The Official LaserDisc Thread

[sfmarine]

Originally Posted by spudeus

I think that Excalibur is the version with AC-3? I've been trying to track down a copy.

Yes, it is a remaster with AC-3 and it's a bit hard to track down (there are currently none listed on eBay). I got lucky.

https://www.lddb.com/laserdisc/09198/16102/Excalibur


The artwork is the same as the Blu and is atrocious....I guess they lost the rights to the original artwork. It seriously looks like some straight-to-DVD film LOL. I have a feeling some people don't even know what it is. Just be patient and keep an eye out for it. I snagged mine for about $11 shipped which my friend told me to jump on immediately as it's a later release LD ('98).

[GreatGreg]

Originally Posted by jayembee

I never quite understood the obsession (well, maybe not "obsession", but "obsession-adjacent") with buying still-sealed LDs, at least now that they're not straight off the press new.

If they're still sealed, they haven't been played before, and you have no idea if they're rotten or have other playback issues. You can be assured that they don't have egregious scratches, but in my day I've bought used LDs that were so scuffed that they looked like they were used for shuffleboard pucks, and still played fine.

I doubt that the chances of rot in a 20-30 year old LD are going to be any different in a sealed vs unsealed disc. But at least you can have reasonable faith that an unsealed LD wasn't rotten the last time it was played.

Some people like to collect things brand new mint as if it came off the shelves.

This has been happening forever in comic books, coins, stamps, etc.

[sfmarine]

For those of you using an AC3 demodulator do you have a preferred brand/model? I figure now that my surround is finally back up and running and my Mcintosh has AC3 out..I might as well take advantage of that Dolby sound. Was looking at the Yamaha APD-1 which seems to go for around $100.

Any suggestions?

[jayembee]

Originally Posted by GreatGreg

Some people like to collect things brand new mint as if it came off the shelves.

This has been happening forever in comic books, coins, stamps, etc.

True enough. But with comics, books, etc., whether they are "brand new mint" or not doesn't generally affect how they can be used. Even if a comic book is folded or torn, you can still read it.

If you're collecting LDs just to have them on the shelf (or the wall) because they look cool, that's one thing. But as I pointed out, if you're collecting them to actually watch, an unsealed LD may be a better bet for playing properly than a sealed copy.

[sfmarine]

Originally Posted by jayembee

If you're collecting LDs just to have them on the shelf (or the wall) because they look cool, that's one thing. But as I pointed out, if you're collecting them to actually watch, an unsealed LD may be a better bet for playing properly than a sealed copy.

Couldn't agree more as several of my latest sealed pickups all had playback issues.

Cobb
Interview with the Vampire
In the Name of the Father
Jaws (came sealed in the box but first disc is definitely rotted)

I think several are warped from being sealed for all of those years, but I'm not ruling out rot either. I'm going to see if a friend of mine can repair them with his heat press.

[captainsolo]

It's likely warpage. Warps have become for me the biggest downside to LDs as my great lx-900 player hates any sort of warpage and if its severe enough can cause major playback issues. Thus nice sealed discs I find are almost certainly going to have some warpage due to the ultra tight shrinkwrap after all these years.

Outside of that it's the usual inherent fun of become acclimated to a disused outdated format.

[DandyDancing]

I know you’ve probably been asked this thousands of times and you may find it annoying but is there any guides I can be directed to for getting into laserdisc

[jayembee]

Originally Posted by DandyDancing

I know you’ve probably been asked this thousands of times and you may find it annoying but is there any guides I can be directed to for getting into laserdisc

Try the forums at LaserDisc Database.

[Retroj23]

Originally Posted by sfmarine

For those of you using an AC3 demodulator do you have a preferred brand/model? I figure now that my surround is finally back up and running and my Mcintosh has AC3 out..I might as well take advantage of that Dolby sound. Was looking at the Yamaha APD-1 which seems to go for around $100.

Any suggestions?

