Lucasfilm's delay in putting the Star Wars movies out on the DVD format has nothing to do with the format itself. It is simply a matter of time and availability on the part of George and his creative team at Lucasfilm. Lucasfilm is very concerned about pirated DVD copies of Star Wars, but finds any suggestion that a delayed official release is an encouragement to bootleg is absurd. We need to be able to release the DVD when we're ready with the material. Our creative decisions should not be dictated by pirates.
Bootlegged copies are against the law.
They are inferior and do not even come close to meeting any standard of quality presentation. Anyone viewing a bootlegged copy of Star Wars is contributing to the overall piracy problem that the MPAA is fighting daily and globally. As many know, while a Laserdisc version of The Phantom Menace will be released in Japan due to market considerations, there is nothing digital on a Laserdisc except for the soundtrack. While a bootlegged DVD copy from this format would be superior to VHS, it would still not equal the DVD format. Rumors and speculation that waiting to release DVD versions is motivated by a desire to simply drive up demand, or to force fans to purchase multiple copies are completely false.