The Official LaserDisc Thread

[MassiveMovieBuff]

Originally Posted by sfmarine

Watched Aliens this evening--got a minty copy from good 'ol eBay. Got very close to the end of side 3 and the film just went all crazy and basically skipped forward a good minute or so and then the end credits rolled. My first thought was that it was rot.

I put the disc in my S2 and it played fine. I believe this issue is due to a lack of grease. Can anyone confirm this is the likely cause?

If it's the 1995 special edition LD you got it's a good chance that it could be rot. I recall reading on LaserDisc Database that it was a contender for rot.

https://www.lddb.com/laserdisc/06719/8761-85/Aliens

If it's this release you got the probability is even higher I guess.

https://www.lddb.com/laserdisc/00876...ectors-Edition

[bludarkknight]

Originally Posted by MassiveMovieBuff

If it's the 1995 special edition LD you got it's a good chance that it could be rot. I recall reading on LaserDisc Database that it was a contender for rot.

https://www.lddb.com/laserdisc/06719/8761-85/Aliens

If it's this release you got the probability is even higher I guess.

https://www.lddb.com/laserdisc/00876...ectors-Edition

i not sure if see any acid for rot ? then again they mostly rot at night . mostly .

no seriously i not noticed any last i played the AC-3 pressing was few years ago .




also have this pressing candidate is low . aliens . this time it's rot . i not seen any serious rot . last played this a year so ago now .
https://www.lddb.com/laserdisc/31510/1504-70/Aliens

[MassiveMovieBuff]

Originally Posted by bludarkknight

[Show spoiler]i not sure if see any acid for rot ? then again they mostly rot at night . mostly .

no seriously i not noticed any last i played the AC-3 pressing was few years ago .

I'm not too knowledgeable on laserdisc unfortunately. From what I understand though, rot is pretty visible when an LD is affected by it. Not too sure if there have been cases where the LDs look mint but are affected with rot.

[bludarkknight]

Originally Posted by MassiveMovieBuff

I'm not too knowledgeable on laserdisc unfortunately. From what I understand though, rot is pretty visible when an LD is affected by it. Not too sure if there have been cases where the LDs look mint but are affected with rot.

maybe the case which is . if rot is really bad it affects the analogue audio with sounds like fm stereo station not correctly tuned in ,m very hash like , sort of like , using fm mode on CB with station with weak signal . very hard to hear the soundtrack as the rot seems to rise above the soundtrack level . the pcm digital will have spike sounds very often and yes the picture will have heavy amount colour of sparkle noise , sort of like tv analogue signal not be tuned in .

worst rot laserdisc i have , is buck rogers 25th century pal laserdisc. the jewel in the nile ntsc laserdisc , flashpoint pal laserdisc ,

at end of the disc you can hear the laser rot affecting the analogue track like a noisy fm signal with stuttering which is the spinning of the laserdisc a sort of waving fluttering noise .

Laserdisc PAL Buck Rogers laser-rot - YouTube

buck rogers is rare as it has stereo track mix .

typically how laser rot appears with nice white background like in scene m buck rogers 25th century . the laser rot appears like comet tails .


the jewel in the nile , the laser rot here is mild . as it gets near to end of side 1 the laser rot increases with spike sounds on pcm digital , the analogue gets noisy .

Laserdisc jewel in the nile (with laser rot) - YouTube

https://www.lddb.com/laserdisc/02007/40359/Psycho-III
psycho 3 , has some periodical laser rot with some of the analogue having slight noise .

Home cinema - laserdisc - Psycho III - minor laser rot - YouTube

should be noted , Dolby Stereo on this laserdisc pressing is far better than dvd box set that was released years ago and way better than hd version on streaming . trouble with other pressings is fake 5.1 and has dialogue leaking all over the channels . the hd is no better it is worse .

so i thought take chance on laserdisc as no way was going to buy bluray . as it turned out side 1 had ntsc phase - colour wherei had to adjust the phase colour on the lg 65" and rare this is . to correct the colour . side 2 i had to put phase colour back to normal setting as the issue was fixed for side 2 . very rare .
as for the Dolby Stereo 4.2.4 matrix it was spot on as i heard at the cinema . dialogue remained firmly anchored up front centre clear and intelligible .

