This posted on Rebelscum.com:

The "Star Wars" universe is about to make the jump to high-definition. Cinemax has made a deal with Lucasfilm to offer all six "Star Wars" movies in HD for the first time. The Time Warner-owned, premium movie cable channel plans to premiere the films in November and launch a national marketing campaign.


Maybe they will come to HD sooner rather than way later.

Putting them on TV and releasing them on HD DVD or BD are two totally separate things.

Although it would be cool if Lucas decided to release the SW trilogy on HD DVD only. Since he owns the films, and Fox only distributes them, Fox would have no choice but to release on HD DVD, despite being BD supporters.

the website name seems appropriate...

:D

I wonder what the aspect ratio will be. Episode II was cropped on HBO-HD to 16:9, while Episode III was in its proper ratio of 2.35:1.

Well, I know this ofcourse doesn't mean they are coming to HDDVD. I just thought alot of people would like to know this info. I'd love to see them in High Def.

It does if you mean burning 1920x1080 MPEG2 transport streams to DVD +/- R DLs

Well, I know this ofcourse doesn't mean they are coming to HDDVD. I just thought alot of people would like to know this info. I'd love to see them in High Def.

Actually, I remember Fox putting out full page ads in trade magazines thanking George Lucas for allowing them to distribute the Star Wars prequels when Phantom Menace came out. Star Wars is a huge money maker for Fox, and if Lucas said, "Release Star Wars on HD DVD or I'm going to Universal," you bet your bottom dollar Fox would announce Star Wars on HD DVD that day.

Okay, I've been wondering about burning transport streams to DVD for a while now. Are there any compromises I should know about as far as running time or audio format?

If only that damn HD-R1 didn't cost so much! :mad:

pretty sure they will be 1.78:1. I think EP4,5,6 played in HD in Germany, they were all Zoomed at 1.78:1

Sith was on HBO HD in June in OAR.

I thought HBO owned Cinemax?

I think Fox has a little bit more say in the distribution than Lucas does. LOL.
No, they really don't. The only film they have any real say in is Star Wars Episode IV. The rest of the films were financed by Lucas. While Fox is his distribution channel, Lucas retains full control over how and when the films are distributed.

I would get a second job at Burgar King to pay for the complete box set of the Star Wars Saga. It will cost big bucks!!!!!!!!!!

Will they fix the reversed music surrounds on Ep. IV though for HD...?

Will they fix the reversed music surrounds on Ep. IV though for HD...?

Of course not... it was a creative decision by Lucas and company... LOL ;)

I thought HBO owned Cinemax?
Actually Time Warner ones both. ;)

I thought HBO owned Cinemax?
No Both are I believe Subsidiaries of Warner Bros (and therefore Time Warner) but are indepedant from one another. Obviously of the two HBO is given the greater care from WB.

Edit: Nope Absolutely Wrong, Actually Time Warner not Warner Bros Controls HBO, and Cinemax isn't even a division of anything. Its just alternate viewing stations for HBO, and everything is operated by HBO. So in essence HBO does own Cinemax but only in the sense that Cinemax is an alternate branding of HBO.

Thank god I kept my D-VHS player : )

Maybe this is the first time we'll see the all-CGI Yoda inserted into The Phantom Menace.

When the OT was released in DVD, Lucas mentioned that the masters were ready for HD.
Right now, I wouldn't bet that they will be released in HD DVD. Although that I would love too since I have the HD-A1. But since the format war just begun, fox and lucasfilm will not realease their cream of the crop in the near future until they see clearly if there is a winner or if both formats co-exist.

When the OT was released in DVD, Lucas mentioned that the masters were ready for HD.
Right now, I wouldn't bet that they will be released in HD DVD. Although that I would love too since I have the HD-A1. But since the format war just begun, fox and lucasfilm will not realease their cream of the crop in the near future until they see clearly if there is a winner or if both formats co-exist.

I agree. In addition, I have no doubt Lucasfilm wants to milk more out of SD DVD (for example, the unaltered cuts of the orginals are coming out this fall in SD DVD, albeit non-anamorphic and non-remastered. Surely, there will be many fans that still buy these to watch on their 4X3 sets).

