Star Wars coming to Blu-ray next year

[DigiFluid]

...but only the Special Editions. Guess I'm stuck with DVD =\


http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/20...ray-next-year/

‘Star Wars’ Films Coming to Blu-ray Next Year
Though nearly 35 years of “Star Wars” fandom have yielded all kinds of memorabilia inspired by George Lucas’s outer-space epic, including light saber lookalikes and wearable replicas of Princess Leia’s slave costume, one holy grail has lately eluded fans: a video version of the “Star Wars” films that takes the fullest advantage of their top-of-the-line home theater systems.

That’s a Death Star-sized void that Lucasfilm plans to fill shortly. On Saturday, the studio is to announce that it will release all six live-action “Star Wars” features on Blu-ray DVD in fall 2011. A boxed set containing the Blu-ray versions of the movies, spanning from 1977’s “Star Wars” through the final 2005 prequel, “Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith,” will mark the first time the films have been offered in a high-definition home format, and will include documentary features and previously unseen footage.

...

Mr. Lucas said the versions of the first three “Star Wars” films – “Star Wars,” “The Empire Strikes Back” and “Return of the Jedi” – included in the Blu-ray boxed set will be the special-edition releases that were shown theatrically in 1997 and digitally restored for a 2004 standard-definition DVD boxed set.

Perhaps bracing for the reactions of fans who decried some of the changes made to the special-edition films – like, say, an exchange of gunfire between Han Solo and a certain green-skinned bounty hunter – Mr. Lucas said that to release the original versions of these films on Blu-ray was “kind of an oxymoron because the quality of the original is not very good.”

“You have to go through and do a whole restoration on it, and you have to do that digitally,” he added. “It’s a very, very expensive process to do it. So when we did the transfer to digital, we only transferred really the upgraded version.”

Very very expensive process? I'm sure Mr. Lucas said this from the solid-gold office chair that Star Wars revenue paid for =\

[SaberBlade]

The only thing expensive would be the amount of re-edited, new material and special effects he'd want to add to the original three movies. The Star Wars movies have already been aired on HDTV without any issues to the quality so he's just blowing smoke up fan's asses. It will end up being an excuse to charge extra money, even more so if they do a Blu-Ray release and "forget" to add the original versions.

[DigiFluid]

Yeah. I'm quite disappointed at that.

In related news, here's one of the deleted scenes that'll supposedly be appearing on the ROTJ Blu-ray release, following its debut at Celebration V: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UdJ0E7HbTKc

[SaberBlade]

You sure it's a deleted scene? I wouldn't be surprised if it was something a few weeks before Celebration V. I don't ever remember Mark Hamill having such a distinctive asschin. That's where the "expensive process" is happening, filming new stuff. It's all going to James Earl Jones to redo Vader (he's totally worth it though).

[DigiFluid]

Heh I'm pretty sure I remember Mark Hamill having an epic chinass. But I did question the scene a little bit; the red elevator lights are the same as in the Imperial landing pad in Jedi, and Vader's meditation 'pod' could've just been recycled or unused footage from Empire.

Even if either of those are the case, it's an interesting curiosity.

[SaberBlade]

His asschin was never like that. I could park a bike between it. Another thing that peaked my curiosity about it being "deleted" is how Luke's face is completely blacked even with the lightsaber activated.

We need to get Mark Hamill to confirm if a scene like that was ever filmed with him, or as part of the original film with a double because it doesn't seem right. As for the elevator, it reminds me of the Death Star (namely in the Emperor's throne) while the white hallway screams Tantive, perhaps a redress of the set from Episode III. I wouldn't be surprised at all if it was Hayden in the suit.

[Shan Bruce Lee]

The only thing expensive would be the amount of re-edited, new material and special effects he'd want to add to the original three movies. The Star Wars movies have already been aired on HDTV without any issues to the quality so he's just blowing smoke up fan's asses. It will end up being an excuse to charge extra money, even more so if they do a Blu-Ray release and "forget" to add the original versions.

