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disclord |
Posted: 13 Feb 2013, 20:15
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disclord
I never saw T2 at the theater but I have seen it and have owned it multiple times on VHS, DVD and Blu-Ray, but by 5.1 channel CDS mix, do you mean to say that the first T2 from Artisan uses the sound effects heard in this orignal trailer for T2? - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eajuMYNYtuY
The first T2 DVD of the theatrical cut from Artisan uses the same 5.1 channel mix that was prepared for the 70mm Kodak/ORC Cinema Digital Sound prints (the DVD of Dick Dracy uses the CDS 5.1 mix too). Although T2 was also release in 6-track mag 70mm, the CDS 5.1 mix was completely unlimited I'm dynamics and had deeper bass since 70mm mag can't go lower than about 30 Hz in the bass and can only have peaks about 16db or so above reference level. The CDS mix had peaks +20db above reference and bass to below 20 Hz. Because CDS was basically brand new, the CDS mix for T2 was prepared separately from the 70mm 6-track mag version to take advantage of the CDS system. (Dick Tracy, the very first CDS film, also had a seperate CDS mix done)
For the DVD, Artisan used the CDS 5.1 digital master, which had been archived on the S-VHS ADAT format. CDS was a lossless 44.1kHz sampling, 16-bit system that used a modified form of Delta Modulation to pack the audio into a total bitrate of just over 5mbp/s, and it stored on the film with absolutely no analog back up - In addition to no mag backup on 70mm, Kodak/ORC even eliminated the optical soundtrack on the 35mm version of CDS. Lack of audio backup (which the engineers designing the system fought Kodak and ORC over) meant that if the digital system failed - and due to CDS' high bitrate and packing densities, it did fail, often - the audience was greeted with dead silence. It also caused nightmares in shipping replacement reels since CDS reels couldn't be used at all if a non-CDS theater accidentally got one. The lack of analog backup and poor system reliability - plus Dolby's vapor ware announcement of SR-D a full 18 months before they had even started working on a digital sound film system, meant that sales of CDS systems were very poor - its high cost of over $20,000 per screen didn't help. And Steven Spielberg's public statements that he would never use the system caused heads to roll at the CDS company and the system was discontinued the next day - Spielberg had wanted to use CDS on his film Hook, so he had CDS encode several reels, which kept dropping out during the test screening - Spielberg walked out in the middle of the screening and said he'd never use the system (this happened several years before DTS was invented, so that had noting to do with it). Other studios and filmmakers who were planning on using CDS for their films suddenly pulled out and Kodak/ORC began frantically looking for a buyer - none was found. So, until Dolby officially premiered Dolby SR-D with Batman Returns in late 1992 (there had been a few test screenings of prototype SR-D equipment), digital sound in theaters was kind of a dead issue.
Anyway, back to T2 - when the DVD was released I called Artisan and asked them what sound master they had used for the 5.1 Dolby Digital soundtrack - it took them a day or so to get back to me but they confirmed that it was the unlimited mix created for the Cinema Digital Sound prints. And as I stated in my earlier post, no other DVD or Blu-ray has used the CDS mix - the later discs have all had massive remixes - the CDS mix has a more "quadraphonic" soundfield to it with lots of side-wall phantom imaging. You can hear the dramatic difference in the first few mi utes of the film. Now, some may prefer the later Surround EX and DTS-ES mixes, but I think the CDS mix is the best both in overall fidelity and in the amazing sound imaging - its almost holographic. It's just a shame the video transfer is so over enhanced on the DVD.
For those who are interested, here's a an article about the introduction of CDS and how it worked, etc... (this is the corrected download link) http://rapidshare.com/files/757895226/Cinema%20Digital%20Sound.pdf And here's a comparison of CDS specs with 70mm mag and 35mm Dolby Stereo. http://i137.photobucket.com/albums/q211/Love_My_Logics/CDSTechnicalData_zps6f523c22.jpg |
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disclord |
Posted: 17 Jun 2013, 02:31
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Does anybody know if the DTS-HD 2.0 track on the BD (and the DD 2.0 track on the DVD version) of Superman theatrical version is the original mix or not? I'd assumed if not remixed it would likely be like the LD's track.