The Yamaha is a good unit with auto switching between AC3 and regular digital sound. I had a Nakamichi DE1 also. It was good but lacked auto switching. Either way most demodulators do their jobs well and sometimes you can find them cheap.

[sfmarine]

Originally Posted by DandyDancing

I know you’ve probably been asked this thousands of times and you may find it annoying but is there any guides I can be directed to for getting into laserdisc

Have you started at all or are you just now looking to dive in? I agree that LDDB is a good resource but it's a ghost town there these days.


I'm still fairly new to the format but for some crazy reason I'm close to 150 LaserDiscs now so it can become a bit addictive...fair warning. I just got into it because I wanted to see Star Wars OT in its true unaltered and anamorphic form and LD is the only way to really do that.

Once you start peeling the layers away, you'll notice that there are some really nice box sets out there to be had-especially the Pioneer special editions and some really rare and impressive Criterion Collection editions. You also have The Godfather Trilogy 1901-1980 which is the uncut chronological version of The entire trilogy which is still only available on LD and VHS. It can get really expensive once you start importing LDs from Japan but they have awesome artwork and the best pressings.

I suggest starting local if you haven't already. See if anyone on Craigslist has a player for sale. eBay is where you'll find a lot of good players but you'll pay a premium and the shipping has the potential to ruin a player if it is not packed and handled correctly. The guy I purchased my players from will drive and pick up LD lots and players as long as the price is right. He says it's worth it to ensure the player doesn't get damaged.

Plenty of cheaper players out there but I suggest getting one that has the autoflip feature. If audio is important then you want to ensure you get a player with AC3.

I recommend this channel. Culturedog/Sam Hatch...He also does a weekly livestream and you can learn a lot from him.

Laserdisc - Why It Ruled (And Still Does) - YouTube

If you're looking for the best versions of Star Wars to get then I suggest this video which really helped me out. He is on the boards as captainsolo.

Laserdisc Collection Pt. 18: Star Wars and the best official release of the films to date - YouTube

[jayembee]

Originally Posted by sfmarine

I agree that LDDB is a good resource but it's a ghost town there these days.

I didn't realize that when I suggested it. Because I've been a longtime collector of LDs and have a good handle on what's what and what I did or didn't want, I typically used the site only for looking up particulars of one LD or another. Never really went into the forums.

[spudeus]

Originally Posted by sfmarine

For those of you using an AC3 demodulator do you have a preferred brand/model? I figure now that my surround is finally back up and running and my Mcintosh has AC3 out..I might as well take advantage of that Dolby sound. Was looking at the Yamaha APD-1 which seems to go for around $100.

Any suggestions?

In my case, I ended up buying a Denon AVD-2000 processor from ebay; it has an AC-3 input and optical/coaxial outputs - cheaper than most modulators too!

Actually found out about this option through the LDDB forums. Not exactly a bustling metropolis, but not a ghost town yet!

[GreatGreg]

Originally Posted by sfmarine

I think several are warped from being sealed for all of those years, but I'm not ruling out rot either. I'm going to see if a friend of mine can repair them with his heat press.

Are you serious about using a heat press?

I can't imagine this doing anything but damaging the LD further. Then again, it doesn't play anyways, but at least it will be flat.

You are talking about flattening an optically encoded laser-aligned disc with nothing more than a hot iron. You might be better off putting it on a cookie sheet in your oven.

[GreatGreg]

Originally Posted by jayembee

True enough. But with comics, books, etc., whether they are "brand new mint" or not doesn't generally affect how they can be used. Even if a comic book is folded or torn, you can still read it.

Even if you are playing LDs, 'sealed mint' discs would at least be dust, scratch and fingerprint free.

If you are buying open, there are still many questions about when it was last played and how it has been cared for during these past 30 years. Rot is just one of many factors that can affect playback and I don't really see used copies as being any better than sealed ones.

Originally Posted by jayembee

If you're collecting LDs just to have them on the shelf (or the wall) because they look cool, that's one thing. But as I pointed out, if you're collecting them to actually watch, an unsealed LD may be a better bet for playing properly than a sealed copy.

