I bet these bootlegs are hitting (removed reference to direct purchase of bootlegs -Blade) now since the release of Episode II is coming up. They are drumming up the excitement for it to get people to buy their sets. I think i woudl rather buy a LD player and get the LD's myself...as a matter of fact I've been thinking about doing just that...

Well just so you know, LD players will run you $200 or so for a decent older used one and if you want to hear AC-3(DD 5.1 you will need to buy the RF Demodulator for an additional $150+ then the LD's themselves (anywhere from $60 for the regular Dolby Surround to $150 + for the Special Edition w/dd 5.1)! I think a mere $80-$90 for the easier to use DVD is an easy choice! And you add the fact the the DVD's (newest versions) look better then the LD's it an even easier choice.

Hmmm... I'm starting to wonder how accurate your review is going to be since you are already convinced that they look better than the LDs without even seeing them...

Hmmm...I think you need to read the WHOLE thread and then you can take back this statement! I already have the SW: SE DVD's and these new ones (I have just ordered) so I can make a judgement that the SW:SE DVD's I already have are better then the SW: SE LD's (which I also have)! I didn't say these 5 Star Ones are better becasue I do not have them yet, but the other newest versions (the SE's w/ DTS and no audio delay) are indeed better then the LD's.

I have been put in my place.

(Dammit, could you not have made my place a comfy chair!) :D

I AM curious...

I've bought the Star wars trilogy 3 times now on laserdisc...and 3 times on DVD.

How exactly can the DVD's be of BETTER quality than the laserdiscs they were mastered from?

It's interesting because i also own the DTS versions. There is no discreet 5.1 sound on them as far as the DD stream is concerned. It's pro logic. So already the laserdiscs have the edge.

So explain...

I just feel that this thread should be closed. IT is a blatant, blatant discussion of owning/purchasing bootleg DVD's, which seem to go against everything DVDTalk usually espouses.

Can we start a thread for the people who are against this thread? That might give them their own little thread for discussing their hatred for THIS thread. We can discuss quality and interest in them and it won't have to be constantly interrupted. :)

Now can my original question be answered?

You need to go back a bit and read a page or two back to see why for me they are better. I have a Panasonic RP91 that scales the non-Anamorphic Star Wars DVD's internally so I can leave my HDTV in Full mode instead of my having use use my HDTV's zoom modes to get the correct aspect ratio. When you use the zoom function on HDTV's they start showing scan lines and the picture loses resolution. When you use the RP91 you have no scan line and have the full resolution.

I've said it before that you have to look at the equipment I have and see if you have anything similar and decide if you would benefit or not. As for the audio I have already said the audio is not quite as good as the SW: Se laserdiscs but since the video is a pretty noticably better the DVD's get the edge. If you are viewing on a regular TV then maybe you do get a better experience with the LD but for me it is the opposite!

And by the way the DVD's I have DO have discreet surrounds so you must not have the version I have.

Please refer to Blade's post on page 10 of this thread. The purpose of this thread is only to discuss the more 'clinical' aspects of the bootleg Star Wars DVDs (image and sound quality, authoring errors, sound delays and such), not to provide any information or assistance on purchasing them. There was a thread spun off from this one, specifically dedicated to the topic of "bootleg ethics", but the level of vitriol in that thread got so high that it had to be closed.

Robo-

I understand Blade's remarks on page 10. But the last two pages of this thread have become increasingly about ebay, private messages and the such. Those, according to Blade's own message, are not allowed. I know Blade did some editing of somebody's post, but the rest still sits there.

If you have the ones that have a DTS track...then the DD track is not discrete. I'm sorry, I have the laserdiscs and these are NOT discreet. It is very easy to compare the two.

Compare any of the fly by's and all you hear is mono surround channels.

I don't know what's on the DTS track because I don't have a DTS decoder. So i'm still waiting to hear a DD track that is actually 5.1.

If these new versions are in real 5.1...then i'll bite the bullet and buy them one more time.

If they ever release the original versions that aren't screwed up with sound delays on empire and Jedi...maybe i'll buy those as well. But I much prefer the look of the SE's anyway.

You have to remember there are several different releases with the DTS track on it so we most likely have different version becuase mine CLEARLY has discreet surrounds!

5 Star Collection DTS Version
 

I guess I'll never find out if they really are superior..




Dear xxxxx xxxxx ([email protected]),

The following listing:

1534167722 - STAR WARS TRILOGY DVD - FIVE STAR COLLECTION

was removed by eBay for a listing violation. A Verified Rights Owner, such as a copyright, trademark, or patent owner, notified eBay that the item or material contained in the listing infringes its intellectual property rights. eBay takes no position on the authenticity or authorized nature of such items, but we take appropriate action when requested by a Verified Rights Owner. Since the listing was removed, you as a bidder are not required to complete the transaction. Sellers that feel their listings may have been ended in error have the opportunity to get in touch with the relevant person or company or contact eBay.

For more information about infringement, please see:

http://pages.ebay.com/help/community/png-items.html

Thank you for your cooperation and understanding in this issue. You can get more information on the VeRO Program at:

http://pages.ebay.com/help/community/vero-program.html.


