I brought this up in an earlier thread, but it didn't seem to get into the conversation. I think it's an interesting point of discussion, so here goes....

Since the upcoming Star Wars DVD set will be of the movies in their "updated" state, what's better to own - the original triology in its original form on VHS, or the altered versions coming out on DVD?

Yeah, DVD is better than VHS. But if you want to watch the original trilogy in its original form, the VHS may be the only option.

I bought this set back when it was promoted as being the last chance to get the original movies. It's the one with the snippets of interviews with Lucas before each movie. I bought the set, sadly in full-screen, but I didn't know better back then.

And because Star Wars on DVD is not the original, I wonder if that means the VHS set may have some worth, because it is the original.

This thread does nothing to further what's already been argued in the other trillion Star Wars threads. No your VHS will not have any worth because it's VHS and only 1% or less of people actually give a damn about the cahnges, and there were probably millions of those tapes made.

Although the fullscreen set may not hold much value, I am of the opinion that, as long as the originals are never released on an official DVD, there will be a demand for the out-of-print THX letterboxed set. I put together a set of these for myself a couple of years ago (buying them individually seems to be less expensive as getting them in the original box set, though they can be more difficult to obtain individually).

There are actually several VHSes of "not-on-DVD" material that command premium, even collector's prices. Thundarr the Barbarian, The Original Ghost Busters, Pretty Maidens All in a Row, anyone?

IMO, if you can't handle laser (I can't personally justify investing in the hardware just for the Star Wars movies), then owning the THX Letterbox VHSes may be the only legal way to see the "original" trilogy and I would recommend owning them.

Maybe you'll get lucky and, if Altimus is right about some people not caring about the chages, them maybe some of them will dump sets on eBay over the summer, though I imagine the type of people he referrs to probably bought full-screen, too.

Last time I looked, the widescreen original trilogy sets were going for pretty good prices on ebay.

One word: Laserdisc.

But laser disc never really caught on, certainly not like DVD did.

I remember back in the late 80s my high school physics teacher was all gung-ho over laser discs, and he used them in the classroom. But that's probably the only time I'd ever seen one. I've never known anyone who had a player or a collection.

And, oh, how I wish I had bought that VHS Star Wars set in widescreen!

Altimus...

I HAVE the original trilogy on laserdisc and I will hold on to them like slow death. Also, you need to select HTML to make your signature work - check mine for the correct syntax.

laserdisc+dvd burner=your best friend

the widescreen unaltered vhs tapes go for about 40-50 bucks on ebay

weren't there different laserdiscs of the originals that command different prices?

There were a bunch of different releases including early versions that were full screen. The best ones to get are the "Faces" ones (the THX versions with Darth Vader, Stormtrooper and Yoda on the respective covers). The ones pressed in Japan are supposedly a bit better quality than the US pressed ones. The Definitive Collection box set is also nice, but those discs can have a tendancy for laser rot, so be careful and ask lots of questions if you try to buy that version.

Only if you have the players for them

I got my laserdisc player at a garage sale for $3 and the Star Wars laser disc for $30 on eBay. The ones with the painted cover, widescreen 2 disc each with the movie on 3 sides. And they are really good quality.

I also have the widescreen Video tapes and the laser has better quality.

For those looking for one I've seen the players in pawn shops for not too badly priced.

Or...

Internet + DVD Burner



/flees before LucasFilms and the MPAA closes in on the location

When I dug out my Star Wars VHS box set the other night, guess what I found stuck in it - the receipt!

Jan. 24, 1996 - $34.95 at Kmart.

I wonder if I can go back and tell them I got full-screen by mistake and I'd like to make an exchange....

Your loss.

I wonder where these posters get their info..."But laser disc never really caught on, certainly not like DVD did."

If it wasn't for LD to tell us what a movie should look like, sound like, etc, the movie companies would still be giving us the trash that they got away with putting out on VHS.

There were many of us that paid $50-60 for the VHS pan and scan version of "Forbidden Planet." Why, because that was all there was.

Even now, LD, in some instances is the only way to own a certain movie. DVD doesn't mean it's going to be done correctly. If it wasn't for the LD, we'd have a improperly framed "Back to the Future" and numerous other titles.

But to own a 16x9 TV and watch a correct OAR anamorphic DVD is one of the great joys in life. Match it with a good sound system, receiver, progress scan DVD player and you've died and gone to heaven!

"And we liked it!!!"



Just relax a bit. The original posters comments are correct. Laserdiscs never caught on as big as the DVD format.

This is the set I have. I think I bought it for about $50 from Suncoast when it was first released. Looks like I could probably come close to breaking even.

"Grumpy Old Man" looks awfully young in that picture.

Although I've had an interest in home theatre since the 1980s, I was never interested in laserdisc at the height of its popularity. (Popularity, that is, within its small niche market.) The discs were way too expensive, often the movie is interrupted by a disc change, the different LD players were confusing in terms of features, and if you wanted decent picture quality (because, truthfully, what's the point in investing in LD with an inferior player?) you would have to spend thousands for a top-of-the-line model.

However, once DVD came out, it made me despise VHS to the point where I could at least appreciate the concept of LD. LD rarely matches DVD in terms of picture quality (although I think some discs, like the THX-mastered Star Wars trilogy, come pretty darn close) - however it is far superior to VHS and (with the exception of some discs that suffered laser rot) they will not degrade. Also, a majority of movies on LD are available in their OAR and, to a lesser extent, contain audio commentaries, whereas VHS does not offer this.

So my advice would be to check out this thread and see if there are a lot of movies not yet on DVD that you've always wanted:

http://www.dvdtalk.com/forum/showthr...ght=unreleased

If there are, there's a good chance they've already been released on LD. And believe it or not, it's still not too late to start collecting LDs. You can verify if the LD exists by checking for a particular title on LDDB.com which is a current website updated regularly. Ebay is now a gold mine for finding LDs that used to cost $50 or more for under 10 bucks. (Although some of the more desired ones will probably run you between $20-$25.) So if you suddenly find yourself with a decent-sized list of non-DVD titles you would like to own, perhaps you can justify getting a LD player. (Either a used one, or a few can still be bought brand new.)

I actually just bought my first laserdisc player, and, believe me, being able to watch the original Star Wars, or other movies not on DVD that I've waited years to see in a disc format is a very cool thing. I've also (ahem) heard that LDs do not contain a Macrovision signal - which may or may not be important to you, depending on whether or not you are Megatron. And if you take good care of the player, its box, and the original packing materials, you should be able to fetch a pretty good price for it if you ever attempt to resell it on Ebay.

I was thinking the same thing...

Yes, there can be some great deals there. I recently picked up a Godzilla vs Mothra Japanese LD box set for about $20. When that set first came out, it probably would have cost around $250.00 in the US.