The way to identify the original stereo mix for Superman is it starts totally in mono, even the music, and does not switch to stereo until the S symbol comes flying from behind and the soundstage opens up into full stereo. Both the 70mm and the Dolby Stereo mix were done this way and its never been used on any release except for the LaserDiscs. The stereo mix from the beginning on the directors cut does not invoke any excitement like the original mono to stereo mix does. |
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signofzeta |
Posted: 08 Dec 2016, 21:12
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Mine has no rot either. In the end I'm not sure it matters as this disc is super common. Even if %10 of them are rotted it still isn't going to be hard to find one of the %90. Even if half of them were rotten you'd still be able to find one. We'll never run out of this or Red October or Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves or Terminator 2.
Overall I'd say at least %50 of the time the person reporting the "rot" doesn't know how to identity if. Most people group any and all defects as "rot". This movie is a more casual movie goers choice too so figure an even less informed survey than average. |
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signofzeta |
Posted: 16 Mar 2018, 22:25
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If you watch all old movies on LD and only new ones on BR you’re missing out on a LOT. The fact that you even make that distinction on purpose makes me feel you put too much thought into this kind of thing. If you aren’t enjoying LD then please sell your stuff to someone local and move on. |
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admin |
Posted: 16 Jul 2018, 05:07
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nissling |
Posted: 27 Jul 2018, 16:20
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blam1 |
Posted: 30 Jul 2018, 15:47
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If you go back to my original entry on this tread, I've included my 1999 screen grab of the LD v DVD image. |
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happycube |
Posted: 05 Sep 2018, 06:53
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http://www.laserdiscarchive.co.uk/laserdisc_archive/philips/magnavox_vc-8010/magnavox_vc-8010.htm - I think that's the Pioneer-built unit you're thinking about. IIRC, Disclord and blam1 both liked it. Word is - and I forget the source - that Magnavox destroyed their own players after starting to sell these, to avoid warranty claims on them.
@rein-o - you're thinking of the 660 which is a dumb enough player to not look at the vertical blank data - and hence not worry about a whole group of Discovision mastering flaws ;)
On the other side of the pond, a slightly less crap version was later sold as the VLP 600 and 700. The Philips people could actually repair them, but they're still rather dodgy. |
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signofzeta |
Posted: 12 Nov 2018, 16:54
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Harmony Gold is a mistake.
Agree with you wholeheartedly. :clap:
After realizing that Robotech was a butchering of three completely different series, I just could not stand watching something that disrespected artistic integrity.
Anyway, moving on, I have been watching Knights of Sidonia on Netflix. Took me something like 3/4 of the first season to finally understand the plot better but now I’m hooked. :)
Putting three shows into one was the only way they could have sold those shows in the US at that time. I don’t hold the original concept in contemp. What HG has done in the subsequent decades is unforgivable though. |
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blam1 |
Posted: 23 Nov 2018, 04:44
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This is the same belt that Pioneer used on most of their later CLD series players and all of their DVL and DVK players. VEB1184 is the pioneer part.
If the belt on ebay is truly a 4.0, it's going to be too large. I use 3.5 belts, although I've seen some use a 3.6 belt. I would be worried a 4.0 belt is going to slip. |
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admin |
Posted: 14 Dec 2018, 03:07
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Hello everyone,
Our friend accuozo was kind enough to submit a lot of scanned versions of The Videophile (here's a quick tribute here ).
http://magazines.lddb.com/The.Videophile/
Mostly about non-LD matters but the "optical disc" does how up a few times and the discussion about U-matic, VHS and Betamax is already entertaining to read after so many years!
Videophile.jpg
Julien |
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signofzeta |
Posted: 15 Dec 2018, 21:36
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It'd be silly if they did.
Although I've been curious about something. I've seen a lot of receivers provide multiple audio inputs under the same label, ie. something like RCA L/R, digital coaxial AND optical all under "DVD" which presumably means that changing the receiver to that input will simply receive all of them. Since I would imagine it'd be a bit of a mess if it tried to output the sound from all the sources at the same time, is it up to the source itself then? My player has RCA out only, but if I had digital out as well, how does it determine which output it's using?
