Brian-W
Screenwriter
- Joined
- Feb 8, 1999
- Messages
- 1,149
even on my CLD-99, which believe me is not a slouch as far as LD performance goes.
Actually, ALL U.S. laserdisc players especially the Pioneer Elites are poor performers compared to the high-end Japanese LD players. So unfortunately, yes, the CLD-99 is pretty weak.
You haven't seen what laserdisc is capable of unless it was on the MUSE Hi-Vision players (Pioneer HLD-1000, HLD-X9, HLD-X0, Sony HIL-C1, Sony HIL-C2EX, etc.). All these players have far superior lasers (red-laser as opposed to infra-red), superior laser optics, and Y/C and NTSC decoding. Not to mention the build quality and motor mechanics.
Why Pioneer and Sony failed to release these players here as true "Elite" players (forget the MUSE Hi-Vision component) is beyond me.
If you have a very large laserdisc collection and don't wish to rid of them or replace them, I highly recommend picking up one of these players. The Sony players can be had for $500-$900 , while HLD-X9s start at $1500+
The LD-S9 didn't have the laser/motor improvements, but did have the Y/C and NTSC decoding upgrades which also make an improvement.
While a bad transfer is a bad transfer, more often than not it is poor NTSC decoding inside the player or television unit.
-Brian