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No Star Wars TPM on DVD
Troed pointed us to final, official word that Lucas has opted not to release TPM on DVD. This is a poor move for many reasons: SW fans are gonna often be techies with DVD players. Besides that, nearly every movie released these days comes out on DVD and VHS. I can think of only 2 reasons: He might be afraid of piracy, but lets be honest, but I think he really is doing this so he can wait a year and release the DVD and sell it all again. I have stopped by VHS, and I'm pretty bummed: I would have bought this DVD the day it was released. I feel like I'm being extorted: I've been a pretty loyal fan both in terms of time, and buying SW Stuff (I even have a Darth Maul Lightsaber!) but this really hurts.
Since I am waiting a few years to see the next movie anyway, I will just wait until next year and simply buy the DVD if/when it is released. I simply will not purchase any movie on VHS anymore, and even a movie I very much want to own will not make an exception to that rule. So if you are serious about wanting more DVD releases, do not buy this VHS. Or stop whining :)
The REAL sam_at_caveman_dot_org is user ID 13833.
IMHO, there are lots of other much better movies that are higher on my DVD to-buy list.
Honestly: who expected Lucas to act in any way except the way that will make him the most money?
People expected integrity from a rich filmmaker? Heh.
"The horse leech's daughter is a closed system. Her quantum of wantum does not vary."
It seems to me that I read an interview with Lucas a while back in which he stated that he wouldn't do any DVD until all 6 movies were released. At that point he wanted to put out the ultimate Star Wars DVD collection...
The star wars Episode 1 movie sucked. It's not worth buying. What I would like to see is the original 3 on DVD, but that won't happen either.
It has been statistically shown that helmets increase the risk of head injury.
1) Lucas doesn't owe you anything for being a devoted fan.
2) He's got a known level of greediness.
This isn't entirely surprising. VHS tapes can be much more readily copied than DVDs can, so I seriously doubt that piracy is the issue.
There is also a third possibility, which I think is pretty likely -- the extra content being put together for the DVD will take quite some time to get together and polish, and maybe he's planning on doing something special with it, which will take extra time.
The Christmas special notwithstanding, Lucas' past releases have all been very well-polished, classy affairs. Maybe they're just taking the time to make sure that the DVD release will be something very cool.
I guess I can see the point about piracy, kind of...
Then again, I'm more of a George Clinton mind about things like that - it's better be ripped off and well known than to be well known for being a prick about being ripped off. Or something like that.
Or maybe it's just an admission that the movie sucked, and is suitable for viewing only by 5 year olds.
-=Best Viewed Using [INLINE]=-
This is nothing new, George said in the beginning he wasn't going to release any of the Star Wars movies on DVD until they were all out. Then it was going to be released as a Box Set only.
"Imagination is more important than knowledge" -- Albert Einstein
Remember those scorching articles on Lucas and TPM by David Brin? Remember how he said that Lucas favors dictatorship over democracy? That's what's at work here, I believe. Lucas is playing dictator. For some bizarre, surely wacked-out reason, he doesn't want to put TPM on DVD alongside the VHS release. He doesn't CARE that the fans want it, cuz he's the dictator and he doesn't have to listen to "the people".
MoNsTeR
Lucas is a major proponent of digital filmmaking - getting away from actual film, and turning to movies stored as data.
Which makes me wonder - why is he such a big hater of DVD, when it is the realization of his goals?
As much as this hurts me, there are plenty of other hi-resolution readily avaiable pr0n movies witch to occupy your time. TPM wasn't that good anyway. Messa-Jar-Jar bang. No more cookies.
I do recall seeing a Lucas interview in which (in discussing that he would not make a sequel trilogy) he made an offhand comment of "This will be the six DVD set you buy for Christmas 2005." I'm quoting from memory here, so I could be off by a year . Unfortunately I don't have a source; does anyone else remember seeing this?
It could be--but I doubt it--that' you'll have to wait and buy the whole set till then...I doubt they'll be that patient in waiting for the money though.
Stevis
We've got two lives, one we're given, and the other one we make. --Mary Chapin Carpenter
This makes my DVD not worth the money I paid for it.
--Jason Bell
--Jason Bell
Faster than the light of speed!
It may be greed but it works. I know a few people that are so obsessed with Star Wars that they would probably get the VHS and the DVD just to say that they did and so that they can watch i no matter where they go.
Here's an example. A friend of mine, who also happens to be a Star Wars nut, has 3 copies of Close Encounters of the Third Kind because they came out with different editions of it. Seems pretty sad to me but it's people like him that are going to give Lucas a lot of money.
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So one of the reasons given for waiting so long between movies was for technology to catch up to the director's vision. Yet now that there is a technology capable of delivering his grand works to the home populace, he ignores it. hrm.
-JB
-=-=-=-=-
-=-=-=-=-
My mom's going to kick you in the face!
This story is akin to FUD. Lucas has stated that he wishes for the trilogy of Prequels to be complete, and then release them on DVD. It will be realeased, just not this year.
+-- (Score:-1, Moderator on Power Trip)
I love the Star Wars movies as much as the next guy, but there is no escaping the fact that George Lucas is a money-grubber. (Sorry, but it's true...for further evidence see the release of the box-set of the first three movies immediately prior to the "enhanced" versions) Of /course/ he wants to sell copies on both VHS and DVD. It doesn't detract from the quality of any of the movies, but it might give us a little insight as to how Colonel Sanders wound up wielding a light saber in a TV ad. Hell, he wasn't even a real Colonel...I'll _never_ believe that he was a Jedi!
Guys, please check your previous stories before you put up articles. The new article says TPM won't be released on DVD in 2000 "or in the foreseeable future". That isn't much of a change from what was said back on December 23rd.
--- Grow a pair, liberals... stop letting the Republicans bully you!
I have always loved the first three Star Wars movies. They will always be classics in my mind. Great story, simple, yet effective plot and exciting action.
TPM lost the magic that was in the first 3. Not only was it over hyped and poorly written, but I was quite put off by the amount of sheer marketing put into it. This was simply a moneymaking venture by Lucas, nothing more. I went to see TPM the first day... no matter how good the next one is, I refuse to see it the first day, my confidence in Lucas as a filmmaker has been irrevocably shattered.
Because of this, I doubt I will EVER buy TPM on VHS -or- DVD, simply because that will only encourage Lucas to make more terrible movies. The man has far too much money as it is, without subsidizing his toy market.
Before TPM came out, I remarked to a friend that Lucas would be insane not to release the first three on DVD. I would go out and buy a player simply to watch those movies! I would also be willing to spend well more for those three than I would for any other DVDs.
Besides... DVD is the perfect format for Lucas, who has championed superior graphics and sound in movies.
I know I'm jumping all over the place with this post, so I will summarize.
We in the geek community have showed intense loyalty and devotion to Lucas and his creations. He stabbed us in the back and showed himself to be more interested in money rather than in art. My only response can be to use what little power I have, the power of the almighty-$ in order to demonstrate my disapproval. I hope others will follow my example.
Doug
Venn ist das nurnstuck git und Slotermeyer? Ya! Beigerhund das oder die Flipperwaldt gersput!
i wonder if its on pirate DVD out in HK yet? the original 3 were last autumn...
Why not make a DVD player that can play THX Sound? A DVD is basically a huge repository of 1's and 0's, encode THX into the digital media and stick it on the disk, the player will decode it, right?
--- Grow a pair, liberals... stop letting the Republicans bully you!
Personally I won't even rent VHS tapes anymore because I end up getting too distracted by the poor video and sound quality to enjoy the movie.
For someone who claims to have his viewers best interest in mind at all times (Go read some THX crap to see what I mean) this is a slap in the face. Lucas is way to concerned about getting every penny he can out of the THX name to worry about quality at all anymore.
Note that there is nothing in that article that suggests the VHS will even be letterboxed. So not only do we only get a low quality video image with low quality not even surround sound but we don't even get the full frame of the movie! And this mastered in THX crap isn't worth anything sure it may be nice if you have a THX compatable home system (Major $$$$) which can create it's pseudo-surround effects but I'd much rather see plain old pro-logic surround than the sorry excuse of a remaster THX does for home video.
I'm sorry but if half of what that press release said was accurate they'd only be releasing on DVD with a full widescreen image, Dolby Digital or DTS soundtrack. If they did that I woulden't even care if they included any extra features or not. But as it is I won't even bother to rent the damn thing.
--- Juggle juggle@hitesman.com
...it's nice to get "official" word denying the release of SW:TPM on DVD, rather than all the unfounded rumors floating around. Now, if only we could get a similar "official denial" about the whole China/Linux crap!!!
Eric
Why would I want to waste any more of my money on a defunct standard?
VHS insn't really a defunct standard. Look at how cassette tapes have survived despite the release of CD's. Some people still have 8-track players. The point is that if the technology has existed, it will stay around in some manner. I don't know many people that will throw away their movies and buy them on DVD just because it seems to be better. They are going to keep good old Mr. VCR around and save money on movies that they are not obscessed with buy getting VHS instead of DVD.