I may be different from the majority of LaserDisc collectors because I am coming into this hobby from the Blu-ray and DVD side. I have always envied LaserDisc collectors for having LaserDiscs, but could never afford one.

I have a fairly large BD/DVD collection now and am going backwards to LaserDisc and VHS to fill in gaps.

I have fallen in love with LaserDiscs now after only collecting for the past two months. I am a tad embarrassed to admit how many I have purchased in such a short period.

However, if I have the BD or DVD, I will watch that first. This is because of image quality and OAR. Having said that LaserDiscs are beautiful to hold and collect and I love the artwork which is oftentimes better (and always bigger) than modern equivalents. I also prefer movie poster artwork.

So part of what you said is true. I buy LaserDiscs for the movie and have no hesitation opening new and sealed LDs. However, I am prepared to have rotters, but in the very least I am getting nice artwork.

Having said all that, does anyone still sell the covers only for LaserDiscs, or is this yet another level of my OCD?

[sfmarine]

Originally Posted by GreatGreg

Are you serious about using a heat press?

I can't imagine this doing anything but damaging the LD further. Then again, it doesn't play anyways, but at least it will be flat.

You are talking about flattening an optically encoded laser-aligned disc with nothing more than a hot iron. You might be better off putting it on a cookie sheet in your oven.

He calls it a heat sublimation machine but he designed it himself. It does work. Not sure how hot it gets but he fixed a few of my discs already. I don't blame you for being concerned because I was too. I'll pass on throwing it on a cookie sheet though.

Originally Posted by jayembee

I didn't realize that when I suggested it. Because I've been a longtime collector of LDs and have a good handle on what's what and what I did or didn't want, I typically used the site only for looking up particulars of one LD or another. Never really went into the forums.

No worries!

[captainsolo]

You start for one thing and then another and then another and then find a few with better soundtracks and then get some lots of discs for pretty cheap...and then one day you have nearly 1,000 titles...
I only started for two things: unaltered star Wars and the 1997 SEs besides my old VHS copies+the Bond films on the format to get away from the Lowry transfers.

It's a really fun hobby and format to collect. If you know the and learn the inherent quirks and get a good setup going then you'll have fun as we do searching for treasure troves of discs. Then when you find a bunch of nice discs you might get the LD fever for more and realize your lddb wishlist is massive.

I never realized the forums were even on lddb until after year or so after I joined. I still post in there occasionally but the fb group laserdisc forever is much more active and has tons of people from newbies to seasoned pros.

[sfmarine]

Originally Posted by spudeus

In my case, I ended up buying a Denon AVD-2000 processor from ebay; it has an AC-3 input and optical/coaxial outputs - cheaper than most modulators too!

Actually found out about this option through the LDDB forums. Not exactly a bustling metropolis, but not a ghost town yet!

I don’t see any on eBay but I’ll be sure to keep my eye out for one. Looks like they go around the $50 range which is a great price point.

Thanks for the suggestion.

[Takeshi666]

I got these two last week.



The Japanese pressing of the '95 Fist of the North Star piqued my interest when I learned of the JP dub (good chunk of the '80s anime VAs reprising their roles) while I bid on Star Crystal thinking it was the '86 Alien ripoff but turned out to be a completely unrelated movie from '95 and the Japanese release just happened to use the same title.

[grodd]

I got some amazing scores recently. I'll post some pics soon. However lost one lost in the mail (Alien Res. DTS Japanese)
Some Hong Kong ultra grail rarities (Horror/Sci Fi) and a really unique player. Going to be nervous until they arrive.

[sfmarine]

Originally Posted by grodd

I got some amazing scores recently. I'll post some pics soon. However lost one lost in the mail (Alien Res. DTS Japanese)
Some Hong Kong ultra grail rarities (Horror/Sci Fi) and a really unique player. Going to be nervous until they arrive.

Nice...nice. Looking forward to hearing about this unique player.