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 Post subject: Re: Why do you collect Laserdisc?
PostPosted: 23 Mar 2014, 00:48 
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The question of "why laserdisc" has been asked several times and in different ways on this forum but it never becomes tiresome. There are always new views by members worth pondering. For me, laserdiscs were never about the jacket artwork or even the extra features that may not be on a DVD, but simply the viewing experience. Like others, when laserdisc was in its heyday I really couldn't afford them and I knew they were special because they ushered in widescreen for the home. I couldn't wait for the day that I could maximize the laserdisc format, and I'm still working on that.

I buy laserdiscs to watch a film that comes closest to a cinematic experience. With a good player (and a good ld transfer), I still get amazed looking at this "old" technology before me with its smooth and natural looking image. The sound of course is big and wide, making it a theatre like listening event. Sure blu rays can have an incredible look but it just doesn't look like film to me. I want to be in a movie housd at home and laserdisc puts me there. To me, ld is is better than dvd and blu ray, minus the technical jargon.
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 Post subject: Re: Why do you collect Laserdisc?
PostPosted: 23 Mar 2014, 05:17 
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 Post subject: Re: Why do you collect Laserdisc?
PostPosted: 23 Mar 2014, 13:12 
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bguzman wrote:
:think: :problem: :wtf: :crazy: :oops:

Best answer ever!
I second that ;)
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 Post subject: Re: Why do you collect Laserdisc?
PostPosted: 23 Mar 2014, 14:20 
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Cloaked response :roll:
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 Post subject: Re: Why do you collect Laserdisc?
PostPosted: 24 Mar 2014, 09:52 
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remington wrote:
The question of "why laserdisc" has been asked several times and in different ways on this forum but it never becomes tiresome. There are always new views by members worth pondering. For me, laserdiscs were never about the jacket artwork or even the extra features that may not be on a DVD, but simply the viewing experience. Like others, when laserdisc was in its heyday I really couldn't afford them and I knew they were special because they ushered in widescreen for the home. I couldn't wait for the day that I could maximize the laserdisc format, and I'm still working on that.

I buy laserdiscs to watch a film that comes closest to a cinematic experience. With a good player (and a good ld transfer), I still get amazed looking at this "old" technology before me with its smooth and natural looking image. The sound of course is big and wide, making it a theatre like listening event. Sure blu rays can have an incredible look but it just doesn't look like film to me. I want to be in a movie housd at home and laserdisc puts me there. To me, ld is is better than dvd and blu ray, minus the technical jargon.


I'll agree thoroughly, some of these films from the 80's and 90's would have absolutely floored me back in the day on LD. I still have a hard time believing I never heard anyone rant and rave about this stuff back then. In contrast, when DVD was gaining momentum it was everywhere, everyone talked about it. But I guess that's what happens when there's a big industry push for a format.

I don't even know anyone personally that owned an LD player in it's heyday. It's almost like they didn't exist for the majority of consumers. Heck, I wouldn't have even known about them outside of school had I not seen movies at Suncoast - RIP.


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 Post subject: Re: Why do you collect Laserdisc?
PostPosted: 24 Mar 2014, 12:11 
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Laserdisc-lover: I hear your point, the format was around since 1979 and I only ran into two people that were into LDs. One person during the last two years of LDs retail life and another when it was over'. The first guy really did rave about it but for me, with the mostly crappy and low resolution TVs on the market, I just didn't see the overall improvement over VHS. Then again I never really invested time into viewing LDs. The second guy would bring LDs to work and show them to me specifically because no one else seemed to care. The format was defunct but he was crazy for it like I am now.

