Saga Advice on replacing my Star Wars DVD collection

So i've been buying and selling Star Wars on DVD since 2005. I bought the full-screen box set in December 2005 even though my friend found the three disc wide-screen box set on Walmart's promo sale.

I gave away the full screen to a former colleague of my mother shortly after purchasing the four disc widescreen box set from Walmart.

When I learned of the 2 disc sets coming out I feel in love with the cover art so I bought them. TBH I still find it strange that Lucasfilm gave fans the option of owning the prequel films individually in 2 disc sets while the originals had to be bought in box sets with or without the bonus discs.

Releasing the originals in 2 disc sets with the bonus discs loaded with documentaries such as the rare documentary of TESB and one segment of Empire of Dreams in each disc. One segment of Science & Star Wars in each disc and the list could go on. They could load much more in three bonus discs than one.

But then the cover art of RTJ on the 2006 2 disc sets did not look as serious as the 2004 box DVD and being a devout fan, I then bought the three disc set of 2005.

But seeing the 2006 DVDs at blockbuster and unable to resist the cover art, i bought them again. By 2013 I sold off my three disc box set on Amazon.

I have no regrets about it. Also considering I idolized Star Wars as a symbol of "boy power" and having nasty stuff happen to me in 2014 that harmed my masculinity, I cared less for my admiration of SW.

I was kind of resenting more Star Wars movies being made. But when I saw TFA, I left the theaters overjoyed at how bad it was. I got a totally unexpected treat.

Also in 2006, I bought Episode V and VI on widescreen DVD in my country. They were directly copied from laserdisc. I was impressed by the picture quality, including the color lightening. The lightening in the 2004/2006 DVDs were completely extreme.

I actually liked the 1997 version of The Empire Strikes Back. It had original dialogue, including Boba Fett's voice. They were on in widescreen. I ended up giving them away to friends.

Now I am unsatisfied with the 2006 DVD because of their video color lightening. When I read of the 2019 DVD releases, I learned that they have had their color lightening corrected. Not only that but their DVD cover art are much less fancy than the 2006 DVD editions while being arguably superior to the 2004/2005 DVD box set cases cover art.

However I am unable to find any receptions online on the 2019 DVD editions. I've read that their coloring brightness has been corrected. Their footage is identical to the 2011 blu-ray release, which I don't mind.

Thus I am thinking of selling my prequel and 2006 widescreens and acquiring the Disney editions but need advice on the specifications of the 2019 DVD editions. The anthology films have only one version, so nothing to state on those.

Also the Ewok movies were my first Star Wars in 2005 purchase and have remained with me since then, considering they were released in one and only edition.

For those who don't know, here are the DVDs I am seeking to buy but would like some advice on them:

 

Those DVDs are the 2011 versions. They have no extras. I don't know what brightness issue you're talking about.

In Europe they have released the new 2020 versions on DVD.

 

I believe he means the colour grading on the films. The 2004 DVD release of the OT looked completely different in that respect than the original releases or the 1997 Special Editions, and it was maintained for the 2011 Blu-ray release. The 4K versions release in 2019 featured colour grading that was far closer to the original releases, but not 100% the same.

 

Well, the color grading (among other things) is different in all versions because it was revised each time a new master was made. The LaserDisc version (2006 bonus DVDs) is different from the 1997 SE version (not available on DVD), which is different from the 2004 version, which is different from the 2020 version. The only versions that are virtually the same are the 2004 and 2011 versions, since the 2011 versions are a small revision of the same 2004 master.

If you have a issue with the grading/contrast/vibrance of the 2004 versions, buying those DVDs is pointless. But if you want the movies in the best possible quality on NTSC DVD, then you can't go wrong with those 2011 versions. The encodes are better and they have the latest changes up until that point. But if you live in a PAL region, then get the 2020 releases.

 

I'd personally recommend going with the most recent (2020 I think) 4K versions. Even if you don't have a 4K player that's ok cos included in those are regular blu-ray copies of them. The great thing about these is that the same transfer used for the 4K discs are also what the blu-ray discs are as well. And they look (and sound) fantastic, especially the OT! IMO those are the best looking and sounding versions to have. The sound/score is brighter and better balanced, and that transfer has returned the films to a much more natural color grading, doing away with many issues presented in the '04 DVD versions. IMO ESB looks like it was made only 10 years ago-and the improvement is noticeable right from the first scene...

 

Seeing the responses here, it is correct to state that these 2019 DVD are the DVD versions of 2011 blu-rays.

Then a better keep than the 2004 versions.

 

The 2019 versions are not DVDs but actually are simply the 2011 blu rays, repackaged. Yes, those are better than the 2004 DVDs (because of a few minor effects fixes and the enhanced 1080p resolution), but those are not the best ones to have-as they still keep a lot of the high-contrast and coloring issues that were present in the 2004 DVDs.

The 2020 4K releases are the ones to get if you want them looking and sounding the best possible (fixing the coloring issues contained in the 2004 and 2011 releases). And like I said, a 1080p blu ray disc using the same improved transfer is included with the 4K disc in the case-so even if you don't have a 4K player you can still use that disc.

 

I'm still watching these on video from 1995 (?)

 

The 2019 releases were available on Blu-ray and DVD and are the 2011 versions.

The 2020 releases were available on 4K, Blu-ray (and DVD, but only in Europe) and are the remastered 4K versions made in 2012.

 

Indeed

 

Were the 2006 SE dvds (that came with the OOT bonus disc) the same dvds that were released in 2004?

 

They were

 

The cover art on the discs were different but the content was the exact same. They were indeed duplicates of the 2004 DVD releases.

 

Yes they are the 2011 versions to my understanding but they were not available on DVD format until 2019. And that's what i'm looking for. But surprisingly there are hardly any search results for them.

 

The 2011 versions were released on DVD for the first time back in 2013.

 

Wow never knew. But they were released in a box set only, right? They weren't released individually on DVD to my knowledge.

 

Not in the US. But in the UK they were released individually and with Drew Struzan's poster art back in 2015.

 

Darn lucky Brits. But then again I bought the 1997 special edition of The Empire Strikes Back on DVD widescreen copied from a laserdisc in that poster. I also had ROTJ but regrettably gave it away.

 

Is there a resource anywhere that lists the various releases over the years on the many different mediums along with their bonus features, their particular transfer, additions or cuts to the film?