May the "force" be with you

[pixelthis]

Something fans of both Star wars and BLURAY have been waiting for.
Lucas has announced that every (all six) movies will be released in fall 11".
Probably cost an arm and two legs. The first three are going to be the redone
versions, Lucas still contending that the quality of the originals were just not good enough.
Dude, ever hear of seamless branching?
He said that they couldn't be released earlier because of too much in the pipeline, which
is what I can't understand. He can't sidetrack some of the lame stuff hes' working on, or
contract it out? This could be a HUGE release, one that could establish BLU once and for all.
So whats so important that it has to wait a year ???

[Tarheel_]

This guy is a marketing genius, but i'm not buying into his BS. I have a Laserdisc trilogy and the DVDs. I'm sticking with them. No more money Mr.Lucas..I love the LD copies by the way.

[bfalls]

I reconnected my laserdisc player last week. I didn't remember it had only composite and S-video. I put in the True Lies AC3 disc and couldn't believe how low-res it is. We've been spoiled.

I still have about 80 LDs including the Star Wars Ultimate Boxed Set with the book still intact and unopened. It originally retailed for $250, but I got it at a CBS warehouse sale for $30. I believe there are two CAV laserdiscs per movie.

[pixelthis]

I reconnected my laserdisc player last week. I didn't remember it had only composite and S-video. I put in the True Lies AC3 disc and couldn't believe how low-res it is. We've been spoiled.

I still have about 80 LDs including the Star Wars Ultimate Boxed Set with the book still intact and unopened. It originally retailed for $250, but I got it at a CBS warehouse sale for $30. I believe there are two CAV laserdiscs per movie.

Not spoiled, just shown whats possible. I put all of my beloved LD'S on the curb,
realizing that , as good as they were in the day, time has passed them by, kinda
like talkys CRT rig.
I watched THE island on DVD on my blu player Sunday, I realized that youi cant get any extra rez outta it, but with the BLU player it actually looked pretty good.
That 30 bucks for the ultimate box, BTW, was money flushed down the toilet.

[pixelthis]

This guy is a marketing genius, but i'm not buying into his BS. I have a Laserdisc trilogy and the DVDs. I'm sticking with them. No more money Mr.Lucas..I love the LD copies by the way.

Your loss, I can hardly stand to look at my DVD's anymore, even with a BLU player,
although some of the newer ones are okay(probably cleaner versions).
NOW, IF YOU ARE WATCHING on an obsolete CRT, a laser might be okay, my
friends and relatives used to ohh and ahh at the picture my LD produced.
BUT I have replaced all of the essentials(that I could find, anyway) with DVD , and am
about forty discs into a new BLU collection.
A decent LD might , with a HD sets upconversion, pass as a poor DVD, but no way will
it even get close to a BLU, not to mention that most are PRO logic.
TIME TO DRINK THE kOOLAID, GET INTO THE DELOREAN, and join the 21st century.

[pixelthis]

And old leadbutt is a marketing wizz, but this is different, I CAN'T WAIT until these iconic
pictures are available in HD, I could probably do without most, except for the best in
the lot...
THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK.
Lucas had two talking dog pictures, the above and American Graffiti.
I wonder if Body heat is out on BLU yet...

[pixelthis]

OH, and I saw the original STARWARS during a re-release, and Lucas is right about preferring the re-done versions.
I know thats sacrilege, but the originals are rather crude, like Smokey and the Bandit
in Space, or an old episode of STAR TREK.

[PeruvianSkies]

This guy is a marketing genius, but i'm not buying into his BS. I have a Laserdisc trilogy and the DVDs. I'm sticking with them. No more money Mr.Lucas..I love the LD copies by the way.

ME TOO! I will not part with my oversized DVD's... haha!

[Woochifer]

I'm gonna be very wary of giving any more money to Lucas for yet another rehash of the Star Wars trilogy. The 2004 DVD release featured a monumental screw-up in the audio track for Star Wars where the music soundtrack in the surround channels got reversed. When this was pointed out on several online forums, Lucasfilm made the pathetic claim that flipping the audio tracks was an "artistic" decision. Well, if reversing the music in the surround channels is so artistic, why didn't Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi use the same artistic approach?