On my Harmon Kardon you can set the input source separately from the video source so you can have any audio input on any source. You can do this manually or you can have it auto poll with a preference for digital. I do it manually because the logic of why I may want one input or another is never going to make sense to a robot but basically if Video 1 is an LD player you use that input’s analog inputs plus Coax 1 or Optical 1. Then if you put in Speed it will pick the digital out. If you put in Discovison Jaws there is no digital so it will switch to the analog. The problem is that if you want to hear commentary or whatever on the analogs and that disc has digital sound it won’t let you use the analog until you turn off the auto polling so I just leave it off. |
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speedyink |
Posted: 01 Jan 2019, 23:04
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Even as a 90's kid, I can't stand paying for a "digital copy" of anything. If I'm paying good money for it I want to be able to hold it. |
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signofzeta |
Posted: 20 Feb 2019, 00:14
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I have a 115 V adapter that outputs 137 V when measured with a voltage meter, which is 37% more than japanese 100 V equipment expects to get. So I bought a dedicated 100 V adapter, which outputs 101 V when I connect a voltage meter to it. Better play it safe. They are harder to find, that much is true.
Depending on how you measured it and the vintage 137VAC may be fine. Test it with a player plugged into it and running and see what it drops too. This is the nature of old school transformers...
To answer 666’s post, don’t waste your money if you already have a 240-110 converter. The difference between 120 and 110 and 100 is irrelevant. Most power supplies are manufactured exactly the same between US and JP. If you just bought a rare as hell high end turntable from the 70s that would be something different but disposing of an extra 10VAC is no problem for an LD player. It won’t even be measurable on the other side of the DC bus. |
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rein-o |
Posted: 21 Mar 2019, 00:00
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signofzeta wrote: Oh I for sure don’t want it then. ![Smile :)](./images/smilies/icon_e_smile.gif) Voice...can you imagine? Tripletopper ![Silent :silent:](./images/smilies/icon_silent.gif) |
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signofzeta |
Posted: 21 Mar 2019, 20:08
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I understand. Again this is just me but I only have so much time to contribute so anything I put somewhere means it’s something I’m not putting somewhere else. I quit Twitter on election eve ‘16 and Facebook after the midterms and I’m getting SO much more stuff done.
Ideally what I would like to see is more forum traffic and thats something that’s hard to achieve with FB out there. Here like three people will worship photos of your collection but on LD Forever you’ll get a hundred Likes which will make your brain think that’s a better place of discussion when in fact it’s mostly a cesspool filled with horribly lit photos of crap LDs and transparent compliment fishing. The gratification must be INSTANT and therefore they don’t have time to even take a decent photo let alone write something worth reading. |
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bcgood |
Posted: 21 Apr 2019, 04:04
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I just bought all three JSC laser discs. I plan on transferring to my video editing computer at 1080p. I'll probably do some color correction and maybe a little bit of sharpening. I may also insert my pristine transfer of the main theme song from my original pressed vinyl LP which sounds amazing |
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jwhybrow |
Posted: 08 May 2019, 22:04
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So a proof of concept. This is with just the jumpers set to dual ntsc/pal playback.
https://i.ibb.co/kJkSHTw/20190508-215326.jpg
It plays!
As expected, the picture is black and white and the speed is in fact a bit slower than it should be. This is where adding the ntsc timing circuits will give proper playback. Like I say, it's a handful of components and should result in a pretty nicely priced dual system player. |
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blam1 |
Posted: 13 May 2019, 05:06
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I find these interesting only in what he uncovers. Any exposition on his part are the ramblings of the unlearned.
ANYONE with any knowledge of DiscoVision understands the playback issues of early GM titles (GM150 in this case - Chevrolet 1980 Medium Duty Trucks). and we all should recognize "Day of the Jackal" one of only 3 6-sided titles issued. |
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signofzeta |
Posted: 28 May 2019, 23:33
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It’s totally legit. All the boner pills I bought here work fine. |
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mimylovesjapan |
Posted: 11 Jun 2019, 01:54
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OK ! Let's go for showgirls ! Took me some hours to do this job, but proud of it ;)
Showgirls (Nomi's dance 1) LD reference : ML105525 Player : CLD-959 Upscaler : lumagen 2144 Lumagen mode : auto(15) Brightness - contrast : normal Scene : Face A / min 25" scene length : 118 seconds sexy : ★★★☆☆ dance performance : ★★★★☆ camera / picture : ★★★★★
Nomi's dance in Showgirls is really disturbing, because she doesn't dance as a professionnal, but as a real actress. We can cleary feel in this scene that she does'nt want to stay in that world. She is searching for something more artistic, maybe... The result is a good dance scene, but certainly more impressive than sexy.