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open source man: george lucas, only you could be so bold. the marketing department of lucasfilm won't sit still for this! when they hear you've sabotaged a lucrative money-making scheme....
george lucas: don't act so surprised, you fanatical nut! you're not on any mercy mission this time! several illegal copies of tpm were beamed to this site by pirate hackers! i want to know what happened to the data they sent you!
open source man: i don't know what you're talking about! i'm a regular troller of slashdot on a mission to open source natalie portman!
george lucas: you are part of a grand pirating network and a criminal... take him away!
thank you.
the fat-time charlie online serial!! no macromedia shockwave content!! lynx friendly!! rms approved (no gifs)!! dvd player not required!! bookmark it and hit reload!!
I wouldn't pay a damn dime for that piece of shit movie. It was nothing but hype and marketing. I could make a better movie since 90% of it is CGI special effects. All lucas cares about is how much money and royalties he gets. What the hell was with jar jar? He looked like a fucking cartoon, my 386 could have done a better rendering job.
Only the State obtains its revenue by coercion. - Murray Rothbard
Waiting for 2 more movies to release a boxed set is unlikely. Its obvious they'd make more money if they released each movie seperately. How many people are going to buy a pricey boxed set? And by the time all 3 movies are out we'll have some other technology. This is more like Lucas doesn't want to support DVD for some reason. Perhaps later on to promote his own technology.
now this was true of a lot of earlier releases on dvd (a big disappointment was 2001). but there are brand spankin' new dvds on the market that have glitches in them (most of the problems i've been seeing and hearing now - are do to rushing the production of the dvd phase)
as for piracy, you can dupe copy protected tapes anyway (for a small one time fee). but he never really clarified himself on what he was going to do with his 'baby' on dvd.
personally, ill take a dvd that is less then perfect (to him), then a herpes-infected vhs tape that people have watched 20 times.
doesnt matter to me though, its not that high on my priority list to pick it up on dvd or vhs... but i guess it would make a good stocking stuffer from someone...
whatevers anyway...
That is your ass, and this over here is your elbow, and NO they ARE NOT the same thing.
Finding God in a Dog
- Every major studio is a public entity (i.e. their stock is publically traded), and they have the legal duty to their stockholders to maximize their profits. If they don't, they can be sued by their stockholders.
- There is a traditional big-big surge in video sales just before Christmas every year (how many of you gave or received movies as a gift?. Lucas knows this. What are the odds he will "change his mind" and TPM will be available around 1 December 2000?
- Lucas is by no means the first to have a rigidly-controlled home video release schedule. Disney is the "best" example... they periodically pull their videos from the market for years at a time, then rekindle interest with a "limited time release" (look at what they're doing with DVDs, now that DIVX (which they co-founded) is dead. 60 days only on each DVD Disney animated film. If you're a Disney fan, you've only got a few weeks left to get the first batch... can you say "feeding frenzy"?). So, while Lucas is taking the "dark side" on this, he is certainly not the first.
It certainly sucks, but Lucas well within his rights, and isn't answerable to anyone except you, when you decide whether to reach for your wallet.Except George Lucas. LucasFilm Limited is privately-held. It's accountable to George Lucas and nobody else.
This is important because it means he can pursue "non-standard" ways of doing things, right or wrong, profitable or otherwise. When you've got your billions, you get to indulge your Messaihanic ideas. When I get my billions, I know I will!
Spekaing of Lucas, what the hell is up with the Indiana Jones movies? I'd pay through the nose for a 3 DVD collectors edition with additional footage, directors commentary etc. Its angering in a way, I know, they are his movies etc but in a way these movies are part of our cultural heritage and not releasing them / not taking advantag of the formats capabilities does a disservice to us all. Just my thoughts, I want Indy on DVD with commentary, behind the scenes footage and bloopers :)
Piracy is most definitely an issue. DVDs can be copied without any loss of quality since it is all digital. So a 100th generation copy of a DVD is just as pristine as the master copy.
Ever try to copy a videotape? Even a copy from a master copy is visually inferior. A real pirate (one that makes profit from illegal movies) does not need to worry about losing quality and can provide a product that is identical to the original.
Also due to its digital nature, DVDs can be distributed via the Internet. It is now possible to download TPM in MPEG format from some warez (I hate that word) site. With cable modems and DSL access becoming more accessible, DVD trading will soon become a reality.
--Ivan, weenie NT4 user: bite me!
--weenie NT4 user: bite me!
"Computers are nothing but a perfect illusion of order" -- Iggy Pop
You are comparing apples and oranges. Lucas has an army of people who could bring the world to him and us, whereas CmdrTaco has himself and two other people, which is extremely small for developing something like Slash, and trying to make regular releases.
So, Ppppphhhhhhhttttt to you.
Ungh
And you don't need a damn proprietary (translate overpriced) amp to play it.
Cyano
Don't like my sig? I don't either.
I felt ripped off leaving the theater, if it were available on DVD I surely wouldn't buy it (not that I've ever bought a movie on DVD or tape.)
--
Deepak Saxena
Deepak Saxena
"Computers are useless, they can only give you answers" - Picasso
But it does - if you copy a VHS tape, you are incapable of getting anything of better quality than a VHS tape, rendering your copy virtually useless. Unless you digitally enhance some Ewoks and slap a "Special Edition" label on it, I guess.
(Which reminds me - am I the only one who really, really _enjoyed_ the duality of the original ending of Return of the Jedi? The way it left open the door that most of the people in the universe actually quite liked the Empire? I know this was purely unintentional, considering that the whole thing was a "pure good defeats pure evil" epic, but it sure made it a whole lot more enjoyable being able to fantasize.)
-=Best Viewed Using [INLINE]=-
Ok kids lets face the facts. Lucas is a dictator, no matter how many people tell him that Jar Jar was a bad idea he is going to keep him in anyway, probably just to spite those who mocked him. Lucas is probably not in it for the money, he has too much as it is, he is just making the movie that HE always wanted to make with out a care for anyone else. The DVD WILL NOT be released until all movies are out, that is probably another one of Lucas' wet dreams.
But it doesn't matter you and i will both be in line to by the box set when it comes out come hell or high water.
"I AM THE TERROR THAT FLAPS IN THE NIGHT!!"
tHx
So much for his 'rules'.
**>>BELCH
cvs servers are good for this sort of thing. A "Here ya go. The current source. Use at your own risk" sort of deal. Hey it works for the E people.
OK, lets get technical here real quick. Lucas cannot be bitter about THX not being included in the DVD standared, because THX cannot be included. Let me explain: ;)
DTS - Digital Theater Sound, is an audio encoding method. It specifies channel breakdown, frequency, volume level, etc.
THX - Is a hardware decoding and distribution specification. It is a standard for actual audio equipment. DTS is played through a THX amp to get 7 point surrond.
Besides everyone knows that AC3 beats DTS anyway
Munky_v2
Jay
Most of my favorites either aren't out on DVD, are really BAD on DVD (I hope to GOD someone does a better Metropolis DVD. It is a crime.), are really obvious (The Professional - Natalie Portman comes to DVD, and in a GOOD movie!), or aren't out on DVD (Throne of Blood springs to mind.) So the only one I can really recommend is The Seven Samurai. 207 minute movies are exactly why the DVD format rules.
-=Best Viewed Using [INLINE]=-
Tapes are pretty much dead. I havn't bought or seen someone buy a pre-recorded audio tape in years. In the time that I've seen 100 people's CD collections, I havn't seen one tape collection. In recent memory, I've only listened to tapes in cars that didn't have CD players - and those tapes were recorded off of CDs.
People still buy them because they're writable with cheap hardware. But that's about the only common reason.
Lucas has repeatedly said that that he wants DVD to be the "ultimate repository" (or something) for Star Wars. Meaning, he says, that he doesn't want to release _any_ of the movies on DVD until they are ALL DONE. Yes, that's half a decade away.
/. readers would agree with me here. Interviewer after interviewer has asked Lucas (or is it £ua$?) why he won't release the films on DVD. He always says, "well, I'd like to wait." Who cares about what you want, you selfish asshole! I can just imagine the studio execs pleading with him, trying to get him to relent.
Everyone knows this is stupid. Everyone knows this is greedy. Everyone knows that there will be HDDVD by then. Everyone doesn't like it. And there's nothing we can do about it. Lucas is a greedy asshole, pure and simple.
Just look at the Special Editions. They suck complete ass. All of the additional effects stand out like badly computer-generated sore thumbs. Not only that, but he changed some key plot points, including Han Solo's now-justified killing of Greedo, and several eight-frame cuts of violence.
What can I do besides complain? Well, I have decided to boycott lucasfilm completely. This includes:
1. All Star Wars, VHS or otherwise
2. All cute star wars toys. If you have 'em, burn 'em.
3. Anything produced by Lucas, including Indiana Jones.
4. tell other people to do the same.
5. Encourage people to not buy the bootlegs.
As much as you may like Star Wars, you should not allow one individual to control the distribution of his most popular films. I would think that the mostly Libertarian
But no. Push has come to shove, and we must shove hard.