Lucasfilm basically f'ed up and never admitted to it or attempted to make things right. Not even the major studios are as greedy as Lucas has shown. When they screw up a disc release, more often than not they will correct it and implement some kind of trade in program, even for technical issues not nearly as obvious as the very audible problem with Star Wars.

When the Back to the Future trilogy was incorrectly framed to a 1.85:1 aspect ratio on two of the discs, Universal corrected the issue and had a trade in program. When the 14-disc Superman boxed set had problems with two of the discs (one of them omitted the 2.0 theatrical soundtrack, and the other one incorrectly labeled the disc as the new DVD version), Warner corrected the problem and implemented a trade-in program. Sony and Dreamworks similarly corrected problems with the BD releases for The Fifth Element and Gladiator, and let consumers trade in their old discs for the improved versions.

[PeruvianSkies]

I would much rather see THX-1138 arrive on Blu-ray, which is suppose to arrive in September....so....I'll be curious to see how the treatment is on that fine work of art, it's a far superior film than anything else Lucas ever touched and is one of the most redeeming things about him as a filmmaker.

[GMichael]

ME TOO! I will not part with my oversized DVD's... haha!

Are your DVD's swollen?

[pixelthis]

Are your DVD's swollen?

No, thats talkys head.
This chap thinks that laser is "oversized" DVD's, not realizing that DVD stands for "digital versatile disc", a digital disc, while laser is analog. BIG DIFF.
And if this was a typical Lucas con, then sure, don't go for it, but this is a real
upgrade, to BLU disc. I think thats huge.
These films need to be in the best format possible, these are must buy for the serious collector.

[pixelthis]

I would much rather see THX-1138 arrive on Blu-ray, which is suppose to arrive in September....so....I'll be curious to see how the treatment is on that fine work of art, it's a far superior film than anything else Lucas ever touched and is one of the most redeeming things about him as a filmmaker.

You're kidding, right? This film is not much of a step up from the college project its based on,
and 99% is a white background.

[GMichael]

No, thats talkys head.
This chap thinks that laser is "oversized" DVD's, not realizing that DVD stands for "digital versatile disc", a digital disc, while laser is analog. BIG DIFF.
And if this was a typical Lucas con, then sure, don't go for it, but this is a real
upgrade, to BLU disc. I think thats huge.
These films need to be in the best format possible, these are must buy for the serious collector.

I'm betting that he knows what a DVD and a laser disc are. He's just very sarcastic. Much like you. Maybe that's why you guys don't see eye to eye.

As far as the BR of Star Wars, I've already seen them all. They were all on HDNET over the weekend, again. I've had the DVD's. Seen them in the movies. Seen them on TV. Upgraded to this and upgraded to that. Bring on a new movie already. Enough with selling and reselling the same movies over and over again.

[PeruvianSkies]

No, thats talkys head.
This chap thinks that laser is "oversized" DVD's, not realizing that DVD stands for "digital versatile disc", a digital disc, while laser is analog. BIG DIFF.
And if this was a typical Lucas con, then sure, don't go for it, but this is a real
upgrade, to BLU disc. I think thats huge.
These films need to be in the best format possible, these are must buy for the serious collector.

I am glad u mention the white background.....only took 30 years for the rest of the world to catch up.....apple commercials etc.....the influence of this film goes beyond that though....moreso with human emotion....the island and other inferior films have tried to emulate.....

If you really think this film is a student piece you are sadly unaware of what it takes to make a film.

[pixelthis]

I am glad u mention the white background.....only took 30 years for the rest of the world to catch up.....apple commercials etc.....the influence of this film goes beyond that though....moreso with human emotion....the island and other inferior films have tried to emulate.....

If you really think this film is a student piece you are sadly unaware of what it takes to make a film.

And you are not paying attention to what I am saying.
Funny that you love this film and yet don't know that its based on a much cruder student
project done when LUCAS was in school. That is what I WAS REFERRING TO.
And like a lot of Lucas stuff, this is derivative of other stuff, mainly a lot of Utopian
movies like logans run that were out at the time, masquerading as sci fi.
Is it a good film? Yes, but a bit dated, and there is a lot that is better.
Huxley did it better.

