Star Wars: The Complete Saga (1977-2005)

[koreyman]

I believe this is turning to the darkside so

What Special features are you looking forward to the most ?
I am looking forward to the SW, .ESB, and ROTJ deleted scenes

[DanzG]

Originally Posted by iamsometal

If your display wasn't professionally calibrated, don't claim you have a reference set up. THAT is BS. It may be reference to you, and that's fine, but don't claim reference to others when you've made it clear you've only tweaked the display yourself. What hardware/software did you use to calibrate the set yourself? CalMan? A Colorimeter?

Wow. some people

[koreyman]

Originally Posted by Merlinpants

Damn people are pedantic. I benefit from the THX calibration.

If you want to be pedantic (clearly you do) I have a home reference Set up that anyone can achieve, so I am viewing the film the way 99% of the viewing public will. Professional reviews are not achievable at home, so does that mean mine is more useful? Only you will be able to tell when you see it for yourself.

Thanks for the attack. Try to be helpful and the doom and gloom crowd pile in again. That is what has made this thread so disappointing for so long.

pedantic

good word usage

[punisher]

The extras discs however are lacking, poor and not really fitting of a Star Wars set IMHO. A couple of the documentaries from the DVD's such as the beginning and Empire of dreams would have changed that. The OT and PT bonus discs are a novelty and no more. Once I had watched the deleted scenes (which I doubt I will do again for quite some time) the rest was puff and boring.

all the more for getting the Toys r Us deal of 27.50..I know the packaging of the UK set is better than the US release in the complete saga..but any word on the packaging of the individual trilogy releases both here and Uk?

[5th-beatle]

Amazon is selling this one for $79.99, I believe it's a very good deal, especially considering that the individual boxed sets cost $39.99 each.

[iamsometal]

Originally Posted by Merlinpants

Damn people are pedantic. I benefit from the THX calibration.

If you want to be pedantic (clearly you do) I have a home reference Set up that anyone can achieve, so I am viewing the film the way 99% of the viewing public will. Professional reviews are not achievable at home, so does that mean mine is more useful? Only you will be able to tell when you see it for yourself.

Thanks for the attack. Try to be helpful and the doom and gloom crowd pile in again. That is what has made this thread so disappointing for so long.

I'm just saying you can't claim that your set up is "reference" when all you've done is use a THX Optimizer and your own eyes. For all i know your display could be completely off and be hiding some serious issues the discs have, or you could have gotten lucky and your display may look damn close to how it should. But if you haven't even had the greyscale corrected on your display (which 99.9% of displays need done) with the appropriate hardware/software, it's pretty hard to believe your "reference" claims. As someone who claims that all other people that have seen the set are lying because they're opinion of the PQ differs from yours, you just make yourself sound like a hypocrite.

[Mavrick]

Originally Posted by punisher

all the more for getting the Toys r Us deal of 27.50..I know the packaging of the UK set is better than the US release in the complete saga..but any word on the packaging of the individual trilogy releases both here and Uk?

Pictures have been posted of the individual trilogies in the UK thread. Just a 3 disc amaray with a slip box. I don't think there will be any difrence with the US set.

[IndyMLVC]

Originally Posted by Reference_head

Are you a film maker? And if so what films have you made?

Does he have to be? His point is perfect.

Originally Posted by iamsometal

If your display wasn't professionally calibrated, don't claim you have a reference set up. THAT is BS. It may be reference to you, and that's fine, but don't claim reference to others when you've made it clear you've only tweaked the display yourself. What hardware/software did you use to calibrate the set yourself? CalMan? A Colorimeter?

Exactly. People spend several hundred dollars on having a set professionally calibrated.

Just because you threw a THX check disc in your blu-ray player doesn't mean it's calibrated. That's ridiculously sophomoric.

[robertc88]

Unless folks are being cautious as to store stock being exhausted on release day depending upon what time they can get to their local store, I see no advantage to ordering it from an online vendor and having to deal with shipping of which there isn't any guarantee of first day delivery that I know of if you want it that badly. It isn't like the price is any different anyway unless you have some sort of voucher, credit etc. etc. from your particular resource

Besides, you can do a store pickup preorder at places like best Buy as well. AND I get to talk to folks that are also buying it at the same time as me as well!

Professional reviews? Well you and I have disagreed somewhat on occasion with them. All that is going to matter is how you sees and hears them them in your theater with your equipment anyway!

[s2mikey]

Originally Posted by robertc88

Unless folks are being cautious as to store stock being exhausted on release day depending upon what time they can get to their local store, I see no advantage to ordering it from an online vendor and having to deal with shipping of which there isn't any guarantee of first day delivery if you want it that badly. It isn't like the price is any different anyway unless you have some sort of voucher, credit etc. etc. from your particular resource

Besides, you can do a store pickup preorder at places like best Buy as well. AND I get to talk to folks that are also buying it at the same time as me as well!

I agree - I was gonna do Amazon but my local BB seems to be a good choice so Im all over it.

[Merlinpants]

Originally Posted by iamsometal

I'm just saying you can't claim that your set up is "reference" when all you've done is use a THX Optimizer and your own eyes. For all i know your display could be completely off and be hiding some serious issues the discs have, or you could have gotten lucky and your display may look damn close to how it should. But if you haven't even had the greyscale corrected on your display (which 99.9% of displays need done) with the appropriate hardware/software, it's pretty hard to believe your "reference" claims. As someone who claims that all other people that have seen the set are lying because they're opinion of the PQ differs from yours, you just make yourself sound like a hypocrite.

