[img:$uid]http://i34.tinypic.com/2csh0mf.jpg[/img:$uid]

August 2010

This past weekend, during the Star Wars Celebration V, Lucasfilm Ltd. and Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment announced that all six movies from the popular Star Wars series will be released on Blu-ray, in the fall of 2011.

The films will come in The Star Wars Blu-ray Box Set.

Lucas did note that all the movies will be the "special editions," since restoring the original versions (from the 80s) would "cost too much" and take too much time.

The box set will also include a plethora of documentaries, vintage behind-the-scenes moments, interviews, retrospectives and never-before-seen footage from the Lucasfilm archives.

"Blu-ray is the absolute best way to experience Star Wars at home – in pristine high definition," adds George Lucas, creator of the Star Wars Saga. "The films have never looked or sounded better."

As a teaser, the company showed off a deleted scene from "Return of the Jedi:"

http://www.afterdawn.com/...ay_in_2011

[Edited 8/16/10 8:17am]

Michael Dean posted this the other day. I was as hell.

It was just a couple of years ago Lucas said they had no plans to release Star Wars on BluRay™. I was saddened by that, but felt - why WOULDN'T he? He pushed the medium of film, HD, CGI, and tons of other stuff forward, and set new standards, wrote programs, and created new ways of making films. How can he NOT put it on BluRay™? I also held out hope it was a temporary mind set for him.

Oddly, I own I, II, and III, and not IV, V, and VI. This is a good reason to wait it out and buy them all on BluRay™. It will be the LAST TIME I put money into Star Wars. How many times have we bought the damn film series? LOL I actually think II and III I bought used. Part I was new, I believe.

Until the disks come out, I'm going to stay away from watching all the deleted scenes, although I did look at the clip w/ the lightsaber. I want them to be fresh and new when I watch them on the DVDs.

"Box set" worries me, that they won't be sold separately, and the set will have an exorbitantly high price tag. The only thing that pisses me off about Lucas is his constant reissuing of stuff, and a zillion different editions of the movies (ie different DVD sets - the "versions" isn't an issue to me as I enjoy the original and the beefed up ones).

I better start putting away money now!

You know these are going to be the special editions (CG changes) first... most likely not with the original versions. Of course the holy grail is a black and white workprint of Star Wars that is much longer then the 1977 release.

A music only track would be cool on these!

But the reason Lucas was hesitant to put out blu-rays was because the hard copy is a dying format, with HD on demand and DVR and the popularity of file serving...

Well, like CD's for music... hard copies of movies is dying.

Fuck the 'special editions' - I want the originals. I'll pass on this.

ufoclub said:

But the reason Lucas was hesitant to put out blu-rays was because the hard copy is a dying format, with HD on demand and DVR and the popularity of file serving...

Well, like CD's for music... hard copies of movies is dying.

There's a lot of fallacy in those statements. There is no way the hard copy is a dying format. I think people are finding it easier to steal things on the internet and not buy a copy, or even rent it. (Hollywood Video finally went out of business here just a couple of weeks ago). There are still plenty of folks that want a hard copy of something. BluRay players are still selling like hot cakes, especially since the price finally came down to the $100 zone.

I'm not sure onDemand and DVRs are the antithesis, and eventual destruction, of a physical DVD. Fans of any movie, genre, star, director, or films in general, want the copy. They always will. While I agree, again, that file sharing is killing sales, there is still money to be made.

More specifically - Lucas knows that people will buy a physical DVD of the movies. You cannot take your laptop everywhere, or your DVR much anywhere. Who wants to watch Star Wars on a laptop? Even Apple realized the fallicy in this, and created the AppleTV to be able to stream your media on your HDTV (which I do daily and love it). I still don't see streaming video as the same quality as a real BluRay disk in the player. I've yet to ever really see that kind of quality. Actually I downloaded the newer Star Trek movie and whatever codec they used was fucking phenomenal and although the file size was almost 2 gigs, it was well worth holding onto it until I got the BluRay. I wish the iTunes music store, Netflix or any other streaming outlet had that kind of quality. I still like owning the CD, seeing the extras, and truly having it onDemand - in my hands. I think a good deal of people feel that way as well.

The DVD, nor CD, will ever go away. Hell, even vinyl is making a comeback in a more public way.

uPtoWnNY said:

Fuck the 'special editions' - I want the originals. I'll pass on this.

I bet you won't if both are on the disks. I can't see why he wouldn't put both versions on the same disk, the way he did on regular DVD with each movie. He has to know this is what fans want - OPTIONS. Hopefully 1 disk will have both movies on it, plus the 2nd disk full of extras. Gheezus, they have to be packing a lot of stuff on these disks given their incredible capacity.

ernestsewell said: He has to know this is what fans want - OPTIONS.

