Are laserdiscs worth getting or am I better off with DVDs?

I upscaled several academy ratio laserdiscs through my Onkyo receiver yesterday and had excellent results. Easily on par with an upscaled full frame DVD. I have an almost complete set of the Babylon 5 lasers, and one persistent complaint is that the DVDs crop and then magnify the digital effects shots, making them look worse than they already do. The lasers have the episodes in their original broadcast resolution.

 

That's a terrific disc. Back when this first came out, I'd only seen the film in poor public domain versions and it was a revelation.

 

Sorry to take so long to answer your question.

I use a analog to DV converter called a Canopus ADVC 500. This was a $1,600 box brand new ten years ago.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/like/171634436673?lpid=82&chn=ps
and can be found for less than $500 now

I got this because it had composite, component, as well as s-video in, as well as analog audio level setting for the input. As well as software adjustments for contrast, saturation, brightness. I also have the ADVD-100 model that has the same picture quality but none of the picture or audio adjustments. The ADVC-100 is very popular still as a converter. It has composite and s-video in only.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/CANOPUS-ADVC-100-DIGITAL-VIDEO-AUDIO-CONVERTER/321676880551?_trksid=p2054897.c100204.m3164&_trkparms=aid=222007&algo=SIC.MBE&ao=1&asc=20140407115239&meid=a24732a9ffd4471889abe67e060b2f9e&pid=100204&rk=9&rkt=29&sd=171634436673
can be found for less than $100

The ADVC-110 is a newer model that is basically the same as the ADVC-100, but it is white rather than the black color.

These devices have FW 1394 output for Mac/PC input. Sound is locked in sync with the Canopus devices which is one of the major complication in doing transfers when program content runs long.

So firewire 1394 into a PC, Sony Vegas for capture/editing, various encoders for web, youtube, or DVD mastering.

I need to start putting up clips of rare rock LDs online (that I captured with this equipment), everyone else is doing it with little to no takedown notices.

My captures look rather sharp and clean, but another member who does not use DV for capture was stating in another thread that my method is not as great as his. And that my equipment it outdated. Something about my $1,600 converter box is an outdated piece of junk. So see the Blackmagic Intensity box mentioned below.

For PC capture, any old computer will work with min. or 2gig or ram, I suggest 4gigs. I was working originally on a Pent 4 with 2gigs of ram, and two large internal hard drives. If you capture video, it's known as ideal to capture to a drive that is not your OS drive. And not a USB drive, unless you have USB3.

Capture to a storage drive, and then when you edit, render back to your OS drive. Then encode back to your storage drive.

I find that if I always render or encode to the other drive, it it faster process. So capturing to storage drive and not the one running the OS is going to be the first right step.

Here is the newer better capture device that I have not used. If you have late powerful computer with thunderbolt, and are considering BluRay as your final destination for your video, it's worth considering. Otherwise the used Canipus boxes are really ideal.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Blackmagic-Design-Intensity-Shuttle-with-Thunderbolt/180892058114?_trksid=p2054897.c100204.m3164&_trkparms=aid=222007&algo=SIC.MBE&ao=1&asc=20140407115239&meid=a24732a9ffd4471889abe67e060b2f9e&pid=100204&rk=11&rkt=29&mehot=pp&sd=171634436673

It requires a Thunderbolt connection going into your computer. I am a year or so away from having that type of connection on my system. And for LDs, I think I am fine with SD DV for now.

 

Wow, original color print!!!!

 

The cover of the disc is in color.

The print on the laserdisc is not.

 

So far as I can tell, the colorized version never made it to LD. The 1990 remake did, and I keep meaning to see that again.

 

I knew that, I was being funny, I guess nobody would see that.

 

see, now THAT'S what I'm talkin' 'bout!
2005 thread
http://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threads/laser-discs-how-good-are-they.61109/page-3

2009 thread
http://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threads/22-laser-disc-movies-for-5-ld-player-too.189957/

2008 Golden Age of Looney Tunes on LD
http://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threads/golden-age-of-looney-tunes-laser-discs.151966/

2010 thread with music laser disc comments (locked)
http://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threads/who-on-here-owned-a-laser-disc-player-years-ago.230677/

another good long thread from 2010
http://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threads/looking-back-were-laser-discs-a-bust.212375/

 

Wow, that discussion on music discs must have been wild.

 

I just did something due to this thread reminding me to. I have a Panasonic LX-900 hooked up to my computer (laser drops due to continue very shortly)

I had a Pioneer 704 in the bedroom hooked up to a TV (never watched)

and a

Panasonic LX - 200 in the living room system rack. (lesser player connected to large screen tv).

