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Laserdisc question (1 Viewer)

Matt Butler

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OK friends I need advice. I made a mistake a couple years ago and sold my LD player and a boatload of discs. Since then I have a new HT setup (I didnt have one at the time I had LD). Anyway Ive been regretting it lately seeing as some DVDs are lacking materials from their LD counterparts. And I dont have Star Wars in 5.1 as well as other titles we dont know when the hell there coming to DVD.
Main point: Is it worth it cost wise to try to find another LD player? Im wondering if its even worth it even with my complaints and regrets.
 

MikeEckman

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Well, Matt....the best person to answer your question is you. Since you said you already owned a Laserdisc player before, then you should already know what to expect. Is it worth it to you to track down a used player and rebuild up your library of discs???
You can find a decent Pioneer model with S-video outputs that plays both sides of the dsic for under $100 on ebay. If you want one with Dolby Digital capabilities, you'll have to spend a bit more for a model with AC-3 output, then youll need a AC-3 RF demodulator, which you wont be able to find any cheaper than $100-$125.
 

Dick

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LD players can be had at a reasonable price on eBay. I wouldn't sell mine for anything - I own too many classic RKO, MGM and WARNER titles that look really decent on laser and which will almost certainly not be released in the foreseeable future (the VAL LEWTON box; GUNGA DIN; WATERSHIP DOWN; FEARLESS VAMPIRE KILLERS; DANCES WITH WOLVES extended cut, etc. etc.) Were my player to break down, I'd buy another in a heartbeat.
 
M

MaxY

Well I have been pondering wether or not to try to fix or replace my current LD player which has been acting up lately.
LDs are becoming pretty scarce and DVD titles keep coming out all the time of stuff that was only on LD.
I guess if you can find a cheap deal on a used player, it might be worth it.
Max
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YANG

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"Anyway Ive been regretting it lately seeing as some DVDs are lacking materials from their LD counterparts."
Exactly what are the extras that you are referring to?Commentaries?Full bit rate tracks?DTS releases?
Not ot disappoint you,but i feel that if you now oges back to laserdiscs,it is already too late for you to do so.
On the software side,most of the titles are out of print,even if you could get your hands on some second hand titles,is there any guarantee that the discs is in very good conditions?
On the hardware side,the only player now available in the market that able to handle AC3 laserdiscs is the PIONEER DVL919,majority of other makes are either preowned sets of new sets that comes without warantees.What MIKE had point out is very true,to enjoy AC3 laserdiscs you will need RF demodulators to used with most new generation receivers/amps.There are receivers/amps with RF demodulator built in,but majority are those higher end models...except SHERWOOD NEWCASTLE R945.
 

Matt Butler

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Yang,
There are a few discs in peticular that im missing. Jackie Brown, Halloween CC, Escape from NY SE, Star Wars. DTS has titles on LD that arent on DVD.
I probably wont bother with this thought. Im just pissed off at myself. On the postitve side there are titles above JB, EFNY that are coming out soon as SEs.
Thanks for the replies.
 

alan halvorson

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It is a little late to be getting back into LD if you want to build an extensive collection. But if you just gotta have good copies of Star Wars, Indiana Jones or whatever, that isn't on dvd and won't be for some time, what else can you do? All LDs are out of print, many titles that used to appear regularly on Ebay are now difficult, and sometimes impossible, to find. Online retailers that still handle LDs (not very many) don't have many desireable titles left, and not many undesireable titles either.
I buy and sell LDs on Ebay all the time. In fact, I've bought more in the last year than I have in any three (I used to buy roughly 75 a year), which is kind of odd because in the two years before I discovered Ebay, my LD buying had tapered off to only a handful or two of titles. Sellers, with a few exceptions, are pretty good about describing their LDs. Those that don't, ask! Most are surprisingly honest. Overall, I'm pretty pleased with what I've bought - don't let Yang's warning scare you.
I look for rare, hard-to-find discs and versions with supplements that will never make it to dvd. Many of these are quite expensive but if you are patient, you will eventually be able to get a deal (pay attention to the "Buy It Now" auctions). For instance, until last fall the Star Wars SE Trilogy box set sold for $175-$225 regularly. Since then, I've been able to pick up two sets for $50, one for $60, a couple for $80 and, just recently, a brand spanking new one for $85! (You may ask why I need so many copies. I don't - I buy sometimes to sell and in this way I partially finance my habit)
In the end, only you can decide what's important. I suggest getting the best player you can, even if you must stretch yourself a bit. There is a wider performance difference in LD players than DVD players. The better ones are well worth the extra money.
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They're coming to take me away, ho-ho, hee-hee, ha-haaa To the funny farm. Where life is beautiful all the time and I'll be happy to see those nice young men in their clean white coats and they're coming to take me away, ha-haaa!!!!!
- Napoleon XIV
 

YANG

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"don't let Yang's warning scare you."
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Ooops,i guess the words that i had used are too strong,that it scares some laserdisc lovers/starters.
Of course,everybody have the right to get what they want,the choice is up to them.
"Not ot disappoint you,but i feel that if you now oges back to laserdiscs,it is already too late for you to do so."(Ok, there are some spelling mistakes that i had done)
I am trying to make a suggestion.
 

bill lopez

Second Unit
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Jul 17, 1999
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My player went bad in that it would not open the tray or play a disc. BestBuy fixed it but the problem came back a 2 years later.
 

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