Any bets on how long until this thread recieves 3,000 posts? Funny thing is it will and there won't be a blip of news about Stars on HD-DVD or BR.

No, they really don't. The only film they have any real say in is Star Wars Episode IV. The rest of the films were financed by Lucas. While Fox is his distribution channel, Lucas retains full control over how and when the films are distributed.

Actually Fox's ownership of Ep. IV lapsed many years ago. They all are wholly owned by Lucas. In fact several distributers were begging for the chance to release the SEs. Lucas ultimately decided on Fox, but it wasn't locked until he said it was.

As for the format he will pick, the first time I ever heard of Blu-ray was from George Lucas. He was saying that he was going to bypass DVD altogether and release the entire sextilogy in one BD box set.

I have no idea if he has reevaluated that idea, but his track record seems to indicate that he probably has not. He seems to be a real Sony cheerleader. The first time I ever heard of PS2 he was praising its potential.

Maybe this is the first time we'll see the all-CGI Yoda inserted into The Phantom Menace.

Good point. There are still plenty of things to fix/add to all the films. Luke's lightsaber starting off green then magically being blue in the following shot for example.

Maybe this is the first time we'll see the all-CGI Yoda inserted into The Phantom Menace.
Some of it can be seen in the extras on the 2nd Episode 3 Disc.

THAT change needs to be done. Puppet Yoda in "Phantom" was laughably horrid.

No, they really don't. The only film they have any real say in is Star Wars Episode IV. The rest of the films were financed by Lucas.

Lucas bought the rights to "Episode IV" from Fox in the early 80s. It was part of his contract for allowing them to distribute the sequels. Lucasfilm LTD controls all things Star Wars related now.

Lucas bought the rights to "Episode IV" from Fox in the early 80s. It was part of his contract for allowing them to distribute the sequels. Lucasfilm LTD controls all things Star Wars related now.

If I heard correctly, the revertion of ownership to Lucas was written into the original contract. It's kind of hard to imagine Fox selling off their biggest title of all time.

Ah, I didn't realize that Lucasfilm had full control over EPIV. That's cool.

Anyway, I wouldn't expect to see Star Wars on HD optical for a few years. But, you never know with Lucas.

While Lusasfilm's has control over the SW films, Fox still has full distrubution rights.

As for the format he will pick, the first time I ever heard of Blu-ray was from George Lucas. He was saying that he was going to bypass DVD altogether and release the entire sextilogy in one BD box set.

Yes, but at that point, it was just generically "blue ray" as in blue laser. "Blu-ray" as a trademarked name only came about later as the format was further refined.

He also said in a recent interview in "Time" Magazine that he felt the future of video distribution wasn't in packaged media but in downloads. This was in the past year, I think.

While Lusasfilm's has control over the SW films, Fox still has full distrubution rights.

No.

They don't.

Lucas can change distributors anytime he wants. Or bypass them altogether and stand on a street corner selling the DVDs himself. Or decide never to release SW on DVD ever again. He has full control over the entire franchise.

Yes. Exactly. If Lucas wanted to, he could press his own Star Wars DVDs and sell them through the Star Wars website and Fox would never see a dime. Fox wouldn't be able to do a damn thing about it.

This would be great. Maybe if Ep3 was in HD it would have bass finally. The SD-DVD was a dissapointment in the LFE department.

Will HD magically make these Ed Wood-ian films better?? [ducks for cover]

:D

Will HD magically make these Ed Wood-ian films better?? [ducks for cover]

:D
The problem with that link is that Ed Wood would never change takes, no matter how flawed they were. Lucas is the complete opposite. Ed Wood would keep the on-screen, real-life accidental death of a stagehand in his film if it were on the first take.

And besides, I've yet to see anyone play George Lucas as well as Johnny Depp played Ed Wood. :D

I think Fox has a little bit more say in the distribution than Lucas does. LOL.
i highly doubt that....lucas controls everythign SW in general that was part of his contract when he told FOX they could distribute the movies that he keeps all originals and he can do what he wants with them at his discrection, but they remain distributors of the movie in any format. If he loves HD dvd then sorry FOX....

Actually Fox's ownership of Ep. IV lapsed many years ago. They all are wholly owned by Lucas. In fact several distributers were begging for the chance to release the SEs. Lucas ultimately decided on Fox, but it wasn't locked until he said it was.

