Buying LDs in Singapore (1 Viewer)

Between all the VCDs and DVDs there seem to be very view LDs available here in Singapore. All the LDs I could find were some leftovers between 10-20 S$ (mostly animes and music titles).

Is there still a place were a wider selection of LDs is available.

Sorry buddy, but LDs are hard to find in retail shops here in Singapore. There was a period back in 1999-2001 where there were still outlets selling LDs. I have seen really good deals on titles like the Indiana Jones trilogy, The Frighteners and The Star Wars Original Trilogy. But most, if not all, of these titles have been snapped up. Since then, most stores stock only VCDs and DVDs. The huge clearance sales of that period is over unfortunately.

Your best bet would be to buy LDs second hand from fellow collectors. I purchased a used Schindler's List LD recently for about S$5 - a pretty good deal if you ask me. Try looking or posting at the forums at www.xtremeplace.com As many Singaporeans post there, you just might find someone who is selling LDs.

Best of Luck!

damn, I wasn't paying attention in 1999-2001...

oh well. Roland, if you really want to try, there used to be a half-reasonable selection of LDs at Music Warehouse, next to the old Capitol cinema at North Bridge Road. they had a copy of the SW:SE box set, but wanted a ridiculous S$500 for it (I refused).

otherwise, I suspect you'd have better luck looking through the neighbourhood LD rental shops, who might still be clearing old stock. most of the more upmarket shops already have, or still want unrealistic prices, e.g. Blue Max at Suntec City still wants S$79 for a copy of SW:ANH (Faces version) -- I'd like to buy a copy, since my Definitive Collection is starting to exhibit laser rot :frowning: but I refuse to pay silly money for it.

I was already suspecting while browsing through the stores here that the LD selection has pretty much dried up.

I have been to the Blue Max at Suntec City which is just a short walk from where I work. It's actually the only store I have seen any LDs at.

It seems that I'll have to check Music Warehouse this weekend.


Yee-Ming

Where should I be looking for these LD rental shops you mentioned?

It is very hard for you to get laserdiscs of big titles now in SINGAPORE.
BLUEMAX,as well as others had cleared their stocks since the second year of DVD invasion.

To get your hand on some movie titles,you will have to depend on private collectors who wants to sell off their private collections. Monitor the classified ads for any sale by private collectors.
Try avoid buying discs from CASH CONVERTERS.

I still have numbers of discs with me(abt 80s or so)...

Maybe if you want...email me...

Have you been able to buy bubble gum anywhere?

Roland: sorry I can't be more specific, it's just that whenever I'm in an HDB estate shopping area, I usually see an ex-LD rental shop. trouble is, I never paid much attention, and although I've been thinking about getting those SW LDs as insurance against Lucas never releasing the original OT on DVD (and laser rot of my DefColln), I guess I'm not that die-hard enough to go scouting for them.

but off the top of my head I know Holland Village (at the far end near Commonwealth Ave) has a place that now rents DVDs, but I really can't remember if they were clearing LDs, and there are at least two shops in Holland Rd Shopping Centre that deals in DVDs but I'm pretty sure they don't have any LDs now; and Sixth Ave used to have one, but again I'm not sure if it's still in operation even (which is pretty appalling observation on my part, considering my in-laws live on that street and I must pass by 2-3 times a week -- but hey I'm driving, I can't stop and look can I?)

but as Yang suggested, the classifieds are probably as good a source as any.

Check out Japan, I've been told LD is still plentiful in used shops

Thanks for all the replies.

I'm going to Japan in mid May and if I get the chance I'll definitely check out what LDs they still have there.

ROLAND,
I assume that you've just moved to SINGAPORE not long ago,or maybe you r not aware that although laserdiscs are things of past,but they are still classified as video softwares that will trigger customs attention if you bring them in from overseas.
Try avoid bringing them in on your own.

Singapore custom and censorship practise is not comparable to australia or new zealand.

