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Thread: Laser Disc versus DVD?

  1. #1
    Member rcarlberg's Avatar
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    Laser Disc versus DVD?

    Quote Originally Posted by ProgBear
    I now own a laserdisc player as well, but no disc I’ve found yet has the dreaded “laser rot.” Mind you, I still only own two laserdiscs.
    Hey, are there many Laser Discs that have never been reissued on DVD?

    Are there any advantages to the Laser Disc format?

    A couple used record stores in my neck of the woods have substantial Laser Disc bins. I wonder if I should be thinking about this?

  2. #2
    Parrots Ripped My Flesh Dave (in MA)'s Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by rcarlberg View Post
    Hey, are there many Laser Discs that have never been reissued on DVD?
    This list is from sketchy memory, but:
    Sylvian Fripp Live in Japan
    a Holdsworth early 80s w/ IOU
    Weather Report - Japan Domino theory
    Are there any advantages to the Laser Disc format?
    No, but the fact that you have to get up and flip it over might appeal to the vinyl fetishists.

  3. #3
    LaserDisc was able to use an analog audio format and uncompressed PCM so there are a lot of purists that will say it's better than DVD in the sound department. Of course, that only applies to stereo tracks, I'm not really sure how DD surround was encoded. In terms of video laserdisc barely surpassed VHS. It's composite analog. A properly encoded DVD (without ringing and bad compression artifacts) will smoke it as hard as Bluray smoked a DVD. So it comes down to are you a sound or a video enthusiast

  4. #4
    Quote Originally Posted by rcarlberg View Post

    Have you ever heard 1/4" tape?
    Nice source, Robert.

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  5. #5
    Highly Evolved Orangutan JKL2000's Avatar
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    Laserdisc is warmer than DVD.

  6. #6
    Member Digital_Man's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by JKL2000 View Post
    Laserdisc is warmer than DVD.
    Only if you put it in the oven.

  7. #7
    Quote Originally Posted by rcarlberg View Post
    Hey, are there many Laser Discs that have never been reissued on DVD?
    The first laserdisc I bought was Scissors starring Sharon Stone and Steve Railsback. This has never been released on DVD, and the VHS goes for crazy bucks (all right, $20 on Amazon Marketplace is not really “crazy bucks,” but it’s more than I’d be willing to pay for a VHS tape unless it’s crazy rare, not just garden-variety rare like this film) at auctions and used sites. I got it for $3.

    I got my Pioneer laserdisc player for $10 at a thrift store, marked down from $20. I probably should have held out for a better player (see below), but I’m pleased with my purchase.

    Are there any advantages to the Laser Disc format?
    Mind you, I still have a crappy analog TV, but laserdiscs look really great on it. I’d say it’s at least on a par with DVD visually, definitely better than VHS.

    Disadvantages: they’re bulky, heavy and you have to flip them over half-way through a film.

    A couple used record stores in my neck of the woods have substantial Laser Disc bins. I wonder if I should be thinking about this?
    The main reason you want a laserdisc player is to have titles that aren’t released or easily available in any other format. There are some titles released on laserdisc that never even made it to VHS, much less DVD (though the only one like that I can think of offhand is the infamous John Belushi biopic Wired, and that film is so bad it hurts!).

    Quote Originally Posted by trurl View Post
    LaserDisc was able to use an analog audio format and uncompressed PCM so there are a lot of purists that will say it's better than DVD in the sound department. Of course, that only applies to stereo tracks, I'm not really sure how DD surround was encoded. In terms of video laserdisc barely surpassed VHS. It's composite analog.
    Not necessarily, some later laserdisc models (like the Pioneer LD/DVD combo unit I spotted recently and probably should have bought) have S-Video connections.
    Confirmed Bachelors: the dramedy hit of 1883...

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    Member rcarlberg's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Progbear View Post
    The main reason you want a laserdisc player is to have titles that aren’t released or easily available in any other format.
    Exactly. Is the list long and enticing?

  9. #9
    Quote Originally Posted by rcarlberg View Post
    Is the list long and enticing?
    Thick too.

  10. #10
    Member Mikhael's Avatar
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    Not to derail this thread, but has anyone ever dealt with maximumsound.org? They have an old Laserdisk concert dubbed on to DVD-R that I'd really like to scarf, but I don't know how legit they are.
    Gnish-gnosh borble wiff, shlauuffin oople tirk.

  11. #11
    Member rcarlberg's Avatar
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    I checked the "user laserdisc" bin at one of the shops today, and didn't see anything but dreck.

  12. #12
    Member Mikhael's Avatar
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    A friend of mine had "Yessongs" on laserdisk, and I was so hopeful it was of better quality than the VHS I had. We were both disappointed; same grainy film, same horrid, phasy sound... You know, they can fix that stuff now. It wouldn't be that hard...
    Gnish-gnosh borble wiff, shlauuffin oople tirk.

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