2 Laserdisc Questions - Cleaning and Demoding (1 Viewer)

[David Nolan]

hi all,

i have been reading all the threads on lds and ld players, but have not found the answer to these 2 questions i have:

what is the best method/technique/solution for cleaning laerdiscs? do you go around, like an lp, or out from the center, like a cd? does it depend on clv vs cav?

which, if any, receivers had a built in rf demod for dolby digital? just thinking it might be another option.

thanks

david

 

[Jay Sylvester]

You should clean your LDs like you would a CD, straight out from center to edge. Use a soft, lint-free cloth. I'm guessing that wipes made for CDs will also work for LDs.

I'm not sure if anybody even makes a receiver with a built-in RF demodulator anymore. Maybe one of the very high-end brands, but not on your Onkyos, Denons, or Pioneers. Seeing as there are less and less people who watch LDs (if you read this forum regularly it actually seems like more and more), it doesn't really make sense for them to include it on new receivers.

It's too bad really, because now demods cost a fortune. I got lucky and picked up and RFD-1 from a forum member for a reasonable price, but now you're going to pay a premium for any demodulator if you use the most common source (ebay).

 

[ChrisBD]

The Denon 5803 and Pioneer 49TX have RF demodulation built in. I'm not aware of any other receivers that have it, but that doesn't mean that they're not out there.

 

[Keith Mickunas]

Yamaha's recent high end receivers have had it, like the DSP-A3090, DSP-A1, and RX-V1. I don't know about the RX-Z1, or whatever the latest model is called. If you can find someone with the RX-V1 you can probably get a good price on it, and its a damn good receiver.

 

[Philip Hamm]

The Onkyo 989 and Integra equivalent, as well as Marantz' top end stuff have built in demods.

 

[Daniel T]

I have the Harman/Kardon AVR55 that has it built in. I used this feature until my Laserdisc went dead. I have to bring it in to get fixed. I believe this receiver was made around '97 or '98. I think the AVR75 has this feature also.

Daniel T

 

[Dan Galyen]

I actually still have an old Sony receiver that has AC-3 RF in. Bought it the same time I got the Pioneer Elite CLD-59 with AC-3 out. Have to... can't afford the Yamaha or Denon flagships and the CLD didn't have optical out. The Sony didn't have S-video configuration, either.

However, I keep it for nostalgia (and the 50-60 ld's I've got.) Nothing even comes close to the sound quality from the CLD-59!

 

[David Nolan]

thanks for all of the quick responses.

so, if i were to find a used receiver with an rf demod built in - and this is assuming it was cheaper than just buying a demodulator - would i be able to use it as simply that, a demodulator, and pass the decoded signal on to my current receiver? i like my current receiver, and it's going to be a while before i can upgrade to a denon 5803 or somesuch. thanks

david

 

[Philip Hamm]

If you're lucky you may be able to find an old DD decoder with a demodulator built in like an Onkyo ED-901 or a bunch of sonys.

 

[Keith Mickunas]

David, there's a couple of ways you could use it. If the receiver with AC-3RF support has pre-outs for all channels and a sub out, and your receiver has a 5.1 input, you could hook it up as an external processor with no problem. Then you'd be using the amps and volume control in your current receiver with processing from the other one. Alternatively, if the AC-3 receiver has a digital output, and will process the AC-3 RF signal and pass it out, then you could connect it to one of your digital inputs.

 

[Joe Solek]

The old Denon 3200, also had a built in demod.

 

[Aaron Garman]

Hello all. I use my original Dolby Digital processor, a Sony SDP-E800. The unit was nothing but the digital processor section of some recent Sony recivers with one slight addition: an AC-3 RF input for laserdisc. All I did was hook the RFout into that and then ran the optical out from the processor into my Yamaha reciever. I also run PCM and DTS from laserdisc into it so it has become a switcher too. If you can find one of these, pick it up: it's great!

AJ Garman

 

[David Nolan]

ok,
i am now seriously considering selling my current reciver (onkyo 575x) and buying a denon 3200, except for one thing - no dts decoding in the denon. this would only be a problem for dts lds, as my dvd player has a built in decoder. also, i have no dts lds at the moment, and no optical or digital coax out on my ld player - just ac-3. is there another comprable denon with the rf input? is this whole idea a pipe dream?
also, on a barely associated topic, i have heard that the denon receivers have analog pass-through so that no digital messing-with occurs - is this available with ALL analog inputs on the receiver or just the cd and phono inputs? i'm thinking of the 5.1 inputs because one of the few weaknesses my onkyo has is that it converts the 5.1 input signals to digital then back to analog. just wondering.

 

[Rachael B]

David, you should look for one of the Sony units like Aaron mentioned which proably sell very cheap or it's ES version, even better. Denon had a similar outboard processor too, sorry I cannot remember the model #. I'm pretty sure it has an optical output too. You could use an Elite SP-99D processor too but only into your 5.1 input(?). It has no digital output. It's a nice unit. I've had one since '96. Other brands made these units that were geared to the early dayz of 5.1 input recievers, but many don't have AC-3 RF capability. A few others than the ones I've mentioned might? I think you ought to explore this avenue. Best wishes!

 

[John Crossen]

I have a Onkyo ED-901 decoder and an Onkyo 919 receiver. The receiver is having problems and I am looking into buying a new one reasonably soon, would I be able to use the 901 on a different receiver for use with my DD LDs?

I have had this receiver set for a number of years and a just starting to look into getting an upgrade, my apologies if this is an ignorant question.

TIA

 

[wei]

I second Rachael on the Pioneer Elite SP-99D. It is one of the best stand-alone AC-3 processors ever made. It has one dedicated AC-3 input, one coaxial input, one otpical input and 2 sets of analog inputs. It can only output in 5.1 channel (as Rachael mentioned there is no digital output) so your receiver must have 5.1 input. It was listed around $1300 (US) new but now you can get it at a much lower price since not many people wants them anymore (except those of us who are addicated to LDs). I got mine for $375 (Canadian) brand new in box. One good thing about this unit is that you can use it as an outboard DAC. I hooked up my Sony CDPCX153 to the SP99-D's optical input. According to the reviews such connection produces excellent result. But I really could not tell the difference between this connection and the optical connection from the same CD changer to my Sony STRDA777ES -- just make me feel better (it is all subjective, right?)
good luck.

Wei