Star Wars Home Video: Year by Year: 1982 (Hosted by Nathan P. Butler)

[@tyrannozilla]

The CED was actually my first experience watching "A New Hope", so I get a little nostalgic whenever I see someone talk about the format. Coincidently, the time I was introduced to Star Wars created a snowball effect that helped me become the fan I am today. There's actually quite a bit more detail in my story of how I was introduced to Star Wars, but I'll explain it the best I can. My first memory of Star Wars was when I was 4 years old in 1994, when I first saw my older brother play the original Rebel Assault PC game. I would watch him play the game (primarily the training level, as that was the level I would see him play the most because of how difficult it was to not crash into the walls) and be amazed by the visuals and the music within the game. Shortly after that (still in 94) I would watch the original Star Wars (A New Hope) for the first time on a CED (yes, my family still had a CED player at the time and it still worked) and the picture was 4:3. Still, that didn't take away from the sheer awe and epic scope of the film. From the first bit of music in the text crawl, to the award ceremony at the end, I was mesmerized by the experience and my love for the saga was born. I would watch that CED disc multiple times, and didn't care about having to flip the disc. As long as I could watch the film, I was satisfied. However, that came to an end around early to mid 1995, when the disc would stop working. To say I was sad would be an understatement. I was devastated. I thought that that was the end and I wouldn't be able to watch the film anymore. Little did I realize that 1995 would be quite a year for my love of Star Wars. Not only was that the same year that the toy line would be re-launched (Power Of The Force II), but that was also the year when the infamous "One Last Time" VHS box set would be released. I vaguely remember my Mom taking me to the mall and surprising me by buying the set. I also remember a huge display that consisted of multiple copies of the box set located in the middle of the mall. Another surprise from buying that box set was not only the fact that the original film was on a VHS tape (didn't have to flip the sides), but also the fact that there were two more films. At that point, I had thought Star Wars consisted of one movie, and didn't know about the sequels. Little did I know that not only would there be two extra films in the original trilogy to watch, but that a new trilogy was on the horizon. That "one last time" box set was great. Not only was I able to watch all three films, but I was also introduced to George Lucas, in the form of the infamous Leonard Maltin interview. Then, two years after that, the special editions of the trilogy were released. Say what you will about the special editions (I actually enjoy quite a bit of elements from them), but it was a real treat to see the films on the big screen for the first time and the trailer for them was excellent. Then, of course, two years after that, the first prequel film was released. A little story about that. After the special editions, I thought that that was it for Star Wars. It wasn't until the following year (late 1998) that I would get my first look into what would be coming soon. My first realization that another film was coming was when I saw the infamous teaser poster for "The Phantom Menace" (Darth Vader's shadow looming behind Anakin Skywalker). That poster blew my mind, and I was hyped. You can also say what you will about the prequels (I love them un-ironically), but it was also quite an experience to see new stories from that galaxy "far, far away." Well, that's pretty much (in a nutshell) my story of how I got into Star Wars. Today, I still love all six of Lucas' films and what I've read from the original Expanded Universe. Disney's material, on the other hand (aside from Lost Stars, and the Phineas and Ferb special), doesn't hold up, in my opinion. Let me know what you think of my story. Take care, Nathan. May The Force Be With You.

[@georgerehmert4494]

Damn, your family had a CED player? That's impressive. A shame about the disc, though I did hear that CEDs wear out pretty fast. That, and dust can slip through and make the disc unplayable.

[@tyrannozilla]

@@georgerehmert4494 Yeah, that's what happened pretty much. Still, I enjoyed watching it on the player while it lasted (must've drove my brother nuts), and the player was pretty cool, actually.

[@georgerehmert4494]

@@tyrannozilla Glad that you were able to get it the 1995 VHS box set. I was born in 1997, so I grew up with the special editions on DVD, then got the pre-Special Edition versions on DVD in 2006.

[@matthewgaudet4064]

I have the rare mono compatible version of Return of the Jedi. I have no player just the trilogy.