As for the format he will pick, the first time I ever heard of Blu-ray was from George Lucas. He was saying that he was going to bypass DVD altogether and release the entire sextilogy in one BD box set.

I have no idea if he has reevaluated that idea, but his track record seems to indicate that he probably has not. He seems to be a real Sony cheerleader. The first time I ever heard of PS2 he was praising its potential.
I know he loves their video cameras the cameras he used for ROTS. i think they cost a million a piece.

Lucas and quality don't necessarily go hand in hand (I could say something about his directing and scripts... but I won't). The ORIGINAL classic Trilogy is coming to DVD... only with old letterbox laserdisc masters from the early 90's! No restoration, no clean up, and 192 kilobits/sec DD stereo tracks!

I believe Mr. Harris, the noted film archivist, had offered to restore the best surviving vault material of the original trilogy in order that they have the best possible presentation (for DVD and high def.), and to preserve them for future generations. Lucasfilm snubbed him.

Lucas could practically be as eccentric as Ed Wood with lots of money. He may have a nose for business, but for him his fans can take a flying leap.

As for Lucas and his directing skills these days, you should read some of the things his actors had to say about the shoots. The actors would have a bad feeling about the take they just did, but Lucas would say it was great, and that he was more interested in the technical aspects than getting quality acting from his cast. Ewan McGregor has been quite scornful of the whole project. Usually that happens when a director can't handle his willful and talented actors, and they choose to phone-in their performances because the director doesn't know any better.

For some of the more so-called "dramatic" moments in Sith he turned to Speilberg to direct these scenes as he had flown over to take a set walk through and say "hi." Why Lucas didn't have sense enough to get a better script writer, producer, and a top tier director for all three pre-quels, I can only guess.

Dan

Lucas and quality don't necessarily go hand in hand (I could say something about his directing and scripts... but I won't). The ORIGINAL classic Trilogy is coming to DVD... only with old letterbox laserdisc masters from the early 90's! No restoration, no clean up, and 192 kilobits/sec DD stereo tracks!

I believe Mr. Harris, the noted film archivist, had offered to restore the best surviving vault material of the original trilogy in order that they have the best possible presentation (for DVD and high def.), and to preserve them for future generations. Lucasfilm snubbed him.

Lucas could practically be as eccentric as Ed Wood with lots of money. He may have a nose for business, but for him his fans can take a flying leap.



Now thats funny man...people were complaing before that he restored it too much....goes to show you that you cant please them all you got you on one side who wants clean and totally restored things and then you got other folks who want the originals untouched unfazed...hence thats why he is releasling the old trilogy becuase so many fans complained about how he, 'cleaned" up the earlier veresions......thats just an FYI to you about that one.

I don't think you get my drift about restoration. The original negatives, whatever is still around that is, are in horrible condition. Lucas will not allow an actual restoration of the original trilogy sans CGI, toothless Jabba, and Greedo missing Han from two feet away.

Mr. Harris was not going to "pretty up" the original trilogy with new SFX, etc. just make sure the negatives (those that we original fans adore and saw in 1977, 1980, and 1983) were in tip top condition to allow for new high definition transfers. Lucas wouldn't hear of it. That's why the old laserdisc transfers are all we're getting. A laserdisc transfer is pathetic next to real high definition mastering. This is 2006, not the early 1990's. A non-anamorphic composite transfer with little real resolution and highly compressed stereo tracks is an insult.

What smacks as the greatest insult of all is that Lucas will let the original trilogy rot in the vaults rather than give his fans what they really want.

Dan

I don't think you get my drift about restoration. The original negatives, whatever is still around that is, are in horrible condition. Lucas will not allow an actual restoration of the original trilogy sans CGI, toothless Jabba, and Greedo missing Han from two feet away.

Mr. Harris was not going to "pretty up" the original trilogy with new SFX, etc. just make sure the negatives (those that we original fans adore and saw in 1977, 1980, and 1983) were in tip top condition to allow for new high definition transfers. Lucas wouldn't hear of it. That's why the old laserdisc transfers are all we're getting. A laserdisc transfer is pathetic next to real high definition mastering. This is 2006, not the early 1990's. A non-anamorphic composite transfer with little real resolution and highly compressed stereo tracks is an insult.