They clearly stated, even before SW:TPM was in the theater, that NO STAR WARS movies would be released on DVD until the first 3 were done. Why is this rehashed all the time? It's no surpsise...
it's not news...
I bet we'll hear about it AGAIN when they release the episode 2 on VHS... the slashdot title will be 'Lucas refuses to release Episode 2 on DVD..'
then there will be several hundred comments of speculation as to why this is the case.. then someone will point out that this was always the plan.
Feh.
cvs pservers take time to set up and administer properly. It's more work than you realize.
Ungh
Episode one was also mixed into DTS and Dolby Digital, 2 formats that are easily put onto DVD.
It's a cryin' shame he had to do this. I think he's making a HUGE mistake.
--Bernie
1. Lucas isn't necessarily afraid of DVD. IIRC, he redid a scene from "American Graffiti" in the beginning where the sun is setting; the new version features a digitally-redone sky which apparently makes it look much better than the VHS version.
2. A friend of mine received a VideoCD version of TPM for Christmas. I haven't seen it, but the point is clear: illegal copies already are out there.
3. How hard is it to hook up a DV-converter to your VCR and digitally copy the TPM VHS tape? Apple sells just such a converter (from Sony) on their web site for turning your old movies into stuff you can edit with iMovie or Final Cut Pro. Maybe the VHS tape is copy-protected somehow with Macrovision or some other quality-degrading format.
4. Having said this, the only way I would watch a pirated copy of TPM is on an Apple Cinema Display or something of that nature; anything else will be smaller than my 27" TV set (which is barely big enough for most DVDs anyway). Then there's the sound issue. My computer doesn't output AC-3 Dolby Digital sound, ergo I'm losing out on much of the joy of watching a DVD movie to begin with.
5. Forget TPM. I want my Buckaroo Banzai DVD!
I use Macs for work, Linux for education, and Windows for cardplaying.
I for one have come to grips with the vile greed of George Lucas. I just wired him all the cash in my checking account and begged his forgiveness for my miserly ways.
-Chris
Honestly, I have better things to do that pine over an Episode 1 DVD. Admittedly, I'll happily pick up a super-duper special edition Star Wars DVD (or whatever technology has stolen the DVD spotlight in another 6 or 7 years) since they were such an integral part of my childhood. However, if Lucas doesn't want to put out a definitive digital collection until the next two are done, more power to him, I'd prefer a cohesive, finished product any day.
It has been pointed out (true or not I dont know) that Lucas is considering a 6 DVD set, or that it wasn't going to come out in 2000 anyway. I still think he's mainly afraid of piracy. Reemmber back before the movie came out? I remember this quote from him that I read on wired.com ( a bit butchered probably): "if this movie gets pirated by a lot of people there won't be another movie". Remember how he got the FBI involved as well? Almost everyone I knew had a VCD of The Matrix but almost no one had Star Wars TPM because of all the threats he made. I don't particularly support movie pirating but I think he got much too paranoid.
I love the star wars series of course, but I think all the money he's made has given him a serious lack of perspective. It seems that he just can't get enough money. If there is any movie people really want on DVD, it's the star wars series. He could have easily got the first 3 episodes (or 4 to 6) out by now on DVD no problem. He'd be raking in the money. I think it's all due to the threat (imagined or not) of piracy. I think he's waiting to see what happens in the digital world, particularly the current DVD situation. He doesn't really have much to worry about. We've been over the DVD issue many times.
For someone who has pushed the technological envelope in the medium of movies, he has really fumbled the ball in the consumer market.
from the site: is not being released on the DVD format in 2000 or for the foreseeable future
the 'forseeable' future? why use such a vague term? so next year they can? or at their leisure they can say "oh, we didn't see this far into the future, here's your DVD"
or, do they really mean NO dvd for star wars ?
oh, so now you're making excuses for CmdrTaco. how fucking convenient. I guess it makes it easier to defend your argument that way.
Hates people who have stupid little sigs
Ok no DVD but what about VCD?
I'm sure that even if its not going on DVD someone will convert the widescreen and slap it on a DVD. Either that or the pan/scan on a VCD.
The surprise isn't how often we make bad choices; the surprise is how seldom they defeat us.
I'd consider buying the first (or is that second) trilogy on DVD because "Star Wars" and "Empire Strikes Back" were so good. I'll even tolerate those damn made for selling dolls Ewoks in "Return of the Jedi" just to have the complete set and story line.
But "The Phantom Menace"? No. I don't think so.
George Lucas can blame bad internet press all he wants, but "The Phantom Menace" just plain sucked. And if you are more than 10 years old, it sucked a lot. It's exactly the sort of film directors make when they've run out of original ideas but know they have a loyal fan base so they don't have to try very hard anyways and can concentrate solely on selling toys. The only reason I could see in buying it by itself is using Anakin and Jar-Jar "Meesa Gonna Sella Lotta Action Figures" Binx as suction cup dart targets on my TV screen.
If the next two films (assuming they bother making them) are back to the standards set by "Star Wars" and "Empire", I might include "The Phantom Menace" in my DVD collection just to have the complete set. But the next two films will have to be abso-freaking-lutely amazing for me to tolerate "Phantom Menace" like I tolerate "Return of the Jedi". Given Lucas' recent track record, somehow I don't think they will be.
for the schoolage without all the spankage
I wish all 'corrections' were dealt out with that kind of patience and class.
--- Grow a pair, liberals... stop letting the Republicans bully you!
boo fucking hoo.
Ever hear of Macrovision? It's an anti-copying feature found on many VHS movies; it works by putting voltage pulses into a part of the signal that VCRs (but not TVs) use to determine the brightness of the picture. The result is that a copy of a Macrovisioned tape will slowly fade from normal brightness to almost black, then back. Also pretty easy to disable, if you know where the AGC circuit is on your VCR.
n .html
Info here: http://www.repairfaq.org/filipg/LINK/F_MacroVisio
No DVD: You've caved to industry pressure you craven little coward! (I'm venting here.)
What about LaserDisc? Nobody is crying about unencrypted LDs, or that they (now or ever) contribute to piracy and destroy the profits of movie studios!
I, and I expect many others, own a laserdisc player. It has provided me many hours of enjoyment. In fact, I purchased it and the Star Wars Remastered Limited Edition (not the redone movies) together back in '95.
Yes, I'm the sort that likes to have a big screen and big sound.
Yes, I know it's not nearly as convenient as DVD. You can't watch one on your laptop. Or at work. Or on a plane.
Perhaps Lucas is afraid that DVD will be subject to piracy. What's he feeling when there are people selling copies of TPM -- complete with New Line Video(!!!) security stickers -- within a week of it's cinema release?
I have heard reports that Lucas is expected to rake in $1 Billion USD from all things related to TPM; Box office receipts, merchandising, other tie-ins, etc. Is the fact that DVD can now be played without Windows threatening his profits THAT much? I think not.
The fact that there is neither a LD or DVD (read: durable format that doesn't wear out) release tells me that Lucas is going to come up with a "Limited Edition Collectors Set" or some such nonsense as soon as we set some sales records for his videotape. Thanks, Lucas. Your fans are watching you!
"...America's great minds of today, teaching America's great minds of tomorrow. Poor bastards." -- A Beautiful Min
From what I know, piracy is not a major concern for Lucasfilm right now. No matter how they release the movie and other materials, other entities have been responsible for copyright enforcement (such as the RIAA pursuing anyone who served the duel of the fates mp3).
As far as *REAL* reasons are concerned, Rick McCallum has said himself at the Fan Celebration in Denver last year that they were waiting to release them all in one set... yet this again seems kinda far off for any sensible marketing plan, don't you think?
However... back in the day when the plans for releasing Ep1 were being made... Divx was still in existence. Divx a large share owned by Dreamworks SKG.. a company headed by Mr. S... Steven Speilburg - a good friend and collaborator of Lucas on many projects.
So Lucas was probably just waiting things out the way I see it... he's no dummy when it comes to technology (we all knew divx wouldn't work) but he didn't want to deliver the death blow by releasing one of the most popular movies ever on a competing format.
And Colonel Mustard did it in the Conservatory with the candlestick!
There's a reason you don't see pirated DVDs. Its not because the piracy in and of itself is impossible, either.
Its due to the fact that DVD copying equipment is prohibitively expensive! And not even good enough quality to pirate with!!
The media for sale is $25 a disc! And that's for 4.75 GB, One-sided, single-layer media. Nevermind the fact that DVDs you purchase are 19 GB two-sided double-layered DVDs... So in other words, it would take you two RAMs for each side of a ROM. Hmm... Lemme think. $25 for a real version or $100 for one that I'm going to have to swap in the middle of the movie (Remember LaserDisc?).
This is not actually a dificult choice!
One other thing (about trading DVDs online): DVD Quality Video/Audio is approximately 1 meg per second. Most Cable rates don't even come CLOSE to touching half of this. And even still, if you were to download one side of a DVD movie, it would cost you 9 GIGS of HDD space, And 9 Gigs of download time! (At 250K a second this would take approximately 8 hours)
--
"A mind is a horrible thing to waste. But a mime...
