Star Wars Original Trilogy: Which Set to Buy?

[blu-ray_girl_fan]

Originally Posted by Black Orange

@geomon

Thanks, and the link I refer to above is the correct and very best DVD box set version available for the unaltereds?

http://www.thedigitalbits.com/site_a...1406.html#star

http://www.amazon.com/Star-Wars-Two-...ords=star+wars

http://www.amazon.com/Star-Wars-Epis...ords=star+wars

http://www.amazon.com/Star-Wars-Vers...ords=star+wars

The original versions are presented in non-anamorphic widescreen, so you're going to get black bars on all four sides of the image (not just the top and bottom but also the left and right).

[Last Starfighter]

Originally Posted by blu-ray_girl_fan

The original versions are presented in non-anamorphic widescreen, so you're going to get black bars on all four sides of the image (not just the top and bottom but also the left and right).

Sorry BGF, but i just popped in Return of the Jedi into my BD player and mine doesn't have black bars on the sides, just the top/bottom. Are you sure you had your tv/bd player on the right settings?

@BlackOrange
I own all three of these 2disc "limited edition" versions of the old trilogy and they look fine to me when i have them upconverted on my Panny. And yah, i would choose these over the LD just because it's got nice art on the actual Discs AND a decent enough menu/title screen (considering George didn't want any effort put into this release). If i remember right, you don't get any of that on the LDs. Not to mention the LDs are going to cost alot more then the DVDs.

It's good to see the original Sy Snootles scene...I always cringe when i see the new CG one from Special Edition..

[Spooked]

I'm going to chime in and vote for the 3-disc DVD set you linked to in your initial post. I picked mine up at Costco years ago when they first came out, (passed entirely on Episodes I, II, and III) and have never thought twice about buying another version.

I'm actually not a huge Star Wars fan (these DVD's and a LEGO book are all I own relating to the 'verse) but I can't stand the idea of history being modified and permanently altered - creator's decision or not. I like my memories of the films they way they were, thank you.

[Black Orange]

@Last Starfighter

Yup, I already ordered these versions thanks to @blu-ray_girl_fan sincere attempt to give me the best recommendation. I'll let you know how the quality is for me on my Blu-ray/HDTV setup (I'll probably stretch to fill the screen too) as soon as I get them. Considering the previous versions I watched were VHS, I suspect I'll be happy enough with them.

@Spooked

I feel pretty much the same, I just care about this trilogy and not the others or toys or video games etc.

I get the feeling that they're the exact same DVDs, just that the 2-disc limited editions are recommended because you can find them cheaper.

I also found the CGI in E.T. cringe-worthy. But see, here they respectfully released both the original and updated version properly on Blu-ray.

For new fans that never saw the originals, fine I get it, they can see the new versions and that'll probably suit their CGI-filled minds just fine, but for the rest of us that remember the days of practical, in-camera effects (and loved them) it's a total dismissal and slap in the face to us.

Thanks

[Black Orange]

Got my copies today (of the 2-disc limited edition versions) and the picture and sound is just fine, it's not great, no, but I have many obscure titles in my collection with worse picture and sound that I can still enjoy, so I'll manage here.

And of course, probably like everyone else here, if they ever release proper Blu-ray versions I'll certainly be all over it.

By the way, I think I solved the black bars on all sides mystery. It's not an issue with the TV settings at all, it appears to be an innate problem with the DVD transfer itself.

It's some weird aspect ratio between 4:3 and 16:9, so basically what's happening is a widescreen (rectangle) format is being put in a boxed (square) ratio and the top and bottom bars are actually in the images.

Then when being scaled to your TV (similar to old TV show ratios), the top and bottom are meeting the edge of the screen before the sides do, so you're getting the left and right bars from the background area of the TV screen.

For me (and I'd assume most modern TVs have a similar option), it's as simple as switching the aspect ratio to "Cinema Zoom" and then zooming in all the way (16X) and this runs the black bars off the screen enough to allow the left and right sides to meet the edges of the screen making for an almost perfect, 16:9 widescreen experience.

