So I Rang in 2008 by Buying...A LASERDISC!!! (1 Viewer)

[MielR]

That's always something I've wanted to ask about. I still have a CRT set (and a Pioneer 703 LD player), and I'm wondering how terrible my LDs are going to look when I finally get an LCD or plasma set?

 

[David Norman]

Gads, that looks like my closet.

I'll admit I'm a collector almost to be a collector sometimes. I've completed my DTS Collection (at least the US releases plus Ransom) a couple years ago and finally the Universal Signature collection (finally got a decent Frighteners boxset). I think I have around 150 of the Criterions assembled though I just don't think I have the stamina to collect the whole lot.

I recently picked up the Looney Tunes Volumes 3 and 4 just before Christmas to add to the first 2 I bought years ago. Isn't that Volume 5 way over in the corner of the picture just beggin to come visit me?

You wouldn't happen to have the Japanese DTS discs?

 

[Jesse Skeen]

If you wanna send those to me, I won't charge a storage fee

Still kicking myself for not grabbing "Wacko" for 13 bucks or so at Camelot Music!

 

[Don May Jr]

Unfortunately, no, I don't have any of those.

After this thread, I decided to go downstairs and browse around my collection (at least the ones I could reach without moving more boxes), and I discovered I had a SEALED MINT copy of MGMs WILD WILD PLANET!!!! Of course, I opened it and watched it for old time's sake. That movie is just awesome and there's no DVD in site from MGM.

No laser rot... perfect shape... no "rolling" dashes... but maaaaannnn... do LDs look like dookie on my 60" LCD!

And, I found that copy of WACKO, too! I have a BUNCH of rare Japanese LDs of music, like QUEEN: RARE LIVE, etc. I really gotta organize that wall.

 

[Richard Gallagher]

I still have a pretty substantial collection of laserdiscs, including the Criterion CAV James Bond films with the banned commentaries, the recalled Best of Roger Rabbit, the Japanese LD of Song of the South, the box sets of MGM and Vitaphone shorts, etc.

They look better on my 35-inch Toshiba CRT, which was moved to me bedroom after I went HD a year ago.

 

[SilverWook]

My Laserdiscs look pretty decent on my Samsung LCD. I'm using an industrial grade Pioneer player I was lucky enough to score brand new a couple years back. It only plays Laserdiscs, no CD combo/auto reverse stuff that could break years down the line! It's hooked up via the composite input.

A twenty year old title is obviously going to look it's age, but something like the Japanese Phantom Menace LD looks amazingly good even zoomed in! I suspect my current player doesn't do any fancy video processing to the signal like my recently deceased CLD-704 did. I have a few discs that always looked smeary on the 704, but not on my other machines.

 

[David (C)]

That DUNE Japanese boxset looks quite nice.

 

[Jerry R Colvin]

I bought my Enchanted April laserdisc about a year ago on eBay.

Now I just need to buy my first-ever laserdisc player in order to watch it.

The need to do so lessened somewhat after HBO broadcast this great missing movie a few times last summer....

 

[Don May Jr]

You know what? I bought it and don't recall EVER watching it. Figures...

I found another LaserDisc gem in my collection today... I actually have LATE FOR DINNER. Another one that has yet to appear on DVD in any form in the US. I wonder why? It's actually fun, quirky and Peter Berg [FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS / THE KINGDOM] is in it.

I'd love to release that one if they don't want to!

 

[Michael Warner]

I still have about 20 LDs and will sometimes add one to the collection (Half Price Books seems to get in some good titles now and again). But truth be told I haven't watched one since I moved two years ago. The LD player was relegated to the office TV (along with the PS2) and I guess out of sight equals out of mind. The one use they do get is I have three of those LP sized picture frames on the wall in the family room and I like to cycle through the LDs with great cover art and use them as posters. Right now it's the three "faces" Star Wars discs. I bought the Dark Crystal on LD late last year for just that purpose.

 

[Bob Cashill]

I collected LDs from 1988-1999. I retire some every year, most recently Criterion's ROBINSON CRUSOE ON MARS and its CLV BLADE RUNNER. Amazingly, I still have about 250-300, ranging from titles I've kept for unique extras or favorite package art, films that aren't appreciably upgraded on DVD (they still look fine on my 27" TV), and number I'm beginning to suspect will never see the light of day on R1 DVD, like ANDY WARHOL'S BAD...of course, I say that every year, and up they pop.

 

[Scooter]

Dang...when I saw the pic of Don's collection, I thought someone had pirated a pic of my LD's.

I have a TON and would rather sell off my less favored DVD's than my 12" shiny boys.

However, My CED collection is another story.....

 

[Richard Gallagher]

Laserdisc covers are also great for autographs. A while back Pee-Wee Herman autographed my LD of Pee-Wee's Playhouse Christmas Special. He also told me a funny story...

Pee-Wee has a large LD collection and he was moving a couple of years ago. He hired some teenagers to unpack his boxes for him. When the teenagers opened his LD boxes, one of the kids said, "Look! Giant CDs!"

 

[Francois Caron]

I've actually purchased a used Pioneer CLD-59 to replace my recently deceased CLD-D704. And I still watch some of my LDs on occasion (just over 100 titles in my collection). But the image as seen on my LCD based front projection system clearly reveals the weaknesses of the format. Analog composite video is a HORRIBLE video format that simply can't provide a decent image even under ideal conditions.

Of course, this doesn't prevent me from enjoying "Colossus: The Forbin Project" in widescreen (not available on DVD)

Scooter, just how many CED discs do you have?

 

[Richard M S]

This thread inspired me to really dig into my laser disc collection which still numbers in the hundreds. There are so many titles now rendered useless by improved DVDs. And what is even more scary is there were more than a few titles never even opened. And the price tags they carried!

I wish I sold on EBAY many more of the MGM musicals that Warners released on laser discs. There was a market for them, but now most of what I have is out on DVD - and of course I bought them again in that format. I may bundle some of the sets and sell them as lots, since I too just hate throwing them away.

I tell you looking at all of those titles made me judiciously edit my Amazon.Com pre-order list. I could live to 100 and I will never watch all of these films.

 

[Scooter]

Francois...a few hundred, as well as 1 each SJT-400 and SKT-400 players with extra needles.

I was forward thinking!