Cleaning a laserdisc player... (1 Viewer)

[CraigL]

Hey all,

I just purchased a used laserdisc player from Ebay and although it sounds great...i'm noticing a considerable amount of video noise on it. I don't remember there being this much with my last player but it's been a few years since I used it. I'm not sure if it's a problem with the player or I've just been spoiled by DVD. Is there any way to clean the laser of this newer player to see what I might get? Should I just buy a typical dvd/cd laser cleaner disc?

 

[greg_t]

I don't think a CD/DVD cleaner would do anything for you. Depending on the model, some just had more video noise than others. You might want to shoot an email to Kurtis Bahr, perhaps it is out of alignment? Kurtis is a member here so you should be able to find him in the memebers list. Which player did you get? It's worth noting that there is a big jump in quality when going from lower end players up.

 

[CraigL]

CLD-D505...and the comparison is between this and my first player the CLD-S201.

 

[John S]

You sure it is not just the actual Disc??? I mean, you have put it back in the old player and there is no or even less video noise????


Things like this are usually problems with the disc, and not the player.

 

[Philip Hamm]

You've just been spoiled by DVD.

 

[greg_t]

I agree with Phillip. It's more than likely you're just used to dvd quality. I don't believe the 505 is one of pioneers average players, so it probably just has a noisy picture by default.

I would doubt very much that it's a dirty disc problem.

 

[CraigL]

But again...i don't think it's going to be MORE noisy than my 201 from 1992. I'm not looking for perfection...I guess it's just surprising.

I don't have my D201 here in my apt right now. It was breaking and I left it at my parents house. I was having all sorts of wavy lines on it (that weren't a part of the disc). I'd press pause and they'd still move up the picture.

 

[greg_t]

What kind of TV are you hooking it into and how? Are you using S-Video, composite, or RF modulator into a coax input on the TV? Have you tried using different cables with different inputs on the TV? Try different outputs out of the player itself. I'm not sure about the 505, but my CLD 79 has two composite out and two S-Video outs. Try them all. Try hooking it to a different TV. If none of the above helps, then it's something with the player. Wavy lines almost sound like interference from another component. As I said before, you might also try to email Kurtis Bahr. Maybe it's out of alignment or needs other maintenance.

 

[David Norman]

I'm guessing that rather than a dirty player or laser, you may have an alignment problem which could be helped by a technician who knows about LD's. Video noise is rarely a symptom of dirt and more likely a misadjustment which can result from age and/or shipping. The 505 should certainly be better than the 201 by a significant margin on a good disc.

It's possible you could just have a dirty laser, but I strongly suggest staying away from those spinning disc type cleaners. The number of disasters I've heard about with those discs are legendary and destroyed players have resulted.

I would suggest asking for help from either a local expert or send an email to Kurtis Bahr who is one of the best LD guys in the country. He sometimes posts here, but he doesn't come around very frequently. I think he can be contacted at [email protected]

He is usually very good at answering questions and many times an email can narrow things down if you can explain the details of a problem. If nothing else, he can certainly give you the best method to clean the player.