[@matthewgaudet4064]

@@georgerehmert4494 , right and laserdiscs if your player is in good working order and no laser rot on the disc are playable 40 years later. My Discovision American Graffiti is from 1979 and despite some minor rot is very playable. I was actually sort of impressed a stereo CAV laserdisc from that era would play with very few if any problems.

[@justinmiddleton8818]

It's interesting how starting with the first release of the original film in this year all releases would have the Episode IV - A New Hope subtitle (following it's addition in the previous year's theatrical re release) and the only exception as far as official releases go being the 2006/2008 GOUT releases where the original 1977 crawl was scanned in without the subtitle and episode number. Of course, that was as you mentioned before their attempt to make the 1993/1995 laserdisc mastered version look like the original despite not being THE true original theatrical version but a recreation of it more or less. Of course, as already mentioned earlier the tractor beam line from C-3PO was missing from this and all the editions up to 1984 because that wasn't restored until the soundtrack was remastered the following year by Ben Burtt and then finally released with the line intact starting in '86 and onward. That was an interesting thing given the only place that bit of audio could be heard was the mono mix in theaters in subsequent runs back around 1977/1978. I believe another audio difference specifically pertaining to the Death Star portion of the film is when Han and Chewbacca run from the Stormtroopers pursuing them, and in the common stereo version one of them says "Open the blast doors, open the blast doors." as they close, whereas in the mono mix in theaters and all releases post 1997 one of them says "Close the blast doors." before Han and Chewie jump through the door.

[@matthewgaudet4064]

Yeah the Bonus disc had the 1977 crawl tacked on to the 1993 video master with the 1993 audio mix. So much for a theatrical release. Each new telecine was different and none of them were theatrically accurate.

[@atrocitasinterfector]

was looking forward to this one, did not disappoint!

[@ChronoRadio]

Thanks! Now if only my voice would fully come back (lost it from allergy/sinus stuff and still in rough vocal shape), I can get the next batch recorded to reach the releases of TESB and ROTJ on home video. Soon, hopefully.

[@Cybertron-cs7sk]

Your collection is insane! Do you have all the retro players to play your early samples? Also love your videos always fun.

[@ChronoRadio]

@@Cybertron-cs7sk Thanks! I don't have all retro players. I currently own an all-region player for VHS and two (since one's a backup with no remote) LaserDisc players, but I've never owned a Beta or CED player (nor players for the other early non-U.S. formats like V2000 or VHD). I can play VCDs on PC or other disc players, and can play anything DVD through UHD Blu-ray except HD-DVD, from any region via different players. I haven't bothered to track down Beta or CED players mostly because (a) it's tough to find them in good shape, (b) shipping costs are usually astronomical, and (c) we just don't have the physical space for them. In fact, our LaserDisc players and all-region VCR are actually hooked up to a small TV in our kitchen/dining area these days, as there's no room for them in my office (where I record these videos) or our master bedroom. I don't even have our UHD player hooked up anymore because I just play all of our 4K discs on our PS5 to save space, and my all-region Blu-ray 3D player is tucked away until needed, so I just play 3D content usually on an old PS3 in my office. Space is at a premium for us these days. Small house, big collection, 6-year-old. :)

[@ColeWalker]

Great episode!

[@davidleavitt835]

Loving this video.

[@craigmckernan4056]

Yeah we had Star Wars and Empire on CED format when I was a little kid. Those CED records would get scratched and degrade after multiple viewings and the cover art would tear apart after having to flip the disk over and over. I watched them so many times we had like 10-15 minutes of unwatchable footage on them by the time we "upgraded" to VHS.

[@dr.nizamsarkawi-personal7101]

Man.. you have the "Holy Grail" of original SW! Keep up the good work.

[@unconditionalprong]

I have the original laserdisc release that appears to be a different source than the VHS as evidenced by the Fox logo. The laserdisc uses the older variation (seen on the theatrical release) where the rental VHS uses the 80's variation. Both releases use the Episode IV crawl.