[AmishParadise]

The below is a good read for those that haven't checked it out per the original versions of these films which are in non-anamorphic widescreen. It's truly sad they were never released in anamorphic widescreen.

The Ultimate Guide to Anamorphic Widescreen

[Spooked]

Glad you were able to add these to your collection. The picture isn't the greatest compared to a lot of what we see anymore, but considering a lot of us grew up with them on TV and VHS, they're pretty good. (And the only way we'll ever see them anymore unless Disney/Lucasfilm decide to go back and try to re-splice the negatives...) Heck, at this point it'd probably be easier to re-convert them digitally, though there'd definitely be some irony there, lol.)

[Black Orange]

Yeah, I'm pretty excited... this is super nostalgic for me as it's been what, 18 years since I've seen the originals? I'll need to put a day aside to watch them all together.

And for those that simply cannot understand and keep thinking "There are beautiful Blu-ray releases available, you guys are being silly, get over it..." it really is a big deal.

To us, it's as bad as watching a movie we love, but every so often a clown jumps on screen, talks directly to the camera, and laughs hysterically throwing pies in everyone's face. It's very distracting and takes you out of the movie.

Thanks for everyone's help and fingers crossed that someone at Disney's legal department works some magic over the coming years.

[L.J.]

You may want to see what editions they release for part 7.

[Jameron4eva]

Originally Posted by Black Orange

Got my copies today (of the 2-disc limited edition versions) and the picture and sound is just fine, it's not great, no, but I have many obscure titles in my collection with worse picture and sound that I can still enjoy, so I'll manage here.

And of course, probably like everyone else here, if they ever release proper Blu-ray versions I'll certainly be all over it.

By the way, I think I solved the black bars on all sides mystery. It's not an issue with the TV settings at all, it appears to be an innate problem with the DVD transfer itself.

It's some weird aspect ratio between 4:3 and 16:9, so basically what's happening is a widescreen (rectangle) format is being put in a boxed (square) ratio and the top and bottom bars are actually in the images.

Then when being scaled to your TV (similar to old TV show ratios), the top and bottom are meeting the edge of the screen before the sides do, so you're getting the left and right bars from the background area of the TV screen.

For me (and I'd assume most modern TVs have a similar option), it's as simple as switching the aspect ratio to "Cinema Zoom" and then zooming in all the way (16X) and this runs the black bars off the screen enough to allow the left and right sides to meet the edges of the screen making for an almost perfect, 16:9 widescreen experience.

Letter-boxing, it was a early-late 90's way of getting a widescreen (not necessarily 16x9 as that hadn't been adopted) format to fit itself into a 4:3 (or normal) screen. Displayed correctly on a modern TV, it should fit in the middle, with black bars top, botte, left, and right. I believe this was done to the print itself as well, which is why it doesn't extend, again fit widescreen into a 4:3 box. It served it's job in the 90's, but anamorphic widescreen soon came out in the late 90's-early 2000's, it's widescreen on a 4:3, AND on a modern HDTV.

[rexcrk]

You know what’s funny about the letterboxing on these, I got those limited edition sets when they first came out, and I still had a standard def 4:3 TV back then, so I didn’t have any issues with picture quality or anything. I thought they looked great! I used to think “it’s the original trilogy on an official DVD in widescreen... why are people complaining?”

Then I got an HDTV and was like “...ohhh” lol.

[chip75]

Originally Posted by Last Starfighter

Sorry BGF, but i just popped in Return of the Jedi into my BD player and mine doesn't have black bars on the sides, just the top/bottom. Are you sure you had your tv/bd player on the right settings?

I think you've got your player on the wrong settings! The only way you don't get pillar-boxing (and letter-boxing) with those non-anamorphic DVDs is if you have your player stretch 4:3 material. It's usually something like Original or Wide in your player settings.

Unless you've zoomed in a bit more with your TV settings you'll have some serious letter-boxing going on!