Star Wars, Indiana Jones

[mjhansen]

Originally Posted by GoldenRedux

I agree with that completely. Personally, I don't understand the whole point of backing a format exclusively and then holding back all of the top drawer titles - it makes no sense.

There are those that would argue that the studios don't want to release their big titles like Star Wars and The Matrix when the market is so small, but what is the point in waiting? 'If you build it, they will come', if you ask me. Having an exclusive like the original Star Wars Trilogy on BD stacked on the shelves right next to the PS3 and the stand-alone BD players is how you build the market, IMO, not sitting around with your hands under your butts waiting until just the right moment to maybe possibly release the big titles.

The main thing to remember is that TCFHE does not control when Star Wars gets released on DVD / Blu-Ray / HD-DVD. George does. I'm sure TCFHE would love to release these in Blu-Ray to tip the scales.

But, look how long he waited to put out the original trilogy films out on regular DVD. They are waiting for the 'perfect' moment when the market has enough penetration to support a big release and all that goes with it.

Yes, there is going to be a 30th anniversary box set coming out in a couple of months, but it will be on regular DVD.

Yes, Hi-Def masters do exist as they were created when the films were restored for the anniversary editions and were most recently viewed on Cinemax.

No, they won't release them even though this could 'tip the balance' of the war in favor of Blu-Ray. With all the info coming up on players that do both and with the HD-DVD market getting larger, why would you eliminate that market. As George has proven time and time again - why sell it once when you can sell it more than once.

My guess - The 30th anniversary box set will come out on regular DVD. The Blu-Ray and HD-DVD versions will be out in 2010 for the 30th anniversary of Empire. Now if all the other Star Wars merchandise stops selling, he may be forced to do it sooner to get money, but that is unlikely to happen.

MJH

[DavePS3]

Sounds like the war may be over anyway... LG just announced their dual format player - others will follow but even if they don't, Warners announced "Total HD" which will make this new format disc playable on either system. Question is... will either of these ideas do proper justice to both formats or will it be like Pioneer's Laserdisc/DVD combo players that made both look like crap?

[Iceman_II]

Originally Posted by DavePS3

Sounds like the war may be over anyway... LG just announced their dual format player - others will follow but even if they don't, Warners announced "Total HD" which will make this new format disc playable on either system. Question is... will either of these ideas do proper justice to both formats or will it be like Pioneer's Laserdisc/DVD combo players that made both look like crap?

Don't know if the compatability will make it look like crap, but I can almost guarantee that studio cheapness will... could you imagine the studios spending the dollars or the time to encode it twice? I can't.

This will effectively limit the size to 25gig for everything. if you are doing both formats, doesn't make sense to encode to anything more than 30, and if you are already limited to 30, why not take it down another 5 to a max of 25 gig, this lets you press only a single sided BD and shave costs even more... I believe that "Total HD" can only bring BOTH formats down to the least common denominator, which is good for neither.

Just my $.02

[Blubaru]

I'm almost certain that the LG player will make Blu-ray look good and HD-DVD look like the complete piece of crap that it is. Warners disk will do nothing considering that they already release on both formats.

[Typhon]

i really dont care what side george chooses..id just nut my pants to see my Star Wars movies in 1080 !!..but i do agree if that they do come out on Blu-Ray..this so called "war" will be at an end..StaR Wars on Dual formats would be killer..so no HD dvd player and Blu-Ray consumer would dissapointed !!...

[JohnnyBluRay]

Im a big Star Wars fan and collector. With SW, that got me into home theater and fan of movie soundtracks. Lucas always put Star Wars out on the latest technological hardware. With the 30th anniv this year, he could surprise us with a plain ol movie only set. But we just have to wait and see. Here's hopin.

[Chad Varnadore]

As has already been said, Lucas has complete control of these films. Fox doesn't have any say at all in them. They don't even handle the discs, they just distribute. In fact we were unable to get screeners of the DVDs from Fox. All screeners came from Lucas Films. That said, while anything's possible, I wouldn't count on SW coming to high def this year. Lucas passed DVD by for the 25th Anniversary too. It's about market demand. Sadly, demand won't be there for high def for at least a couple years, maybe longer depending on consumer hesitation because of the war. But, even if BD had already won, we still probably couldn't expect a release this year, as Lucas will want to wait until the format matures a little more, avoid quality issues like those seen in the Phantom Menace DVD, and maximize what the format can do, so the discs don't become outdated too fast, or look or sound inferior to what can be done as these processes and new codecs are refined more. Not to mention, waiting on hardware to mature further and confidence that most homes have next gen hardware.

