May the DISC be with you!
Why a Star Wars LaserDisc website in the 21st century?
There are many reasons, many VERY GOOD reasons... let me expain them briefly:- The laserdisc was an high-end video format years before the DVD came out, and it was presented even before VHS... it deserves respect, because without it probably the Blu Ray disc would never existed! And I love the format, I grew with it, I'm an avid collector, so...
- At the moment it is still the best way to see the Original Unaltered Trilogy legally... the first time the Trilogy came out on DVD it was the THIRD revision published, and with so many modifications that the purists hate it! Then, with a subsequent edition they made us a "gift" as bonus DVDs, that were just a laserdisc port. At this point the fan could be happy, don't you think? But, as Darth Vader yell on the BD (the fourth revision, by the way), the answer is "NOOOOOOO"... because that release was full of DVNR (Digital Video Noise Reduction) artifacts and other problems, at the point that is barely watchable... The remastered PAL laserdiscs (all of them) released on 1995 are way better, while few NTSC versions has no DVNR at all!
- Think about the Special Edition released on laserdisc and VHS in the year 1997... with the Original Unaltered Trilogy, at least, you could choose if you want to see it on DVD - with a lower picture quality of a laserdisc, right, but it exists... but think that NO DVDs were released of this 1997 Special Edition, and NEVER will be! This is the only legal chance to see it with a good video quality...
- "Don't underestimate the power of the sound"... infact, laserdisc audio quality is really good; uncompressed PCM sounds better than the compressed DD found on the DVDs... the BD is, quality wise, better than LD, but don't forget there is only the fourth revision around... what about if someone want to see the OUT or the SET? Another time, there is no choice other than laserdisc!
- Packaging, the magic word! Do you really think your latest BD box set is "huge"? Let's see the Definitive Collection Original Trilogy, packed with nine (9!) laserdiscs full of extras, with an hard book inside a sturdy big black box à la "death star-ry"... if you've never see one, you'll be impressed! Also the simpler laserdisc has usually a beautiful cover; often, it is a gatefold cover with four 30x30cm sides full of pictures, essays and other little gems you've never seen in a "poor" DVD package... that was art!
- The Phantom Menace laserdisc edition is different from the DVD and BD version. This is another reason to own the laserdisc!
Still not convinced?
Take a look at all these wonderful Star Wars laserdisc editions; in one you could find the version never released on DVD, in another a huge box set full of extras; other has a beautiful cover and some has little problems... but this is the beautiful world of laserdisc!
If, after reading those lines and visited those page, you are still not convicted, I'm sorry... you are a "digital-only" person! ;-)
