Originally posted by: TiptupI'm not saying that anyone who buys these DVDs is a fool, I just see it, at this point (knowing what we know), to be a bad move unless the money spent is not big deal and the Star Wars trilogy is really that important to you. I am nearly 100% certain that I am going to buy the September set. But it's actually because the Star Wars trilogy *is* really that important to me. I want the OOT in the best available viewing format. I don't know what will be available in the future, but I know this is what's going to be available now. It will hold me until the next better thing comes along. And I have no doubt there will be a next better thing. It's the way it's always worked. I don't look back on previous inferior formats and regret that I purchased them. I know that the money was well-spent at the time. And I also know that I will wind up purchasing Star Wars a few more times in my life as well, as the formats improve. I'm not bitter about this; I consider it a fact of life.
I've always been unhappy with the quality of VHS. But at one time it was the best thing there was. I didn't deny myself the ability to see the films just because VHS was crap. When laserdisc was available, that was the next best format. I would have upgraded to that if I could have afforded it, but my poverty-stricken college years made that impossible. So I picked up a really nice nearly new "Faces" widescreen VHS boxed set, and waited for the next format to arrive. The 2004 DVD set was a different trilogy, so that didn't count. I guess I'm still waiting. But the September release will be my next step up. And then I'll wait again for whatever comes after that.
Otherwise, giving George money will reward him for giving out crap, but I do not think that causes any problems for us. Even if George Lucas gets less money, that won’t help him change his mind. Absolutely right; this is a very important point. The way this product is being marketed, there is no way to send any kind of clear message by either buying or not buying it. We have to forget about that. Buy it if you want it or don't if you don't, but don't give up on continuing to push for a better release afterwards.
From my point of view it’s a basic economic principle only to spend your money on things you want. At this point, I'd rather never see the films again than ever purchase this release. That's the value that I believe everyone else have as well, but if other people feel differently I'm not going to criticize them. George Lucas has effectively destroyed Star Wars for me and that's all.
I don't understand why watching this upcoming release would be so bad. For instance: my version of choice is the EditDroid DVDs. The picture quality is good, the menus fantastic, and I know how much love and effort went into making them. Let's take the EditDroid Star Wars. It has the original opening crawl as an option. Simulated, yes, but very painstakingly done by fans. It's laserdisc quality, transferred to the best of their ability by a group of fans. It's not anamorphic, or even 'fanamorphic'. Now compare that to the upcoming official release. Original opening crawl? Even if it's simulated (and that *is* an IF - we don't know yet), at worst it will be as good as the EditDroid one. At best it could even be taken from the original source. It's non-anamorphic, just like the EditDroid. But picture quality--this is where I have to give in. I guarantee without any doubt that the picture quality will far exceed the EditDroid version. And this is why I will buy it. Sure, it will be sub-par by Lucasfilm standards. Sure, it won't have the same amount of loving attention the EditDroid crew gave theirs. But it will become the set I watch when I want to see the films at their best.
Now, I have no intention of getting rid of my EditDroid set. I appreciate the work done on them far too much for that. But I'll generally only be watching it for the features and extras at that point, not for the main films.
Oh, and I'm still holding out for the X0 set to see how that comes out.
(Thankfully I still have viewable VHS copies too.)
VHS is unacceptable to me these days, not even so much for picture quality (I still think my "Faces" tapes look fairly good), but for lack of any kind of interface or method of non-linear navigation. I often like to just jump to a particular scene to watch, or a section of the film. VHS is worthless in that aspect. If VHS were the only method I had of watching the OOT, then I'd still watch it that way... but it's not. EditDroid fills the gap nicely, for now.