I believe I read somewhere that Landon had actually written the episode for Hoss's character, but with Blocker's death he had to transition it to Little Joe.
The costs to do new transfers from the film elements to HD. as well as any music that may need to be cleared. CBS/Paramount traditionally did this to not only put out DVD releases but to future proof a series for streaming in HD. They've already transferred a lot of series, but if changes in the...