What smacks as the greatest insult of all is that Lucas will let the original trilogy rot in the vaults rather than give his fans what they really want.

Dan

no im not missing the point I knew what your saying and im saying there is the other side of the coin the oppposite end of you that would rather let the movies rot in the valut and get released, "AS IS" let age do its thing and let it be. there has been too many complaints already about release this, relase that, I dont think lucas cares that much cause its too much of a headache to try to please everyone. Imainge you being his buddy he wants to please you, but t hen there is 5 million other folks who are opposite of you and your his best buddy one lonesone dude tell him something and he has a hard time listening cause he has 5 millin other people screaming down his back.

As for Lucas and his directing skills these days, you should read some of the things his actors had to say about the shoots. The actors would have a bad feeling about the take they just did, but Lucas would say it was great, and that he was more interested in the technical aspects than getting quality acting from his cast. Ewan McGregor has been quite scornful of the whole project. Usually that happens when a director can't handle his willful and talented actors, and they choose to phone-in their performances because the director doesn't know any better.

For some of the more so-called "dramatic" moments in Sith he turned to Speilberg to direct these scenes as he had flown over to take a set walk through and say "hi." Why Lucas didn't have sense enough to get a better script writer, producer, and a top tier director for all three pre-quels, I can only guess.

Well said. Many people blamed the actors for their wooden performances, but I always felt the problem seemed to be that there was no genuine attempt by the director to perfect the result. Many final takes were downright awful even for outtakes. Aside from Ian McDiarmid (who knows his character so well it's scary), I believe the other actors could have given far better performances with just moderately competent direction.

I wonder what the aspect ratio will be. Episode II was cropped on HBO-HD to 16:9, while Episode III was in its proper ratio of 2.35:1.

While HBO does crop, Cinemax seems to be much better about original aspect ratios. That said, I believe it was HBO that aired Episode III recently and it was in 2.35:1. They aren't as consistent as I would wish them to be but Cinemax seems to be far better about preserving that.

Well said. Many people blamed the actors for their wooden performances, but I always felt the problem seemed to be that there was no genuine attempt by the director to perfect the result. Many final takes were downright awful even for outtakes. Aside from Ian McDiarmid (who knows his character so well it's scary), I believe the other actors could have given far better performances with just moderately competent direction.

Sorry but I feel a lot of that is bullshit and only shows what a professional Ian is. If he's the only actor from the movies who didn't "phone it in," then he is to be commended. As an actor, I can tell you that regardless of the director, other actors or any other factor involved in the production, you do whatever you have to do to do the best job you can. Anything less, IMHO, is irresponsible. Natalie is probably the "most guilty" of this. She's proven to be a good actress when she needs to be. If anything, it makes me lose respect for her.

I think it depends on the writing, the directing, and the actor. Some actors, like Sir Anthony Hopkins, understand what it takes to be a good director. So they test, they poke, they prod the director to see if he/she has the mettle to direct them. If not, then they coast because the director doesn't seem to care or have the chops to be sitting in the director's chair. Sir Alec Guinness was the same way. He was great in performances he cared about doing (and always dissed his Obi Wan role). If the director gave a flying fig, so did he, and it came out on screen. Another notoriously willful actor was Marlon Brando. Jack Nicholson, Dustin Hoffman, Robert De Niro, Al Pacino, and other skilled actors also must have very good directors who can work with them. They will admit that there are very few great directors out there.

I very much doubt Lucas is in that category. He really should have stuck to what he knows best: running a multi-billion dollar SFX and post-production empire, and left the Star Wars filmmaking to talented artists. Gary Kurtz, his ex-producer, would agree. Kurtz was involved in the best of the Lucasfilm output (like Empire) before they had a falling out during Return of the Jedi (a film that had all the markings of Lucas' decline in story telling ability). He was not a yes-man for Lucas, and demanded the utmost quality.

Dan

Sorry but I feel a lot of that is bullshit and only shows what a professional Ian is. If he's the only actor from the movies who didn't "phone it in," then he is to be commended. As an actor, I can tell you that regardless of the director, other actors or any other factor involved in the production, you do whatever you have to do to do the best job you can. Anything less, IMHO, is irresponsible. Natalie is probably the "most guilty" of this. She's proven to be a good actress when she needs to be. If anything, it makes me lose respect for her.