It feels wonderful wasting those fsckers."
I currently have no clever signature witicism to add here.
He knows that he can get everybody to buy the initial VHS release, the digitally re-mastered VHS release, the special edition VHS release with the extra 30 seconds of film cut from the original movie, and the five year anniversary boxed set VHS release before he gives us the DVD version.
I'm waiting for the "George Lucas' bank account is now bigger than Bill Gates'" Super-Duper-$-$-$-Box-Set release myself.
--
The gift of death metal does not smile on the good looking.
the phantom meanace dvd release will be delayed one extra hour for every person who asks lucas when it will be released.
word on when lucas may release an updated tpm tarball was not clear at press time.
Who gives a hoot? The movie sucked. What's the big deal? Why do we continue to see articles about Star Wars? Enough. I couldn't care less. Please.
Well, as long as you are making excuses for George Lucas....
Ungh
I'm making excuses for George Lucas by pointing out CmdrTaco's hypocrisy? Yeah, ok...that's very logical.
I personally don't care what Lucas does with his property, I just can't stand when whiners like CmdrTaco bitches about being pissed on when he's doing the same thing.
Come back when you start to make sense.
Hates people who have stupid little sigs
I have always thought of Lucas as thus: A wonderful sci-fi storyteller, a good director, but a piss-poor public figure.
Here he has the most technologically advanced movie of its time and he is content on releasing it on the worst available format?
Someone else pointed out that Lucas goes where the money is. I got a joke email awhile back written by a friend of a friend in which Jar Jar started out as a well-spoken and intelligent character. After 2 lines Lucas realizes The movie will make tons of money, but needs kid appeal to really rake it in, like Ewoks, so Jar Jar instantly becomes annoying, stupid, and a chore for fans to stomach.
Another interesting point about Lucas is the appearance that he holds this saga so close to his own heart and doesn't want anyone or thing to spoil or tarnish it. You see where I'm going with this? I went to Taco Bell today, and they STILL have those damn Anakin pod racer cups! There should be some kind of award for him to win for the most marketed movie in history. All the fast food crap, convenience store crap, drug store crap, re-releasing the original toys, the list goes on longer than for any movie I can think of. I am mildly suprised I haven't seen the Star Wars hour on Home Shopping Network.
I see tons of people in this discussion saying, "the REAL reason is [this or that]", but you know what? Lucas as a person has always struck me as someone who's just not quite on the same page as everyone else. I don't mean this as a bad thing, but I personally think Lucas did this because he could. No other reason. Lucas works in control. He would not have made TPM without total control of all aspects, which he got. Call it childish, call it flexing muscles, but I don't think there wasn't any political-, business-, or profit-motivated reason for this move. If he was going to re-release it as DVD, then release it once along with the VHS and make a ton of money, then release the "Collector's Edition tm" wherein the great chinless wonder along with the cast of the movie will make a little documentary about the making of, what Star Wars means, what Lucas is trying to do with it, etc., etc., etc... He'll make a lot more money on that as well. And aftewr all that, a long long time from now in a place far far away, he can release all the boxed sets he wants and make even more money.
But, he won't do that because he's George Lucas, and Star Wars is his his his... all his.
/Sig/
Where do I buy it, where do I sent the check, and how much?
I've got two versions of IV-VI on LD, and two on tape. One of the tape versions purchased before the advent of 'sell-through' pricing. Saw TPM twice. Have a ton of licensed toys.
Mr. Lucas, I have three copies of American Graffitti. You have enough of my money. Time for some of those hard working pirates to get one.
Seriously, somebody please tell me where to get a copy.
Jesus was all right but his disciples were thick and ordinary. -John Lennon
Here he has the most technologically advanced movie of its time and he is content on releasing it on the worst available format?
Someone else pointed out that Lucas goes where the money is. I got a joke email awhile back written by a friend of a friend in which Jar Jar started out as a well-spoken and intelligent character. After 2 lines Lucas realizes The movie will make tons of money, but needs kid appeal to really rake it in, like Ewoks, so Jar Jar instantly becomes annoying, stupid, and a chore for older fans to stomach.
Another interesting point about Lucas is the appearance that he holds this saga so close to his own heart and doesn't want anyone or thing to spoil or tarnish it. You see where I'm going with this? I went to Taco Bell today, and they STILL have those damn Anakin pod racer cups! There should be some kind of award for him to win for the most marketed movie in history. All the fast food crap, convenience store crap, drug store crap, re-releasing the original toys, the list goes on longer than for any movie I can think of. I am mildly suprised I haven't seen the Star Wars hour on Home Shopping Network pedaling even more Star Wars-related sh*t!
I see tons of people in this discussion saying, "the REAL reason is [this or that]", but you know what? Lucas as a person has always struck me as someone who's just not quite on the same page as everyone else. I don't mean this as a bad thing, but I personally think Lucas did this because he could. No other reason. Lucas works in control. He would not have made TPM without total control of all aspects, which he got. Call it childish, call it flexing muscles, but I don't think there was any political-, business-, or profit-motivated reason for this move. If he was going to re-release it as DVD, then release it once along with the VHS and make a ton of money, then release the "Collector's Edition tm" wherein the great His Holiness, along with the cast of the movie, will make a little documentary about the making of, what Star Wars means, what Lucas is trying to do with it, etc., etc., etc... He'll make a lot more money on that as well. And after all that, a long long time from now in a place far far away, he can re-re-release all the boxed sets he wants and make even more money.
But, he won't do that because he's George Lucas, and Star Wars is his his his... all his.
/Sig/
Yeah, right, and here's 10 reasons to buy a DVD player:
1) The Passion of Joan of Arc (w/Richard Einhorn's score -- the best film of all time -- better than Citizen Kane, Magnificent Ambersons, you name it. And it's from 1928!)
2) The Last Temptation of Christ (w/Scorsese commentary, 16:9, etc.)
3) The Nights of Cabiria (remastered by Criterion -- it's superb)
4) Seven Samuarai (with excellent commentary by Michael Jeck)
5) Fellini's And the Ship Sails On
6) Criterion's soon-to-be-released Cocteau box-set
7) Truffaut's films on Fox/Lorber (and the oop Criterion 400 blows)
8) Peeping Tom (a guilty pleasure -- includes the documentary "A Very British Psycho")
9) Chaplin's Mutuals (great transfer)
10) Pink Floyd's The Wall (fantastic disc)
Works both ways. The Phantom Menace sucked, hands down. Yeah, I'd love to see Star Wars and Empire (Jedi sucked because of the fucking Ewoks) but Lucas is gonna do what Lucas is gonna do.
And frankly: who cares? There are better films available on DVD than the big blockbusters that we've all come to think of as "great films". (After all, Spielberg's E.T. was an odd remake [or so it seems] of Satyajit Ray's 'The Alien'. How many people here have seen Ray's films? Hmmm? I thought so. Try "Pater Panchali" for a real visual and dramatic treat. Only on VHS, unfortunately -- but much better than any of the crappy film "blockbusters"! Although, I'll admit, yeah, "Close Encounters" is a bloody brilliant film. My question is: how did a film like that ever get made? It's fucking odd -- but brilliant.)
Oh yeah, I'm just watching Fritz Lang's "M" now. Wow, that's a cool film. I might have to think about it a while and add it as #11 to the list above.
... if an Asian based company makes it. Your DVD player should play this format and its all legal (Royalties are paid).
The surprise isn't how often we make bad choices; the surprise is how seldom they defeat us.
If you don't like the fact that you can't get your very own copy of the latest version of Slash, write your own.
Ungh
How often do you see THX certified dvds? i have seen very few, there is a reason, THX will not certify anamorphic widescreen transfers for some reason, this is one of the great things about DVD video, if you have a widescreen television you can use it, if you don't, you can watch the movie leterboxed, you can even watch it in pan-scan mode if you have some sick desire to. if lucas releases TPM without an anamorphic transfer, the DVD comunity will go nuts, if he does, he completly underminds the THX
The true piracy threat are those ASCII films. All we have to do is purchase one VHS of Starwars, have someone with lots of time on their hands convert it to ASCII. Say goodbye to your vhs player as well as that dvd player! For the future is here, and no one can stop us ASCII film pirates.
macks
-----
Surrender, enjoy the abduction.
and other stuff. and I know there's cooler stuff out there, and more devoted fans, but.. I wanted to enter myself in the wad.
Insert mind here.
Screw you Lucas. I'm not buying shit!
Well, I plan to vote with my wallet. I don't buy VHS movies anymore, simple as that. I've been buying about 5 DVDs or so a month, on average. Not a large sum, but when you figured the average DVD sells for $24 or so, that adds up to almost $1500 a year. If a company doesn't want my business, that's fine with me - I'll take it elsewhere.
And if/when TPM comes out on DVD? I'll buy it. But not before then.
If you would have thought about it, you would thought about the fact that VHS can be pirated 100x times faster than DVD? All you have to do is have a TVin card, and play the movie and record it into whatever format you want. Maybe, just maybe, it's not piracy at all. ;-)
yeah
Apparently everybody seems to be focusing on only the TPM not on DVD issue and ignoring other new lucasfilm announcements of the day:
1) Soundtracks now only offered on Reel to Reel.
