Laserdisc Player

[Torech Ungol]

Can you still buy new laserdisc players? If so could you direct me to where I would find them? Or is the best place to purchase a used player? Thanks for the help.

[poneal]

I have a laser disk player that I can sell. Let me know if you want it.

[Woochifer]

Pioneer was pretty much the last company out there that made Laserdisc players. Last time I checked, they were still making a combo Laserdisc/DVD player, and I read somewhere that they thought that their combo player would be a good alternative during the transition yet they were surprised at how rapidly DVD displaced the Laserdisc format. The player that they were selling listed for $1,200, so you'd pretty much have to have a fairly large library to justify that kind of expense.

[r3dline]

I've thought about trying to find a decent laserdisc/dvd combo, or just a good laserdisc player alone. But I'm also on a budget.

Anyway, anybody know a decent laserdisc player for a good price? Also, when were some of the last movies to be released on laserdisc? Oh...and...how's the overall quality of laserdic, anyway, in comparison to say...dvd?

[Woochifer]

I've thought about trying to find a decent laserdisc/dvd combo, or just a good laserdisc player alone. But I'm also on a budget.

Anyway, anybody know a decent laserdisc player for a good price? Also, when were some of the last movies to be released on laserdisc? Oh...and...how's the overall quality of laserdic, anyway, in comparison to say...dvd?

The demand's just not there anymore for Laserdisc players, that's why that Pioneer costs so much, because the economies of scale that lower production costs don't exist. Add to that a glut of unwanted machines and collectors dumping their disc collections, and you're left with a market where only people with a deeply vested interest in the format (like enthusiasts who had large disc collections that went into the thousands) will buy a new player. If you're new to the format, it makes no sense to dive in right now, unless there are a lot of titles unavailable on DVD that you'd like to get. If you're on a budget, it would make a lot more sense to go with a used player and hunt around for used titles. If you go to places that sell used videos, the Laserdiscs are blowing out for really cheap right now.This is like the situation with LPs around the late-80s and early-90s, except that unlike the vinyl format which continued to issue hundreds of titles every year, Laserdisc production has pretty much stopped, so it indeed is an orphaned format.

When I bought my DVD player three years ago, a couple of stores in my area still carried new release Laserdisc titles. But, they were also clearing out their remaining Laserdisc inventory to make room for more DVD racks.

The line resolution of DVD is higher than with Laserdisc, but that's not a guarantee of better picture quality. In general, DVD SHOULD look better than Laserdisc, but in practice it can vary from title to title. DVD is a compressed format and if not done correctly, digital artifacts like haloing or visible pixelation or overdone edge enhancements can show up. Another thing to keep in mind is that some early DVDs were transferred from the same masters used to produce Laserdiscs, so the end result was not all that different. However, the clearest advantage of DVD is when viewing on a widescreen 16:9 TV because almost all widescreen DVDs coming out nowadays are anamorphically enhanced, which gives you full resolution with a widescreen monitor.

[Torech Ungol]

Thanks for the info Wooch. You seem to be an encyclopedia of knowledge. I have another question for you. Are there laserdisc players that have progressive scan?
I realize that it is a dead format but there are a couple of titles that might make a small investment worth it.

[Sir Terrence the Terrible]

Thanks for the info Wooch. You seem to be an encyclopedia of knowledge. I have another question for you. Are there laserdisc players that have progressive scan?
I realize that it is a dead format but there are a couple of titles that might make a small investment worth it.

No, there are no laserdisc players with progressive scan. Progressive scan technology came after the first and second generation DVD players came into the market.

Not only is Wooch an encyclopedia of knowledge, but is a audio historian as well. Go ahead Wooch, tell this gentlemen how excited Edison was when he invented the first tin-foil cylinder phonograph. back in 1877. Then tell him the story of how you walked to the patent office in 1878 with Edison to get his patent on the cylinders. Go ahead Wooch!!!

[kelsci]

No, there are no laserdisc players with progressive scan. Progressive scan technology came after the first and second generation DVD players came into the market.

Not only is Wooch an encyclopedia of knowledge, but is a audio historian as well. Go ahead Wooch, tell this gentlemen how excited Edison was when he invented the first tin-foil cylinder phonograph. back in 1877. Then tell him the story of how you walked to the patent office in 1878 with Edison to get his patent on the cylinders. Go ahead Wooch!!!

Your Lordship; Did you know that Edison had a patent on 5.0 HORNED surround sound. When Edison tried MARY HAD A LITTLE LAMB, each word of that song jumped from horn to horn. I tell you, your Lordship, but your comment on Wooch's historic trip with Edison to the patent office on the cylinders is a real "dilly". Kelsci.

[Woochifer]

No, there are no laserdisc players with progressive scan. Progressive scan technology came after the first and second generation DVD players came into the market.

Not only is Wooch an encyclopedia of knowledge, but is a audio historian as well. Go ahead Wooch, tell this gentlemen how excited Edison was when he invented the first tin-foil cylinder phonograph. back in 1877. Then tell him the story of how you walked to the patent office in 1878 with Edison to get his patent on the cylinders. Go ahead Wooch!!!