Overall though, those experiences were quick and minor compared to all the years I didn't hear a darn thing about ld. I never even saw one in my schools growing up as others have. I'm glad the people that were attracted to the format while it was fully alive had such wisdom. Most laserdiscs can look awesome with proper TV settings in place and a decent player, especially on a large display. In fact I read recently that LDs improve on a much larger display monitor. The format looks great in this day and age. It's not old to me at all as to the visual and audio. Of course some of the jacket designs are a bit corny now.
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 Post subject: Re: Why do you collect Laserdisc?
PostPosted: 10 Sep 2014, 21:25 
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Always admired the format; as has been said, the artwork, gatefold detail - the actual disc itself is an absolute wonder, and it all caught my eye back in the 90's. I had never seen one played nor knew anyone that owned a player or, indeed, knew anyone who knew someone that did.

Fast forward to a little under a year ago when I happened to chance upon John Carpenter's The Thing on LD whilst wading through Ebay and all those moments stood looking up in awe at these discs whilst shopping for a VHS or CD came flooding back. I own The Thing in (what I then thought to be) all its various formats and so quickly added the LD to my collection.

I owned that laserdisc for about 8 or so months before I decided to go all in and grab a player. Within a couple of months and a few silly purchases later I have a 300+ strong collection, mainly generic titles but I'm living the dream of the 1990's me.

I'm now learning about the various formats and editions, rare titles; the terminology and technology, which will all take at least another lifetime to grasp. But it's damn fun. And each disc that I receive, even if I've seen the film a hundred times before, gets me excited. There's always that anticipation (for me) as to what additional detail there'll be on the cover/sleeves/pullouts/leaflets/pamphlets, which version it'll be, what the video quality will be like, the sound quality ... will there be rot!!!! OK. so there's some trepidation too.

But it is still a great hobby, and one that has seen me watch more films in the last 6 weeks than I had done in the previous 6 months.

Thankfully the younger me had no aspirations towards or dreams of owning a CED collection. In fact he didn't even have any knowledge of their existence till he ventured on here, and for that my wallet is grateful. . . .but I am intrigued . . .
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 Post subject: Re: Why do you collect Laserdisc?
PostPosted: 11 Sep 2014, 01:50 
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Yes, an intriguing hobby. I think I will play a disc right now. Good commentary!
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 Post subject: Re: Why do you collect Laserdisc?
PostPosted: 11 Sep 2014, 02:55 
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remington wrote:
Yes, an intriguing hobby. I think I will play a disc right now. Good commentary!



I second remington !
Great story ! Can relate !
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 Post subject: Re: Why do you collect Laserdisc?
PostPosted: 11 Sep 2014, 13:59 
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johngrey wrote:
But we still watch movies in old, and occasionally crappy, formats because, like it sometimes is with people, it's all about the experience, no matter what the drawbacks happen to be.

And that's my corny story for this week.

~ John


An excellent story. Thanks for sharing.

je
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 Post subject: Re: Why do you collect Laserdisc?
PostPosted: 12 Sep 2014, 22:39 
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Growing up with VHS as the dominant home video format in Norway back in the 90's, I found Laserdiscs very exciting. Internet introduced me to these big shiny discs many years ago, but I didn't get fully into the format before the year 2012. The jacket has its charm and the smell of the discs, mmmmhhhh! :lol:
Probably many more reasons for me to collect Laserdiscs, I'm a nostalgic person in every way.
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 Post subject: Re: Why do you collect Laserdisc?
PostPosted: 13 Sep 2014, 04:12 
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laserpaal wrote:
The jacket has its charm and the smell of the discs, mmmmhhhh! :lol:

Yes! They have a distinctive smell certainly. :mrgreen:
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 Post subject: Re: Why do you collect Laserdisc?
PostPosted: 21 Nov 2014, 20:27 
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Well, let's see, I happened to write a little something about almost this exact same subject in my blog. Hope you enjoy and agree..... http://2x-file.blogspot.com/2013/07/wha ... rdisc.html
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 Post subject: Re: Why do you collect Laserdisc?
PostPosted: 23 Nov 2014, 03:25 
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Why do I collect Laserdiscs?

I have mentioned in other threads about my reasons for the personal investment of the Laserdisc Format, and so if I missed anything with what I have already mentioned then i shall try to convey this here.

like others have mentioned: the smell when opening an unopened LD purchase regardless of the risk involved at times with the possible rotter / rotted disc.