2) Other films will be re-released in beta for "prime home viewing"
3) Action figures will now be made exclusively of led.
4) SW:TPM RPG for the Atari 2600!!!
5) SW: The Desktop office for OS/2 and WinCE.
And finally, the most disturbing announcement:
6) All Special Effects for the Episodes 2 & 3 will be done on enhanced windows 2000 workstations.
Be afraid, be very affraid....
Click here to read too much about my personal life
George has always listened to his fans... Let's petition George to please release a DVD edition.
Lucasfilm could use some good fortune... Notice how many damn Jar jar dolls are available at K-Mart, marked down 50%?
Streaming Classic Rock mp3's 24/7 on 9412 - The Rock Station www.listen.to/9412
I feel betrayed. Yes, we knew this was coming, just like we knew Rob would be a hypocrite regarding slash 0.4, but between these two things, I've come to realize that two of the things I enjoy most are really just becoming major disappointments.
Damn, this is making me cynical.
"You can never have too many elephants on your team."
Not to mention that, Lucasfilm (one of the movie giants in new on-screen technology) is the company behind all of it..
I hate to say it (as I love Star Wars myself..) but, maybe a boycott of the VHS in order? Or perhaps a few --polite-- emails sent Lucasfilm's way would help convince them otherwise?(doubtful).
I guess we'll have to wait and see what happens
--
Homer: "No beer, No TV make Homer something something";
Marge: "Go crazy?";
Homer: "Don't mind if I do!"
arcane for life
Seriously, with Jedi, George learned that there's a hell of a lot of money to be made targeting the story to kids. Meaning three things: crap story (i.e., no real character development, no remotely adult situations like Leia & Han's romance in Empire), lots of commercialization, and more cheap plastic crap from the likes of Kenner, etc. bent on ripping you off under the guise of "collectibles"
yah, the text wanders and the grammer's messed up, but I dont' care...
And the quality (as I've pointed out before when someone mentioned this) will follow suit. A DVD burned off a VHS master is much like a CD dubbed off an original LP. Worthless.
If piracy is the point of not releasing TPM on DVD, George Lucas needs to wake up. 1. VHS tapes are much easier to copy than DVDs 2. The day after TPM was released, there were bootleg copies of the movie all over the internet, he has already failed to stop piracy of the movie. Lucas is not releasing the DVDs so that he can make more money, by waiting until DVD hits mainstream, and more people own DVD Players instead of VHS players, so that more people will purchase the DVDs, even when they already own the VHSs.
razzmataz trolled:
If you don't like the fact that you can't get your very own copy of the latest version of Slash, write your own.
This is too easy but I'll take your bait and pull the old switcheroo on you. Try this on for size:
If CmdrTaco doesn't like the fact that he can't get a copy of TPM on DVD, let him film his own version and create his own DVD of that version.
Do you see how stupid you are?
I personally don't give a rat's ass about Slash. The code to duplicate this rathole would be trivial. I'm speaking about CmdrTaco's hypocrisy on denigrating people who make demands on him to release Slash, when he turns around and makes demands on Lucas.
I'll be waiting for the next of your moronic comments.
Hates people who have stupid little sigs
Oh wait, I don't have a DVD player.
I'm trying to teach myself to set people on fire with my mind... Is it hot in here?
Actually, I have a copy of Clerks on DVD... I haven't gotten Chasing Amy yet, but hey, if DVD is the only way, DVD it will be... I am glad, however, that the general prices of DVDs are a little more acceptable than laserdiscs.
Karnal
George has always listened to his fans... Let's petition George to please release a DVD edition. Lucasfilm could use some good fortune... Notice how many damn Jar jar dolls are available at K-Mart, marked down 50%?
Streaming Classic Rock mp3's 24/7 on 9412 - The Rock Station www.listen.to/9412
Its 192000 and I feel fine.
My god...this must be like the 5th article about stupid TPM on DVD. Does anybody really give a damn? I don't...
Besides that TPM was just eyecandy and a ridiculously hokey plot, DVD hasn't caught on and probably won't because FMDROM (or whatever that Flourescent technology is called) is already feasible.
Jazilla.org - the Java Mozilla
It's 10 PM. Do you know if you're un-American?
... he is just trying to make more money (it is his job, after all).
He knows that people will go out and buy TPM on VHS, and then later he can release the collectors edition and re-sell to the same people.
It seemed obvious that he would do this... it's the same thing as before: I bought a "THX remastered" special edition box set that was released 6 mo. before the re-edited trilogy. They just want more of our money, and that is his right as a businessman. If you don't like it, don't buy it... it certainly won't kill you!
-rt-
** Evil Canadians are taking over the world. Learn about the conspiracy
Didn't he say the same thing about releasing E.T. on VHS? It took a while but his "masterpeice" eventually came out on tape.
(Or do I have my directors mixed up?)
Lucas has always been a film purist. He is one of the primary reasons you see the warning on films that are not letter boxed or have been "edited for time and content". He even has a whole company (THX) devoted to certifying the purity of sound in a viewing environment.
Piracy drives him insane because movies are almost always presented in a degraded manner as anyone who has bought bootleg can attest. He resents that some one is deliberately spoiling the experience he is attempting to create.
Lucas is distrustful of new video related technology based on his bad experience with Laser disks and has spent the past few years saying the format was not proven or mature enough. Now I think he just wants to wait and take the extra time to produce good DVD, that take advantage of ALL the features DVD can offer to enhance the viewing experience, and not just be satisfied with the enhancement that digital format makes possible .
I may be naive but I think its about the experience not the money.
What Lucas expects: Mainstream folks will buy TPM on VHS because they don't care about format. Star Wars geeks will buy it on VHS because they have no other choice. Then, when it finally comes out on DVD, Star Wars geeks will buy it again, because, well, they're Star Wars geeks. (And as a bonus, that DVD will probably be more effectively copy-protected than today's discs.)
What will happen: Most mainstream folks will still buy TPM on VHS, although probably not quite as many as Lucas expects. Very few Star Wars geeks will buy it, because they're insulted by Lucas' position on DVD. (And for that matter, a lot of them didn't like the movie very much.)
The video release will bomb. (By that I mean, it will fail to completely shatter all sales records, as a Star Wars movie is expected to do.) Lucas will still make a lot of money off of it in the short term, but the embaressment will severely damage his future prospects.
Keep in mind, George Lucas is a pretty dense fellow. This is the guy who came up with Jar Jar Binks.
MSK
If Lucas doesn't want to release Star Wars on DVD that is too bad. It really doesn't matter how many people refuse to buy it-- Lucas won't be affected. But I would strongly suggest against wasting your money on a crappy VHS version of a movie that wasn't all that good anyway. I would actually buy it if it was coming out on DVD, but if VHS is going to be the only release format, forget it.
Like I've mentioned in the past, Lucas in a previous interview said that he will not release any SW movies on DVD until all three prequels are out so that that the full 6 episode arc can be enjoyed by the fans. For once, I think it's a right decision - by that time the DVD technology will have matured and of course, people who buy VHS now will want to get DVDs when VHS becomes obsolete.
-Andrei
ermmmm, how is this extorting anyone? I mean, you're upset because someone has decided not to sell you something that you wanted to buy - but didn't actually need to - and it's now extortion and a betrayal and utterly sickening.
how so? it's only a movie - and much as I love the trilogy - not a very good one.
the day the worse thing that can happen to me is the non-release of a film on dvd is the day I finally reach nirvana.
That's your reply?
He gave a valid reason, and this is the best you come up with?
BTW - What you are askin Taco for, is free. There is nothing resembling extortion here. Source code is NOT a right.
- Jeff A. Campbell
- VelociNews (http://www.velocinews.com)
- Jeff
I know that this is a pretty general statement, but I will give a little support. When Lucas went to Fox for the money to do Star Wars (as I am sure everybody has heard) the Head of the studio was Alan Ladd, Jr. Lucas didn't ask for a lot of money to do the picture, just the rights to merchandise it. Previous to SW the most a movie had made off of merchandising was in the 10k range. Ladd, Jr. said something to the effect of knock yourself out. We all know what happened after that. But one of the side effects of that financial success of Lucas's we have only really been seeing in the last decade as movies are no longer sold on things like plot and character development and good story, but they are merely one piece of a vastly bigger product that includes: soundtrack, video rental and sales, fast food tie-ins, toys, etc. Who cares if the movie sucks or does badly now cause it was poorly made and stinks? Not the studios, they'll make it all up with the peripheral products. Look at the recent "Blair Witch Project". These guys are the true scions of all that Lucas has taught. I long for the days when movies were not the giant commercials that they have become and were actually about telling a story and not just to sell some piece of crap at Burger King. It is unfortunate, but there is only one way to make it stop. Don't buy any of it! Don't go see the movies, don't buy the stupid trinkets, don't buy the soundtrack albums. It is the only way...
