I know, but dlbsyst did in his first post. Thanks for the answers Frank. I would like to hear from dlbsyst as well if he is still hanging around the thread.

I'm still on the fence about this set. Do you guys honestly think it is worth upgrading from the DTS banner set? I know it is a personal decision so I guess what I am asking is if you guys were able to preview this set before buying, would you buy again or stick with the banner set and save the cash?

Moocher

The only thing that is wrong with this current 5 star release is that it has a slightly high gamma which means it has no deep black in the picture. If having "black" in the picture is important to you I cannot recommend you buy this set. Every thing else including color, contrast, sharpness and detail is better than with the dts banner set. The sound on this new version is also superior to the other version. My attitude about the upgrade is get it only if you can find it for a good price. I would buy this set over again if given the chance. If you have any more questions drop me an e-mail.--Edward.

Well, I finally broke down and ordered. I still have concerns about the video. You ask whether black level is important. Since we are talking about movies set in space with a primary character dressed totally in black and many MANY low lit interior and exterior scenes, yes, black level is important. (I am still confused as to why it is more an issue in "bright" scenes rather than low lit scenes. This does not compute but maybe I am just plain not following you or don't understand the concept as well as I think I do.)

I bought the disks primarily for the audio. Even though I am generally happy with the audio on the DTS banner set, the bass was not too good. I am really curious how much bass shakers will add to the experience with the new set. It may be enough to overcome what I have a feeling will be somewhat disappointing video on a large display. Maybe not ,as you guys seem to be convinced that the video is better even with the gamma/black level issue. I hope so.

The Gamma setting is to high not low so low lit scenes and space scenes wouldn't be as big a problem as say the snow scenes in ESB in the beginning of the film. Like I had said I just dropped the black level down a 3 notches and it was pretty close to the DTS DVD's.

can anyone answer this? puh-leez

Most of them list the DVD's as Anamorphic but NONE of them are!

So what is the "ideal" way to watch this 5 star set?

DTS, DD, DS?

Should I turn the black level down/up?

For Star Wars:ANH DD 5.1, for ESB DD 2.0/DS, and ROTJ DD 5.1. As for black level they all need to have the black level turned down a bit.

OK. Makes sense to me now. Not being able to drop gamma enough to get true blacks (without losing shadow detail) would also leave bright scenes too bright. Don't know why I couldn't get that. However, not being able to get true blacks would also be a problem in space and low lit scenes as well leaving them gray-ish. Reading back it looks like you were more successful in adjusting the gamma than Edward was.

On the anamorphic question, these bootlegs all seem to make a bunch of claims on the packaging that aren't true. That is why they are truly risky purchases and part of the reason it rarely makes any sense to buy them (along with the moral issues).

I'm happy to report that this is not true. There is another extra to be found on this set. The Special Edition cast and crew interviews can be found as a "hidden" feature on the ROTJ trailer. I'm not sure how long the interviews ran on the lasers, but this segment runs for 30 minutes.

This may be a dumb question, but on the new 5-Star editions, are the DVD covers themselves really as good as they appear in the sample pics on this thread?

Just wanted to know if I should print out my own custom covers and have them ready to go if I order, thanks.

MikeM,

The covers are just as nice as they appear. You will not need to print your own. I have put mine in "gold" alpha's and they look spectacular. --Edward.

muchas gracias senor, i'll stick with the dts banner spec. ed. then

Recieved my "Five Star"'s today.

I have to say i'm VERY pleased with them. [of course, i'd still prefer an OFFICIAL bare bones DVD...]

But these'll do for the next three years.

ps...hey Astro44 email me when you get the chance...i have a question. thanks.

Wuz up? I'd email ya if I knew your address. I'll keep lookin for ya on AOL IM in case you log back on.

Is the following the latest and the greatest? When did this version come out?

"Star Wars Trilogy - Special Edition - Five Star Collection DTS Version"

So many verions!

Can somone lay out in a chronologicial order the Star Wars Trilogy bootleg DVDs (say last five revisions) rated by date order including full title, differnces between DVD's and with a quality rating out of 10?

Yes the Five Star Edition is the latest which came our 2-3 weeks ago.

Not sure why you need the whole chronological order and I doubt anyone has the ENTIRE thing as you are asking for but I would say that the only two real good quality ones are the last SW:Trilogy with DTS banner on top and the best the Five Star edition. All the Original theatrical Star Wars DVD's are quite a bit lower in quality to the two I mentioned.

I'm not a big fan of boots but as others have mentioned, I'll make an exception when it comes to SW films.

Based on the discussions so far, today I pulled the trigger on the "5 star collection". Probably could have gotten it cheaper but at $69 shipped, to me it was worth it.

BTW, I will buy the trilogy when it's released in 2006. I figured, why should I have to settle for my run down VHS versions?

Guilt free and a soon to be happy camper...

Did you use the Metallic Gold or regular or [url=http://www.inetdvd.com/store/shopexd.asp?id=4833 Regular Gold[/url] cases?

Metallic	Regular

-Brett

$69 -- yikes! Really, no one should pay over 35 for these.
Anyway, I thought of another question I wanted to ask. About the new audio mix, how is the bass. All the other LFE tracks left something to be desired, are the 5 star versions any different in this regard.

Yes the LFE is much more pronounced on the 5 Stars.

They better be! That is the main reason I ordered them. Frank S commented earlier in the thread about the bass claiming it was much better on this set. Hope I did not read too much into the posts about this because if LFE is not good, I will be disappointed indeed.

Yes I know $69 was a bit much but I see people pay anywhere from 80 - $100+ for them.

In my mind $69 shipped via USPS Priority Mail is still well worth it since the reviews thus far indicate it's of reasonable quality and greatly improved when compared to VHS.

(removed request for info on how to get bootlegs -Blade)

Guys, please, remember that this is not the place to figure out the best deal for these or request information on how to find same. Don't use this thread as a contact service. If it keeps happenning we will have to close it down.

Thank you.