1) Holding the disc's in ones hand is an exclusive and tangible act in itself that can never be bettered
2) You knew that when purchasing each title it was an exclusive product regardless of the title.
3) When inspecting the disc for the first time, one would look upon them with wonder and smile knowing that this was a rare
experience that had no equal in terms of any other movie format.
4) Only thousands were produced of each title.........Not millions.......And that was exciting in itself.
5) The exclusive artwork that could be fully realized and expressed on a canvas like cover, and ever more so on the gate fold
titles. . . . . .The Japanese knew how to produce the covers in most cases better than their US counterparts.
6) For me the laserdisc purchase was enhanced by the great looking hardware that was the Pioneer Elite players, of which
complimented the discs perfectly.........It has never been the same since that time, and to my mind will never be the same
again.
7) To stand in front of my collection at times and just look at and to hold a title brings joy of ownership......Doesn't fade guys.

8) shall hopefully be purchasing a number of titles in 2015 if all goes well especially THE SIXTH DAY currently reserved and a
further 24+ titles besides........I hope to finally achieve this goal.

That will be a fine day indeed.


Thank you for the subject everyone

Kind Regards

:wave: :thumbup: :D
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 Post subject: Re: Why do you collect Laserdisc?
PostPosted: 23 Nov 2014, 06:34 
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Very well said, everyone. :clap:

I have only ever purchased a single disc in my entire collection, which brings my status as a "collector" into question. It was Independence Day. I purchased it to screen to a group of friends that I have come over every year for the 4th of July. We make a weekend of it, so I figured we'd screen it on the 3rd. They all know I have LaserDiscs and everyone thinks it's pretty cool, but probably not in a "Hey, that's so cool, I should start collecting LaserDiscs!" sorta way. I imagine they think it's kind of strange. Maybe it is.

Everything that makes the format as lovable as it is has already been mentioned, and I'm not sure I count as a "collector" quite yet, but my desire to expand my collection exists. The body is willing, but the wallet is soft and empty.

I have watched a few of my discs that, without a best of the best player, and without a scaler, on my plasma display, look comparable or better than some DVD's that I've seen, and the ones that are of obviously lower quality still have a feel to them that is unmatched by any other format. The edges look different. The pixels look different. It's all different, but in a way that pleases my eyes.

Plus, I'm a huge Star Wars fan who personally believes that George's "Well I would have but we didn't have the time/money/whatever" excuse is a giant bunch of malarkey and the man was simply looking for some more money to shovel into his face. The original films were fine the way they were and they did not need someone sticking their fingers in the pie. Plain and simple, even the GOUT releases as bonus DVDs in whatever Star Wars trilogy they were released in just do NOT look as good as their LaserDisc equivalents, even though they are ripped directly from LaserDiscs! The only thing that comes remotely close is The De-specialized Edition made by fans, which uses a lot of LaserDisc footage to fix things that can't be fixed using any other high-def media.

Point being, and other people have already said this, LaserDiscs are unique, they are tangible, and they are ours. They look great, they sound great, and they're beautiful. Not to mention the look you get to see on everyone's face when you ask if they want to watch Star Wars on LaserDisc.

Cheers. :thumbup:
  
 
 Post subject: Re: Why do you collect Laserdisc?
PostPosted: 07 Dec 2014, 12:02 
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I discovered it in 1992 whilst heading to Truscott Hifi here in Adelaide Australia and couldnt afford it then but fell in love with the format

For me it's the quality of the audio visual, the sheer size of the cover art, widescreen versions with extra features and the viewing experience on a CRT and LCD TV
Watching a high quality LD with a Pioneer dual side player on a Loewe 2001 CRT 100hz TV (then $4,000 dollar TV that I got for nothing last year) with it connected to the player via SCART RGB cable is simply beautiful.