[@elvisspringsteen72]

Being from the UK it’s the slightly faster 25fps PAL version we grew up with. I couldn’t put my finger on why when watching Ep IV on DVD it never felt quite the same as when I was younger. It was only when acquiring the UK laserdisc did I realise it’s because of the difference in speed. If I want that true nostalgia kick I will always go to the 4:3 PAL laserdisc.

[@mreuphoria2]

I have SW 82 Japanese double laserdisc 4:3. Looks in mint condition. Had it for years

[@willybeeproductions9357]

Sorry Nathan but I must correct you in regards to the RCA CED videodisc releases of Star Wars: A New Hope. These releases have had some EDITS in order to get ANH within the 120min maximum. How do I know? The only home video player we had back in 1982 was the RCA CED videodisc player, and we pre-ordered Star Wars and I had it on the first day of release. I listened to/watched that disc almost every day for about a year+. I had it on in the background when doing chores & homework. I memorized every scene, every line, every special effect! When we finally upgraded to a VHS VCR, I got the shelved version of Star Wars and I was dumbfounded when certain scenes suddenly appeared on the videotape that were not in the CED disc version. Specifically, the MOST noticeable is when our heroes first take over the security room on the Death Star and R2-D2 plugs into the computer terminal at Obi-Wan's behest and is researching how to disable the Tractor Beam. On the FULL unedited VHS/Beta/Laserdisc versions, C-3PO says, "The tractor beam is coupled to the main reactor in seven locations..." This entire clip has been removed from the CED version, along with a couple of scenes of R2 plugging into the computer console that have been shortened. There are also some small edits to the Rebel briefing room scene on the Yavin moon base. There's a few shots of droid/pilot onlookers that have been shortened. Although no other dialog was removed to the best of my memory. Our CED player died several years ago, so there's no way to record these edits for you as proof. Perhaps SOMEONE has transferred the CED cut to KZbin somewhere, but I can't imagine WHY as the video quality of CED was extremely poor. And since I played this disc every night for almost a year, my copy (which like you I still have) developed a white vertical line in the upper third of the screen. My CED versions of Empire & Jedi survived better as by this time I had discovered 'girls'. I THOUGHT I had a solid collection of Star Wars on home video from Laserdisc to 4K, but you my friend have me BEAT! But I was watching your video last night with my daughter and while you were describing out Fox Video managed to get ANH onto the CED disc without editing, I had to call you on it.

[@ChronoRadio]

Honestly, that’s not something I’ve ever heard of, but I wouldn’t be surprised, as all the information I’ve seen regarding CED shortening was always couched in language for both CED and LD, never delineated. Given how long it has been, I would not be surprised if those sources were incorrect on the more obscure format. I’ve never had a player to manually test. As to the missing bit about the tracker beam, though, that is missing dialogue from any early copies, so it may be possible that while the line was missing, the footage was still there. That was the case for all the home video releases until 1986.

[@willybeeproductions9357]

@@ChronoRadio There are some brief clips removed from the Death Star battle sequences as well. So quick that you wouldn't really notice them. If I hadn't memorized the CED version of the film, I would never have noticed myself. I still have an original model RCA CED player buried somewhere, but I doubt it would still work. I took our CED collection of movies to Good Will one day, but kept all the Star Wars CEDs for my collection. Anyway, your video was quite interesting and I marvel at your video collection. Subscribed to see what you have in store for the future! Thanks!

[@Takeshi357]

The tractor beam line wasn't added to the home video releases until 1986, the only place where it appeared before then was the mono mix which had only been shown in theaters and occasionally on television. All the home video releases prior to 1986, which would include the CED, utilize the theatrical stereo track where the line was absent.

[@willybeeproductions9357]

@@Takeshi357 Ah, that clears things up then....I only had the CED versions until we were able to afford a VCR (Beta)

[@scottstallings5029]

YOUR CHANNEL IS AWSOME 😊

[@copyrightstrike6910]

in 1983 japan released star wars trilogy on vhd, i have that format also.kind of a rectangular disc sleeve like laserdisc. also in 1989 the derann super 8mm version of star wars came out.

