"laserdisc is dead! long live the laserdisc!" (1 Viewer)

[Pioneer1]

At this point I still collect but after seeing how incredibly hard it is to find certain LD's its getting more and more expensive as the years go by. One site has Xmen I think for 425.00 which seems incredibly cruel seeing hes probably the only one in the whole US that even has a copy. Some good ones I still have but rare isnt even in the lineup yet except The Iron Giant and maybe a Transformers Beast Wars boxset bought at convention some years ago. Ill still encourage anyone who wants to collect LD's just keep at it.


Pioneer1

 

[TonyD]

What happened with that book?

 

[Chuck Pennington]

And lots not forget that the sound is usually much better on the Laserdisc for a title than on the DVD release, sometimes to an alarming degree. Whether it stems from remixing, noise reduction, filtering, or compression, so many grand musicals sound SO much better in their Laserdisc incarnations. However, the picture quality... It was the best when it was new, but technology has marched on in that regard. With lossless soundtracks possible on Blu-ray, we finally have a format that can exceed the sound on a good Laserdisc (as long as they don't foul things up with remixes, noise reduction, etc.).

 

[Charles Smith]

Nice thread to revive. Just read through it, enjoying a trip down memory lane. I bought my first LDs at Ken Crane's (my favorite: the original Criterion AMBERSONS), before finding that in those days I couldn't continue supporting that habit... till years later when I was able to relive that part of my life thanks to eBay where I bought voraciously at pennies on the dollar for a while. I've since acquired the few hundred that make sense for me to keep around these days, and what's surprising is that I can still, even now, today, learn about a heretofore unknown one to seek out for whatever reason.


And how nice, as others have already said, to be able to thank the person behind the Pioneer Special Editions. As we speak, I am taking out the 1776 to have at the ready for showing to some 1776-loving friends, who have no idea the treat they have in store.

 

[Chuck Pennington]

Well, speaking of 1776, neither the PSE Laserdisc or the DVD release is the best way to view the movie...

 

[Chuck Pennington]

It's sad that the best sound is from the Laserdisc but the best picture is from DVD. What is a collector to do? There are options, believe it or not.

 

[snoopy28574]

I remember when DVD first came out. I bought laser disc instead for the star wars trilogy, which lives on now on DVD-R. I bought a used player then and shortly later moved on to the DVL919. I am concerned about my current player dying on me one day. I'm sure I will be looking on ebay for a spare at some point until they are all copied to DVD. And yes, there is the cool factor with laser disc.

 

[DeWilson]

Someone really needs to assemble a list of all titles on laserdisc not yet out on DVD.


This would need to include films that are out on DVD but were not as good as the laserdisc editions - with regards to transfers,formating,extras.

 

[Richard Gallagher]

I still have nearly 1900 laserdiscs in my collection, among them the Japanese LD of SONG OF THE SOUTH and the recalled THE BEST OF ROGER RABBIT.


I've told this story before, but it's a good one so it's worth repeating. A few years ago I went to the Chiller Theater convention in New Jersey, and one of the celebrity guests was Pee-Wee Herman. I brought along my laserdisc jacket of PEE-WEE'S PLAYHOUSE CHRISTMAS SPECIAL for him to sign. When he saw it he said, "Wow, I love laserdiscs." Then he told me a story about the last time he moved. He hired some neighborhood teenagers to help pack his things, and one of them got the job of packing his laserdiscs. The kid obviously had no idea what a laserdisc was, because when he finished he labeled the boxes "Giant CDs.".

 

[Pioneer1]

Giant CD's. That is priceless. Manhunter Ive understood is better on LD than it is on dvd. Im not sure how though so someone with technical knowledge would probably know.

 

[Hasslein]

Laserdisc is still my choice item to get autographed. I still have the Pioneer Harryhausen special editions signed, the Platoon w/book signed by Oliver Stone, and the French Connection double feature by Gene Hackman. My current favorite, a couple of months ago Raquel Welch signed my One Million BC disc.

 

[Adam Gregorich]

Originally Posted by Jay E

I sold most of my 1400 laserdiscs, but I still have around 100 titles, many of which have not been released on DVD yet. I will miss my laser buying days...nothing will ever come close to my joy at buying the new releases each week at Tower Records.