https://image.jimcdn.com/app/cms/image/transf/dimension=534x10000:format=jpg/path/sc418f3b0caa8fc1d/image/i027d59de9e4ef4b7/version/1563835469/image.jpg
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Showgirls (Background) LD reference : ML105525 Player : CLD-959 Upscaler : lumagen Lumagen mode : auto(15) Brightness - contrast : normal Scene : Face A / min 27" scene length : 77 seconds sexy : ★★★☆☆ dance performance : ★★★☆☆ camera / picture : ★★★★★
This "background pole dance scene" is more classical, with professionnal dancers, doing well their job, but only here to create an atmosphere for the movie. Dancers are good. Choregraphy could have been more elaborate, but the function of this scene is to focus on Nomi, not on background charaters.
https://image.jimcdn.com/app/cms/image/transf/dimension=534x10000:format=jpg/path/sc418f3b0caa8fc1d/image/iead1a3a9be8897f6/version/1563835021/image.jpg
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Showgirls (Nomi's dance 2) LD reference : ML105525 Player : CLD-959 Upscaler : lumagen 2144 Lumagen mode : auto(15) Brightness - contrast : normal Scene : Face A / min 37" scene length : 43 seconds sexy : ★★★★☆ dance performance : ★★★☆☆ camera / picture : ★★★★★
In this scene, Nomi is becoming less and less professionnal, more and more sexual and agressive. This is her last pole dance scene, and we can feel this is the limit before something bad happen. She seems to be sick of this world. She pulls her partener by her hairs, scold bar clients, does a really angry face. In those conditions, she is so intense (and her body is so perfect !) that it's impossible to not fall into her charm !
https://image.jimcdn.com/app/cms/image/transf/dimension=534x10000:format=jpg/path/sc418f3b0caa8fc1d/image/i162ef992b15b24fd/version/1563835761/image.jpg |
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signofzeta |
Posted: 24 Jun 2019, 15:40
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I'm going to need more than one post for this.
Part 1: the Philosophical
While Star Trek is Gene Rodenbury’s thing, it was really the science fiction writers of the 1960s that shaped the show with their stories from week to week it. The most significant may have been Robert Heinlein (even though he never actually wrote an episode). This is an excerpt from his Wiki:
“Heinlein used his science fiction as a way to explore provocative social and political ideas, and to speculate how progress in science and engineering might shape the future of politics, race, religion, and sex. Within the framework of his science-fiction stories, Heinlein repeatedly addressed certain social themes: the importance of individual liberty and self-reliance, the nature of sexual relationships, the obligation individuals owe to their societies, the influence of organized religion on culture and government, and the tendency of society to repress nonconformist thought. He also speculated on the influence of space travel on human cultural practices.”
So that’s Trek and Gundam pretty much right there. You’d think Trek/Gundam’s relative hyper realism alone would contrast with Star War’s almost pure fantasy to the point where nobody would make the association but really its the philosophical stuff that makes it totally different. Sure, Trek and Gundam are both set on near future Earth and SW in some…other place in time….so that its always as foreign and exciting as possible whereas Gundam and Trek deal with issues cultures we current day humans actually recognize (and many are bored of) but that’s just part of it.
Gundam’s central theme is the exploration of humanity and its future. Humans have always evolved but so slowly that many doubt its even happening. Now with visual and audio recordings of everything we as a species will eventually have the ability to look back at our previous less-evolved selves (like footage of Star Wars conventions for example). What will that be like? Gundam has dealt with this from its first episode. In 0079 its becoming common to find humans with new minor psychic abilities that have apparently been awakened by generations of living in space and being subjected to the low G, the radiation, whatever it is. (Its my personal hunch that this part of Gundam was inspired by the words of returning Apollo astronauts.)
“The Force” was basically just one of those consequence free Hollywood ideas people invent when they can tell they are missing something in life but don’t want to bother with any actual religions. It went from an almost minor detail in the old movies to something instantly much stupider when Lucas tried to explain what it was and how it worked in the prequels. It was invented as a plot element, to put a God-like power into the story without offending anyone’s actual religion or lack thereof and reducing toy sales. A plot device that gets worse the closer you look at it.