[bludarkknight]

a laserdish best served cold



print release pal with que dots ( reel change over dots )

pan and scan zooms in closer to the image fills the standard tv frame area up .
w/s or scope releases have black bars top and bottom of the image . thou the framing for w/s should have been placed centre of the tv with same black bars commonly seen for scope movies . so when the scope movie is shown it is does appear wider . i have to always often readjust the lg oled aspect ratio to place the w/s central and readjust the video projector of which takes longer than what actual took me in 35mm projection days a few seconds . to change aperture plate , press button for masking and flip the w/s flat less to scope . with home format takes almost minute .


interpositive pressing scope ntsc

[sfmarine]

Originally Posted by MassiveMovieBuff

If it's the 1995 special edition LD you got it's a good chance that it could be rot. I recall reading on LaserDisc Database that it was a contender for rot.

https://www.lddb.com/laserdisc/06719/8761-85/Aliens

If it's this release you got the probability is even higher I guess.

https://www.lddb.com/laserdisc/00876...ectors-Edition

I've got the first one you listed which is the AC-3 release. I spun it up on another player and it played fine, so I don't think its rot. I will say that the transfer looked really good though. At least it happened literally in the last minute of the film just before the credits began to roll. That's why I thought that perhaps it was a grease issue.

[grodd]

Another tough one.

Doctor Who TV Movie.

[grodd]

Two more for the day.

Blood Games and Gates of Hell

[Vanguard]

In response to earlier posts, LD rot is usually visible on the disc, but discs have been known to exhibit rot on playback, even though they look perfect. Even brand new, still sealed copies can be affected by rot.
The rot happens from within the disc when oxygen penetrates the poor quality adhesive that holds the two disc halves together. The thin aluminum layer corrodes and compromises the disc. If the 'rot' is severe enough, it appears on the surface as weird splotches. But the rot can also hide just low enough to not be visible by the naked eye, but deep enough to affect the laser. Severe rot can completely breakdown video and audio, while minor rot is just speckling.

Similar situation happened notoriously with Warner and their DVDs and sadly, HD-DVDs from 2006-2009 or so at certain pressing plants. Warner being the main supporter of HD-DVD, a huge portion of the HD-DVD library are just coasters now.

Good news is that if the disc shows no sign of rot by now, it wont in the future.

[TheMGR]

A bunch of LD's in good condition showed up at a local thrift shop the other day for $2.99 apiece; most were fairly common mainstream titles but I bought six that seemed more interesting or unusual:

Visions of Light: The Art of Cinematography (sealed)
Heathers: Special Edition
Highlander: 10th Anniversary Director's Cut Special Edition (CAV/CLV)
Closet Land (never released on DVD or BD)
Five Corners (Criterion Collection - sealed)
8 1/2 (Criterion Collection)

UPDATE: went back to the store tonight and most of the LDs were gone, glad I was able to cherry-pick before someone swooped in and grabbed all of them which is what I assume happened.

[sfmarine]

Originally Posted by TheMGR

UPDATE: went back to the store tonight and most of the LDs were gone, glad I was able to cherry-pick before someone swooped in and grabbed all of them which is what I assume happened.

I have been meaning to stop at a few thrift stores but I'm just not sure I'll find anything, given my location. If I called they'd prolly be like "what's a Laserdisc" haha.

That is quite interesting that the LDs you first noticed were all gone when you came back for them. I always say never hesitate if you come across a particularly unique or rare item. If if you have buyers remorse...you can always return it.

In your case, I hope it was someone who actually plans to watch 'em vs a flipper/ebay seller looking to make a buck.

[TheMGR]

Originally Posted by sfmarine

I have been meaning to stop at a few thrift stores but I'm just not sure I'll find anything, given my location. If I called they'd prolly be like "what's a Laserdisc" haha.

That is quite interesting that the LDs you first noticed were all gone when you came back for them. I always say never hesitate if you come across a particularly unique or rare item. If if you have buyers remorse...you can always return it.

In your case, I hope it was someone who actually plans to watch 'em vs a flipper/ebay seller looking to make a buck.

