Yeah, there are
THREE versions of the first episode.
1.) The Deculture Edition: That one was screened months before the TV start of the series and was an extended episode. It included Sheryl arriving in a shuttle ( uttering "Strawberry Pie-wa" as her first words, making me fall immediately for her.
).
2.) The TV version: The first episode, as screened on TV. Shorter than the Deculture Edition, it nonetheless included some new plot-critical scenes, with a vastly changed Sheryl concert.
3.) The Yakh Deculture Edition: Released with the DVD/Blue Ray of Macross Frontier, this one combined and expanded the two prior editions, with a few more things added in, like an expanded scene where Alto discusses with Luca his prospects of being able to fly.
If you want the Yakh Deculture edition, I'd recommend looking for the THORA release of the series, which also has excellent subtitles and uses the DVD/BR release for their video.