JEFF's suggestion is considerable,but do it another way round.

If you go to Japan, a good source of used LDs are the chain of Mandarake stores (the huge used toy/video/manga etc stores). Usually the LDs are SF/anime/kaiju eiga, but the prices are very decent. I buy tons of toys and LDs at the various Mandarakes every time I go to Japan.

Speaking of Singapore, do you use PAL or NTSC? All the web sites I've seen today indicate PAL for broadcast, but I recently bought some anime DVD sets and a Xbox game which I was under the impression was in the NTSC format. Was I just seeing things, or do you use different formats for broadcast and home video?

I think (not 100% sure though) Singapore is the same as Hong Kong, where broadcast and VHS use the PAL format, but most LDs and DVDs are NTSC (most people there have multi-format TVs so this isn't a problem for them). Am I right about this?

To be accurate...
Almost 99% of laserdiscs sold here are in NTSC format.

As for DVD, PAL and NTSC softwares shares different percentage, due to multi-region imports...R1 imports takes up about 75%, R3 NTSC softwares takes abt 15%, R4 PAL softwares abt 5% and others such as R2/R3 PAL/R0 makes up the 5%.

VHS and VCD softwares local release are all in PAL format.Some VCDs are NTSC imported from HK.

All TV public broadcast are in PAL.

Yang: that's interesting, where did you get those figures from? or are they your own estimates?

in essence, as Yang said, our TV broadcasts are in PAL (a British legacy), but due to parallel importing, a lot of home video material on DVDs and LDs is NTSC. even local R3 DVDs are in NTSC, presumably as they get the master direct from USA. however, historically there was little importing of VHS, and most VHS is PAL since multi-system VHS players were rare.

because of this, most DVD players and TVs are multi-system (and players are multi-code). any retailer which tries to sell R3-only DVD players (or PAL-only TVs) is simply not going to do any business. which is why you don't hear us bleating about PAL-NTSC conversions, nor when one region's release is superior to another's -- we just get whatever we want

Thanks for the explanations, guys!

Roland you may want to try one shop in Balmoral Plaza
271 Bukit Timah Rd 2nd floor. The shop is offering it's
stocks of LD at $10.00 a piece.

I am still holding on to my LD collection. My most prized
LDs are True Lies and the Remastered Widescreen The Godfather Part II & Final Director's Cut Part III which I
bought in 1999. Too bad The Godfather Part I is banned or
else my collection is complete.

Leon, I assume you have a copy of the Godfather DVD set then? oh hang on, you can't have one since it's technically banned here... :wink:

YEE MING,
You are right that those figures are from my own estimation...just take a look at the population of different region softwares in GRAMOPHONE and others...

FYI,there are some release of local R3 DVDs by COMSTAR ENTERTAINMENT are in PAL...take a look at DARK WATER.

On the VHS and VCR/VCP part...
You are partially wrong.Actually abt 99% of the VCRs sold in the market are multi-system compatible.PAL only recording decks only occupies a little percentage,the rest others big percentage can record both PAL and NTSC signals.
There are parallel imports of pre-recorded VHS tapes from UK and AUSTRALIA,there are even some titles from the STATES but not comparable to PAL population.
Most of the VCRs/VCPs here can play both NTSC3.58 and PAL softwares.

Yang: what I meant (and said) is that "historically there was little importing of VHS, and most VHS is PAL since multi-system VHS players WERE rare"

this is my recollection from a few years ago, when only high-end VCRs were true multi-system, and mid-range ones tended to allow NTSC playback only at best. today I would agree that most are multi-system -- but who cares anymore?

I don't remember ever seeing NTSC VHS tapes for sale, but I didn't go looking -- with our weather, who wants to collect VHS tapes that go mouldy pretty quickly?

oh well, water under the bridge and all that. if you ever see SW:SE LD boxset going for a reasonable price in a shop, i.e. under S$300, please let me know