STAR WARS Saga available on digital HD in all markets 4/10/2015

[Karzak]

Per Deadline:

"The series will be available as a complete packaged set or individually, with the films accessible by the purchaser across all their devices. Included with purchase are a collection of bonus features, among them never before seen deleted scenes, interviews with key personnel, featurettes about the making of each film, and trailers."

http://deadline.com/2015/04/star-wars-saga-digital-hd-april-10-1201405552/

 

[Sgt. Pepper]

Per Deadline:

"The series will be available as a complete packaged set or individually, with the films accessible by the purchaser across all their devices. Included with purchase are a collection of bonus features, among them never before seen deleted scenes, interviews with key personnel, featurettes about the making of each film, and trailers."

http://deadline.com/2015/04/star-wars-saga-digital-hd-april-10-1201405552/

Sorry, but I can't purchase the series for a fourth time.

[yt]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U0yV6KAmEIA[/yt]

 

[Mr Light]

A hundred bucks for no physical media?! Yeesh!

 

[MacLeod]

Well you've got 6 months to save up for it, but I won't be buying it. I've already purchased it on VHS, DVD and BR.

 

[Reverend]

Clearly this is meant for those that didn't buy the blu ray/don't own a blu ray player. That said, I'm still not touching it despite owning a PS3 and didn't bother with the blu ray set. Way too overpriced IMO.

 

[RoJoHen]

I got the trilogy on Blu-Ray for like $30 a couple years ago. This seems like quite the rip-off.

 

[SPCTRE]

I'd pay that amount for a legal digital HD remaster of the Laserdisc version.

 

[theenglish]

For a hundred dollars, one purchase should make this available on all my platforms (Apple TV, Amazon, X-Box) and allow for downloading and burning to disc.

 

[Nightowl1701]

"You tell those guys they'll have to do one helluva lot better than that before I'll even say 'hi' to them."

 

[Candlelight]

Even more never before seen deleted scenes? Surely not.

 

[martok2112]

Even more never before seen deleted scenes? Surely not.

THIS!


Also, like some others, I've already bought the movies on multiple formats over the years. I have it on blu-ray, and backed those up to HDD.

(I also have the DVD's of the original trilogy in its original form.....untouched by the wonders of digital restoration.....although I still ultimately prefer the Special Editions.)

 

[StalwartUK]

No original versions....

Any technical/legal reasons as to why Disney can't/won't release them?

 

[theenglish]

No original versions....

Any technical/legal reasons as to why Disney can't/won't release them?

Lucas probably either still owns rights to the original versions of the film or one of the conditions to the deal was that Disney cannot release them. Lucas has always been adamant that the original versions will not be released again.

 

[Timby]

Any technical/legal reasons as to why Disney can't/won't release them?

The original camera negatives of Star Wars and Return of the Jedi are badly faded and deteriorated. Unless Fox has something in its own archives -- and there's no way in hell they're giving that stuff up to Disney without several metric tons' worth of cash -- Lucas' own Technicolor dye transfer prints (which served as a reference source for color timing for the Special Edition restoration almost twenty years ago) are almost certainly the only remaining "true" masters of the films as originally released.

 

[StalwartUK]

Lucas probably either still owns rights to the original versions of the film or one of the conditions to the deal was that Disney cannot release them. Lucas has always been adamant that the original versions will not be released again.

I wouldn't be surprised if that were true. No doubt he also made sure that the Star Wars Holiday Special never gets a release.

Of course Disney probably isn't too bothered either way, after all most of their target audience (kids) were born after the 1997 Special Editions were released, so they really won't have ever known anything else.

The original camera negatives of Star Wars and Return of the Jedi are badly faded and deteriorated. Unless Fox has something in its own archives -- and there's no way in hell they're giving that stuff up to Disney without several metric tons' worth of cash -- Lucas' own Technicolor dye transfer prints (which served as a reference source for color timing for the Special Edition restoration almost twenty years ago) are almost certainly the only remaining "true" masters of the films as originally released.

Yeah. I've also read that Lucas cut up the original negatives to create the special editions (this was before digital editing was popular). I'd dread to think of the state of the original prints now.

 

[Masiral]

No original versions....

Any technical/legal reasons as to why Disney can't/won't release them?

Lucas probably either still owns rights to the original versions of the film or one of the conditions to the deal was that Disney cannot release them. Lucas has always been adamant that the original versions will not be released again.

20th Century Fox actually owns the distribution rights to the original version of Episode IV in perpetuity, meaning that Disney and Fox would have to work together to release it.

 

[Timby]

No original versions....

Any technical/legal reasons as to why Disney can't/won't release them?

Lucas probably either still owns rights to the original versions of the film or one of the conditions to the deal was that Disney cannot release them. Lucas has always been adamant that the original versions will not be released again.

20th Century Fox actually owns the distribution rights to the original version of Episode IV in perpetuity, meaning that Disney and Fox would have to work together to release it.

Fox owns the distribution rights of any version of Episode IV in perpetuity -- and all the other films until 2020. That's why they had to be party to this digital distribution release.