I don't see why so many people are bagging on Ewan McGregor. I know your post didn't specifically mention him as one of the wooden actors, but I loved his performance as Obi-Wan, and most people I know think he did a wonderful job channeling Alec Guinness without being too over the top about it.

wait and see, star wars this september on dvd then next xmas it will be on HDDVD and bluray or whoever is winning the war at that point

wait and see, star wars this september on dvd then next xmas it will be on HDDVD and bluray or whoever is winning the war at that point

Next year? No way. Lucas is going to wait until HD is in many more homes before releasing. Lucas has no financial advantage to release when there are only a million (or whatever) players out there.

He held on the the OT on DVD until Sept 2004, when there was an installed base of approx. 78 million players in the U.S. We have a long ways to go before HD formats achieve that level of penetration...

Kurtz was involved in the best of the Lucasfilm output (like Empire) before they had a falling out during Return of the Jedi (a film that had all the markings of Lucas' decline in story telling ability). He was not a yes-man for Lucas, and demanded the utmost quality.

They had a falling out because Kurtz wanted Luke Skywalker to die, and the Rebellion to lose! :eek:

next year is the 30th anniversary of Star Wars, perfect timing for a complete box set,
and possibly a release of remastered theatrical versions....

no im not missing the point I knew what your saying and im saying there is the other side of the coin the oppposite end of you that would rather let the movies rot in the valut and get released, "AS IS" let age do its thing and let it be. there has been too many complaints already about release this, relase that, I dont think lucas cares that much cause its too much of a headache to try to please everyone. Imainge you being his buddy he wants to please you, but t hen there is 5 million other folks who are opposite of you and your his best buddy one lonesone dude tell him something and he has a hard time listening cause he has 5 millin other people screaming down his back.

Punctuation is your friend.

Next year? No way. Lucas is going to wait until HD is in many more homes before releasing. Lucas has no financial advantage to release when there are only a million (or whatever) players out there.

He held on the the OT on DVD until Sept 2004, when there was an installed base of approx. 78 million players in the U.S. We have a long ways to go before HD formats achieve that level of penetration...

He released on Laserdisc before there were more than about a million players in homes.

Lucas in general is just a wack job. If he falls in love with BD or HD-DVD we will probably see a release. If he thinks they suck (as he thought DVD sucked) we won't see anything for years.

I know he loves their video cameras the cameras he used for ROTS. i think they cost a million a piece.That doesn't sound right....but if true, GL got horribly ripped-off. A female director in my area managed to snag the same cam (a hi-end um, Panavision, I believe) he used for EP1. It was a crap project, but she got the cam nonetheless.

That doesn't sound right....but if true, GL got horribly ripped-off. A female director in my area managed to snag the same cam (a hi-end Panasonic, I believe) he used for EP1. It was a crap project, but she got the cam nonetheless.
Episode 1 was shot on film :)

EPII then; you knew what I meant :).

EPII then; you knew what I meant :).
Even with that, the time frame is a huge difference. Episode 2 was shot mostly in the summer of 2000. Brand new technology is often extremely over-priced when at first released and rapidly drops in price afterwards.

A good example, some memory that we bought at work a little over a year ago to use in some tests cost $10,000 a dimm because it was brand new technology. It's probably not even worth 5% of what we paid now.

We'd be lucky to see any of these films on BD or HD-DVD before 2010. Remember how long it took for the DVD's. They'll wait major market penetration before even considering it.

We'd be lucky to see any of these films on BD or HD-DVD before 2010. Remember how long it took for the DVD's. They'll wait major market penetration before even considering it.

Exactly right.

Episode 1 was shot on film :)

I thought Episode 1 was shot on 720p digital cameras ?

Or were the effects rendered in 720p ?

I don't see any of these films getting an HD release anytime soon and not next year either....... 2010 or 2011 maybe....i even think both high definition formats could fail.

I think the original trilogy which were all shot on film look so much better.