Regards,
Franz H K ([email protected])
eBay

I have read this whole thread. You clearly state that the (newest versions) look better than the LD's. So what you're trying to say now is that the word "newest" actually refers to the SE's that have been available for the last 9 months or so and not to the most recent (see, that's another way of saying "newest") dvds that you've been discussing?
Oh... uh okay... so when you say "these new ones", you are not referring to the "newest versions" you mentioned earlier. These new ones are newer than the newest versions? What does the word "newest" mean in your city?
My statement was and entirely accurate and appropriate response to someone who claimed that the newest versions look better than the LDs. Don't count on my taking back that statement.

On the other hand, if you would like to take back your claim that (newest versions) look better then the LD's even though you admit that you haven't even seen the newest versions, then that's fine.

Have a nice day.

When I made the comment on the newest versions, the 5 Star version wasn't even out there yet! They only appeared about a week ago.

Time to ignore the thread crapper!! :crap:

Re: 5 Star Collection DTS Version
 

That sucks! (removed what I have to assume is an alternative to obtaining bootleg's -Blade)

?????????? What are you talking about???????? You made the comment about "the newest versions" YESTERDAY!

Yesterday, 5/02/2002 you said (and I quote) "the fact the the DVD's (newest versions) look better then the LD's it an even easier choice"

That is correct, the Five Star versions appeared about a week ago, and then YESTERDAY you said "the fact the the DVD's (newest versions) look better then the LD's it an even easier choice"

Quote:

---

Time to ignore the thread crapper!! :crap:

---

You can call me whatever you want and ignore me if you wish, but your own words speak for themselves, whether you want to admit what you've said or not. It's in this thread.

(removed a reference to someone else's alternative to obtaining bootleg's -Blade)

Re: 5 Star Collection DTS Version
 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by WepaMan
I guess I'll never find out if they really are superior..

"Dear xxxxx xxxxx ([email protected]),

The following listing:

1534167722 - STAR WARS TRILOGY DVD - FIVE STAR COLLECTION

was removed by eBay for a listing violation. A Verified Rights Owner, such as a copyright, trademark, or patent owner, notified eBay that the item or material contained in the listing infringes its intellectual property rights. eBay takes no position on the authenticity or authorized nature of such items, but we take appropriate action when requested by a Verified Rights Owner. Since the listing was removed, you as a bidder are not required to complete the transaction. Sellers that feel their listings may have been ended in error have the opportunity to get in touch with the relevant person or company or contact eBay."

(removed information on availability of bootlegs -Blade)

My feeling on the subject of Boots?

Well, i'm not necessarily against them.

Here's my reasoning [at least how it relates to me] :
I've bought almost every official version of these movies when they were released. Starting with the FOX releases back in the day before there was such a thing as "sell-thru". $65 for Jedi. On VHS!. Pan & Scan!. WITH a discount! All the way up to the SE LDs. Granted, no one forced me to buy all these different versions. But i'm a fan.

Does it bother me that Lucas hasn't put them out officially? Yes. But, then again, it's HIS choice that he doesn't. Just like it's his choice to keep TINKERING with the damn things...

I recently bought a copy of the Five Star DVDs. [Haven't recieved them yet] These are to keep me satisfied until the official releases. Does it bother me that someone [NOT] Lucas is getting rich off of this? Hell yeah. But, i really don't want to keep messing with the inferior picture of the VHS and/or having to flip the damn LDs. If it's available to me and i have the resources to buy it, why not?

Will I buy them when they're officially released?

Duh. -rolleyes-

Can anyone tell me how many “versions” of the ORIGINAL Trilogy (non-SE) are known to currently exist? A brief description as to what each of these DVD sets look like would be appreciated. (Thus far, I have only seen two.)

Dan, go back to the very beginning of this thread. The original versions are the ones that are first reviewed here. There was only one DVD bootleg release of the original Star Wars movies (so far), so it shouldn't get too confusing. As for the quality of them, I was disappointed. But I don't think Lucas will be wanting to release them onto DVD, so consider them an official impossibility.

I have just one question. Why are some people buying boots of Phantom Menace??!! There is no way a bootleg copy will look and sound better than the official release.

True, but if you're a completist and want the theatrical version of Phantom Menace, only the VHS, Laserdisc, VCD and bootleg DVD offers that. The official Phantom Menace disc released last November had scenes (portions of the "Complete Podrace Grid Sequence," "Extended Podrace Lap Two," and the complete "Air Taxi Sequence") inserted into the movie. The bootleg DVD of Phantom Menace is lacking in quality compared to the official release.

What disc-flipper said is correct, as far as I know. That there is only one version of the original (non-SE) trilogy.

However, there could be some confusion from the fact that in my experience, not all of the original (non-SE) dvds look exactly the same. I've seen them "advertised" with different covers, and I've personally seen them with different disc-art. That is, at least one of the discs themselves (I can't remember right now, but I think it was ESB) had different graphics screened onto them. But beyond that, there didn't appear to be any difference in the content at all.