Actually, I invented it before Thomas did. He just managed to disable the starter on my car that morning, so he got to the front desk at the patent office before I did.

Oh, wait ... y'mean Cadillac didn't put out the first self-starter until 1911? Ooops, I just got busted and my nose is growing! Hope the penalty in your kingdom isn't flogging cuz my tush is already chewed out enough as it is...

[Aldo WIngate]

Laserdisc is a joke. They are DEAD so get a DVD player.

[Tarheel_]

Laserdisc is a joke. They are DEAD so get a DVD player.

Laserdisc is not a joke smartguy. A year ago, A friend gave me a LD player and i've enjoyed it. I routinely purchase Disney movies for my family around $3-$5 each...throw in a couple for shipping and you have a movie for less than $10. Picture is fine, PLII sounds great and some are THX and widescreen. Ebay and others still have tons of movies for sale. By the way, the last LD movie made was StarWars Ep.1 from Japan in DD5.1.

oh, and the DTS sound is amazing...the sellers claim they are recorded at full bitrate, not sure about that, but they do sound awesome.

[agtpunx40]

there are still lots of titles not available on dvd that you can get on laserdisk. It definatly beats vhs. I would only get a ld player if I wanted alot a these titles or if I already had a huge collection. If you're considering it on the first grounds you also might look into a region free player. Lots of stuff not available in the US is available in other regions, and a decent region free player isn't too expensive. Plus with a region free player you can have more superbit titles, etc.
$10 isn't that great. My average privce per dvd including shipping and everything for my last 7 columbia house accounts is around $7.80 and thats for brand new stuff. And I don't even have to get up. Except to get more beer.

[Torech Ungol]

My thoughts are similar to yours. Star Wars IV-VI are on laser disc in the original form. I'm not a huge fan of SW, but I did like the originals. Since I only saw Jedi in the theaters (due to me being too young to see the others) I was pretty excited when they re-released SW in the theaters. Only to be disappointed with the added scenes. Now that the original are being released on DVD but only as the re-releases I was exploring the cost of a laser disc player. Thank you to everyone who actually contributed in my search and analysis of purchasing this product.

[Aldo WIngate]

Torch-

Get with the program LaserDisc is a poor man's system, the sad sack that cannot afford to modernize and get into the post 1980s technology. It had its day, but LD has gone the way of the Rubik's Cube. DEAD. Get into the new thing. it is spelled "D-V-D". They are CD sized discs that have movies on them and there are players made for them. They are called "D-V-D P-L-A-Y-E-R-S".

This is 2004, wake up!

[kelsci]

Mr. Wingate; While I currently do not use my Laserdisc Player too often playing Laserdiscs, this Pioneer CLD-90 product of the year was Pioneers first Multi-CD single Laserdisc player. I use it to play my CDs. I would not call it the best CD player on the market, but it is adequate with its use and has rather high specifications for a non-elite unit. Many later LD players had at least one CD tray and as such may still have use as a single play CD player until as such time that the laser finally blows. I once had a MDP-355 Sony unit which I returned because the picture quality was unclear plus picture wise, a few other things going on with it. In the audio department, the digital sound on the laserdisc was alittle on the weak side, but its digital sound quality off a laserdisc left Pioneers in the dust. I was tempted to almost keep this thing just for the use as a single CD player. It's CD sound quality was virtually distortion free with a completely natural sound quality that I still have not heard on any other CD or DVD player that plays CDs. This told me that the complaints for CD sound quality are warranted by many people, but the fault is lying with the manufacturers which is why CDs are not playing as well as they should. KELSCI

[This Guy]

just wondering aldo, do you still play cd's on your system? I mean, they are older than LD, and there is a new format out. Actualy two new formats for music listening. Wouldn't cd's be dead?

[Aldo WIngate]

Don't you have something better to do than trying to mess with "ole Aldo?

SACD and DVD-A: Outstanding sound. No question

You try to compare the DVD:LD scenario to the CD:SACD? Crazy moronic fool! That is comparing oranges and apples.

SACD and DVDA manufacturers can flood the market with their over-priced marginally improved product, but basic economic value theory, son, dictates obsolescence. In other words, you idiots, the demand for an improved product at a cheaper price will ALWAYS be more than the demand for the lower quality and more expensive item.

The SACD/DVD-A issue violates every law of economic theory. A higher priced product that is PERCEIVED by the consumer to be of COMPARABLE quality to that which sets the current market conditions, will NOT TAKE OVER THE MARKET!

You Audio knuckleheads can ponder that one, but the fact remains that no matter how great an SACD sounds, it will NEVER outsell the CD! To think that it would is foolish. And to take it one last step, if the SACD was to price itself at the same price as the CD, economics will tell you that the CD would STILL outsell the SACD by the SAME MARGIN. Hence the inflated price which is in fact a reflection of the cost + profit margin of the original CD + a greater margin of profit. Bottom line, SACD and DVD-A are really nothing more than a MONEY MAKING SCHEME!