LOTR & Epsode II Laserdisc ? (1 Viewer)

[Roland Wandinger]

I just watched TPM on DVD again this Friday evening and the audio lacks a lot of what was on the Japanese LD...no comparison IMO the LD sounds a lot better and just pumping up the volume on the DVD doesn't make up for it!!
Also the video quality of the DVD leaves a lot to be desired...what was it GL was telling everybody we could expect of STAR WARS on DVD....THE BEST QUALITY POSSIBLE....!!!! Yeah, right...maybe next time!!

 

[Bjorn Olav Nyberg]

Lucas & Co has said though that they are concerned with the overall look of the six movies when "completed". This was why they transfered TPM from film, not a digital source. Who knows what other tricks they did, to achieve an uniform look in video quality they did in general. Of course, if we are to discuss if this is right or wrong, we run headfirst into a discussion of director's intent and intended look...

BTW, how come every little expert on the board feels the need to explain that LD is dead, plants are closed down etc? Concrete information is well and good of course, but you would think a laserdisc enthusiast of all people are already aware of the general status of the format. But I'm positive they are thankful you are here to educate them on the laserdisc market...

 

[Sean Moon]

I admit, the picture on the DVD is not reference, but the resolution alone makes it look better than the LD.

As for the soundtrack, it is proven that they are the same track...it is the placebo effect.

Here we go again.

 

[Aaron Reynolds]

It is all right there, graphs to prove the soundtracks are the same mix, just recorded at a different level and encoded at a different bitrate, yet still identical mixes. As he said...its the placebo effect.

The PCM track on the LD sounds significantly better than the non-existant PCM track on the DVD.
Yeah, some of us are uncompressed audio freaks.
I was thinking about this the other day. Are there any LD fanatics with some investment money lying around? Wouldn't it be great fun while there are still one or two LD pressing plants in existence to start up a small company, convince Lucasfilm or Fox (or both, don't know how the rights work) to license us the rights to produce, say, 500 copies of Episode II on LaserDisc, and then sell them as an ultra-limited edition? I wonder what it would cost to do short run LD production? I wonder if Lucasfilm would even go for it?

 

[greg_t]

I finally got an RF demodulator to use with my Cld 79, and find that the Dolby digital on the LD sounds the way it did in the theater. The dvd lacks the same punch as the laser. I do feel that the mixes are the same, but the dvd is, as Racheal said, "declawed". I think the dvd looks better on my RP91, but the laser is very good and not too far behind. If I had a top of the line japanese player like Racheal, it would be REAL close.

 

[Dave H]

I have say that it floors me that some people think TMP is a poor DVD! Just because it's not a referrence quality DVD doesn't mean it's bad. Overall, it still looks very good and blows away ANY laser disc I have ever seen. And I have seen quite a few of them.

 

[Dave Anderson]

I really wish DVDers would stay out of the laserdisc threads. You don't like LD? Good, see you later! Bye, bye! Move along to the next thread, please.

Just because some of us still like - GASP - laserdiscs, doesn't mean you have to jump in with the typical "Why blah blah blah ... DVD looks better .... blah blah blah." Let me tell you, I have a Pioneer LD-S9 - one of the top LD players produced - and DVD doesn't have all that much over LD. Given the laserdisc format is well over 20 years old, it can hold its own against DVD if you have the right equipment.

I don't even have a high end sound system but I can sure as hell tell the difference between DTS LD and DTS DVD. DTS LD blows it away, hands down. Now Dolby Digital I can't really see all that much of a difference, but I suppose it depends on the title. I haven't done many comparisons with DD.

Really, just move along. Lets have an LD discussion without the usual BS from the pure DVDers. Anyone with just DVD and VHS in their HT is missing out on quite a bit.

 

[Dave Anderson]

I was thinking about this the other day. Are there any LD fanatics with some investment money lying around? Wouldn't it be great fun while there are still one or two LD pressing plants in existence to start up a small company, convince Lucasfilm or Fox (or both, don't know how the rights work) to license us the rights to produce, say, 500 copies of Episode II on LaserDisc, and then sell them as an ultra-limited edition? I wonder what it would cost to do short run LD production? I wonder if Lucasfilm would even go for it?

I'd love to see something like that happen, though not with EPII. That will never happen. Image was trying to release EP1 on domestic LD, but they wouldn't press the number Fox/Lucasfilm wanted (a shame too, because they would have sold - the import LD sold quite well).

I'd love to see someone release some limited edition laserdiscs - Synapse or Elite would be perfect.

 

[Sean Moon]

I have no problem with laserdisc. In fact I wish I had one. I usually go to a friends and watch some of his. As for the DTS LD vs DTS DVD thing...that belongs in another forum, as TPM never had an offical DTS release for the home.

It is all a matter of opinion on all of this anyways

 

[Jeff Kleist]

I never owned an LD player, but I have friends who do. I love LD, even though I don't own any.

