Beta and Laserdisc

[Steve Mehs]

Anyone have a beta or laserdisc player? How often do you use it? These 2 formats have interestered me for sometime now. I was thinking about get a LD player but theres not much LD content anymore.

[Chris Blount]

I still have both and use them. I have about 70 laserdiscs (used to have over 200 but sold them on EBay).

LD is all but dead but the discs can still be purchased on EBay.

[spanishannouncetable]

I still have about 200 LD's, many of them titles that are unavailable on DVD, like -

Back to the Future
Back to the Future Part II
Dick Tracy
The Lion King
Raiders of the Lost Ark
Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
Memoirs of an Invisible Man
Once Upon a Time in the West
Ragtime
Star Wars (original UN-enhanced version :D )
The Empire Strikes Back (ditto)
Return of the Jedi (ditto again)
Urban Cowboy
Who Framed Roger Rabbit (unedited upskirt frames intact :lol: )

[gcutler]

Except for the titles that are not on DVD, is there any benefit to the LD? I remember my friend who had one, he would have to get up and flip the LD 1/2 way thru the movie and such.

Or is it like my VHS collection, as the important titles are available on DVD, the DVD gets bought the VHS gets given away or sold, etc and eventually the VHS collection will be gone?

[Kevin]

My school still uses laserdiscs, especially for Physics videos. The size of them is ridiculous, no wonder they went out of style so quickly. I remember back in middle school when I first saw a laserdisc in class, my teacher said, "Look kids, this is the FUTURE of video." I can't help but look back and laugh at him.

[James_F]

Most newer LD players are able to play both sides of the disc without flipping it over. The only issue is that the laser has to travel back from the outer edge with can take a few seconds. What you end up with is a blue screen and then I plays again. I enjoy my laserdisc (including the Star Wars Special Edition) collection from time to time, but I have been using the DVD player most often. Unless there is a movie that you have to get on LD only, don't bother. There isn't any picture improvement and the sounds aren't that good. My player supports Dolby AC-3, but most laserdiscs don't, so you end up with stereo sound.

But as a conversation piece, it is great.

[Richard King]

I have what was a very nice Toshiba Cinema Series laser disc player that has been in for repair 3 times without success. I finally gave up on ever getting it fixed and it now sits boxed up in the corner in a spare room. It's really a shame, but I am glad I didn't get a few hundred discs before it died. While I only have a few discs, some of which have been replaced by DVD, there is one that I would like to get on DVD and have had no luck in finding. This is the "The Way We Walk" live album by Genesis. I haven't been able to find this on DVD yet, and I suspect it may never be available. The album and Laser Disc were produced by a friend of mine when he was the soundman for Genesis and Phil Collins and so, it would be nice to have a copy that I could watch since my Toshiba kicked the bucket.

[Steve Mehs]

Kevin, my school also has an LD player, 2 infact, both are the same model made by Sharp. Most of the LDs we have at school are interactive science discs but we do have the B&W verson of 'Les Miserables' (sp). The PQ is pretty decent using composite video.

[Kevin]

My physics room has surround sound with the Laserdiscs. It sounds decent to me.

[gcutler]

Originally posted by Rking401
there is one that I would like to get on DVD and have had no luck in finding. This is the "The Way We Walk" live album by Genesis. I haven't been able to find this on DVD yet, and I suspect it may never be available. The album and Laser Disc were produced by a friend of mine when he was the soundman for Genesis and Phil Collins and so, it would be nice to have a copy that I could watch since my Toshiba kicked the bucket.

Don't give up hope. I had an old VHS copy of a Pat Benatar Concert that had been on HBO (jeeze I remember I took my SATs the same day it was on) 1982-3??? I never expected it to be on DVD, but that Concert was releases by Rhino DVD around a year ago. It may take a while, and may only be available for a few months but I'm sure just about everything will be released eventually. The only problem might be Region. I don't know if LD did Regional encoding, but someone might say Well 80% of those who bouught it before were in the UK, so lets just make a Region 2 of it :(

[MarkA]

"I remember back in middle school when I first saw a laserdisc in class, my teacher said, "Look kids, this is the FUTURE of video." I can't help but look back and laugh at him."

He was absolutely correct. LaserDisc is the mommy of DVD. Had it not been for LaserDisc (and the market it created), we'd all be watching pan-and-scan VHS:(