My wife and I used to make a monthly trip to pick out a disc at Tower Records too. I'm down to about 200 or so. Just watched George of the Jungle with my 4yo twins a few weeks ago. Only released in pan n scan on DVD.

 

[Charles Smith]

Good point there, about laserdiscs being the best item to get signed. Wish I'd thought of that on a couple of occasions. Same applies to record jackets, of course.

 

[Dick]

Originally Posted by Luisito34

My earliest memory is of visiting my uncle who had a laserdisc of Raiders of the Lost Ark playing in the living room on a 25-inch RCA TV. When the movie was over and he whips out what looked like a record but shiny metallic I was naturally dumbfounded. This was 1983. It wasn't until I got out of high school in the early 90's that I realized what I had seen in my uncle's living room was a laserdisc. Widescreen Review magazine was the only publication that covered the format (that I knew of) and that's how I furthered my knowledge of it but by then DVD was around the corner and decided not to buy into it. They were expensive indeed but I really loved that they came in such beautiful packaging. Many people dismiss artwork (or packaging) as unimportant and nitpicky but I think it's one of the most appealing things about the movie-watching (and collecting) experience and for me it is a big deal. And laserdisc supplements were actually more interesting and analytical, as I later discovered when I read Widescreen Review's best-ever laserdiscs issue in 1998. Imagine what that King Kong commentary that Criterion recorded in 1985 would be like listening to today! (and what it would fetch on the collector's market)

Yes, it's really unfortunate that the late Ron Haver's incredibly informative commentary for the initial Criterion Collection laser was not carried forward to future re-issues or to DVD. I remember it was awesome.

 

[DeWilson]

I Heard Ken Cranes is closing down all their stores - sad really, best part of trips to SoCal was buying discs as Ken Cranes' Laserdisc store.

 

[Matt Hough]

Originally Posted by Dick




Yes, it's really unfortunate that the late Ron Haver's incredibly informative commentary for the initial Criterion Collection laser was not carried forward to future re-issues or to DVD. I remember it was awesome.

Ron Haver's terrific commentary on the Criterion laser of Singin' in the Rain is far, far better than the pieced-together track that is on the most recent DVD.

 

[John Sparks]

I sold my collection of about 400 and my Pioneer DVL-700 a few months ago.


I kept my signed copies of "Robinson Crusor on Mars" (Mantee signed), "Radar Men from the Moon" (George Wallace) and "War of the Worlds" (Ann Robinson).


Sold "Radar Men from the Moon", but will sell the other two at $50 each thru PayPal and with free shipping.


It was time to move on but very difficult to part with them.

 

[SilverWook]

Did anybody shop at Dave's Video The Laser Place back in the day? That place was like Laserdisc Shangri-La for me in the late 80's and early 90's.


When I was in college, I "borrowed" my Dad's credit card to rent the letterboxed Japanese import of Star Wars from them. Running the spaceship explosions back and forth in CAV was great fun. Try doing that with DVD or Blu Ray!


I noticed on the news coverage of the 30th anniversary screening of Empire, more than a few people were handing Harrison Ford Laserdisc jackets to sign.

 

[John Sparks]

I never got a chance to go to Daves. I only went to Lazer Blazer on Olympic, Ken Cranes on Beach and sometimes Tower Records on Sunset.

 

[Charles Smith]

I was living in Redondo Beach in the mid-80's, and Ken Crane's in Torrance was where I acquired my first laserdiscs. Still got the good ones. Tower on Sunset, too, and I will never forget one of my blissful evenings in the classical store when they were playing the Glenn Gould laserdiscs with 20 to 30 customers standing around watching, or browsing, but all in hushed attention. I guess he had just died when the LDs were being released. One of many magical moments in a great store.


(Got the first LD player as a special offered at Rogersound Labs. Anyone remember them?)


Also from Ken Crane's: the 25" (yes! the big one!) Mitsubishi monitor which, a quarter of a century later, still provides a fine CRT picture that I'll be sorry to see go when it's time to "move on" in that particular room. (And that day is soon, say I with mixed emotions.)