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Accessing commentary tracks on later Criterion LDs
https://forum.lddb.com/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=4637
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Author:  kevinloy [ 09 Nov 2014, 20:23 ]
Post subject:  Accessing commentary tracks on later Criterion LDs

I currently have three Criterion LDs in my collection (Othello, The Magnificent Ambersons and Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song), as well as a fourth on the way (the two-LD version of This Is Spinal Tap), and I was wondering if I needed to do anything special to access the commentary tracks on the later LDs. Currently, I just have a straight connection from the main analog outs into my TV (I'm using a borrowed Pioneer CLD-D503 as a player), and switching back and forth between the analog channels works fine on the Magnificent Ambersons LD, but on the other two (and, I would imagine, Spinal Tap), swapping between the different analog channels makes no difference.

Any ideas?

Thanks in advance

Author:  substance [ 10 Nov 2014, 06:50 ]
Post subject:  Re: Accessing commentary tracks on later Criterion LDs

Some criterion lds were released twice (or more). Cav versions had commentary and extras whereas clv version was barebones just the film.

Otherwise the commentary track is on the analog tracks. You can only access them tru analog rca output and you need to select analog audio with your remote.

Author:  kevinloy [ 10 Nov 2014, 17:56 ]
Post subject:  Re: Accessing commentary tracks on later Criterion LDs

Sweet Sweetback is CLV, but has extras as well as (according to the jacket) a commentary track. Othello is a hybrid, but also lists a commentary (and has a plethora of extras).

I'm currently running the sound output through the RCA analog outs, but I think your comment "you need to select analog audio with your remote" is the key here. I assumed that the connectors were hard-wired (i.e. you only get the analog channels on the analog outputs, and digital audio on the digital output), but since the player defaults to showing a "digital sound" box on the front display (which only goes away when a disc lacking digital audio is inserted), perhaps it is doing a digital-to-analog conversion on discs with digital audio and outputting the converted signal through the analog outs instead of defaulting to the analog tracks...and, as you noted, the remote likely has a way to bypass this, but since I lack a remote (and there doesn't seem to be a button on the front panel which allows you to turn off "digital audio", unless I'm missing something), I'm going to assume that is what's happening.

Kind of cruddy, but hopefully I'll have my CLD-97 (with a remote) soon.

Thanks

Author:  darkgenerals [ 11 Nov 2014, 15:35 ]
Post subject:  Re: Accessing commentary tracks on later Criterion LDs

To get commentary on my 504 clone, I have to select analog on both my player and Pre-amp. If your using a pre-amp that has automatic input detection for the sound it will default to Toslink, Coaxial or AC3 if available. My ld player always outputs a digital signal on the Toslink, even if I select analog. I have to manually set the preamp to analog in.

Edit - A Harmony programmable remote is one way to access features of your LD player. I have no remote for my clone but I can access most features with it. Only thing I cant do is frame by frame search on CAV disks.

Author:  publius [ 13 Aug 2015, 05:54 ]
Post subject:  Re: Accessing commentary tracks on later Criterion LDs

Some early digital-sound players, & some later industrial models, had one set of jacks which output only the analog audio, & another which output the digital audio if present.
Most consumer players, however, default to digital audio if present, & that is decoded & sent out the analog output jacks if analog audio isn't specifically selected. Usually that's a remote-control function ; different players differ in the exact configuration of buttons, whether CX ON/OFF is separate from DIGITAL/ANALOG, or even a single D/A/CX/AUDIO MONITOR button.

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