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Laser disc - did you sell them or keep them? (1 Viewer)

Thomas T

Senior HTF Member
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I've noticed many of HTF's members were also laserphiles and I often see a remark or two where a poster expresses regret at selling off his laser at an anticipation of a DVD release that never materialized or was inferior to its laser disc incarnation.

I, myself, have upgraded to DVD from most of my lasers but I never ever let them go out of my hands until the DVD version has actually been released. I won't sell/trade them off at an announcement even if a release date is given, anything can happen.

Thus I can still enjoy my lasers of The Alamo extended roadshow cut still not available on DVD or Star! with it's intermission and entr'acte music in tact unlike the DVD, 1776's extended cut etc. among several others not to mention gems like the Ernst Lubitsch box set, John Ford's underrated swan song 7 Women in wide screen, the 1973 Lost Horizon Pioneer special edition, Gance's restored Napoleon and others which may take years to find their way to DVD.

I love my DVDs but viva la laser discs!
 

Nathan*W

Screenwriter
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Sep 9, 2001
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Nathan
The only laser I regret selling was the Signature Collection CAV Jaws boxset.

I'm a STUPID, STUPID man!
 

Shaughan

Stunt Coordinator
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Apr 15, 2004
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131
I still have about 1000 of them left - Tons of them never showed on DVD or when they did were inferior in some aspect. I have thought about selling it off but I have NO idea what it would be worth...
 

Jeff_HR

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Jun 15, 2001
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I kept my library of 450+ LDs intact until a recent move. I simply did not have the room, so I got rid of any Laser that I already had on DVD. I have about 150 left.

Amen! :D :D :D

I personally don't understand the odd need for some people to sell off the old videos before they have the DVD in their hands. Not a good idea!
 

Jefferson Morris

Supporting Actor
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Jun 20, 2000
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Like many, I can't imagine getting rid of my laserdisc player until George Lucas (or his estate) sees fit to release the original cuts of the Star Wars trilogy - so maybe never.

Most of the rest of my LD collection has since become obsolete following a superior DVD release, but for whatever reason it's never occurred to me to sell them off. What's a good venue for doing that, incidentally, other than eBay?

--Jefferson Morris
 

Chris*W

Stunt Coordinator
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Apr 14, 2004
Messages
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I have about 40 LD's, all of which I feel safe parting with. The only one's that I will never sell are the Golden Age of Looney Tunes, Vol. 1-3 box sets. Even if all of the Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodie shorts are released on DVD, I'd still be hesitant.
 

alan halvorson

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Oct 2, 1998
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For good reason. Although WB has stated that the cartoons included on DVD are uncensored, there are very likely cartoons that they will never release at all, for politically correct reasons (every Looney Tunes box set has some). On the other hand, there are these things called DVD Recorders that do a very fine job of transferring LDs to DVD-R/+R .....

I have a very large collection of LDs, maybe 700-800, which have taken over a bedroom. I want that bedroom back, so if anyone is looking, I got a ton to sell (but I'll never sell them all).
 

DougFND

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Jan 13, 2004
Messages
248
I have about 120 and will probably never get rid of them. In fact, I still buy some from time to time on eBay. They are a nice conversation topic when people start looking at my setup.

The only problem has been that lately my LD players keep breaking. I've been through three or four in the last year. There's nobody local who will work on them, so I have to ship them to get worked on. That ends up costing so much that I just look for a different player on eBay.

I've thought about parting with some that I have since acquired on DVD, but it's a cool collection and selling most of them would be more hastle than it would be worth. I don't have any of the very rare discs and only Star Wars (origninal, pre-Special Edition) and DTS discs are worth anything.
 

CraigL

Screenwriter
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Jan 16, 2000
Messages
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There are a small handful that I didn't sell...and I've even bought a few over the last few years. They are all special editions with extras or commentaries that will never be released on DVD. Slowly but surely, they are all being put onto DVD-R for preservation.
 

DouglasRobert

Second Unit
Joined
Sep 12, 2003
Messages
268
I still have about 200 LD's. Quite a few I also have the same film on DVD.

Still don't know what I am going to do with them.

No friends or family has a LD player, so giving them away is out of the question.

