Blu-ray vs. Laserdisc DTS (Yes... Laserdisc)

[Brett C]

Originally Posted by PeterTHX

Not new sound effects.


It's a mix of the mono, LtRt (35MM) and 70MM (L-C-R-S-boom 1 & 2) soundtracks. The mono track, since it was mixed last, has sounds and dialogue that weren't in the other versions.

Yeah well not technically new, but sound effects not originally in the 70mm.
Interestingly enough. that Mono track was considered the definitive mix at the time because of all the work that went into it.

[Riddler95]

Originally Posted by PeterTHX

Not new sound effects.

It's a mix of the mono, LtRt (35MM) and 70MM (L-C-R-S-boom 1 & 2) soundtracks. The mono track, since it was mixed last, has sounds and dialogue that weren't in the other versions.

You are absolutely right. I actually forgot about that.

Originally Posted by Brett C

Yeah well not technically new, but sound effects not originally in the 70mm.
Interestingly enough. that Mono track was considered the definitive mix at the time because of all the work that went into it.

I have never heard the Mono Mix for Star Wars but apparently it was pretty unique and had some major differences when compared to the 70mm 6-Track Stereo Mix and the 35mm Stereo Mix.

[Brett C]

The 1997 5.1 is worth checking out if you never heard it, but I prefer the 93 remixes myself. I would love the original 4.2 mixes to be released encoded as a 4.1/5.1 track, but that is wishful thinking on my part.

[Riddler95]

Originally Posted by Brett C

The 1997 5.1 is worth checking out if you never heard it, but I prefer the 93 remixes myself. I would love the original 4.2 mixes to be released encoded as a 4.1/5.1 track, but that is wishful thinking on my part.

Hopefully I'll acquire an AC-3 Demodulator by the end of this year. Then I'll finally be able to listen to the 5.1 Dolby Digital Mixes on my LaserDiscs of the 1997 Special Edition versions of The Star Wars Trilogy. I have however watched them before with Dolby Pro Logic II.

Hopefully Disney & Fox can come down to a good deal so the Theatrical Cuts of The Star Wars Trilogy can finally be restored and released in Blu-Ray. I'd love it if they would restore the Theatrical Audio mixes for each film and include the Mono Mix for the first film.

If they made new mixes for the Theatrical Cuts in 5.1, 6.1, or 7.1 could they possible sound better than 6.1 Mixes on the 2011 Blu-Rays? That is if such new mixes would be created properly.

[Retroj23]

Originally Posted by Riddler95

Hopefully I'll acquire an AC-3 Demodulator by the end of this year. Then I'll finally be able to listen to the 5.1 Dolby Digital Mixes on my LaserDiscs of the 1997 Special Edition versions of The Star Wars Trilogy. I have however watched them before with Dolby Pro Logic II.

Hopefully Disney & Fox can come down to a good deal so the Theatrical Cuts of The Star Wars Trilogy can finally be restored and released in Blu-Ray. I'd love it if they would restore the Theatrical Audio mixes for each film and include the Mono Mix for the first film.

I'll be getting my own place soon and will finally be able to experience Laserdisc AC3. I have a Nakamichi demodulator in storage that I bought on ebay for $50 last year. Good luck in your hunt for one.

[Riddler95]

Originally Posted by Retroj23

I'll be getting my own place soon and will finally be able to experience Laserdisc AC3. I have a Nakamichi demodulator in storage that I bought on ebay for $50 last year. Good luck in your hunt for one.

Enjoy your Dolby Digital LaserDiscs. $50.00 is a great deal for an AC-3 Demodulator. I'm trying to score a really good deal on either a Pioneer RFD-1, a Yamaha APD-1, or a Sony MOD-RF1.

[Geoff D]

I loved the AC3 track on Mission: Impossible, it had an insane dynamic range.

[Riddler95]

Originally Posted by Geoff D

I loved the AC3 track on Mission: Impossible, it had an insane dynamic range.

I heard that the Dolby Digital Track on the LaserDisc of Mission Impossible was the best 5.1 Mix for it's time. Apparently the audio on the DVD, HD-DVD, and Blu-Ray editions never matched the LaserDisc.

It is similar what has been mentioned before about The Star Wars Trilogy. There are fans who actually prefer the 1997 5.1 Mixes over the 2004 & 2011 6.1 Mixes.

[PeterTHX]

Originally Posted by Riddler95

If they made new mixes for the Theatrical Cuts in 5.1, 6.1, or 7.1 could they possible sound better than 6.1 Mixes on the 2011 Blu-Rays? That is if such new mixes would be created properly.

