Not entirely accurate.

The re-release of the trilogy on laserdisc with the CAV boxed set and subsequent CLV editions with "face" covers are the best that original trilogy looks on video right now. That was before the clean up on the negative which is why it obviously doesn't look as good as the SE's. That's why I like the SE's so much. The film itself looks absolutely new. But from what I remember, that CAV/CLV release was great...with a very aggressive surround track. The masters are there...the bootleggers just didn't do it.

And in my opinion...i'd rather have a VHS release (or laserdisc, if you had to) of the trilogy than have these bootlegs with their sound delays.

But then again I also prefer the SE's. So what do i know?

I was just about to post the same thing. The CLV "face" cover laserdiscs of the OT are fantastic. If someone were to master these properly to DVD (with correct video settings, and NO audio delays) they would be great.

They're not in 5.1 sound (only pro-logic) but I'd rather have decent non-discrete surround than some sort of faked 5.1 that a bootlegger has created. The OT was never mastered in 5.1.

The possibility still exists for a great OT DVD set... until someone with the means takes up the cause, I'll stick with my awesome laserdisc set -- which gets a lot more viewing in my home than my SE set.

Just got my Five Star yesterday! Unbelievable how fast they came! I ordered on Tuesday (or Monday... most likely Monday... I can't remember!) and got it on Thursday! (from Malaysia??!?!)

ROTJ looks the best. Empire 2nd best. ANH doesn't look as good, but I'm assuming because it's an older film. The trailer/documentary on ROTJ skipped in my PS2, but plays perfectly in my other players.

Hmm.. I ordered mine Monday night from Malaysia.. perhaps even the same place, I hope I get mine before the long weekend..

How is what I said not correct? You even admit the SE's are better quality so again where am I wrong? If you watch these LD's on a larger HDTV you will see there is a big difference in the video quality from the Faces THX version and the SE versions which is why the bootleggers don't put out DVD's of the OT that come near the quality of the SE's.

And speaking of not getting it right... The last two SE releases on DVD do not have sound delays so you are incorrect on that point.

Could someone post the differences in movie plot between
the originals and the SE versions?

This is true. The last OT releases on LD were much better than they'd previously been, but really pale in comparison to the SE's. If they used these OT releases for a new DVD release, sorry to say, but they just wouldn't look good. Yeah, and these last two DVD releases of the SE's don't have sound delays. Methinks Frank S does get it, and there's no need to be condescending towards him.

Are these 5 Star DVD's a representative, for the most part, of what LaserDisk looks like? I've never seen LaserDisk before, and if they are Im not all that impressed. I a/b them to my widescreen VHS set (the latest release) and only found a marginal improvement. Im still happy to have them on an optical medium though.

Here's a link detailing all the differences :

http://us.imdb.com/AlternateVersions?0076759

(removed inflammatory remark -Blade)

I would ask what size/type TV were you viewing these on? I ask because it become much more appearant the differences when viewed on a larger HDTV then it does on smaller (32" and under) analog TV's. With my Panasonic RP91's ability to scale non-anamorphic DVD's I find the SW:SE DVD's (the last 2 releases) to be better then the laserdiscs, which are FAR beyond the quality of VHS tapes.

Im watching them on a 27 Sony Wega, so your probably right. Dont get me wrong though these new DVD's look pretty damn good for bootlegs. Some scenes look really great, like bright scenes, and some scenes, like dark scenes, look pretty bad though from what I saw.

Here is the most comprehensive list you will ever find:

http://www.theforce.net/swse

Wow. I thought exactly the opposite. The space scenes (although sometimes littered with stairsteps) looked great and the brighter scenes (especially in IV) looked like they were covered in a light coat of vasoline. The brighter scenes in V and VI weren't as bad.

Try Treadwell's:

http://users.southeast.net/users/dat...ars/sepage.htm

You guys don't have any laserdisc of the originals? I would assume these bootlegs are terrible compared to the laserdiscs. Maybe most here don't have any LDs. I thought people would be more interested in getting one of the official THX LDs of the originals. Oh well.

Lucas, if you don't put out the originals on DVD, piracy will get even worse. Don't let us down.

The original THX "Faces" LD's are readily owned by people posting here but if they are like me and are not bothered by the Special Edition versions then the DVD's are indeed superior to any LD's out there! I owned both the THX "Faces" and Special Edition LD's and have just sold them as they are obsolete because of the SE DVD's are much better then either LD set. The DVD's that contain the Original theatrical version are of a FAR FAR less quality then the SE versions DVD's and most likely are worse then the LD's but a lot of people don't want to invest hundreds to get a player for a few films they are interested in.

digitalfreaknyc,

Please refrain from making condescending remarks to other members. If you think the information they are providing is wrong, simply state your opinion and why you think they are wrong.

--------------------------------

Frank S,

If you have a problem with a member, please email a moderator.

--------------------------------

If there is anything more to say about this, then please email me, but otherwise, let's try to keep this thread on topic.

Thank you.

Can anyone tell me how the menus look on the 5 star versions?

Just ordered my set yesterday, cant wait! I also ordered some gold cases to go with them. for 35.99 shipped, I couldnt resist

I guess I see what you're saying. But I have the THX Definitive Collection LD box set of the originals, and the 1997 THX Special Edition LD box set. Both of these sets have absolutely stunning transfers and incredible sound. I have a hard time believing these bootlegs are better quality than my LDs.

Oh well, no big deal.

dizmack,

Here's are some pics of the Five Star Collection DVD menus. The starfield in the back is animated in each menu and shows various scenes from the flicks in monotone. I took these with my dig cam from my tv and shrank em down... So the quality isn't the best but you'll get the idea.





BTW, I just wanted to say thanks to all of you for your information and reviews of the Five Star Collection. I ordered a set a couple weeks ago based on what I read here. Mine arrived a few days ago. I couldn't be happier. They are great and I much appreciate the information you all gave me. I hadn't seen these movies in years (I don't own a VHS player and refuse to watch VHS) so this was a real treat. A long over due treat...

I like the look of those menus, much better then some of the bootlegs that i have seen. I cannot wait for my set to arrive.

Got my set yesterday, exactly 10 days after ordering them. Popped them in and briefly watched a scene from each - they all look and sound very good ("ESB" in DD 2.0, of course). However, I came upon a few problems (this is on a Sony S360 player):

Minor problem: Unable to jump to scenes on the 2nd page of "Star Wars"; not a problem on "ESB" and "ROTJ".

Major problem: Watched the making-of after the trailer on "ROTJ", and the picture kept pausing, for between a split second and as long as 10 seconds, throughout the whole program (probably 15-20 times throughout the 30 minute presentation). My fears were correct - I found this happening while skipping around through the movies also, although it seems to happen more towards the 2nd halves of the films (the 2nd layer more troublesome, perhaps?).

The surface of the discs looked perfect, but each has a "gouge" on the underside of the clear plastic center of the disc, which comes very close to the silver area.

Tried them on my Toshiba, and they seem to play OK (only had time for a brief look, but no pausing problems yet). Could be a compatability problem with the Sony. Will have to investigate further...

Anyone else notice any of these problems?
Anyone else have any experience working with Malaysian customer service?

Oh, by the way, the "AOTC" VCD is mediocre quality - both picture and sound - but worth the $6 just to be able to watch Yoda kick ass over and over...

This is driving me crazy. I can not find these discs on the web except Deleted - don't talk about where to get them - Static and those are going for over $75.00