E-Bay: I just can't see the logic of wasting my time and posting these for sale and only get 1 or 2 dollars each for them, then the cost of packaging, gas to go the post office and the time in posting, contacting the winners, waiting for the money, packing it up, going to the Post Office waiting in-line, then driving back. ----Too much trouble for so little return. Not worth it.

So that leaves only 3 options.

1. Donate them. The only place that accepts virtually anything is about 15 miles away.

2. Throw Away or recycle them (Jacket and Sleeve Only)

3. Give them away to somebody that want them on-line. Maybe on a forum or a free Classified site

Can't have a Garage Sale here, not allowed.

What to do, what to do??

Running out of room, so need to do something.
 

dave wright

Agent
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Oct 11, 2001
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47
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Dave Wright
i guess i had 125 or so and now im down to about 50,ill be keeping the universal horror boxes,vitaphone jazz and big band box,tex avery box,and the criterions. at this point it would be tough to sell off the remaining stock so i guess ill be holding on to em-------dave from jersey
 

GaryEA

Second Unit
Joined
Mar 2, 2001
Messages
454
In regards to Thomas' original post - I'm with you. Laserdiscs are still great. :emoji_thumbsup:

Many of the LDs I own are films, or versions of films, that have yet to see a DVD release (Swimming to Cambodia and Superman: The Movie, respectively). Others are larger box sets than their DVD counterparts (Tron Archive Edition).

But the majority of my collection have been replaced, and I could use the shelf space!



I feel the same way. I've been thinking about selling them in lots of five or ten, but I'm still hesitant. A few box sets, Criterions and rarities would sell, but the majority would only get a few dollars.

Maybe the best route is to use them for trade here on the HTF, or to set up a web site with fixed prices.

If anyone has any ideas, please chime in. ;)
 

RobD

Second Unit
Joined
Jan 21, 2003
Messages
264
I guess Ive got 200 or so discs and whilst not the quality of DVD unlike Video I dont feel the need to replace anything on Laserdisc with a DVD. They arent worth much to sell with the exception of DTS and a few rare horrors I have so im happy to keep them.
 

JeremySt

Screenwriter
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Aug 19, 2001
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Jeremy
Ive got my Pioneer Player, and a handful of winning LDs.

Star Wars Trilogy (89 version, Definitive, and THX faces)
Indiana Jones Trilogy
Abyss Deluxe Box Set
Alien Collector's Set
Aliens Theatrical Cut (AC-3) (prolly could off that one)
King Kong Criterion
Great Escape Criterion
Blade Runner Criterion
Poltergeist CAV set
Hearts of Darkness
MST3K the movie
Vertigo DTS
THX WOW
It's A Mad Mad Mad Mad World "Restored Version"
The Texas Chainsaw Massacre
20,000 Leagues Under The Sea
Jaws Signature Collection
 

Matt Stone

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Jun 21, 2000
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Matt Stone
I just got into LD collecting about 2 years ago. I'm up to around 90 LDs, and I'm always looking for more :)
 

Michael Harris

Screenwriter
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Jun 4, 2001
Messages
1,344
Of the 300 or so that I have about 100 are in my "active" list. They are films that either have not been released on DVD, have features not found anywhere else (mostly Criterions that they no longer have license for, i.e "Magnificent Ambersons", "Casablanca", "Last Picture Show", "Blade Runner"), or I don't watch much and would not purchase the DVD even if it were available.

My inactive pile sits in a box with fate uncertain. I just look at it and try not to think how much I spent on them in 2004 dollars.
 

Jeff Ulmer

Senior HTF Member
Deceased Member
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Aug 23, 1998
Messages
5,582
I don't see much point in getting rid of my collection, even if most of them are never watched again.
 

Will*B

Supporting Actor
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Aug 12, 2003
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Winchester, England
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Will
I wouldn't dream of getting rid of my LD's - purely from a sentimental point of view. I spent so many years collecting (not to mention the amount of money I spent!), so to sell them on Ebay for $2 each is blasphemy.

I'm running out of LD exclusives though... I have the Mad, Mad World box set, together with things like the Thunderball box set (with the 1965 documentary), but most of them are out on DVD now. I still check Ebay periodically for The Game Criterion LD (but I suppose most other people do too!).

Still.. can't beat good old gatefold packaging, right?!
 

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