On a side note, Lucas can't be concerned about the piracy thing, since before TPM was even out there were pirated Video CDs of it all over the European piracy community (the dutch goverment instigated a huge crackdown in Amsterdam at the request of Luca$ and many people went to jail).
All TPM showed us was what Lucas was truly concerned about and the fact that he got lucky twenty-three years ago because he can't direct or write worth a damn (he didn't even direct or write the second two!).
Well, that is the end of my rant. I was so disappointed with the whole way SW turned out, cause I wanted to be a Jedi too...
BTW Darth Vader is secretly a good guy and Obi Wan is evil. Think about it...the Empire all spoke with British accents and the rebels all spoke with American accents. Except for...think about it.
Do not buy the VHS version. I have not bought a VHS tape since I got my DVD player 1-1/2 years ago, and I will not, no matter how good (or hyped, in the case of TPM) it is. Lucas is just delaying his profit in my case.
--
Kyle R. Rose, MIT LCS
[ home ]
Okay, so Star Trek is a little off-topic, but I almost wonder if Paramount isn't doing the same thing with the Star Trek DVD's. I've been buying them slowly, for they're fairly expensive, and they have basically zero extra features! They've got the trailers and scene access, well, to quote Crow T. Robot, whoop-de-shit! I'm betting that Paramount wanted to cash in on the newness of the DVD format and all the geeks that are getting the DVD's, then a year from now, they'll release the 35th anniversary editions or somesuch, complete with commentaries, deleted scenes, making-of featurettes, etc. Will I buy those too? Yup, cuz I'm a fan, and I'll want that stuff, but I don't have to be happy about it. I got a Laserdisc player for free, and I'm having a good time collecting Laserdiscs of movies that aren't available on DVD (or are edited, like Roger Rabbit) they're available fairly cheaply on eBay too. Now what I'd really like, is for Paramount to release big sets of the ST:TNG episodes for DVD, much like Fox is doing with the X-Files Season One box set. As it is, I'm collecting the ST:TNG and Deep Space Nine laserdiscs, slowly but surely, having them on DVD would be a mixed blessing, as I'd then have to sell of my Laserdisc versions!
---
When in danger or in doubt, run in circles, scream and shout. --Robert A. Heinlein
SQ
You should have returned your disc because I've never seen any problems on any of the Matrix discs I've seen.
And anyway, the Matrix is far from the first DVD to have special content on it. The only special content problems I've seen is the MST3K-like commentary on Ghostbusters, which only worked sometimes.
I posted my observation that pre-recorded audio tapes are not commonly sold or played. Before posting, I asked two co-workers and they agreed with my observation. Nobody here has disagreed with that, not even you.
Go to Wal-mart and see just how fast a shipment of those $79.00 4-head stereo VCR's vanish from the sales floor.
That's not even relevant, I was talking about audio cassette tapes.
Movies released on VHS tapes aren't going to disappear anytime soon, no matter how losers like yourself scream,moan and bitch about it.
I didn't say anything at all about VHS tapes.
The same thing happened with CDs at one point. They wanted to support 24 bit 192khz sampling. The quality was so good that it would give consumers just a little too much control over what they did with it. So CDs are still 16 bit 44100. George is just a little to control freakish.
>60 days only on each DVD Disney animated film. If
>you're a Disney fan, you've only got a few weeks
>left to get the first batch... can you say
>"feeding frenzy"?).
I don't doubt that Disney has done extensive
cost/benefit analysis on this one, but let's take
a step back. What happens when a manufacturer
generates a scarcity of product (intentionally or not)?
Piracy. Someone will step in to fill the void; I
think this approach will actually foster the very
same DVD piracy that the consortium is so vewy
vewy scared of, and at both the commercial and
private level.
SW fans are gonna often be techies with DVD players
/. as The Voice of Linux hasn't been Fox / DVD Consortium / "old" industry favourites.
.oO0Oo.
and Linux.
The decision making process of these places isn't always as short sighted and rational as you might think.
Don't forget there's the future to fight for in every buying decision you make.
Politics is life. Vote with your self.
There are places where the networks are not touching,and there are places where they are-Boeing's Lori Gunter
And people are still buying CDs from Wherehouse and Tower and CD-Now and such.
If Lucas is really afraid of pirating, then let's hit him where it'll hurt most: by showing that pirating VHS casettes is MUCH easier than pirating DVD's.
If I'm gonna buy the movie when it comes out, it's gonna be to make *gasp* illegal copies. I'll pass them out to my friends at the price of a blank VHS tape -- which is what? $2.00? Hell, I'll sell them on the 'net. I'll make it known that because of Lucas's poor decision, they're gonna lose money from more VHS pirates then they would have ever from DVD pirates (who are at the moment, virtually inexistant..)
The cost to pirate DVD's runs into the thousands -- a DVD copier, a powerful computer, blank DVD's. All I need to pirate a VHS tape is an extra VCR. If anything, Lucas should release the movie on DVD only.
Oh well. They'll learn.
I can rember hearing some interview with Lucas asking when Star Wars would be released in on DVD and he said not until the the standards of what Video/Audio formats to use for DVD are clear.
He wanted to make sure that everyone who owns a DVD could watch Star Wars and at this time not all DVD players suported all formats.
-Jasa -- Linux - The SOURCE will be with you, ALWAYS
Because the Original trilogy is on VHS already. There is no reason to stop the VHS release of TPM cuz it's not exclusive. Also, you have to remember, the demand is out there, regardless of how many of you think it sucked, people (including myself) still want to own it. He said there would be no DVD til 2006 for *any* Star Wars film, so this isn't anything new.
Boy, that really hurt. You know, I could stoop down to your level, and start calling you a fuckhead or a jackass. But I won't do that. No, I am going to thank you for what is going to be my new rad-bad-ass sig:
I personally don't give a rat's ass about Slash. The code to duplicate this rathole would be trivial.
-- mochaone, commenting on Slash, the code which runs slashdot.
Thank you very much.
Now, for more of my "moronic" comments...
You are comparing apples and oranges. CmdrTaco has made a good faith gesture to make slash (the code that makes this "rathole" so special) available to the public. Secondly, do you think he has alot of freetime to go and make a new version available? Have you ever done software engineering? Have you ever had to do a release?
So, I'll reverse the switcheroo, and challenge you: How's 'bout you come up with the code to duplicate this so-called "rathole" ?
Game, Set, Match.
Ungh
I am not shocked at this move on Lucas' part, but I am disappointed. I have also been a VERY loyal fan including getting my kids involved with this thing that was so great for me as a kid. I think we should all go out of our way to boycott the VHS sales!! GET REAL - Most of his fans will PAY for the DVD anthology when it is released...we won't copy it!
I was at the Star Wars panel at the San Diego comic con. One of the head Lucas guys was there (I think he was the head Lucas guy) He stated that DVD would not even be considered as a format until after the next film was released and then probably only when Lucas felt he had produced a complete set suitable for release (all films). If you track someone else down who was there they should be able to confirm. This isn't rumor it is fact (he wouldn't have annouced it to a couple thousand people include many important print media people if it wasn't the 100% truth, and he had to repeat it several time because people were upset). This was mid summer though so plans could have changed since then but I doubt it. Considering how picky Lucas seems to be about this stuff don't hold your breath.
I've had Laser Disc for over 6 years now.. very happy with the format. I don't have a DVD player yet, but I'll get one soon - only because the movies on DVD are slightly cheaper than LD. Funny, I also have that collectors pack, with all the Original movies and the book in the Black Case. Cost me heaps!
I'm facing the opposite dilemma, the South Park movie is available on DVD for a list price of $30, but on VHS for $103. They apparently do this so that people will rent the tape rather than buy it. But the herds of holiday consumers who bought DVD players can enjoy Cartman, Stan and the gang now.
Damn, if I can't afford a good DVD player (and I won't buy a lame one), how the heck am I going to justify dropping $100 on a tape... Lord, why do you mock me so...
Good luck on that Buckaroo Banzai DVD. It's been out of print on VHS since forever (thank God my dad has a copy I can watch!). However, if they do release it on DVD, I hope it has the deleted director's cut scenes.
Speaking of director's cuts, is the Army of Darkness 2 disc set still for sale anywhere?
---
Oper on the Nightstar
seems to me Lucus is the biggest in the world. he wants SW fans to get a life though we pay his bills.
IIRC, THX isn't a media format, it's a group that checks the acoustics of theaters for things like sound bleed and reverberation, and approves ones that meet their minimum requirements. That's why you sometimes see both "THX" and "Dolby Digital" trailers before the same movie.
---
Oper on the Nightstar
Actually, i've done a fair amount of reading on this in the past, and i seem to recall the reason lucas wouldn't convert the original movies to DVD was because of the fact they used a different surround sound standard (AC3/Dolby Digital) instead of his preferred (and ILM-owned, I believe) THX surround standard. I remember how they used to have receivers at Circuit City that would decode THX but now it's all DD so this seems like a dumb reason. But, Lucas can afford to not make as much money for an ideal (sorta like Carmack in that way, i guess :).
beware the jabberwock, my son! the jaws that bite, the claws that catch!
hey, it's my little buddy razzmatazz. I will cut to the chase and eschew the tired holier-than-thou cliche that you so skillfully use.