According to LucasFilm the 6.1 on the BD for Star Wars (IV) is a new mix, with the original elements, music and dialogue recordings used for the first time in a long time - they didn't just take the existing completed tracks and punch them up.

[Riddler95]

Originally Posted by PeterTHX

According to LucasFilm the 6.1 on the BD for Star Wars (IV) is a new mix, with the original elements, music and dialogue recordings used for the first time in a long time - they didn't just take the existing completed tracks and punch them up.

I remember reading about that.

But what does not make sense is that some of the flaws that were in the 2004 Mix are present in the 2011 Mix.

[prerich]

Originally Posted by Riddler95

What model is your Panasonic LaserDisc Player?



That is wrong but to be honest there were some receivers that actually had an internal AC-3 demodulator. So if you owned one of those receivers and a LaserDisc Player that had an AC-3 RF Output then you did not need an external AC-3 Demodulator.


I can't listen to 5.1 Mixes in Dolby Digital on LaserDisc until I acquire an AC-3 Demodulator. I'd be happy with either the Pioneer RFD-1, the Yamaha APD-1, or the Sony MOD-RF1. Although I'm leaning more towards the Pioneer RFD-1 because I like that it also has two Digital Audio inputs aside from the AC-3 RF input. It would be so convenient to have both the AC-3 & Digital Audio connections going from the LaserDisc Player to the RFD-1 and then connecting the RFD-1 to the receiver using just one cable.

You're correct...My Panasonic had an upgrade mod (it's a LX-600) - however I wasn't playing AC3 tracks, I was playing DTS tracks through the optical. Dolby AC3 made the modulator necessary (that's why I bought the Pioneer sp-99d add on to I could have AC3 on my prepro...which was in-turn replaced by another prepro with both AC3 and DTS.

Wow! you can really forget those days. The laser disc player is the last survivor of that system and only because my wife won't let me get rid of it (she has a bunch of black and white classic movie laser disc - I have since sold all of my LD's).

I forgot all about the SP-99D (I added it to my Fosgate model 3A and Citation 7.0 processors), I got the Citation model 5.0 (Dolby Digital and DTS) later. That was when I had a decent cash flow . I've recovered from some dark days that followed.

I like this nostalgic thread....actually made me remember stuff I forgot I had. Was True Lies or was it Clear and Present Danger the first LD with AC3? I know we wore both of them out during demos at the place I used to work at in Virginia. When Jurassic Park hit with DTS...all bets were off!!!

[prerich]

Just remembered - True Lies was DTS also!!! It was Clear and Present Danger (bomb drop scene) that was AC-3!

[HDTV1080P]

Some movies that were released on Laserdisc have not been released yet on Blu-ray and DVD (and some movie titles might never be released on Blu-ray and DVD, especially with streaming/downloading over the Internet being so popular).

That is why I still own many Laserdisc titles. I sell the Laserdisc titles when they are released on Blu-ray and DVD (except for when the Laserdisc is the extended cut of the movie, etc).

[PeterTHX]

Originally Posted by prerich

I like this nostalgic thread....actually made me remember stuff I forgot I had. Was True Lies or was it Clear and Present Danger the first LD with AC3?

Clear and Present Danger. True Lies followed I think a week or two after.


Stargate was the third.

[prerich]

Originally Posted by PeterTHX

Clear and Present Danger. True Lies followed I think a week or two after.


Stargate was the third.

Yeah....I remember Stargate!!!! That was one of my "go to" demos back in the day!!!!

[Brett C]

Originally Posted by PeterTHX

Clear and Present Danger. True Lies followed I think a week or two after.


Stargate was the third.

I remember those days, Clear and Present Danger came out late January, True Lies came out soon after in early February and Stargate was released in March.
They were followed by Interview With The Vampire released in June, In The Mouth Of Madness released in July and Top Gun was released in November.

[Riddler95]

Originally Posted by prerich

You're correct...My Panasonic had an upgrade mod (it's a LX-600) - however I wasn't playing AC3 tracks, I was playing DTS tracks through the optical. Dolby AC3 made the modulator necessary (that's why I bought the Pioneer sp-99d add on to I could have AC3 on my prepro...which was in-turn replaced by another prepro with both AC3 and DTS.

Wow! you can really forget those days. The laser disc player is the last survivor of that system and only because my wife won't let me get rid of it (she has a bunch of black and white classic movie laser disc - I have since sold all of my LD's).