[dobyblue]

http://videoeta.com/news/2226

You own the Star Wars Trilogy on DVD. You may even own the unaltered version of Star Wars released last year. Now it seems George Lucas has yet another DVD edition of Star Wars on which to spend your hard-earned money.

ComingSoon.net cites an AP report on toymaker Hasbro's earnings for the new DVD rumor. Hasbro, the people who produce the Star Wars toys, expects demand for action figures to remain high "with Lucas planning a video release for this year's 30th anniversary."

(The article also mentions next year's Star Wars animated TV series and the live-action series in 2009 as potential drivers of toy sales.)

This year does mark the anniversary of the first Star Wars film released in 1977. Many toys, books, and other Star Wars-related projects have already been announced to honor the 30 year mark.

The vague mention of a "video release" sparks many rumors. For instance, could this mean a high definition release on Blu-ray Disc? Lucasfilm's distributor Twentieth Century Fox is a backer of this new format.

If this Star Wars on Blu-ray rumor is true it would mark an enormous victory for the format over bitter rival HD-DVD. Not only would it drive toy sales but it would drive many consumers to finally buy one of the expensive Blu-ray players.

[JTK]

I'm having heart palpations seeing that picture.

Regardless of anything else: If Star Wars shows up on Blu-Ray at any time...the format war immediately ends at that instant.

That's the kind of titles those are - especially the Original Trilogy.

[Amon37]

Originally Posted by JTK

I'm having heart palpations seeing that picture.

Agreed. Makes me gidddy like a schoolgirl.

[BLu-Balls]

I can feel my light sabre erecting from the handle

[Knight-Errant]

"Ah! Blu-ray! Powerful format that is...hmmm powerful format...hmmm"

[josh1233]

I can't understand, as others have said, why the exclusive BD studios don't release there catalog of "big hitters". If FOX released Star Wars and James Bond (I think they do the MGM catalog releases) do you know how much hardware would be sold. I'm perplexed and frustrated with all of this.

[JohnnyBluRay]

Dont worry. We'll hear word on the Star Wars franchise and the James bond franchise soon for blu ray. Lucas will be in Los Angeles in a few weeks for a show called An evening with George Lucas. I think it will be at the TV and film museum (not sure) I will email some friends who are going to ask him question regarding the HD formats and if/when it will be realeased. Ok?


Update: Its at the Museum of television and Radio. March 1st. Link.
http://www.mtr.org/festivals/paleyfe...dex.htm#glucas

[JTK]

Originally Posted by JohnnyBluRay

Dont worry. We'll hear word on the Star Wars franchise and the James bond franchise soon for blu ray. Lucas will be in Los Angeles in a few weeks for a show called An evening with George Lucas. I think it will be at the TV and film museum (not sure) I will email some friends who are going to ask him question regarding the HD formats and if/when it will be realeased. Ok?


Update: Its at the Museum of television and Radio. March 1st. Link.
http://www.mtr.org/festivals/paleyfe...dex.htm#glucas

I certainly won't get ahead of myself on this, but indulge yourselves for a moment by imagining what it would be like if a certain announcement was made at this show.

...

That's a pretty good feeling isn't it?

[Knight-Errant]

Originally Posted by JTK

I certainly won't get ahead of myself on this, but indulge yourselves for a moment by imagining what it would be like if a certain announcement was made at this show.

...

That's a pretty good feeling isn't it?

We're in the position right now of not being able to rule out something like that for sure

[JohnnyBluRay]

My prediction is maybe a hint on March 1st. If not either Celebration IV in los angeles May 25th . If not then definitely at the San Diego Comic Convention during the Star Wars Day which is always on Fri.

[Knight-Errant]

Yeah have to listen out for hints. Star Wars HD is likely being worked on right now behind closed doors and announcements tend to be made when they're good and ready.

I've learned to be patient as generally the surprises are worth waiting for

[Guinness7]

Originally Posted by Knight-Errant

Yeah have to listen out for hints. Star Wars HD is likely being worked on right now behind closed doors and announcements tend to be made when they're good and ready.

I've learned to be patient as generally the surprises are worth waiting for

You are probably right that they are working on it so that when they are ready they can get it out there.

[MFS3Kiryu]

JTK is right, the power of Star Wars is not to be underestimated. Forget ending the HD-DVD/Blu-Ray Format war. George could release these movies on their own format, wrapped in a paperbag, with it's own player, and it would sell.

So yeah, Star Wars on Blu-Ray is the best thing that could happen, as we automatically gain the entire Star Wars fanbase, be they committed to HD-DVD or not hooked up to HDTV.

Star Wars = Win.

That is all.