[PeruvianSkies]

And you are not paying attention to what I am saying.
Funny that you love this film and yet don't know that its based on a much cruder student
project done when LUCAS was in school. That is what I WAS REFERRING TO.
And like a lot of Lucas stuff, this is derivative of other stuff, mainly a lot of Utopian
movies like logans run that were out at the time, masquerading as sci fi.
Is it a good film? Yes, but a bit dated, and there is a lot that is better.
Huxley did it better.

Yeah, it was his earlier story that he expanded for a feature-length film, it cost $777,777 to make, which was incredibly low even in 1970, especially for the result. However, even though it was an earlier student film that was expanded for a feature length film, that does not mean they are identical. This film is the real deal, it's far more polished than his previous effort and with more production value, it's amazing that this film alone shows what an auteur Lucas was, even right out of the gate.

LOGAN'S RUN came out 5 years later, they are nothing alike.

If anything, his inspiration was more on target with 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY, which pioneered space films altogether. While they had been made before and space was often seen, it was never seen like this. Especially considering we had not even landed on the moon when the film was started. The "look" of the spacecrafts and space/planets etc were highly influential, even on STAR WARS, which is evident in the designs. However, Kubrick knew that his work was something special, so much so that he destroyed all the models from the film knowing that people would be copying the from the master.

My point about THX-1138 though is that I am anxious to see that film on Blu-ray, even more than the STAR WARS trilogy.

The 5.1 mix on the Special Edition DVD was pretty good, but a DTS-HD mix will be wonderful, especially on a film that utilized great sound design, despite the primitive technology in that time and with a limited budget.

Going back to the Laserdisc discussion.....

Yes, I am well aware that there is a huge difference between DVD and LD, I was making a jest when I called the LD an oversize DVD, I guess humor goes over your head here.

What I loved about the STAR WARS LD's is that the sound is thicker, much like the 70mm blow-up prints of the film that sound fuller and richer. Quite honestly, the sound on the LD's is more genuine sounding than the botched up DVD release, which has already been discussed here. This is why myself and others will still hang onto our beloved Lasers, even though obsolete so many of them, there are still some that have yet to be replicated on any format....

TAXI DRIVER - rare commentary

ABYSS - better sound than the DVD.

DTS editions of BLADE, BOOGIE NIGHTS, THE FRIGHTENERS, FROM DUSK TIL DAWN, GREAT EXPECTATIONS, PINK FLOYD THE WALL, ROB ROY, VERTIGO, and many others never released on DVD that way.

[pixelthis]

[QUOTE=PeruvianSkies]Yeah, it was his earlier story that he expanded for a feature-length film, it cost $777,777 to make, which was incredibly low even in 1970, especially for the result. However, even though it was an earlier student film that was expanded for a feature length film, that does not mean they are identical. This film is the real deal, it's far more polished than his previous effort and with more production value, it's amazing that this film alone shows what an auteur Lucas was, even right out of the gate.

If anything, his inspiration was more on target with 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY, which pioneered space films altogether. While they had been made before and space was often seen, it was never seen like this. Especially considering we had not even landed on the moon when the film was started. The "look" of the spacecrafts and space/planets etc were highly influential, even on STAR WARS, which is evident in the designs. However, Kubrick knew that his work was something special, so much so that he destroyed all the models from the film knowing that people would be copying the from the master.

2001 was an iconic film that had nothing to do with THX, which was more utopian than sci fi

My point about THX-1138 though is that I am anxious to see that film on Blu-ray, even more than the STAR WARS trilogy.

GOOD FOR YOU


Going back to the Laserdisc discussion.....

Yes, I am well aware that there is a huge difference between DVD and LD, I was making a jest when I called the LD an oversize DVD, I guess humor goes over your head here.

Not really, it just wasn't that funny. However it was misleading to those who don't
understand the difference between the two. AND QUITE A FEW DON'T.
An unfunny and misleading statement

What I loved about the STAR WARS LD's is that the sound is thicker, much like the 70mm blow-up prints of the film that sound fuller and richer. Quite honestly, the sound on the LD's is more genuine sounding than the botched up DVD release, which has already been discussed here. This is why myself and others will still hang onto our beloved Lasers, even though obsolete so many of them, there are still some that have yet to be replicated on any format....