I thought Episode 1 was shot on 720p digital cameras?
http://www.starwars.com/episode-ii/bts/production/news20000409.html

Episode 2 was shot in 24P at 1920 x 1080 HD. I remember the big deal was it was the first major film shot with digital cameras. It'll take a little more digging to show what Episode 1 was shot with.

Edit:
http://www.starwars.com/episode-iii/bts/production/news20030407.html
Star Wars: Episode II Attack of the Clones broke new cinematic ground as the first major motion picture to be shot entirely on high-definition (HD) digital cameras, without traditional film.
That would suggest to me that Episode 1 was shot on film.

EPII was indeed shot to HD tape while EP1 was 35mm film, appearently. And I still doubt GL paid a mil to use or rent HD, as a good motion-picture camera can be purchased for waay less than that.

Anyways, who's gonna shoot first in this broadcast version of SWrs? :)

Anyways, who's gonna shoot first in this broadcast version of SWrs? :)
Oh man, if Greedo shoots first I will be like sooooooo pissed. :D

Actually, I'm hoping there is a third edit where a third person shoots first and we realize that the shot impairs Greedo's aim. That will fare well with purists!

EPII was indeed shot to HD tape while EP1 was 35mm film...
EP1 did have 2 short scenes that were shot at 1080p but you are correct that EP1 was shot in Panavision.

We'd be lucky to see any of these films on BD or HD-DVD before 2010. Remember how long it took for the DVD's. They'll wait major market penetration before even considering it.

I completely agree. It's about making money. Which is why I salute the 3rd party releasing for Bluray and HDVD. They aren't making much of a profit.

I think Fox has a little bit more say in the distribution than Lucas does. LOL.

Dito. Lucas gives them the date to pull the trigger, but I don't see Fox adopting new authoring gear and ramping up a new format just for the release of the SW movies, even as big as they are.

Truth is, like DVD, Lucas is bound to wait until the HD disc formats are mature to give the OK. He likes the saturate the market all at once. That's not going to happen while it's just us early adoptors.

My original point was that if for some reason Lucas decided Star Wars would be HD DVD only, and refused to change the position, Fox would do it, or they wouldn't be involved with Star Wars anymore.

Episode 1 looks so poor on DVD with excessive edge enhancement....i won't be upgrading any of my current discs except Episode 1 ( thats the other 5 films and no i won't be rebuying any as owning the original unaltered trilogy does not inspire me to buy them again especially since its 192kb/s stereo instead of PCM sound and they haven't bothered to clean the prints up and i still have the unaltered trilogy on VHS ) but if they can re-release Episode 1 again i will buy it purely because the current edition looks so bad ( what's the betting they re-release it and alter the great sound quality by toning down the bass to match Episodes 2 and 3 and what a shame that would be as i still think Episode 1 has the best sound quality of the newer prequels )

The local BB is still playing demos with the Episode 1 disc! It looked good FIVE years ago, but it just pitiful now, with all the scratches, dirt and EE. Blown up on a 42" screen, it looks really bad.

EP1 did have 2 short scenes that were shot at 1080p but you are correct that EP1 was shot in Panavision.
I hadn't heard about that. Do you remember which scenes it was? I love Star Wars trivia. :)

guys, i'm as big a star wars fan as there is-but is'nt all this a little off topic? noone has released any star wars in any hi-def format yet. When the original uneditied trilogy is remastered in HD-DVD, then i'll buy. should we rename this the starwars hi-def software we wish we had discussion? :-)

If I heard correctly, the revertion of ownership to Lucas was written into the original contract. It's kind of hard to imagine Fox selling off their biggest title of all time.

I remember this differently.

Lucas had the sequel rights. When he went to make EPI-III, he shopped around for a distributor. Fox owned the copyright to IV, but Lucas owned it for V-VI.

Lucas bargained and got the copyright to IV as a part of the distribution deal allowing Fox to distribute I-III.

I also believe that the deal really put Lucas in the upside position on profitability. Basically, Fox took a rather fixed price for the distribution.

The deals given to the theatre owners were also very poor for EPI, so much so that many chains refused to play it. This improved somewht for EPII and EPIII after EPI proved to be a big disappointment to many fans.