[@ChronoRadio]

@@copyrightstrike6910 That’s correct. The VHD is one of the items that will be shown in the next episode. I will be showing that entire product line as each year comes up.

[@matthewgaudet4064]

Of the two prints they sold I thought Jedi was sharper but with wrong colors. Too Cyan or blue. I passed one up when it was 600 US new. Derann, but their Disney releases are superb.

[@indiana2096]

I have that drawer case VHS, it wasn't my first VHS (I think my first tapes were from 1987), but I grabbed it because it looked interesting, I didn't realize it was hard to find but I guess many VHS are these days.

[@ChronoRadio]

That beats me. The first Star Wars VHS release's I owned were in 1993 (from 1992).

[@Musicradio77Network]

20th Century Fox Video did put out VHS and Beta tapes in drawer cases, that started around 1982 until it lasted in 1983 following the 2nd rebranding to CBS/Fox Video. TCF Video also put out a series of films on home video including “Rocky”, “Rocky 2”, “Dr. No”, “Chu Chu and the Philly Flash”, “Alien”, “Scanners”, “The Great Muppet Caper”, “Revenge of the Pink Panther” and others, except from other studios like United Artists, ABC Video Enterprises, ITC, Avco Embassy, etc.

[@frankbizzoco1954]

Damn and I thought i had a lot of versions of StarWars. But wait, there's more! 1983 is coming. I had no idea what CED was until I saw it on Cinemassacre once. It was a very interesting piece of tech. I'm assuming the picture wasn't as good as Laserdisk. But I can only assume.wm We had the clamshell rental vhs, then the 1993 laserdisk black boxed set. After that came the Special Edition tapes and dvd's. For years I was all about the Special Editions. Then I saw Project 4k77, and all that went out the window lol. This was very fun to go down memory lane, thanks!

[@matthewgaudet4064]

Negative one did a preservation of the CED I think it was roughly as good as VHS. It also had the time compression. They are also Pan and Scan early versions so the video quality won't be that good anyway. Though the laserdisc was the best of all the formats at that time other than perhaps Betamax. The thing is VHS won because of recordable and affordable tapes.

[@frankbizzoco1954]

@matthewgaudet4064 oh yeah, laserdisc was never going to be mainstream. The disk flipping and swapping thing definitely turned off a lot of people. Not to mention, a new movie was 50 bucks, as opposed to 10 for vhs. Although in the beginning of vhs, i seem to remember tapes and VCRs to be very expensive. I was not alive for the vhs vs beta max war, so I don't remember why beta faded into obscurity. But the reason why vhs won overall was that exact reason you mentioned; the ability to record off of TV with ease. The struggles we had before the times of on demand streaming haha.

[@matthewgaudet4064]

@@frankbizzoco1954 , the ability to record sold them i think VCR, the same for recordable stereo radios and cassette player. To the point the industry wanted those to be made illegal, music industry and film industry. So much of my childhood was dubbing things to some form of recordable media I couldn't picture a life without them then. Even if my parents or the library had a vinyl record I could dub that to cassette to listen in my Walkman. I used to buy tapes at Woolworths. I remember Sam Goody. And of course, Suncoast. I used to go to blockbuster video weekly for new movies to rent.

[@indiana2096]

CED at its best was as good as VHS without tracking issues, the problem is that CED had a tendency to skip and studder (very annoying) like an LP. Some people have been known to play through the disc before actually watching as it would play better the second time around.

[@indiana2096]

@@frankbizzoco1954 VHS tapes weren't 10 bucks until much later, new releases started at $59 and up, my mother paid over $100.00 for Gone with the Wind (2 tapes), I didn't get my first Star Wars until 1987 when prices started coming down, but I think it still wasn't cheap.

[@white-dragon4424]

Basically, laser disk is an old oversized version of a DVD with less capacity.

[@ChronoRadio]

Visually, yes? Technologically? No. The key thing is that whether looking at CAV or CLV Laserdiscs, they are analog, whereas DVDs are digital. (That also accounts for the capacity difference.)

