Laser Disc

[just-some-guy]

has anyone used their LASER DISC player lately?

 

[mtrycrafts]

has anyone used their LASER DISC player lately?

Ancient history here

 

[MatthewB.]

I was given one a few months ago, (Pioneer) still brand new in box. A doctor friend of mine bought it to use for a certain presentation discs in the 80's but wound up never even hooking it up. When he retired he knew I was into HT and asked if I wanted it. Hell yes!!!. There's a store near me that still sells Laserdiscs for 5.00 and I have the original unmolested Star Wars films which are actually shown on laserdisc in their proper aspect ratio not the chopped down version on DVD. I still shop that store looking for the elusive Disney's "Song of the South" which will never ever be released on Bluray or DVD ever (but is on Laserdisc). The PQ really isnt bad at all when compared to DVD and although a tad softer image, I actually prefer the few movies I do have on laserdisc compared to the DVD version.

 

[PENG]

Funny you asked, I just dug it out from the basement a couple of weeks ago and watched 2 movies so far.

 

[just-some-guy]

yeah, i know its ancient. but though i'd ask. yes, i did search first.

anyway, i ask because :
when i first got my 65", i hooked up the LD. remembering the PQ being pretty good, back in the day. now, i could not believe how bad it looked. perhaps i didn't have my settings correct, idk.

 

[fast1]

Funny you asked, I just dug it out from the basement a couple of weeks ago and watched 2 movies so far.

what were the two shows that were worth watching? lol.

 

[Pyrrho]

I have watched a couple of laserdiscs earlier this year. I usually watch other things, but there are some films, and some versions of some films, that have never been released on DVD. However, every now and then they release something on DVD that used to be only on laserdisc, so the numbers of such films are shrinking. But some of them will probably never be released on DVD, due to copyright/legal issues.

Also, now that I have a larger TV, the flaws in laserdiscs are more apparent than before, so that is another consideration. If you are serious about laserdiscs, I recommend reading up on them at:

http://www.moesrealm.com/hometheater/laserdisc-guide.html

http://www.mindspring.com/~laserguru/digitalage.html

Since the video on laserdiscs is analog, the player makes a big difference on picture quality. (Just like, with analog sources, such as turntables and cassette decks, the playback device makes a big difference in sound quality.) The short version of the recommendations is, buy a Pioneer that has a stock AC-3 output and will play both sides of the disc (this will mean it was made in the 1990's and is not a bottom of the line unit). The long version, which gives more precise and accurate advice, is to read the information at the two links above, but you will not get a bad player if you just follow the short version advice (of course, I mean it will not be bad by design; any used thing can malfunction).

My first laserdisc player was a Sony made in the 1980's, and I replaced that with a Pioneer CLD-D505, which was a huge step up in picture quality. I still have that one, but I upgraded and got a Pioneer Elite CLD-79, which is a little better in picture quality, but not much.

If you have a good modern TV, you will probably be best off using the composite video output instead of the S-Video output. This is because it is combined on the disc, so the S-Video output uses a comb filter in the player, and if you have a good modern TV, you probably have a better comb filter in your TV. Try both, and see which looks better in your particular case.

 

[Pyrrho]

yeah, i know its ancient. but though i'd ask. yes, i did search first.

anyway, i ask because :
when i first got my 65", i hooked up the LD. remembering the PQ being pretty good, back in the day. now, i could not believe how bad it looked. perhaps i didn't have my settings correct, idk.

Ideally, you will use an LD test disc to set up your TV for it. My LD player outputs a brighter picture than my DVD player, so I need to set the brightness lower on the TV for playing LD to get it to look right.

Also, if you are used to DVD, you are now spoiled. Compare your LD with VHS, and then come back and tell us which you would rather watch.

As things are now, I am getting spoiled with HD, so even DVD looks a bit soft and less than ideal, even when played on my great Oppo DV-983H DVD player. It isn't that DVD is any worse than it was; it is that my standards are getting higher due to newer and better formats. The same is likely true of you and your experience with LD.

 

[j_garcia]

LD? I haven't even used my DVD player (for movies) in quite some time... I use my 2900 primarily for audio

 

[PENG]

what were the two shows that were worth watching? lol.

The Highlander 2 and The Getaway lol... Not that they were worth watching but when I dug the box out from the basement they were the first two in the box. I was also surprised at the relatively poor PQ even via S-Video, still better than my SVHS though.

 

[just-some-guy]

i have a PIONEER CLD-D701. $1000 new . looked great on my 27", back in the mid 90's

 

[MatthewB.]

I have my Pioneer hooked up via composite and picture scaled via the Denon 3808 and the image looks pristine, almost as good as DVD just a tad softer image. I watched "My Favorite Year" with Peter O'Toole about a month back (last time I used it) still a funny movie.

 

[Pyrrho]

The Highlander 2 and The Getaway lol... Not that they were worth watching but when I dug the box out from the basement they were the first two in the box. I was also surprised at the relatively poor PQ even via S-Video, still better than my SVHS though.

Try the composite video connection. The video on the disc is composite, so when using an S-Video connection on an LD player, you are using the comb filter in the player. If you have a good modern TV, your TV will have a better comb filter than the laserdisc player (though when it was made, the player probably had a better comb filter than most TVs of that era).

Even with my Pioneer Elite CLD-79, which has one of the better comb filters of those old laserdisc players (though not the very best ever made), the comb filter in my HDTV is better. So the picture with my TV looks better hooking it up via composite video. However, the comb filter in the Elite CLD-79 is better than the one in my 27" analog TV, so if I were using it with that old thing, it would be better to use the S-Video connection.

 

[Seth=L]

Just watched Star Wars: Episode I a couple days ago on LD.

And like Pyrrho says, using composite is usually recommended when connecting your LD player to modern televisions.

 

[PENG]

Try the composite video connection. The video on the disc is composite, so when using an S-Video connection on an LD player, you are using the comb filter in the player. If you have a good modern TV, your TV will have a better comb filter than the laserdisc player (though when it was made, the player probably had a better comb filter than most TVs of that era).

Even with my Pioneer Elite CLD-79, which has one of the better comb filters of those old laserdisc players (though not the very best ever made), the comb filter in my HDTV is better. So the picture with my TV looks better hooking it up via composite video. However, the comb filter in the Elite CLD-79 is better than the one in my 27" analog TV, so if I were using it with that old thing, it would be better to use the S-Video connection.

Thanks, I did use composite first and you are right, it did look at least the same or better than S-video. I will go back to composite now and then try figuring out what to do with all my S-vido cables.

 

[mtrycrafts]

... I will go back to composite now and then try figuring out what to do with all my S-vido cables.

Have a few words over them and then recycle

 

[Pyrrho]

Have a few words over them and then recycle

I would either have a yard sale, or just give them to the local Goodwill thrift shop, so someone who wants them can use them.