____

Anyway, that is my recollection. As long as we are telling urban legends here, does anyone else have a version?

guys, i'm as big a star wars fan as there is-but is'nt all this a little off topic? noone has released any star wars in any hi-def format yet. When the original uneditied trilogy is remastered in HD-DVD, then i'll buy. should we rename this the starwars hi-def software we wish we had discussion? :-)

Not true, the new films have all been shown on HBO-HD and they look great.

guys, i'm as big a star wars fan as there is-but is'nt all this a little off topic?

If you're bumping up a thread hasn't been posted to in a month... we're not the ones off topic. :)

The politics of format releasing goes like this: Lucas says when, and Fox says how. Star Wars, for the forseable future, is destined for Blu-ray. However, it will likely be a long time before that happens because Lucas has always preferred to wait until a format is matured before releasing his magnum opus so he can reach market saturation within a couple of months. If Blu-ray loses out to HD DVD before that happens you may all be in luck, but it's just a waiting game for now.

Not true, the new films have all been shown on HBO-HD and they look great.


are you 100% sure on that?

II and III yeah, but Phantom Menace was never on HBO that I can remember.

IT skipped cable altogether and first aired on FOX.

I hadn't heard about that. Do you remember which scenes it was? I love Star Wars trivia. :)
I think the scene outside with Liam and the young Anakin, where he took his blood, was shot with the video camera. Can't remember the other one.

I think the scene outside with Liam and the young Anakin, where he took his blood, was shot with the video camera. Can't remember the other one.


I heard it was the scene of them walking into mos espa for the first time (when jar jar steps in the poodoo)

The naysayers of digital video didn't take notice. Rick pointed it out to let them know it was digital after the fact.

one technical point, Ep II was shot on HDCAM F/900 4:2:2 cameras. The resolution of that is actually 1440x1080 not the full 1920 raster they got with HDCAM-SR F/950 4:4:4 on EP III.

Thats why the keying was a real difficult task for ILM and its also why II looks softer then the other prequels.

guys, i'm as big a star wars fan as there is-but is'nt all this a little off topic? noone has released any star wars in any hi-def format yet. When the original uneditied trilogy is remastered in HD-DVD, then i'll buy.FOX shows eps I & II periodically, but I won't take the time to capture 'em with my tuner-card (so they've been released in a sense). As to the unedited OT being on HD DVD; not for a real....long....time. If ever.

Lucas should be sick of making money on the two trilogies and the other marketing. It would be nice to see him jump right in for a change. It might have a big effect on people jumping on the band wagon.

Lucas should be sick of making money on the two trilogies and the other marketing. It would be nice to see him jump right in for a change. It might have a big effect on people jumping on the band wagon.
i think he did that for Divx and lost big time. :p

Lucas should be sick of making money on the two trilogies and the other marketing...
You right and I'm sick of making money myself. :eek: Let's all quit work Monday. Money is overrated anyway. :D

You right and I'm sick of making money myself. :eek: Let's all quit work Monday. Money is overrated anyway. :D

After you sir, I don't know about you but Lucas makes more than I do.

:p After you sir, I don't know about you but Lucas makes more than I do.
I won the 1 million dollar powerball how close am I to him ooooohhh maybe 1/1000000000th of him... :p

After you sir, I don't know about you but Lucas makes more than I do.
It's all relative. To a homeless person you could look like Lucas and have MORE that enough money. ;)

no intention to flame, but, is it just me, or do the original SW trilogy get less and less stellar with each subsequent viewing?

the prequels- lets not even go there

no intention to flame, but, is it just me, or do the original SW trilogy get less and less stellar with each subsequent viewing?...
Are you saying that your DVD's are deteriorating with each play like an anlog LP, cassette, or 8-track? :D

After you sir, I don't know about you but Lucas makes more than I do.

I love this attitude. He makes more than you, so he shouldn't continue to make money? As mentioned, everything is relative. You likely make more than lots of people, yet you have no desire to stop getting *your* paycheck. :)


It's not even like you're advocating something like a charity donation (which, incidentally, he just did -- donating $175 million to his alma mater). You're saying that he should intentionally throw away money he could be making, all to support a hardware format that he has no financial interest in. Why should he do that?

I love this attitude. He makes more than you, so he shouldn't continue to make money?...
...and lay off all those moochers that work for Lucas films because they don't need to make no more stinking money either. :D

Yes. Exactly. If Lucas wanted to, he could press his own Star Wars DVDs and sell them through the Star Wars website and Fox would never see a dime. Fox wouldn't be able to do a damn thing about it.