I have claimed one person as BS because of the outlandish and blatantly false and baiting claims. Everyone else who has the discs like me do not state what that one person has said, in fact they have agreed with my assessment without going into the detail of why. Some even think TPM is outstanding (look at the aintitcool review) I think it is the worst of the set. Do some research before you make such unsubstantiated and sweeping and untrue statements to back up your already failing comment. The childishness of some people in here defies logic because they can hide behind their screen.

And seriously, grayscale is going to cause the whole thing to come crashing down. Argumentative post for arguments sake. My screen is the same as 99.9% of the population according to your post, so it would be reference for anyone viewing at home. Out.

[miniroll32]

My Amazon order has just been dispatched Tomorrow can't come sooner

[punisher]

Originally Posted by Mavrick

Pictures have been posted of the individual trilogies in the UK thread. Just a 3 disc amaray with a slip box. I don't think there will be any difrence with the US set.

thanks.................

[robertc88]

Originally Posted by miniroll32

My Amazon order has just been dispatched Tomorrow can't come sooner

Interesting. I really never knew Amazon shipped prior to one getting it before release day.

[aiman04]

I'm sorry but how can uncalibrated display gives good PQ, shouldn't it be the opposite? Isn't that the whole point of calibrating your display?

Correct me if I'm wrong, from what I understand uncalibrated display won't hide DNR or EE (making it more obvious more likely), but it can lose details. So when a person says the details are good, it can only get better after calibration, not worse, correct? Isn't that good news?

[DanzG]

I have the discs and I have spent hundreds of dollars properly calibrating my HDTV to exact specifications and I think the movies look stunning. I would have to give them 4.5 to all except for ROTS which I would give 5.0.

There, is that better?

[kingkong650]

Originally Posted by Merlinpants

It isn't, in fact you wouldn't know it existed apart from the lack of any visible grain.

Having seen all six, I would expect the ratings for PQ/AQ to be:

TPM - 4/5 - The picture is a bit soft especially in glaring sun of Tatooine
AOTC - 4.5/5
ROTS - 5/5
ANH - 4.5/5
TESB - 4.5/5
ROTJ - 4.5/5

Despite some idiotic comments from people that clearly have NOT seen this is motion or on a really poor setup, these are reference quality discs, especailly for the OT.

The films have had some colour correction, but only for the positive. The blockade runner scene at the beginning of ANH is white again, the snow on Hoth is white again. The 'waxy' TPM is bull. It looks fine, but as above, a little soft in places which knocks it down a bit.

I am no expert, so fully expect these comments to be torn apart by the anally retentive Star Wars fanatics for whom perfection is the only thing that will reddem this set, but I don't watch films frame by frame on pause. I watch them the way they were made as films. They look stunning.

The extras discs however are lacking, poor and not really fitting of a Star Wars set IMHO. A couple of the documentaries from the DVD's such as the beginning and Empire of dreams would have changed that. The OT and PT bonus discs are a novelty and no more. Once I had watched the deleted scenes (which I doubt I will do again for quite some time) the rest was puff and boring.

I´m sorry but i´m afraid your review doesn´t come across as objective at all. Reference quality discs, you´re having a laugh. Blu-rays that come to mind like the Avatar blu-ray or The Descent australian blu-ray are reference blu-rays IMHO. You clearly have a very different definition of ´reference´ to me and indeed many others here.

The OT is nice, a little better than the german hdtv steams I have, with finer grain and far less artifacts, but the difference between the two is subtle, not at all a night and day difference like you´ve suggested in some posts. After all, they both come from the same old 2004 lowry masters, so the only real difference is the bitrate, which is far higher on the blu-ray. Now if they had rescanned the films with modern equipment like they did with fotr ee blu-ray (which I would personally rate as 4.5/5 for picture quality, due to some inexplicably softer scenes from time to time throughout the film, otherwise it would be easily 5/5 for me), then we would be seeing something that would have a good chance of deserving to be called ´reference´.

As for The Phantom Menace, clearly you do not seem to be bothered by DNR turning everything into wax if you rate it 4/5, which is a high PQ rating as far as i´m concerned, with 5/5 meaning ´reference´ PQ, which of course very few blu-rays have. I assume you must have also thought that Patton and Predator ultimate edition looked great on your THX calibrated system as well.

If I had to rate the 4 films i´ve seen as far as PQ is concerned, I would rate them as follows:

OT:

Star Wars 4/5
Empire Strikes Back 4/5
Return of the Jedi 4/5 (would be 4.5/5 if not for a few scenes where the shots look out of focus)

PT:

The Phantom Menace 2/5 (there looks to have been very decent detail in the transfer but its all been turned to wax by the high level of DNR applied afterwards)

I´ll be back with ratings of the other two as soon as I get the chance to check them out.

[Colonel Kurtz]

Originally Posted by beckmen

Not like the DVDs had good artwork, though.

They sure didn't:

[Show spoiler]

[IndyMLVC]

Originally Posted by DanzG

I have the discs and I have spent hundreds of dollars properly calibrating my HDTV to exact specifications and I think the movies look stunning. I would have to give them 4.5 to all except for ROTS which I would give 5.0.

There, is that better?

Good. I'm glad certain people are enjoying them for what they are.

[DanzG]

Originally Posted by IndyMLVC

Good. I'm glad certain people are enjoying them for what they are.

Merlinpants enjoyed them for what they are and he was just giving his opinion about how he thought they looked. He even took the time to talk about the special features and give information about what was on the bonus disc and so on and he just got jumped on. He even said numerous times that he was no expert at reviewing movies and that it was just his opinion. I am just amazed how people can disrespect someone when they did nothing at all but tried to help other people who were not as lucky as to have the movies yet.