Rob Malda in an earlier article (the useless interview with his partner) made some disparaging remarks about his "customers" who have made demands on him by repeatedly requesting that Rob release the latest and greatest Slash code. Now mind you, Rob Malda has previously released code and has made a firm committment to continue releasing his code. Rob Malda, by virtue of his words and actions, has indicated that he is a firm proponent of Open Source initiatives.
Rob Malda, in posting this article, has attempted to criticize Lucas for not releasing The Phantom Menace on DVD. Mind you, Lucas has never made a committment to releasing TPM on DVD. In fact, Lucas is reported to have concerns about the DVD platform and has made plans to release his Star Wars series as one complete set when all six movies have been made and released.
Rob Malda has attributed his lack of committment to releasing the Code to Slash to it not being his primary concern...his primary concern being the day to day rigors of supporting the website. This of course flies in the face of hundreds of other Open Source endeavors that are much bigger than Slashdot, manned by individuals with full-time jobs, yet these projects seem able to release code often. Robs excuse seems weak at best.
Rob's insistence that Lucas owes him something by virtue of the fact that he has been a customer of Lucas's previous works, in spite of the fact that Lucas has never promised to release a DVD of TPM, is highly hypocritical when contraposed against his inability to fullfill his own obligations, made willingly by Rob himsself, to his own customers.
You can have fun with your newfound signature. I am more than happy to have my opinions spread by you. At least I know my time spent debating you hasn't been fully wasted.
Hates people who have stupid little sigs
Just wondering... if you hate slash so much... do you you come on here and bitch about something you have no control over? And also your comparing two entirely different things... A Movie being released on DVD and source code for a website...
-- We should kill all the intolerant people in the world.
Hmmmm...screw your fans you will not.
Actually, what I'm doing is pointing out what a hypocritical bastard Rob Malda is. Nothing more. Nothing less. I have no interest in TPM or Rob's code. I just can't stand hypocrites and will jump and yell to point them out, regardless of whose house I'm in.
Hates people who have stupid little sigs
Rob Malda in an earlier article (the useless interview with his partner) made some disparaging
remarks about his "customers" who have made demands on him by repeatedly requesting that Rob
release the latest and greatest Slash code. Now mind you, Rob Malda has previously released code
and has made a firm committment to continue releasing his code. Rob Malda, by virtue of his words and actions, has indicated that he is a firm proponent of Open Source initiatives.
We aren't customers. We haven't purchased anything from him. He provides a free forum for us to have wonderful little discussions like this, but I digress...
If people constantly harrassed you about code you wrote, constantly asking for the latest version, you would be annoyed too.
Rob Malda has attributed his lack of committment to releasing the Code to Slash to it not being his
primary concern...his primary concern being the day to day rigors of supporting the website. This of course flies in the face of hundreds of other Open Source endeavors that are much bigger than
Slashdot, manned by individuals with full-time jobs, yet these projects seem able to release code
often. Robs excuse seems weak at best.
His primary concern is maintaining this site. If he can package up Slash in a tarball, all the better. If he can put up a public CVS server, all the better. Though, the work to put up a CVS server for public use is quite a bit. The work to secure it is even more...
Lucas on the other hand has a small legion of people who could put TPM on a DVD at the snap of his fingers. Given that Malda probably didn't know that Lucas was waiting until he could put all six movies on DVD, I can't fault his attitude. It certainly doesn't smack of hypocracy.
And I'm happy to know that you feel your time hasn't been wasted.
Ungh
Note: I have never found even the slightest mention of Tom's name on Lucasfilm's THX.com. Lots of thanks he gets.
Tom developed the Crossover as a method for converting movie theaters over to a system for reproducing sound, which had to adhere to specific standards. This was done to ensure that the recorded audio on a movie soundtrack would sound reasonably the same (to a degree of accuracy) from theatre to theatre. This may not sound like such a big deal now, but back in the 70's and before anything was free game. The vast majority were using monophonic reproduction, with the most emphasis being on cheaply reproducing midrange (human voice range) frequencies. Tom Hollman (and others, I can't remember exactly who) realized this extreme deficiency of theatre sound systems when they tried to incorporate advanced noise-reduction techniques into the recording process of movie sountracks, only to find out nobody noticed the difference when played back in the theatres!
Anyways, after this Tom laid down the specs for properly reproducing sound in theatres, and designed the THX for this purpose. It is my belief that he also designed audio reproduction systems as well as set standards for them.
"thx.com" gives all the credit to.....that's right. George Lucas. What a genius. =P
(Guess this blows my chances at working for ILM) hehe =)
I just feel that credit should be given where credit is due. And Lucasfilm isn't giving it.
There was a really great documentary about this (they even dragged out Julian Hirsch and Henry Kloss!) about a year ago on cable. Wish I could remember the name of the program, it was quite good.
man tunefs | grep fish
Their website doesn't give any email addresses (as far as I can see), but there's always their 1-800 number, shown on just about all Star Wars merchandise: 1-800-TRUE-FAN. I know I'll be calling them tomorrow morning to ask why they're doing this!
"...Is this world not a call I can screen out" --
We aren't customers. We haven't purchased anything from him
I enlcosed the word customer in quotes precisely because I was aware of the semantic hoops that we can go through in debating the definiton of customer. Regardless of whether we pay money to Rob Malda directly, Malda does benefit financially by our visits to his site. I'm sure that those ad dollars would dry up if we all stopped using his nice forum. The traditional models of patronage are changing quickly but that discussion is best left for another day.
If people constantly harrassed you about code you wrote, constantly asking for the latest version, you would be annoyed too.
Interesting choice of words. I am not privy to the emails sent Rob's way but just as you can sympathize with Rob getting annoyed, I can sympathize with people getting annoyed at Rob not living up to his promises. No matter what Rob attributes his delays to, he has not fulfilled his promises.
His primary concern is maintaining this site. If he can package up Slash in a tarball, all the better. If he can put up a public CVS server, all the better. Though, the work to put up a CVS server for public use is quite a bit. The work to secure it is even more..
No one has asked Rob to go to all the trouble of setting up a CVS server. Rob is the one who mentioned that he is looking into that aspect. What does it take to tar up the directories to the code, the data model for his database and dump that on a FTP server? I don't think it would take much. He doesn't have to gussy it up. There are some smart people out there who can figure out what his code is doing. He needs to stop underestimating people or hiding behind excuses.
Lucas on the other hand has a small legion of people who could put TPM on a DVD at the snap of his fingers. Given that Malda probably didn't know that Lucas was waiting until he could put all six movies on DVD, I can't fault his attitude. It certainly doesn't smack of hypocracy.
Ok, you allude to Rob being too busy to release the code. I don't buy it. Linus and everyone else working on Linux are working full time jobs and still hacking on Linux and releasing the code. If they need help, why don't they ask for it? Why don't they utilize the Open Source community that they are so quick to laud? You also refer to the fact that Lucas can whip out DVD's without problem. Of course he can. He doesn't want to, however, and has never promised to do so. He can do with his property as he pleases and as long as he doesn't lie to his fans and contradict himself, I cannot complain about his actions.
Hates people who have stupid little sigs
here's the link.
- A.P.
--
"One World, one Web, one Program" - Microsoft promotional ad
"Remember when the U.S. had a drug problem, and then we declared a War On Drugs, and now you can't buy drugs anymore?"
I don't want this post to be interpreted as a troll or flamebait, but I do have to ask the following question:
What difference does it make when TPM is released on DVD? If the movie were absolutely the best film in the history of cinema (and this would be arguable, to say the least), it will still be just as good in two years. Why is this story any more newsworthy than "Party of Five Not Aired in Poland?" Not all geeks are enamored of Star Wars - count this geek/SF fan as a hardcore Star Wars hater - and, even if we were, I don't see that this non-event merits any more than two lines on the back page of a Star Wars fanzine.
Neopets - the best free game on the Int
I mean, it wasn't that good of a movie. I've had no urge to see it again in ANY format. If you have DVD money burning a hole in your pocket how about
'Thin Red Line'
'Iron Giant' (so good it even surprised me)
'Stargate'
Ok, I might get a copy of the light saber battle scene for my computer.
Later
Erik Z
Democrats or Republicans. They are both taking us to the same place and they are not afraid of us anymore.
First off, I liked the movie, and I would like to let out a rant that has been festering for a while (like since the movie came out).
Have you ever watched the first Star Wars movie with the same 'discerning' eye you've turned towards Episode One? If you did, you would notice bad acting (Harrison Ford being the only half-decent actor at the time) annoying characters, and all the stuff you hated from Episode One.
In all the time we were waiting for Episode One to come out, I only saw one actual commercial/ad for the movie that wasn't pushing another product. Pepsi, TriCon (Taco Bell, Pizza Hut, and KFC) and all the other people using Star Wars as a crutch in their advertising.
So, kwitcherbitchin, and enjoy the frickin movie!
