Star Wars DVD Comparison Chart
Last Updated 10/3/2011


In early 2002, I set up a chart to compare features for a number of home theater surround sound processors. Over the last few years, I've created a similar chart for DVD players and another for surround receivers (which were initially lumped in with processors). At the same time that I was creating those charts, I was also keeping an eye on the drama surrounding Star Wars and the DVD format. With the arrival of Revenge of the Sith on DVD on November 1, 2005, all of the movies have finally been released on the format. There has been some unresolved fan disappointment along the way, however, and that has led to a continued interest in bootleg DVD's of the trilogy's original theatrical cuts. I've had the opportunity to spend some time with a number of different bootlegs, and I've kept notes on the quality of those bootlegs. The result is a series of disc reviews (including both bootlegs and official commercial releases), ending with a summary of the conclusions I have drawn based on those reviewed discs. As part of that conclusion, I've built the chart below using the format that I developed for use with the home theater equipment. I added the Limited Edition Trilogy release to the chart in September 2006. Features for that set relate solely to the "bonus discs" containing the original theatrical versions (non-anamorphic video and Dolby Digital 2.0 soundtracks); the other discs are exactly the same as the trilogy discs released in 2004 (including the new commentary tracks, anamorphic video, and Dolby Digital EX soundtracks).

This chart may be viewed as a companion document to the conclusions page. At the bottom, I've assigned some scores (on a scale of 0 to 10) to video and audio quality – they are somewhat arbitrary, but give at least some idea of "scale" between versions. You mileage (and opinion) may vary. I've also posted a review of the Complete Saga Blu-ray Disc set released in September 2011, but I haven't tried to include those discs in this chart because the scoring doesn't relate. I considered using a system similar to the scale employed by The Digital Bits (1-10 scale for DVD and 1-20 scale for Blu-ray), but decided against it.


 
Star Wars DVD's
FEATURE
Episode I
Episode II
Episode III
Trilogy
Trilogy Limited Edition
Episode I bootleg
LOOK Bootleg (version A)
1995 LD (version B)
Five-Star SE
TR47 DE
Kris dual-layer DE
Dr. Gonzo anamorphic DE
Cowclops/TR47 anamorphic DE
Official Release x x x x x . . . . . . . .
Bootleg . . . . . x x x x x x x x
Special Edition n/a n/a n/a x x n/a x . x . . . .
Original Theatrical n/a n/a n/a . x n/a . x . x x x x
Widescreen x x x x x x x x x x x x x
Anamorphic x x x x . . . . . . . x x
Dolby Digital EX x x x x . . . . . . . . .
Dolby Digital 5.1 x x x x . x x x x . x . .
DTS 5.1 . . . . . . . . x . . . .
Dolby Digital 2.0 x x x x x . . . x . . x .
PCM Stereo . . . . . . . . . x . . x
Optional Subtitles x x x x x . . x x . . . .
Burned-in Subtitles . . . . . x x . . . . . .
Menus x x x x x x . x x . x x x
Chapter Stops x x x x x x . x x x x x x
Dual-Layer Disc x x x x x . . . x . x . .
Commentary Track x x x x . . . . . . . x x
Bonus Material on Disc x x x x . . . . . . x . .
Bonus Discs 1 1 1 1 . . . . . 4 . 1 4
Packaging Included x x x x x x x x x . x ? .
Video Rating 9.1 9.7 9.7 9.3 8.2 6.0 6.4 6.0 7.0 7.3 7.0 7.3 7.6
Audio Rating 9.4 9.7 9.7 9.1 7.9 6.8 6.8 6.6 7.2/5.0 8.0 7.6 7.3 8.0
Prillaman.net Review



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