Star Wars Trilogy - The Definitive Collection, Laserdisc (CAV), Fox Video 1993

This release was a milestone in its time. Released in the summer of 1993 it featured all three films in the CAV format across 9 discs. All movies had been restored by THX and the soundtracks remixed and remastered from original elements. Though considered the pinnacle of image and audio quality at the time, the 1993 THX remasters have proved controversial in retrospect, as they introduced unwanted noise reduction artifacts on the image. When looking closely, smearing of details and ghostly trails when objects are in motion is apparent. The sound is uncompressed PCM 2.0, with Pro Logic matrixed surround channels. The box also housed a special printing of the full Charles Champlin George Lucas biography. (Excerpts from the book were also included in the US VHS release of this collection). The first pressings of this set was missing a few seconds of footage from The Empire Strikes Back and a replacement program was soon implemented. My copy, bought at the time of its release, is the original, uncorrected one. I am uncertain if this has any bearing on its value either way.