I hope so. I don't want to see Greedo shooting first, or that travesty at the end of 'Jedi' with Hayden Christensen.

uPtoWnNY said:

ernestsewell said: He has to know this is what fans want - OPTIONS.

I hope so. I don't want to see Greedo shooting first, or that travesty at the end of 'Jedi' with Hayden Christensen.

Yeah, I think that was unnecessary. Vader died as an old man, and that's who should be in the afterlife. Why did he put Hayden in there, and not Ewan as a younger ObiWan???? Just doesn't make sense. Changing Boba Fetts voice was okay. Made sense. But the ending w/ Hayden was just the same angst, if not worse, that fans felt about anything Wesley Crusher in Star Trek: TNG.

This is cool and all, but I wish Lucas would (a) just do the next trilogy movies already after Luke restores the Jedi Order, or (b) do another prequel about the the rise of Darth Bane and the Sith Lords, or (c) a live action tv series around the Solo twins.

But a guy can dream, I suppose.

Personally I'd rather just have a blu-ray box set of THX-1138, American Graffiti, and Star Wars... and that's it.

But yes, don't kid yourselves... blu-ray may die in light of the fact that the exact same file that is stored on the disc can be stored on a hard drive along with an interface that diplays all the packaging/artwork.

I have a blu-ray burner too!

PS, everyone I know that has a blu-ray burner. myself included have slowed down their blu-ray purchases since Netflix streams HD movies from their ever expanding library straight to your blu-ray player.

I was going to buy the entire show of LOST on blu-ray... but it seems to mostly all be available in HD on netflix...

I want the blu-ray of The Exorcist... but it's not available... but it is available on Netflix streaming in HD.

Don't get me wrong, the blue-ray format is less compressed, but the moment I take the time to start ripping blu-rays in a lossless format... well, that's the moment that I might join the ranks of all these people I know who just rip DVD's to a hard drive and never hold on the DVD.

But I'm still a buyer of blu-rays... I just ordered a French blu-ray of The Howling. It's not available here.

Finally!!!

On a side note I bought the 50th anniversary bluray edition of Psycho and it looks and sounds amazing.

I can only begin to imagine just how amazing the original 3 Star Wars films might look.

Identity said:

ernestsewell said:

uPtoWnNY said:

I hope so. I don't want to see Greedo shooting first, or that travesty at the end of 'Jedi' with Hayden Christensen.

Yeah, I think that was unnecessary. Vader died as an old man, and that's who should be in the afterlife. Why did he put Hayden in there, and not Ewan as a younger ObiWan???? Just doesn't make sense. Changing Boba Fetts voice was okay. Made sense. But the ending w/ Hayden was just the same angst, if not worse, that fans felt about anything Wesley Crusher in Star Trek: TNG.

Like Prince, George Lucas turned into a mad genius.

uPtoWnNY said:

ernestsewell said:

Yeah, I think that was unnecessary. Vader died as an old man, and that's who should be in the afterlife. Why did he put Hayden in there, and not Ewan as a younger ObiWan???? Just doesn't make sense. Changing Boba Fetts voice was okay. Made sense. But the ending w/ Hayden was just the same angst, if not worse, that fans felt about anything Wesley Crusher in Star Trek: TNG.

Like Prince, George Lucas turned into a mad genius.

Let's hope Lucas doesn't meet Larry Graham anytime soon.

ernestsewell said:

uPtoWnNY said:

Like Prince, George Lucas turned into a mad genius.

Let's hope Lucas doesn't meet Larry Graham anytime soon.

This thread is now in need of a photoshop Lando/Larry picture

muirdo said:

Finally!!!

On a side note I bought the 50th anniversary bluray edition of Psycho and it looks and sounds amazing.

I can only begin to imagine just how amazing the original 3 Star Wars films might look.

Psycho does look great in HD!

uPtoWnNY said:

I'd get this for my kids

they aren't sentimentally attached to originals

ZombieKitten said:

purpledoveuk said:

ZombieKitten said:

I'd get this for my kids

they aren't sentimentally attached to originals

There is something about the originals that captures the memories and I never understood it until I saw them again on the special DVD releases. They always meant Christmas-time to me, family and happy times but over the years, the more I watched them the more that feeling became diluted the more i watched them. I always thought that it would be nice to see the originals but never thought it would be that much different to the newer editions....and I never realised that it was everything about those originals that contained those emotions....the second I saw that grainy, stripped back trilogy again the feelings came right back and I was sat there with my gran, christmas tree lights on and presents all around. It's those films that are ace and polishing them for Bluray would be pointless anyway as it would kill the mood

yup, and strip off those nice associations AND what do you have?

since I was never allowed to see the films (but COULD read the books) the newer ones all nice bright and shiny will match my overactive imagination better

I watched a few those movies that I hadn't seen in ages ON YOUTUBE.