The one and (thankfully) only,
LafinJack
we are building a religion
a limited edition
we are now accepting callers
for these pendant key chains
THINK!
- A.P.
--
"One World, one Web, one Program" - Microsoft promotional ad
"Remember when the U.S. had a drug problem, and then we declared a War On Drugs, and now you can't buy drugs anymore?"
Maybe he'll release on Laser Disc? I dunno, but I'd probably buy it even though I haven't bought one in years. I love the original trilogy on laser. Maybe someone knows if he will or not.
Patiently... So far many good movies aren't being released. Indiana Jones, Starwars, etc. No matter how long they waited, I'll get them when they come.
- Etam
from the time people called for a boycott of DIVX and Circuit City, rejoice it's dead and now the DVD consortium tries on some brass knuckles. Video CDs (or is it CD Video, whatever was also called CD-i movie) never was as good as VHS, presently the minimum video standard.
A boycott really isn't all that effective unless there is a reasonable alternative. I've gotten used to the quality, features and convenience of DVD. I have an 26 episode set of four dual layer DVDs in which the fancy packaging is about as large as a VHS cassette.
There really isn't a partially viable alternative to the DVD format anymore, DIVX is dead (which should not resurrect as the standard should NOT be US centric), everyone's abandoned the LaserDisc which didn't take off much in the US, was quickly abandoned by the users and companies in favor of DVD.
I already have a DVD player, and have a small collection of discs. I still have more LDs than DVDs but that will probably be reversed with in a year. It appears the mastering work gets more attention on DVD now than many LDs recieved, and usually the quality of the video is limited by the quality of the master work.
The Star Wars trilogy looks AWESOME on laserdisc, even version just before the 'Special Edition'. Lucasfilm had a standard called 'THX Laserdisc' which did very well in keeping the standards high. Several DVDs have THX certification, but I have yet to see a set of standards developed for DVD in mind.
Boy, this post wandered!
You know I am really getting sick of Lucas and his Anti-DVD stance. There are 2 trilogies I would kill for on DVD the Indiana Jones movies and the Star Wars movies. As far as the piracy issue well there isn't one for to simple facts. One is that he will make so much money from the DVDs that realistically the little piracy of a DVD that will occur (given how easy it is to copy DVDs...NOT) won't phase him. Second most of the computer literate world has had TPM on they're hardisks since the day it came out.
Star Wars TPM is not going to be out on DVD??? THANK GOD!!! This movie was one of the worst movies of 1999, the worst Star Wars movie, and just plain sucks! I hope it is never released on DVD!!
To be dictating terms and strutting around like an over-stuffed over-hyped under-powered Messiah - god's gift to media-kind.
Get his surround technology and associated extremely expensive theatre equipment - theatres may do this and that and may not blah blah blah.
Frankly I think it's getting kinda old - I almost feel like his 15 minutes are maybe coming to a close.
I seem to recall hearing months ago that Lucas had no plans to release Phantom Menace or, indeed, any of the Star Wars films on DVD yet. He planned, so sources said, to wait several years until the rest of the First Trilogy was in the can, then sell the set as sort of a Star Wars Ultimate Collector's Edition thing.
Has any of this changed? The only thing I saw that might have portended a change--that website crowing that Phantom Menace was going to be released on DVD--turned out to be a red herring.
Frankly, Lucas has always been a bit of an oddball about things like this...going back and CGIing and reshooting the original trilogy just because he wanted to, for instance. I'm not at all surprised by this. Saddened a bit, but not surprised.
I will be surprised if Lucas changes his mind any time soon. Despite what all the people have been saying about him, I don't think Lucas does what he does out of greed or commercialism. For him to turn around and release the films in time for Christmas of this year because they'll sell more copies just doesn't strike me as likely.
Editor Emeritus and Senior Writer, TeleRead.org
I have to admit that the main reason why I don't have a DVD player is because unless the star wars trilogy is on it there's really no point. So I guess I'll have to wait until all the movies come out or play any rented dvds on my PC
---
When every new VHS movie it seems has a DVD release as well?
When major film companies are releasing big chunks of their back catalogue?
What more do you want? Distributors giving you free DVD's to persuade you about the format?
Oh, and the argument that something is not going to catch on because there's "something better round the corner" is almost always hokum.
Well, we can always count on our taiwanese friends for a DVD transfer; in the end, its no longer Mr. Big who decides stubbornly on it. I'd rather buy a taiwanese DVD; even if is just a simple "analog reel film to DVD transfer" it will certainly worth more than an overpriced VHS that will look plain ugly and will self-destruct in less time than you may think. Keep the stubborn Mr. Big; it won't matter. After all; we may now produce our own DVDs, right? No need to pay special royalties anymore. It was their fault in the first place if they loose sales for this decision.
Now everyone in the movie industry has to decide: They may take opportunity of the techologies that are available and make profit for it; or they may go retro and be against it, staying in the past. Who will win? Us. In the end; its ourselves and our demand. Take advantage of new techologies or swim against the river flow; you decide...
Artix
Your Linux, your init.
Also, Macrovision apparently screws some projectors up as well. Anyway, I got my Pioneer 717 with region coding and macrovision disabled from Techtronics.
I see this as abuse of copyright.
Lucas has been granted a monopoly over this work, with the aim of promoting the creation of other works of a creative nature. He is now abusing that monopoly, by trying to get people to buy the VHS and DVD. If this was a monopoly he had created himself, rather than created by the idiocy of copyright, he would surely be brought up on antitrust charges.
Copyright is a very strange thing. It is granted to give people "protection", yet it is almost always used as an extortion device. It is a right granted without responsiblity. This is unlike most other other rights we have in our societies:
..the first sign of decay...
Seriously, I think that old-timers like Lucas had their fun and cranked out some memorable films, but how about the unknown guy(s) in a garage with an avid editing system and some 3D graphics talent? Who knows, the next major film could be put out for free by some committed film/art students for all we know.
Don't get me wrong, I LIKED Star Wars and all, (I have a die-cast Millenium Falcon on my computer as I speak..original from 1979) but comon...DVD, VHS...are you kidding? The whole damn thing is getting pretty TIRED..
I used to be interested, but now I'm just looking for the next unknowns to put out a true net-distributed hit. You may roll your eyes and invoke the curse of "no bandwidth, idiot" but that can change radically in a few years..
Sorry, I have this annoying habit of looking towards the future...
LoopBack
http://www.geocities.com/TimesSquare/Dungeon/547 6
and what about people who don't own an LD player? blah blah
What promises that Rob has made are you refering to?
Ungh
Except, of course, that with the right player LP quality is way better than CD quality. Moron.
axolotl
Would it be illegal? That is the question to ask, if you make copies of a game but do not give to anyone is it illegal? If you can build a DVD from VHS i don't see how Lucasfilm could do anything about it. All your doing is changing the media type just as if you were to take what's on a disk and put it on a CD-R.
tHx
Theory #1 comes from my housemate who claims that Lucasfilm hasn't released any DVDs because they own a particular movie production company that isn't licensed to produce DVDs. Sorry for the ambiguous statement, but the general idea is that they won't produce DVDs because of some corporate license or dreamworks had no hand in the DVD technology. Very speculative statement, but I'd like to hear otherwise if you get what I am trying to convey.
Theory #2 was thought up by myself during one of these discussions with my housemate, and it's a bit more 'conspiracy theory'. Basically, I think it is possible that Lucasfilm is going to sell everything on VHS until the market is saturated. Take for example the fact that they released all sorts of versions of the original Star Wars episodes in the older unmodified versions. After they made a pretty penny there, they re-released the whole shebang with the new computer enhanced versions. So, everyone who is a big Star Wars fan goes out and buys all these newer copies on VHS since it is the only format available and they really want it. Once the sales drop off, then they release it on DVD since the people who really wanted it on DVD in the first place but couldn't get it will now go out and buy it. The only reason for not doing it YET is that they still have time to cash in on Episodes 2 and 3 on VHS before doing DVD; if they did a partial release of the 6 episodes on DVD, then it would be a noticable scam that they only release (say) episode 2 on VHS but not DVD. Once they release DVD, then they will always have to.
I like my theory (#2), but then again I probably watch X-files too much. Interesting thought if anything, though...
--
Never hit your grandmother with a shovel, for it leaves a bad impression on her mind...
Slashdot posters, do you even thoroughly read the article? It doesn't say that SW: TPM WON'T be released on DVD, it just says it WILL be released on VHS. It just says that a DVD version will not be released in 2000 or the forseeable future, which typically means a few years. Given that Lucas has stated (IIRC) that he wants to release a DVD boxed set after all 3 prequels are done, and Episode 3 won't be out for a few years, then this isn't really news. Perhaps Slashdot should check more into stories before posting such blatant statements.
Jaraxle
One of Lucas's films, THX-1138, was done before 1970.
My God, it's Full of Source!
OUTSIDE_IP=$(dig +short my.ip @outsideip.net)
The promises to stand behind his Open Source convictions to release the code and release it often
Hates people who have stupid little sigs
I am a female. and in case you wanted to know, I've.. well, nevermind that.
Insert mind here.