I forgot all about the SP-99D (I added it to my Fosgate model 3A and Citation 7.0 processors), I got the Citation model 5.0 (Dolby Digital and DTS) later. That was when I had a decent cash flow . I've recovered from some dark days that followed.

I like this nostalgic thread....actually made me remember stuff I forgot I had. Was True Lies or was it Clear and Present Danger the first LD with AC3? I know we wore both of them out during demos at the place I used to work at in Virginia. When Jurassic Park hit with DTS...all bets were off!!!

I like this thread too. I love talking about LaserDisc. I think that it is the most underrated home video format.

I've seen the Marantz DP870 and Yamaha DDP-1 AC-3 Processors for good deals before but I didn't go for them because I don't want to output the audio using analog cables. There is the Sony SDP-E800 which was one of the few AC-3 Processors that had a Digital Audio output and I may buy one if I ever come across one for a good price but hopefully I'll be able to get a regular AC-3 Demodulator for a good deal.

Originally Posted by PeterTHX

Clear and Present Danger. True Lies followed I think a week or two after. Stargate was the third.

Yeah, that is true. Some people get confused and think that True Lies was the first LaserDisc with Dolby Digital when it was actually the second and Clear and Present Danger was the first.

[prerich]

Originally Posted by Riddler95

I like this thread too. I love talking about LaserDisc. I think that it is the most underrated home video format.

I've seen the Marantz DP870 and Yamaha DDP-1 AC-3 Processors for good deals before but I didn't go for them because I don't want to output the audio using analog cables. There is the Sony SDP-E800 which was one of the few AC-3 Processors that had a Digital Audio output and I may buy one if I ever come across one for a good price but hopefully I'll be able to get a regular AC-3 Demodulator for a good deal.



Yeah, that is true. Some people get confused and think that True Lies was the first LaserDisc with Dolby Digital when it was actually the second and Clear and Present Danger was the first.

Do not and I repeat do not buy the Sony SDP-E800!!! Why not? Because it is the noisiest processor that I've ever used!!!! I bought one between the Citation 7.0 and the 5.0....It played constant noise through my system (I had Polk Audio SDA SRS 2.3TL's then).

[PeterTHX]

Originally Posted by Brett C

They were followed by Interview With The Vampire released in June, In The Mouth Of Madness released in July and Top Gun was released in November.

Don't forget Star Trek: Generations that summer. Winter '95 saw the big Pioneer Special Editions release of Amadeus. Still have that and the CDs that was bundled with it.

Originally Posted by prerich

Do not and I repeat do not buy the Sony SDP-E800!!! Why not? Because it is the noisiest processor that I've ever used!!!! I bought one between the Citation 7.0 and the 5.0....It played constant noise through my system (I had Polk Audio SDA SRS 2.3TL's then).

Really? I just use it as a demodulator - the AC-3 from my LD goes in, then I use the SPDIF output of the demodulated Dolby Digital to my normal receiver.

[Riddler95]

Originally Posted by prerich

Do not and I repeat do not buy the Sony SDP-E800!!! Why not? Because it is the noisiest processor that I've ever used!!!! I bought one between the Citation 7.0 and the 5.0....It played constant noise through my system (I had Polk Audio SDA SRS 2.3TL's then).

Thanks for the info. I don't like it when electronics are too noisy. I remember how noisy the SEGA Dreamcast was. That was probably the noisiest video game console ever.

Even though Pioneer built the best LaserDisc Players they weren't the quietest units, especially when it came to ejecting and loading the disc tray. I heard that Panasonic and even Sony's LaserDisc players were quieter in that case. I could be wrong though.

I was told that an AC-3 Processor is easier and slightly cheaper to track down than an AC-3 Demodulator. The only drawbacks with them is that they take up quite bit of space and most of them lack a Digital Audio output. But if I do come across a fully functional SDP-E800 for a great price I'd still buy it because I can use it as an AC-3 Demodulator and connect it to my receiver with an Optical cable. But I'll continue to track down a stand-alone AC-3 Demodulator since it is alot smaller and won't take up anywhere near as much room as an SDP-E800.

Originally Posted by PeterTHX

Really? I just use it as a demodulator - the AC-3 from my LD goes in, then I use the SPDIF output of the demodulated Dolby Digital to my normal receiver.

Does the SDP-E800 require it's remote control if it is going to be used just as an AC-3 Demodulator or does it not require it for that purpose?