[wallijonn]

I am thinking of picking up a laserdisc player because there are some movies that haven't made it to dvd and my local used book store has a user laser disc section.

I'm thinking of the Panasonic 990/995 series.

Can someone give me some pointers as to what to look for and what to look out for?

Thanks,
-wally

 

[soundboy]

I would look for Pioneer players. Pioneer is, without a doubt, THE proponent of the LD format and its players' mechanisms are probably the best developed. In fact, many high-end LD players, like those from Theta, used Pioneer's transports.

I would consider a player that can output Dolby Digital and dts. Pioneer even had a model that plays DVD, so keep you eyes out for that one.

 

[acs236]

There are a couple of obvious things to look out for. It's been a while since I've thought too much about LD players, so these are just basic considerations. First, get one that flips the discs automatically. Second, 5.1 sound with LDs is a bit strange -- if you want to take advantage of Dolby 5.1, I think you need a receiver with a special LD 5.1 Dolby input. DTS on the otherhand, I think, is compatible with any resceiver.

 

[Snake]

Quote:

Originally Posted by soundboy I would look for Pioneer players. Pioneer is, without a doubt, THE proponent of the LD format and its players' mechanisms are probably the best developed. In fact, many high-end LD players, like those from Theta, used Pioneer's transports.

True. That's because Pioneer was one of the co-founders of the LaserDisc format, along with actually creating some of the software content. They had the most invested into the medium and did the most development; therefore their transports (generally) set the standard.

Quote:

Originally Posted by soundboy I would consider a player that can output Dolby Digital and dts. Pioneer even had a model that plays DVD, so keep you eyes out for that one.

If I may, I would also put (very high) on the list of dual sided (autoreverse - it spins the disk backwards as well). If I may I would even put dual sided higher than DD and DTS - for not many LD's were created with either audio format, not at all. But autoflip is pretty much a must-have; there is nothing worse than having to get up out of your chair in the middle of the movie to eject and flip that big silver pie pan.

 

[rickcr42]

Quote:

I am thinking of picking up a laserdisc player because there are some movies that haven't made it to dvd and my local used book store has a user laser disc section.

I wish i still had mine,a pioneer that i gave away when they stopped making the discs.
It is my personal opinion that the picture quality and maybe even the sound (stereo only folks) was superior to DVD but the disc size and non "cross platform" format held it back .
When you can pop a disc in a computer and have it play any of the "same size" formats : audio cd,dvd,game cd,mp3 cd,information cd,photo cd-you can see where this LP sized disc that would only play in one type of machine was an orphan without a home really.
Video stores like maximum product per shelf also so it never really took off for rentals either so that is really the "kiss of death' for any format .

I say go for a Pioneer and enjoy your movies !

the actual machine is pretty cool looking too man.

 

[RYCeT]

I will give you a different advise though, if possible get the one without the auto-flip. Sure it's inconvenient but IME the one with the auto-flip prone to have more problem with the lens.

 

[Snake]

Quote:

Originally Posted by RYCeT I will give you a different advise though, if possible get the one without the auto-flip. Sure it's inconvenient but IME the one with the auto-flip prone to have more problem with the lens.

Could be. Mine, for instance, jammed twice. The mechanism has jammed for others with the same model but for me the solution was so simple - the tracks and pickup rotating mechanism needed to be lubed. I got some silicone oil in the needle applicator from RatShack and fully lubed the system - never had an issue since.

I think this is what causes so many "issues" with autoflip - a bit of maintenance.

 

[soundboy]

One thing to consider is the size of these machines....they are huge!! I have a Pioneer LD player that's not only very deep, it has a power transformer (or whatever it is) sticking out from the back. Make sure you have enough space for it.

 

[wallijonn]

Thanks, guys.

Soundboy, I'll MAKE room for it.

I only own two Laserdiscs - 'Raiders of the Lost Ark' and 'Jaws'. J&R in NYC has a huge selection of Laserdiscs, as does EBay. The stuff I want to find are the Sandra Dee, Vivien Leigh, Debby Reynolds, Doris Day, etc. movies from the 1955 - 1965 era. Of course finding the original 'Star Wars' laserdisc wouldn't be too bad, either.

 

[averydonovan]

Quote:

Originally Posted by soundboy I would look for Pioneer players. Pioneer is, without a doubt, THE proponent of the LD format and its players' mechanisms are probably the best developed. In fact, many high-end LD players, like those from Theta, used Pioneer's transports. I would consider a player that can output Dolby Digital and dts. Pioneer even had a model that plays DVD, so keep you eyes out for that one.

The last LD player ever made, a Pioneer, was a combo LD/DVD player way back in either 1997 or 1998. I just would be careful paying too much for older optical disc players and make sure you get something that can put out a real DTS or AC3 signal and doesn't require an external decoder to extract the DTS or AC3 stream.

 

[Snake]

Quote:

Originally Posted by wallijonn Thanks, guys. Soundboy, I'll MAKE room for it. I only own two Laserdiscs - 'Raiders of the Lost Ark' and 'Jaws'. J&R in NYC has a huge selection of Laserdiscs, as does EBay. The stuff I want to find are the Sandra Dee, Vivien Leigh, Debby Reynolds, Doris Day, etc. movies from the 1955 - 1965 era. Of course finding the original 'Star Wars' laserdisc wouldn't be too bad, either.

Now, I didn't know that J&R had any left. I went there the week before xmas and the closeout store had some, but nothing interesting. Now that you've got my attention I'll have to go back down...maybe, like, yesterday.

Thanks!!

 

[450]

My school has Pioneer LD players.

IDK if they have auto flip though...they do have coax and optical.

 

[seiko_citizen]

the LD/DVD combo is most likely in mid to late 1997. I never saw it in Singapore and definately not in Australia. I dont know bout in US, but I have this feeling that the US doesnt have it

 

[noir]

i guess you mean the Pioneer DVL-909 (dvd/ld combo).

i have it, and am quite happy with it. still there are some Muse ld players out there, with better decombing.
Afaik, the best one would be the Pioneer HLD-X9. can't wait to get my hands on one.

 

[wallijonn]

Snake,

It's been three years since I was last visited J&R.