I've been wondering why there are so many bootleg Star Wars DVDs are allowed to be sold on eBay. They must come directly from his DVD burner :D

All six Star Wars movies to be shown in HD possibly?

Maybe I'm misinterpreting the advertisement too much. Cinemax is promoting their November airing of Episode III but with inserted brief clips from Episode IV. They close out saying they can't talk about a big surprise in store but they end the tag with "Order will be restored."

Now that would be a nice event, particularly if it is all in HD and since Cinemax keeps the proper aspect ratio...

All six Star Wars movies to be shown in HD possibly?

Maybe I'm misinterpreting the advertisement too much. Cinemax is promoting their November airing of Episode III but with inserted brief clips from Episode IV. They close out saying they can't talk about a big surprise in store but they end the tag with "Order will be restored."

Now that would be a nice event, particularly if it is all in HD and since Cinemax keeps the proper aspect ratio...

Splicing the movies together for "continuity"? Sounds like more butchering of the treasured IV-VI episodes to me.

P.S., Lucas is a hack that got lucky with the original Star Wars movies.

Whoa, whoa. Who said splicing? Just because they mix in a few teasing scenes from Ep 4 doesn't mean they're splicing.

Whoa, whoa. Who said splicing? Just because they mix in a few teasing scenes from Ep 4 doesn't mean they're splicing.

There have long been rumors of Georgy Boy wanting to put some scenes from Episode IV into Episode III to "ease the transition" from the I-III movies to the IV-VI movies.

I wouldn't be surprised if that's what this is, test the waters with it on cable and then release DVDs for it next year.

There have long been rumors of Georgy Boy wanting to put some scenes from Episode IV into Episode III to "ease the transition" from the I-III movies to the IV-VI movies.

I wouldn't be surprised if that's what this is, test the waters with it on cable and then release DVDs for it next year.
Boy, I can hear the outcry from the purists about this already! :eek:

Hey, get over it: we all have multiple copies of these movies, so what's another version gonna mean in the long run. I mean, heck, they recut and put the Godfather movies in chronological order, didn't they? :(

These ain't Citizen Kane :rolleyes: Some of these changes could be a hoot! :cool:

There are some pics from the German broadcast here. http://www.millenniumfalcon.com/phpbb/viewtopic.php?t=7254
They look amazing.
Purists shouldn't look but should go to x0project.com instead.

Wow is this thread old. I started reading through it, got to a comment about the OT being released this fall, and then realized it was started in August. Ha.

Anyway, these would be the titles to push me over the edge to buy a BD player. Until then, I'm sticking with HD-DVD.

FWIW all six are being shown in HD on skyHD in the UK on new years day. They are showing nine movies back to back, so you can see them in whichever order you think is right -

1,2,3,4,5,6,1,2,3

Cinemax HD is airing all six this friday!

HBO HD is supposed to be getting them in December or next year.

Damn I wish I had an HD set.

direct tv you suck for not carrying all the movie channels in hd, ok there i just wanted to rant. I am totally stoked to see all 6 in hd i guess i'll have to get hbo in december.

direct tv you suck for not carrying all the movie channels in hd, ok there i just wanted to rant. I am totally stoked to see all 6 in hd i guess i'll have to get hbo in december.

Double ditto on that one.... :mad:

Double ditto on that one.... :mad:

Triple ditto!

Quadruple ditto as late as it is for Cox Cablecard. I just had to wait until they came out for HBO HD.

That was some ressurection.

it's...
the thread that wouldn't DIE!!!!

;)

Well I watched these on HBO, and I gotta say, thanks to Direct TVs half bit rate policy, they looked exactly like their DVD counterparts, no better or worse. Even Phantom Menace had no improvement.

Well I watched these on HBO, and I gotta say, thanks to Direct TVs half bit rate policy, they looked exactly like their DVD counterparts, no better or worse. Even Phantom Menace had no improvement.
i DVR'd them all from Time Warner (8300). definite improvement over the DVDs. Revenge of the Sith is stunning.

I watched Empire DVR'd from Comcast - stunning.