Agreed, I got everything I wanted the first time fortunately, but I had hoped to flip through the rest one more time to really be sure I hadn't missed anything and to see if the store had added any more. But I also wasn't surprised they were all gone, at that price anyone trying to instantly build or enlarge a collection would want to grab all of them. I also hope it was a collector and not a reseller.

[sfmarine]

Originally Posted by TheMGR

Agreed, I got everything I wanted the first time fortunately, but I had hoped to flip through the rest one more time to really be sure I hadn't missed anything and to see if the store had added any more. But I also wasn't surprised they were all gone, at that price anyone trying to instantly build or enlarge a collection would want to grab all of them. I also hope it was a collector and not a reseller.

Yeah...@ $2.99 that is rather good, even for commons. Do you recall (approx) how many were there?

[TheMGR]

Originally Posted by sfmarine

Yeah...@ $2.99 that is rather good, even for commons. Do you recall (approx) how many were there?

Roughly, 60 to 80, maybe more.

[sfmarine]

Definitely a good amount to come across- especially for $3 a pop.

[meremortal]

I'm glad blu came along as it pretty much stopped my obsession with LD. There are still plenty of movies that probably sound more "faithful" on the old format, but given the choice I'd rather just have the blu. About the only real reason I'd consider now would be stuff that isn't on dvd or blu, or stuff that's on dvd or stream with low quality sound. It is nice to have the option to hear a movie with its original soundtrack. 80s and 90s action movies, horror, and erotic thrillers are niches that would probably be most interesting since there are so many titles that never got a better home video release. Unfortunately these are also markets that tend to have collectors willing to pay a bit of money for them. Exclusive extras might also be a consideration, though I rarely listen to commentaries. The age of players, lack of parts and servicing, along with the prices to repair them and ship them around the country is kind of troubling. There are very few people who still repair players. Also, there are too many thrifters/pickers now who have no idea how to properly ship the discs and players.

[martydmc12]

My laserdisc player died on me, and I can't find anyone locally who would be willing to even look it, let alone repair it. Therefore...

WANTED: Panasonic LX-H680 Laserdisc Player, working condition.

[kosvines]

Originally Posted by martydmc12

My laserdisc player died on me, and I can't find anyone locally who would be willing to even look it, let alone repair it. Therefore...

WANTED: Panasonic LX-H680 Laserdisc Player, working condition.

What happened with it? It might be an easy fix.

[martydmc12]

Originally Posted by kosvines

What happened with it? It might be an easy fix.

As the tray was going back inside the machine, about half-way, it completely stopped, and an awful grinding noise could be heard, followed by the power completely shutting down. I was able to restart it, but the tray wouldn't slide in or out anymore, and I had to manually push it back in, plus there seems to be grease all over inside of it. The flap at the front no longer closes either.

I've checked around my area to see if anyone can/will take a look at it to repair, and no one will. I still haven't tried some of the higher end home theatre/hi-fi shops that do repairs, but I figured I should maybe try and get another anyways. Even if I was able to get a couple of the same model, so that if I needed parts I could salvage in repairing one.

[sfmarine]

Originally Posted by martydmc12

As the tray was going back inside the machine, about half-way, it completely stopped, and an awful grinding noise could be heard, followed by the power completely shutting down. I was able to restart it, but the tray wouldn't slide in or out anymore, and I had to manually push it back in, plus there seems to be grease all over inside of it. The flap at the front no longer closes either.

I've checked around my area to see if anyone can/will take a look at it to repair, and no one will. I still haven't tried some of the higher end home theatre/hi-fi shops that do repairs, but I figured I should maybe try and get another anyways. Even if I was able to get a couple of the same model, so that if I needed parts I could salvage in repairing one.

Sorry for your troubles. That's actually a nice player with AC-3 but doesn't pop up often. Looking on eBay at the moment and one player sold for $150 last month.

This one is live going for $200 but unique as it has the original sticker still on it!
https://www.ebay.com/itm/32529750573...Bk9SR5L02ICIYQ

It sounds like a broken cog wheel to me if the tray is getting stuck and grinding.