Gundam isn’t doing that at all because we are all the living proof of human evolution and eventually we all move within in it. Its real and it pre and post dates anything you’ve ever seen. Gundam wants to explore that…but really there is more even than that.
Carl Sagan is famous for saying “The sky calls to us. If we do not destroy ourselves, we will one day venture to the stars.” Sagan didn’t write any Trek from what I know but his influence on scifi hippies is such that in the Trek universe there is a monument to him on Mars. In the world of Gundam there is a similar idea. While evolution may make us into something new, what humanity really needs is the wisdom that we hope will come with the New Type of human. And you don’t need to wait countless generations for that. We can work on that now. We can be Newtypes now by making it our focus to attain that understanding now, and that is, if anything, the central thesis of Gundam. Yes, it is a toy ad, but its an ad that challenges is six year old audience to be the generation that saves humanity which honestly sets it pretty far apart from anything.
Part 2 Fundamental Dissimilarities Between Star Wars and Gundam
Star Wars has good guys and bad guys. Like…actual cartoon villains and heroes who are just born that and that’s it. Like..if they are good they have good superpowers…like…OK, fine, but its pretty damn childish or sort of Howard Pile…1950s DC comics. I can buy warp drive in a star fighter but beams of evil? You have to be a baby to believe in “evil” in that way. Its great in a D&D kind of way but not in a “this is a serious drama” kinda way because its just dumb.
Gundam is not for patriots. If you are so damned stupid that you think that any national government is “good” you may have wanked into your flag too many times. Every Government in Gundam is cowardly, corrupt, filled with quislings, sellouts, war profiters, etc and the rebel factions, families, corporations, etc that form the other armies are ten times as jacked up and insane. Just like today! Neo Zion is basically just dynastic trillionaires who moved into space for the same reason their ancestors live on yachts today and much of the stuff from Char’s Counterattack and up almost reads like a cautionary tale…”Stay clear of Rich Energy” Tomino seems to say.
The United Federation of Planets has shown itself to be…not as bad as the UN Spacey or whatever you want to call them in Gundam. However there are several Trek stories that focus on it, such as the film Insurrection. It kind of reminds me of that one time in ZZ when people in the Earth government were going to take a one time payment in gold bullion and leave the planet just before surrendering it to Axis or whoever it was. Politicians! Star Wars has a guy in an actual black hat that shoots beams of evil and throttles senators in the name of “The Dark Side”. The Rebel Alliance is basically just good guys. They do the good.
The biggest thing probably is that there is no Earth in Star Wars or if there is our timeline is probably in its future. Imagine Star Trek without Earth, San Francisco, and humans who came from places like France or China? What’s “world war III” supposed to mean to some other galaxy? Gundam is usually at a tech level that’s not even where Enterprise was as there is no interstellar travel and apparently no more hope for it than we have today. Earth is the center of politics in Gundam since its the only inhabitable planet humankind has ever known of. Going to other stars is rarely ever discussed in Gundam. Everything takes place in the Earth sphere except some rare trips to Jupiter or whatever. You have Mexicans and Italians and all that, just like Trek. There is a Mona Lisa in both Trek and Gundam, as well as an Eiffel Tower and anarchists and Christians and wedding cakes and horseback riding and things that look like iPads. You take the Earth out of Trek or Gundam and its something totally different. You lose the consequence and the frame of reference for everything. In Gundam The Origin V or Narrative when that colony drops…man, that’s some heavy storytelling right there, and it was made more impactful by knowing what Australia actually is instead of it just being some other giant island that got half deleted by a space colony.
Now Star Wars has black people and white people and nobody every mentions it and that’s about all you get for Earth culture. Other than that its a Caravan Kid sort of wild ride through all sorts of crazy planets. You can blow up Alderan and its really just…OK, bad guys, sure, but nobody has a reflexive understanding of Alderan like they do with a real Earth location.