So I went and switched the bedroom unit ( the 704) with the one in the living room rack (the LZ-200).

Now I have the best units where they should be.

I am playing several discs on the Pioneer unit with sound on but no picture on just to warm it up after it has had nothing playing on it other than CDs for several years. It's switching sides like a dream machine.

I played Paul Weller - Live Wood, and now Bonnie Raitt - live "Road Tested"

Beautiful warm sound thunderous, not crispy digital at all. These babies are still purring like kittens, bless their hearts!

 

I've been listening to laser disc music soundtracks all night while working on some things. I just came across something cool I had forgotten about.

The film release of Pink Floyd's The Wall has the song "What Shall We Do Now" which was cut from the album version due to time constraints. I knew I had the track on the "Live 1980" release of the live concert Wall. I had forgotten about the studio version being on the film soundtrack. The laser disc (1991 remastered MGM/UA) might be the best way to have this studio track from the Floyd. I'll need to laser drop, and encode this one song to my FLAC music server.

I wonder how well the DVD's soundtrack is mastered? Is it DD, no PCM?

 

I don't have the disc on hand, but the reviews online call out the DD mix on the 2001 DVD as being "weak". There is also a unique commentary and a different and more dynamic AC-3 mix on the withdrawn MGM Laserdisc that came out in 1997



If you are looking for uncompressed PCM, apparently this is the one to get:



This one is analog only and should be avoided:

 

And of course, no Pink Floyd collection is complete without the following laserdiscs, most of which are not on DVD.





Several short videos:



Original cut, better sound:



Uncompressed PCM:

 

LD recorders used to show up on eBay once in a while, but by that time they were essentially historical curiosities, as the recordable discs were no longer obtainable.

Here's a Pioneer recorder - Sony and Panasonic made LD recorders as well:

http://www.laserdiscarchive.co.uk/laserdisc_archive/pioneer/pioneer_vdr-v1000/pioneer_vdr-v1000.htm

 

I'm pretty sure that recordable LD's are not compatible with consumer LD players. When I sold cars back in the 80's, both of the dealerships I worked at had recorded Laserdiscs of their cars running on showroom monitors.

 

My Onkyo also does a very nice job upscaling old non-anamorphic 4:3 LBX DVDs. It's sometimes easy to forget that, just like LD, there were some pretty crappy DVDs in the early days of the format before the technology and mastering really reached maturity.

I'm not too familiar with the newest offerings from Onkyo, but would encourage anyone in the market for a new AV receiver that also has an LD collection to check 'em out, with the caveat that it's important to examine the specs carefully, as they have tended to delete features from year to year in the past. When the 818 was replaced by what you'd assume to be its successor, the 828, there were a lot of complaints from customers who correctly perceived the newer unit as a downgrade (the next step up, the 929, was what the 828 really should've been).

 

I have a box full of LDs containing training materials for Ford dealership employees, but they're all pressed discs, not recordable ones.

 

I had those except for La Carrera Panamerica, which I've never seen, and RADIO KAOS, which I only had on VHS. In recent years I found a DVD version of Delicate Sound that was actually transferred from laserdisc using a Pioneer HLD-X9, putting each side on a DVD-R with maxed bit rate and pcm audio.

I had a Sony player which is generally considered to be fairly mediocre, but it was affordable to me at the time and the only model I remember actually seeing in a store at the time. It hung in there for years and had a great start up sound. Good times.

 

http://www.amazon.com/Pink-Floyd-De...keywords=pink+floyd+delicate+sound+of+thunder

Delicate Sound Of Thunder DVD.

 

I've only seen two of them, but they both played fine in a Panasonic player we have at work. CAV on both, IIRC.

 

What, no discs of the cars...? When I worked at Ford, the LD's of red Fords speeding around mountains and deserts ran all day. I never saw one of the discs. The players were hidden in the cabinet below. Me look-y but no touch-y. I had my own LD-D838 at the time.....

 

Amazon is not above the occasional bootleg. I think Eagle Entertainment should put together a full, remastered and remixed blu-ray. Include the Atlanta concert footage. Immediate purchase for me.

Too bad Roger never had film crews document entire Pros & Cons and Radio KAOS shows.

 

OK....I've never had one. I got one of about everything else LD!

 

Sony made a recorder that was not compatible. I think the discs came in cartridges. I haven't seen one of those, but you buy a recorder:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/Vintage-Son...313?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2a4c9f1479

 

Isn't that a bootleg/counterfeit?