the other.

By the way, I don't know what eros' problem is. To reiterate what I said, my computer monitor is high enough resolution for 16:9, 480p (anamorphic dvd resolution) but only barely enough. That's why I couldn't care less about watching the OOT in 720 or 1080 because I don't have anything to watch that high resolution of a picture on. I just want my remastered, anamorphic OOT dvd.
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I don't know how many of you all know this but in April of 2009 in America standard ( that being not digital ) cable is going to be stopped and switched over to digital and all broadcasts switched to widescreen format. Also most of the channels are going to upgrade from 480p to a higher resolution. This was announced last year. So after 2009 people will have to start buying HD widescreen televisions. Congress approved this so it is happening. And I have confirmed this with my local cable company. Eventually 1080p will be the standard.


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Congress can't balance the d@mn budget, but they certianly have time for this. And don't even get me started about their inquiry into steriod use in MLB. Okay, rant over. I do look forward to seeing everything digital.
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Originally posted by: Sluggo
Congress can't balance the d@mn budget, but they certianly have time for this. And don't even get me started about their inquiry into steriod use in MLB. Okay, rant over. I do look forward to seeing everything digital.


I agree about Congress' priorties being out of wack, but like you I will like seeing everything digital.