[@palpatine775]

I am loving this series! I'm wondering what year is going to offer the longest video going forward....

[@ChronoRadio]

I'm betting on maybe 2020: TROS, Skywalker Saga, the new Black-bordered 4K releases, plus drawing the distinction with some other regions. But, of course, that's a long way away.

[@henkman00]

''wow, what a collection! how many movies do you own?'' ''three''

[@ChronoRadio]

I actually did a video a while back where I ranked the Star Wars films (all of them) by how many copies there were in my collection, if you're curious. It's been a little while, but I doubt the count has changed that much.

[@townside_woodcraft]

Anyone know of hand what year the starwars movies would have been shown on tv? We had a local channel, not a cable channel, that would show all 3 once a year, that would have been between 85 (when we first got our colour tv) and 89/90, i always wondered if this was legitimate or if they just broadcasted the rental vhs lol

[@JunkerDC]

I can't belive someone watching you video would not know what a laserdisc is

[@ChronoRadio]

You would be surprised. Especially in the earlier days of the parent series, From the Star Wars Home Video Library, there were plenty of common questions about both LaserDisc and Beta. It seems that many casual collectors, especially the farther away we get from that era, are mostly just aware of VHS and the general idea that there were other formats but little details about them.

[@matthewgaudet4064]

I have the Fox Rental Tape From 1982. its nothing to write home about in terms of a quality video release. Its analog only audio, the picture is terrible. The only thing of note is it's the original 1977 stereo mix. Even the first laserdisc release is better if not for the crosstalk and laser rot.

[@marknickells6097]

Beta Hi- Fi was introduced in 1981. Jensen and JVC introduced VHS- HI-FI in 1982-1985, and VHS upped its resolution to 400 with VHS-S Some time in 1986. VHS went digital (Mid-90s) Hi-Def, and used a Fire Wire connection to output 1080 I. (Mitsubishi) , but didn't last long, Because HI-Def DVD players had hit the market. kzbin.info/www/bejne/g4OpoH96aZqIiKs HI-DEF

[@matthewgaudet4064]

Only Indiana Jones is on Super VHS for Lucasfilm. Probably because of Paramount they also did Star Trek films on Super VHS. Totally a fad that never took off marginal improvement over regular VHS. And cost more which usually decided things. The cheapest option won.

[@marknickells6097]

When I got my JVC S-VHS , I got the Last Crusade for free. I don't know if it was "upconverted." , or simply a bad master.." ... But the most prevalent issue was, the picture was laced with texture sparkle. Maybe slightly sharper, than VHS, but definitely not better. than DVDS, which were 480 -520(progressive line scanning) and with 5.1 surround, out the box, and were compact. I think was what killed VHS.

[@Musicradio77Network]

Sony introduced in the early 1980’s as Beta Hi-Fi, and then Super Beta Hi-Fi in the mid 1980’s, and it has better picture quality and full stereo sound. VHS also did followed suit with Hi-Fi.

[@therealCellblock1138]

I watched SW on vhs in winter of ‘79. I can only theorize it was a bootleg copy.

[@ChronoRadio]

Yup, at that point, it had to be.

[@bradettinger3072]

I swear you said “liberry” and “youtoo”.

[@newsbender]

Get a mic, bud. It'll improve your videos massively.

[@ChronoRadio]

It doesn't. You can see previous videos, where I'm using one. I have a Blue Snowball, which works great in most locations, but when connecting via the USB-to-Lightning adapter on the iPad (or using it on a MacBook or PC Laptop) in this particular room with the door closed, the acoustics make the sound worse, not better, than the built-in iPad mic that I rely on now. Tweaking in iMovie works some after the fact, but the result with the Blue Snowball to get it to this level makes it rather "tinny." So, for now, I'm sticking with the iPad's built-in mic and only minor volume (and sometimes noise reduction) adjustments in post.

[@newsbender]

@ fair enough bud 🙂