So you would watch a limited picture just to get "better" sound, which can't really match a DVD? Odd choice.

TAXI DRIVER - rare commentary

And inferior pic
ABYSS - better sound than the DVD.
IF YOU HAVE THE RIGHT laser player, which you cant find anymore, hardly.
When there arent any more, then you can toss them

DTS editions of BLADE, BOOGIE NIGHTS, THE FRIGHTENERS, FROM DUSK TIL DAWN, GREAT EXPECTATIONS, PINK FLOYD THE WALL, ROB ROY, VERTIGO, and many others never released on DVD that way.

WHO CARES?
You need an obsolete player, a flipper if you can find it, the pic will be inferiour,
And BLU editions with much better pic and sound are already out, or will be out.
You need to get with sir talky, between his CRT rig and your obsolete Laserdisc,
you both are keeping the 1980's alive.

[PeruvianSkies]

I guess I have to spell everything out around here for those who lack the ability to understand humor or film or just about anything related to this hobby....

I am a film lover, a film fanatic....I don't care if LD is obsolete or DVD or whatever, I love the films and want the best version of that available, but I also collect, which means I have no problem owning various versions of ...oh let's say BLADE RUNNER, which I have owned on every version available, including the Japanese LD, the Criterion version, the horrible DVD version, and of course the special edition Blu-ray with briefcase.

For people who are passionate about movies, they don't care about "newest" all the time. While I would certainly love every film that I love to be available with the best picture and sound, that is not always possible. It's no different than people who collect classic cars....obviously some of them don't have the latest and greatest gadgets like AC or auto windows, but that's not the point of them collecting the item.

It's not about living in the past, it's about appreciating the past and learning from it in order to get somewhere in the future.

I could care less if you understand my little "oversized DVD" joke, it obviously went over your head and no one else on here really thought that I didn't know the difference between the two, this thread is not about Laserdisc or DVD, if people really want to know more about those formats, it's certainly something they can Google, you are the only person who had a problem with it, get over it and yourself.

This site has become absolutely un-fun in just about all capacities as you can't even make a simple comment anymore without it becoming an argument of incredibly blown-out-of-proportion sizes. No wonder people rarely post.

[Sir Terrence the Terrible]

This site is not that bad. It is just that folks here are educated enough that you just cannot say anything and get away with it. You got to know your stuff, or you will get checked. Nothing wrong with that, it keeps the integrity of the site intact, and keeps the misinformation to a minimum.

[PeruvianSkies]

This site is not that bad. It is just that folks here are educated enough that you just cannot say anything and get away with it. You got to know your stuff, or you will get checked. Nothing wrong with that, it keeps the integrity of the site intact, and keeps the misinformation to a minimum.

I'll remind you of that often then....

[bfalls]

This guy is a marketing genius, but i'm not buying into his BS. I have a Laserdisc trilogy and the DVDs. I'm sticking with them. No more money Mr.Lucas..I love the LD copies by the way.

I purchased an upopened box set of the three originals laserdiscs at a CBS warehouse sale for $30. It's six CAV discs with booklet. Anyone have additional information on this set?

I fired up the Pioneer CLV-700 combo-player with Yamaha ADP-1 AC3 converter and viewed True Lies. I had forgotten it had only composite and S-video video outputs. As stated earlier, the sound is great, but the video leaves a lot to be desired. We've been spoiled.

I doubt I'd buy the Blu-ray versions, but Christmas is coming up. My son enjoys buying Blu-ray sets for his mother and I. The last being the Bourne Trilogy. He was a big "Empire Strikes Back" fan growing up, so I expect we'll have the Blu-rays sooner or later.

[Sir Terrence the Terrible]

I'll remind you of that often then....

I bet you will try

[pixelthis]

I guess I have to spell everything out around here for those who lack the ability to understand humor or film or just about anything related to this hobby....

I am a film lover, a film fanatic....I don't care if LD is obsolete or DVD or whatever, I love the films and want the best version of that available, but I also collect, which means I have no problem owning various versions of ...oh let's say BLADE RUNNER, which I have owned on every version available, including the Japanese LD, the Criterion version, the horrible DVD version, and of course the special edition Blu-ray with briefcase.