Thinking of upscaling but for now SCART will do
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 Post subject: Re: Why do you collect Laserdisc?
PostPosted: 07 Dec 2014, 17:57 
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I'm loving reading everyone's stories and reasons for the hobby, good times indeed. As for me, it's a bit of nostalgia, I remember it as something my family couldn't afford back in the 80s-mid 90s, so maybe part of me is making up for that. I also get a kick out of people's reactions when they're over and I put a movie in, almost everyone comments that the picture is considerably better than they expected. Thirdly, I know everyone has different preferences on picture quality, but I personally love the film like quality. Especially on older movies that I wasn't around for, I like watching the movies with the thought that this was what it was like to see them on the big screen back in the day. I collect and watch movies on multiple formats, but I definitely get the best viewing pleasure out of popping in a 12" disc. Happy viewing everyone.
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 Post subject: Re: Why do you collect Laserdisc?
PostPosted: 08 Dec 2014, 08:09 
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this was a lot of interesting,varied and fun reading.

i'd heard about them when i was about 10 (was already a film buff and heard they looked great so i couldn't understand why dad wanted to go with vhs), then i remembered them in my 20s. i researched them and they sounded so cool.

i found a tank-size tank-weight player on ebay for $60 delivered, then got about 5 discs over a year before selling it all. i was into anime, and the covers/package art were so amazing to me, but after picking up a disc, without subtitles i was lost, and i ran into financial trouble, so it all was one of the first things to get sold.

fast-forward many many years and i work as a translator in tokyo. i often think about what bonuses there may be to living in tokyo, and one day this year (2014!) i re-remembered laserdisc. i hunted around, and found beautiful "modern" LDPs and beautiful cheap used laserdiscs (japanese people tend to take amazing care of their stuff). i have a cool CLD-R7G, mint face, with the Yamaha APD-1 for 5.1 audio on my 7.1 yamaha ysp-4300, hooked up to a modern 3d hd projector along with my oppo, etc.

to me it's really the covers/package art first. second is the ritual of finding the disc i want, admiring the art, putting it in the player, putting the cover on my laserdisc cover display stand, and looking forward to reading the insert or booklet after the movie ends, and the exclusive physical/on-disc extras. even if i watch a blu-ray, if i have the laserdisc version of the movie, i display the cover and all that.

now i'm mostly using lddb.com to learn about new/interesting discs to get, whether it's importing US/criterion discs, finding rare squeeze/DTS/5.1 discs or the latest all-CAV boxset of anime now that i'm near native-level in the language. fun hobby, it's just too bad surugaya doesn't keep track of missing items/extras/obi because i have to pay more on yahoo auctions instead if i want to ensure i get all the stuff ;)
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 Post subject: Re: Why do you collect Laserdisc?
PostPosted: 11 Dec 2014, 17:01 
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Great stories to read about our shared passion.

For me its all about finding classic films, and being amazed by the beautiful covers. Finding films from my child hood of the late 80 and 90s, and watching these films. I recently found the Batman and Robin movie with freeze and poison ivy. Such a funny, awful film, but the bright and contrasting colors bring back memories of watching it when I was younger.

Its also fun to collect older highend gear, stuff that was out of the reach of most people back in the 80 and 90s. I hate to sound like a hipster, but it feels cool to pop in a laserdisc with AC-3 and get to watch a film with some what cinema experience. Most of gear is far from being nice, but its about working up and finding good deals on stuff. Pioneer and sony also knew how to make very sexy machines back in the day, my LD-S1 is a work of art, the wood paneling and brass accents. I doubt anything made today could be affordable to me and have such a nice look to it.

Recently I found several Music LDs and I'm blown away with the sound quality provided by this format. My speakers are very lacking but its simply amazing how it all sounds.
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 Post subject: Re: Why do you collect Laserdisc?
PostPosted: 16 Oct 2017, 11:25 
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-The period when LD's were produced best movies were made.
-Makers really made an effort to present their movies as great as possible on LD.
-The size
-The Artwork
-The fun of doing everything to let the picture quality look great on modern screens.

Oh and one more thing.

The box sets.
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