They were aired in HD but they weren't actually in HD. It's about the same as watching a DvD on a PS3 with it upscaled to HD. It does look better than normal definition, but it's not as good as true HD.

[SaberBlade]

They were aired in HD but they weren't actually in HD. It's about the same as watching a DvD on a PS3 with it upscaled to HD. It does look better than normal definition, but it's not as good as true HD.

That's my point though. If upscaled for HD works fine, then how hard could it be to convert the films. Upscaling isn't as good as true HD, but if people like the movies upscaled, then once they get a demonstration of the original Star Wars in true HD, then it can show there is a demand. I'm just still worried that such HD improvements will lead to more new scenes, like Digi posted (but if they include the original version too, I don't care what is added)

[TBA]

Hmm, I guess I'll wait for all the six movies to be in a blu-ray boxset before I buy them.

[DigiFluid]

Hmm, I guess I'll wait for all the six movies to be in a blu-ray boxset before I buy them.

http://artsbeat.blogs.nytimes.com/20...ray-next-year/

‘Star Wars’ Films Coming to Blu-ray Next Year
Though nearly 35 years of “Star Wars” fandom have yielded all kinds of memorabilia inspired by George Lucas’s outer-space epic, including light saber lookalikes and wearable replicas of Princess Leia’s slave costume, one holy grail has lately eluded fans: a video version of the “Star Wars” films that takes the fullest advantage of their top-of-the-line home theater systems.

That’s a Death Star-sized void that Lucasfilm plans to fill shortly. On Saturday, the studio is to announce that it will release all six live-action “Star Wars” features on Blu-ray DVD in fall 2011. A boxed set containing the Blu-ray versions of the movies, spanning from 1977’s “Star Wars” through the final 2005 prequel, “Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith,” will mark the first time the films have been offered in a high-definition home format, and will include documentary features and previously unseen footage.

[TBA]

Fall 2011... Well, they surely know how to persuade the fans in buying the prequels first

[Replicator Todd]

I will definitely attempt to get this, but the prequels and the original films are going to be in the same set?! Grrrrrr........

[DigiFluid]

I could handle buying the prequels in one big box set if the package included the theatrical cuts of the OT. Failing to even bother with them like this....is just freaking cheap on Lucas' part.

[SaberBlade]

I could handle buying the prequels in one big box set if the package included the theatrical cuts of the OT. Failing to even bother with them like this....is just freaking cheap on Lucas' part.

Original Trilogy aren't an addition to be added, but a requirement that shouldn't be removed. I would hope that Lucas can see this and doesn't force people into buying multiple versions. The Blu-Ray release should be the definitive version with the Original Trilogy as it was originally done, the Special Edition Trilogy edited/added to/remastered to meet Lucas' "vision" of what he want originally wanted (give it a few years, I can see him remaking them) and then the Prequel Trilogy with restored scenes and whatnot. I'm just not sure how 3D is going to work, as Lucas wanted to do that as well. That's probably the expensive thing Lucas originally mentioned. Not doing them in HD, but doing them in 3DHD.

Also, apparently it was Hamill in that scene. Got this from StarWars.com

"Actor Mark Hamill came out to describe the scene, remarking that once again his original introduction in a Star Wars film was cut out (his Anchorhead introduction was, of course, cut from A New Hope). Luke's intro is purposely played as ominous, with his face cowled in shadows and his intentions unclear."I had the black cloak, the glove, and I thought, wow, this time around I get to be the antagonist. Little did I know I was predicting the path of the prequels," said Hamill, noting the similarities to Luke in this scene and Anakin Skywalker's appearance. "

All 6 on blu-ray, all 6 on blu-ray in 3d, all 6 without the original trilogy in blu-ray, all 6 without the original trilogy in blu-ray 3d. This my prediction on what we can expect from the blu-ray releases, although I am also tempted to include individual box sets for each trilogy but it would have happened by now with the prequel trilogy.

[DigiFluid]

Original Trilogy aren't an addition to be added, but a requirement that shouldn't be removed.

Absolutely. Unfortunately, it seems that GL doesn't see it this way