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Old 30th Sep 2010, 10:20 pm   #1
threeseven
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Default Laser Disc anyone ?

Does anyone still have a Laser Disc player ?
I have two, both inherited from my Father, both Pioneer, a CLD D925 and a CLD 1450.
The 925 plays CD and Laser Disc and also has auto turnover for Laser Disc, the whole laser assembly transfers from one side to the other when the end of a side is reached !
There was a time when I was going to throw them with the 60 odd Laser Disc library I have but I don't have the heart to do that now and still use the 950 occasionally to remember my Dad and for a bit of nostalgia.
I recall thinking how fantastic the replay quality of these were compared to VHS but now compared to DVD they are not very good !
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Old 30th Sep 2010, 10:25 pm   #2
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Default Re: Laser Disc anyone ?

I have a CLD-700 I picked up a couple of years back for a few euros. Nice kit, but I don't use it much as only have 5 discs!

The other day I saw two similar ones in our local cash converters (Madrid!) for 15€ each. You see them often over here. I suspect quite a few were used in karaoke places or maybe commercial presentations.
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Old 30th Sep 2010, 10:28 pm   #3
mark pirate
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Default Re: Laser Disc anyone ?

I too have a pioneer player, nearly got rid when i moved house, but it's now safely stashed in the loft

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Old 30th Sep 2010, 10:30 pm   #4
threeseven
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Default Re: Laser Disc anyone ?

Do you recall how expensive the disc's were when first available, some upto £60 !!!
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Old 2nd Oct 2010, 12:23 am   #5
Lucien Nunes
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Default Re: Laser Disc anyone ?

Yes, LaserVision spoken here. As well as one for watching movies on, we have a Philips VP-415 attached to a BBC Master SCSI port as supplied for the Domesday project LV-ROM. This is currently non-functional due to a focus servo fault but it is a fascinating throwback to the huge promise that LV held in those wacky hybrid analogue/digital days.

Another oldie disc format that I occasionally fire up is VHD, a competitor to CED and LaserVision that didn't really take off although it works remarkably well. Anybody remember it? I find it almost more amazing than LV because it plays a vinyl record with a needle (give or take).

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Old 2nd Oct 2010, 2:31 am   #6
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Default Re: Laser Disc anyone ?

I saw a load of those CED discs (I think) in a Wirral charity shop a few weeks ago. Completely forgot about that! Was tempted to buy one to open it up and take a peek.
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Old 2nd Oct 2010, 5:29 am   #7
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Default Re: Laser Disc anyone ?

I have a few CED discs tucked away. Not sure what the titles are (I'll have to look) but if anyone is interested they can come and pick them up. That is if you fancy a trip into darkest deepest Wales!
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Old 2nd Oct 2010, 12:23 pm   #8
Dave Moll
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Default Re: Laser Disc anyone ?

I have a Philips VLP-700 (and a small selection of discs). One day I must have a go at getting it working!
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Old 2nd Oct 2010, 1:33 pm   #9
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Default Re: Laser Disc anyone ?

I regularly use my Pioneer CLD1850, which isn't one of their best models, but it works well. My only complaint is I get fed up inserting the discs, up to four times a film! I must look out for one which plays both sides
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Old 2nd Oct 2010, 5:07 pm   #10
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Default Re: Laser Disc anyone ?

I never had a laser disc player, but I remember there was a professional format available for a while in the 1990's.
It was called CRV (Component Recordable Video) and was used by the video boys for playback at corporate events, product launches etc.
The discs looked like the Laservision type, about the same size as a vinyl LP, and the quality was better than the beta video tapes that were an industry standard at the time. They were kept in cartridges and looked like giant minidisks.
The format didn't last long and I seem to remember the machines having a short service life with a reputation for unreliability.

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Old 2nd Oct 2010, 5:49 pm   #11
Lucien Nunes
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Default Re: Laser Disc anyone ?

I remember the first show I did using CRV in Japan. We were excited about it and even the presenter couldn't resist slipping in the comment '...have a look at this video clip from the Laser Disc..."

IIRC we had some issues with the player, not least of which was that it was a UK spec machine that would not work reliably from the 100V Japanese mains through our 1:2 step-up transformer at the end of a long extension lead in the edit suite. There was no ready source of an alternative player or 240V so I had to unwind some primary turns off the transformer to give the CRV the volts it needed.

Overall it wasn't a bad format, last knockings for the 'professional users only' era the kept the clients' sticky fingers off their precious media. This was a mixed blessing as machines were not very widespread. On our way to a show in Russia somebody got lost carrying with him both the main and backup CRV discs. The nearest machine available to master some replacements was back in London, we had to wait two days until we found the missing person before we were able to progress from our VHS emergency backup option. (Don't say it, the two discs shouldn't have been in the same suitcase)

I wish I had a CRV now, better start looking

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Old 3rd Oct 2010, 8:30 pm   #12
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Default Re: Laser Disc anyone ?

Hi,
I bought four video discs for a euro each last year, I thought they were LPs at first . Three of them are on Laserdisc and are French versions of: Schindler's List (1993), The English Patient (1996) & E.T. (1982) (This last is still shrink wrapped). The fourth is Elton John live in Australia on CDVideo (1986).
I'd always thought Laserdiscs were obsolete by the nineties so I was surprised at these fairly recent films being released on this format
Amazing to think that just one film took up three or four sides of two 12inch discs without any extras at all. They're heavy too!
Cheers de Pete
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Old 4th Oct 2010, 6:58 pm   #13
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Default Re: Laser Disc anyone ?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Tractorfan View Post
I'd always thought Laserdiscs were obsolete by the nineties so I was surprised at these fairly recent films being released on this format
Apparently, Pioneer finished making laserdisc players in January 2009!
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Old 9th Oct 2010, 2:19 am   #14
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Default Re: Laser Disc anyone ?

I have a Yamaha CDV-1700 dating from 1992, unfortunately packed away (along with a Panasonic NV-1E standards converting VCR and other items) since the last house move, due to lack of space (as determined by SWMBO). But now with two DVD recorders in use as well as a separate player, there wouldn’t be input switching capacity to accommodate the older equipment. Picture quality of Laser discs was really very good for the time. When DVD arrived, the major noticeable difference was lower noise, plus, of course the convenience of smaller discs and much, much longer playing time. I forget how many LV discs are in the Met/Levine Ring Cycle Set, but it is more than quite a few. Still, one day I must (temporarily) install the CDV-1700 so as to copy over to HDD at least the Eagles “Hell Freezes Over” and BP/Karajan/LVB 9th LVs.

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Old 9th Oct 2010, 2:27 am   #15
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Default Re: Laser Disc anyone ?

I was just reading this afternoon a 1995 issue of Television, where optical discs in general were mentioned and compared to a new digital video disc called a DVD. Sony and philips had one version and Toshiba another, with longer playing time!
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Old 25th Jan 2011, 11:58 pm   #16
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Default Re: Laser Disc anyone ?

I have recently acquired a Pioneer CLD-S315 and about 100 discs but wished it was a player that would play both sides as it gets frustrating having to turn the discs and change them all the time.
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