Technology…oh boy. Yeah, Gundam essentially used 1970s popular scientific theory of the near future to lay everything out sans the Newtype stuff, of course. Its very Von Braun and Clarke and NASA and whatever. Even in Unicorn they use solid boosters to get into space, just like today, because theres no other way to do it because of…physics. In Star Wars they have gravity pumps or whatever. Zero G is rarely (never?) seen in Star Wars so they don’t have rotating rooms or handrails that pull you along or any of that quotidian technical accuracy of Gundam. In Star Wars for all I know the universe is a crystal sphere. They don’t really get into any of that. No airbags in the cockpit, no ballutes, no space suit tape. Its easy to travel to other stars. Its so common and consequence-less in fact that people will chase you for parsecs just because you own them *money*. Ha! How much money could someone owe you that it would be worth it to travel 80 billion light years? That’s going to cost planetloads of fuel. In reality if its ever going to be possible to travel those kinds of distances it will still always be a major massive endeavor only possible at a civilizational scale. In Star Wars you can go nearly anywhere in anything at any time although IIRC they only move within the same galaxy.
Trek has warp drive like mad but aside from that and occasional ineptness on behalf of writers its fairly realistic or at least tries to be. Star Wars in no way wanted to be that. Both are great ways of going things, of course, but Rocky and Kung Fu Hustle are different art forms. In Trek people stowaway on the Enterprise all the time just because getting to these crazy places is really hard, sometimes even for the best ship known. Its a big deal to go to any other system in Trek, its impossible in Gundam, but even the unemployed can afford it in Star Wars.
Part 3: Similarities Between Gundam and Star Wars
They both have ghosts and those ghosts are otherwise related to the other supernatural elements in the show. I don’t think SW had ghosts until1980 though except for Obi-Wan’s voice in the trench, am I right about that? Trek has ghosts with scientific explanations more like Gundam I guess and SW ghosts are sort of like Gundam ghosts in that they just smile and tell you to calm down but different in that they are spiritual in nature for the most part.
They both have a roundish comical robot that saves the day, although I think Haro only does it once per series and R2 does it a lot. They both get a glancing laser to the head at one point I think but honestly they don’t look much alike.
Beam sabers…I don’t think either invented the idea but for sure Star Wars put those things on the map, especially the boring skinny ones as opposed to fire or something.
I hope that Publius chimes in on this.
EDITED to include all three parts.
EDITED AGAIN to clarify that RH never wrote a Trek episode. |
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rein-o |
Posted: 11 Jul 2019, 19:39
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Yes, if you pause you will get a blue or black screen depending on your player. If you still step it will freeze the image. At least that's with my older players, Can't remember right now about what screen you would get with an R7G. |
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deadlegion |
Posted: 03 Aug 2019, 17:24
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ET: Escape from Landfill Director's Cut Limited Collector's Edition |
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cplusplus |
Posted: 05 Aug 2019, 01:45
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I recently acquired two industrial players and I've built a cable to talk to them. I thought I would document the process here:
1. Buy a male DB15 connector and a female DB9 connector. From DB15 to DB9 connect: GND-GND TXD-RXD RXD-TXD DTR-CTS,CD,DTR,DSR Pioneer sold this as Pioneer Cable # CC-13. PacParts still has at least some variant of this available for order, but it is of course quadruple the cost of making one.
2. Buy USB to RS-232C converter. I believe I purchased mine at RadioShack long ago. Mine was made by Prolific.
3. If you don't have Linux running somewhere, install it on VirtualBox. I used Debian 9. After the OS is done installing, go to Devices -> USB and select your USB/serial converter.
4. Ensure your player is set to 4800 baud. On most players (all?) this is controlled by dip switch two on the back. It should be off for 4800 (up position).
5. ls /dev should show ttyUSB0. You can begin communication with stty. For example stty 4800 < /dev/ttyUSB0; echo -e "OP\r" > /dev/ttyUSB0 should open the door.
6. If you want something a little more robust, install minicom. Start with minicom -s and go to device (A) and set to /dev/ttyUSB0. Go to serial port setup (E) and change speed to 4800. Disable hardware flow control. Save setup as dfl.
I'm currently writing a library to make it easier to interact with these players. Controlling these players through software is pretty cool and can be useful. For example, it is possible to disable repeat play which is pretty annoying on these players, set the player into test mode, change background from blue to black, play at half speed, get your player's hardware revision number, etc.
Next up is to buy the barcode software Pioneer made to see if barcodes can be created from the more useful commands. |
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