For people who are passionate about movies, they don't care about "newest" all the time. While I would certainly love every film that I love to be available with the best picture and sound, that is not always possible. It's no different than people who collect classic cars....obviously some of them don't have the latest and greatest gadgets like AC or auto windows, but that's not the point of them collecting the item.

It's not about living in the past, it's about appreciating the past and learning from it in order to get somewhere in the future.

I could care less if you understand my little "oversized DVD" joke, it obviously went over your head and no one else on here really thought that I didn't know the difference between the two, this thread is not about Laserdisc or DVD, if people really want to know more about those formats, it's certainly something they can Google, you are the only person who had a problem with it, get over it and yourself.

This site has become absolutely un-fun in just about all capacities as you can't even make a simple comment anymore without it becoming an argument of incredibly blown-out-of-proportion sizes. No wonder people rarely post.

What a delicate flower.
To some, picture is more important, to some, sound, and of course we will all watch our favorite if not given the choice, in less than prime condition.
But there are trade offs to anything, and you stated something that was, IMHO, silly,
mainly that you would watch an inferior picture for a slightly better sound, never mind that
any DVD could beat that sound.
I JUST CAN'T beleive that anybody is even questioning the obsolescence of LD.
You got some old kit? Fine, just remember that watching it is time you don't get back,
is all I am saying.
Any fan that knows a BLU version of their film is coming out should not watch it until it
does, so that they can see it in all of its glory, some things are worth waiting for.
So they screwed up the DVD?

WHO CARES?

Give the BLU a chance, no way that DVD can match it, and LD is stone knives and bearskins in comparsion.
And if you don't want criticism, don't post, or offer an opinion, especially an idiotic one.
You're like the MONKS who walked down the road self flagellating themselves.
HT is supposed to be fun, don't you know?

[PeruvianSkies]

What a delicate flower.
To some, picture is more important, to some, sound, and of course we will all watch our favorite if not given the choice, in less than prime condition.
But there are trade offs to anything, and you stated something that was, IMHO, silly,
mainly that you would watch an inferior picture for a slightly better sound, never mind that
any DVD could beat that sound.
I JUST CAN'T beleive that anybody is even questioning the obsolescence of LD.
You got some old kit? Fine, just remember that watching it is time you don't get back,
is all I am saying.
Any fan that knows a BLU version of their film is coming out should not watch it until it
does, so that they can see it in all of its glory, some things are worth waiting for.
So they screwed up the DVD?

WHO CARES?

Give the BLU a chance, no way that DVD can match it, and LD is stone knives and bearskins in comparsion.
And if you don't want criticism, don't post, or offer an opinion, especially an idiotic one.
You're like the MONKS who walked down the road self flagellating themselves.
HT is supposed to be fun, don't you know?

The ONLY reason that Laserdisc (I'll be even more clear and say "12 Laserdisc, so people don't confuse that with the other sizes), is because STAR WARS, along with a few other great films, was one of the titles that had a great "12 Laserdisc history and was one of the titles that fans and collectors still sought after due to the fact that the DVD was botched by many standards. There are still other titles out there that have yet to be released on DVD in superior picture/sound than the Laserdisc, which is why collectors were/are still paying top dollar online to get these discs.

Obviously LD is out-dated in many respects, especially since the picture resolution cannot compete with Blu-ray, but DVD was often recylced from the LD issue on many early DVD releases. Often though, the rights that companies like Pioneer had on Laserdisc (such as Madonna) were exclusive and have yet to be released on DVD various concerts.

Of course sound matters just as much as picture, LD was full-bit rate DTS, whereas most DVD's were half-bit rate and that is why many of the DTS Lasers are still as popular as ever.

It is only now that we are getting Blu-ray releases of various films with DTS offerings that beat out the LD's. A great example is the recent Blu-ray release of TOY STORY, which finally gives the film that DTS punch that the Laserdisc had..... of course the LD was available for 13 years until something came along that could beat it.

Has anyone heard whether the Blu-ray issues of the STAR WARS trilogy will be the 1997 versions or not???