 

[Dalton]

.

 

[Dalton]

Given the laserdisc format is well over 20 years old, it can hold its own against DVD if you have the right equipment.

Perhaps that is true on a direct view 4x3 tv, but what good are LD's for those of us who have 16x9 tv's? This is where dvd has the edge. I like LD don't get me wrong, but they just don't look all that good on my 16x9 tv.

 

[LarryH]

At least I don't recall seeing any "edge-enhancement" halos on the LD. :rolleyes

 

[Sean Moon]

So what if there is no EE. Each format has its benefits and its bad things. At least DVD doesnt have analog video noise on most releases. DVD has EE, but at least there is Anamorphic enhancement, which I would take over a LD which I would have to flip every hour.

But there are things only on LD, not YET on DVD. Both formats are great, and I prefer one over the other. If I had the money I would grab a LD player and shitloads of LDs, but I dont have that money, so I stick with DVD.

I just think the benefits of DVD far outweigh its detractions. There are far more detractions to LD than DVD to me.

 

[Dave Anderson]

Perhaps that is true on a direct view 4x3 tv, but what good are LD's for those of us who have 16x9 tv's? This is where dvd has the edge. I like LD don't get me wrong, but they just don't look all that good on my 16x9 tv.

The statements I made were as a 16x9 owner myself. No LD will look good on your 16x9 tv until you get a top of the line LD player. Whether you have enough of a collection to warrant the investment (which I doubt given you have a low end player now) is up to you.

 

[Dave Anderson]

DVD has EE, but at least there is Anamorphic enhancement, which I would take over a LD which I would have to flip every hour.

Your complaint in regard to flipping can be rectified with a better player. LD is 20 years old, yet there were still a dozen or so anamorphic releases. The problem with anamorphhic LD is that the players can't downconvert. That's reasonable given it's 20 year old technology.

 

[Rachael B]

Dave, it's nice to have somebody else around on this thread who's seen LD done right! Some folks here haven't seen LD presented at maximum strength and are, apparently, having a hard time imagining it.
Everybody, the SWPM LD has some EE but not like the DVD's tour de force EE demo. Best wishes from Laserland!

 

[Jeff Kleist]

Here's a breakdown from my understanding of LD production from someone who's made a whole ton of them
You need a minimum order of 400 discs (which is why so many later domestic titles were cancelled, not enough orders)
They'll run you about $8 apiece, probably closer to 10 after packaging
You may find it very hard to find somewhere to press them, many of the former places to press LDs have retooled the machines for DVD
As you know, the Columbia plant isn't the best place to go

 

[Aaron Reynolds]

Thanks for the numbers, Jeff. Now the question is what would Lucasfilm or New Line want for the rights? And how much would it cost to make the transfer?

Seriously, if 400 is the magic number, I think we could find 400 Star Wars collectors, and maybe 400 LotR fans who'd buy an LD set.

It would obviously have to be bare-bones. Could a transfer for DVD or widescreen VHS be repurposed yet yield a quality laserdisc?

The last few LDs were not Dolby Digital, if I recall correctly (Sleepy Hollow and Bringing Out The Dead). I wonder if putting together a DD LD is significantly more expensive or time consuming?

 

[Mattias_ka]

I agree with Rachael B!
I have tested the japanese LD with my HLD-X9 and
the R1 DVD with one of the top of the line Sony DVD
players here in Sweden (don't remember the nr).
And we used a Loewe PAL tube 32" 16x9 tv-set with
DVD with a superb RGB cable from IXOS and a IXOS s-video from the LD. And to my eyes (and my 2 friends) the LD was better in both color and some in contrast. The DVD had some more resolution but not much at all. And the EE was way better on the LD. The winner to our eyes is the LD.
And the audio, then the LD was better, no problem.
I have also seen the LD/DVD on my 7" Barco CRT on a 100" screen and the result is the same!! So I don't know what I must do so my LD look bad
And people only says that the DVD is recorded a little lower. Well, it's recorded a lot lower and just to play up the volume DO add noise in any amplifier.
The problem with people when you say this kind of things is:
1. People expect that DVD with it's better picture specs to look better.
2. Most people (99,99%) has not seen what LD CAN produce with noise free picture and colors as good as DVD. Lesser players = worse picture quality.
So Sean Moon and Dalton do you have seen LD with a LD-S9 or HLD-X9 calibrated on a great tv or CRT?
After seen what you wrote Sean "At least DVD doesn't have analog video noise on most releases. DVD has EE, but at least there is Anamorphic enhancement, which I would take over a LD which I would have to flip every hour" I KNOW you have not seen a good LD player because most good ld players DO auto flip.
I also agree with Aaron Reynolds that I prefer PCM over DD. I have a 11k US$ stereo tube amplifier (just 2 channels) and I get superb sound from many PCM track that no down-converted DVD DD track can give me. I also mostly prefer DPL over DD.