I had no complaints about the format.

ufoclub said:

PS, everyone I know that has a blu-ray burner. myself included have slowed down their blu-ray purchases since Netflix streams HD movies from their ever expanding library straight to your blu-ray player.

I was going to buy the entire show of LOST on blu-ray... but it seems to mostly all be available in HD on netflix...

I want the blu-ray of The Exorcist... but it's not available... but it is available on Netflix streaming in HD.

Don't get me wrong, the blue-ray format is less compressed, but the moment I take the time to start ripping blu-rays in a lossless format... well, that's the moment that I might join the ranks of all these people I know who just rip DVD's to a hard drive and never hold on the DVD.

But I'm still a buyer of blu-rays... I just ordered a French blu-ray of The Howling. It's not available here.

The U.S. release of The Exorcist on Blu-Ray will be released on October 5th according to Amazon.

Other notable releases in October:

Apocalypse Now-October 19th

Seven Samurai-October 19th

Alien Box Set-October 26th

This means I have to start saving my pennies!

[Edited 8/17/10 7:26am]

SilverlakePhil said:

ufoclub said:

PS, everyone I know that has a blu-ray burner. myself included have slowed down their blu-ray purchases since Netflix streams HD movies from their ever expanding library straight to your blu-ray player.

I was going to buy the entire show of LOST on blu-ray... but it seems to mostly all be available in HD on netflix...

I want the blu-ray of The Exorcist... but it's not available... but it is available on Netflix streaming in HD.

Don't get me wrong, the blue-ray format is less compressed, but the moment I take the time to start ripping blu-rays in a lossless format... well, that's the moment that I might join the ranks of all these people I know who just rip DVD's to a hard drive and never hold on the DVD.

But I'm still a buyer of blu-rays... I just ordered a French blu-ray of The Howling. It's not available here.

The U.S. release of The Exorcist on Blu-Ray will be released on October 5th according to Amazon.

Other notable releases in October:

Apocalypse Now-October 19th

Seven Samurai-October 19th

Alien Box Set-October 26th

This means I have to start saving my pennies!

[Edited 8/17/10 7:26am]

AWESOME! I also want just the first ALIEN on blu-ray... just like I have Star Trek II, but want Star Trek the Motion Picture... but it's only part of a boxed set...

ufoclub said:

SilverlakePhil said:

The U.S. release of The Exorcist on Blu-Ray will be released on October 5th according to Amazon.

Other notable releases in October:

Apocalypse Now-October 19th

Seven Samurai-October 19th

Alien Box Set-October 26th

This means I have to start saving my pennies!

[Edited 8/17/10 7:26am]

AWESOME! I also want just the first ALIEN on blu-ray... just like I have Star Trek II, but want Star Trek the Motion Picture... but it's only part of a boxed set...

I'm debating if I should purchase the box set. I bought the regular Alien DVD box set when it came out and I really like the first two Alien movies only, those are classics, IMO. Hopefully , we'll get an option to buy them individually when the box set is released on October 5th. Btw, I forgot to mention a Blu-Ray Back To The Future box set comes out the same day as the Alien Box set!

It will be nice to watch episodes IV-VI in HD finally.

I enjoyed the first trilogy when it was released like most people, but have no real sentimental value for the theatrical versions. Greedo shoots first, Han shoots first, it doesn't make a difference to me. Fans who claim George Lucas ruined their childhood with these updated versions (as I'm reading on other forums) need to get a grip.

sextonseven said:

It will be nice to watch episodes IV-VI in HD finally.

I enjoyed the first trilogy when it was released like most people, but have no real sentimental value for the theatrical versions. Greedo shoots first, Han shoots first, it doesn't make a difference to me. Fans who claim George Lucas ruined their childhood with these updated versions (as I'm reading on other forums) need to get a grip.

Yeah it wouldn't be bad if Prince and Warners finally put out his entire catalog remastered but edited to censor cussing or morally questionable content. Prince fans need to get a grip. It doesn't ruin the history of the music to change it!

ufoclub said:

sextonseven said:

It will be nice to watch episodes IV-VI in HD finally.

I enjoyed the first trilogy when it was released like most people, but have no real sentimental value for the theatrical versions. Greedo shoots first, Han shoots first, it doesn't make a difference to me. Fans who claim George Lucas ruined their childhood with these updated versions (as I'm reading on other forums) need to get a grip.

Yeah it wouldn't be bad if Prince and Warners finally put out his entire catalog remastered but edited to censor cussing or morally questionable content. Prince fans need to get a grip. It doesn't ruin the history of the music to change it!

Are you really equating the changes to that? Did Lucas ruin your childhood?

I would leap for joy & execute a triple back-flip if Lucas released a Knights of the Old Republic Animated Series with the same team behind this trailer.