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 Post subject: Would you buy Hi-Vision LD if they were sold in the US?
PostPosted: 03 Mar 2014, 16:10 
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Little bit of background:

Image and Runco were planning on bringing Hi-Vision LD to the US market in mid 90s. Runco even had a prototype player ready which was a Pioneer HLD-1000 rebadge. For whatever the reason they scraped the idea and soon after that LD as a whole died. The first HD pre-recorded media became available nearly a decade later in 2003 with D-Theater which didn't survive more than 2 years. The first successful HD media is therefor Blu-ray discs circa late 2006 but it really took on around 2011.

The question is really for those veteran LD collectors who has been in the game since LD era.

If Hi-Vision LDs were made available in 1994-1995(at least 2 full years before DVD), would you buy Hi-Vision equipment and discs?
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 Post subject: Re: Would you buy Hi-Vision LD if they were sold in the US?
PostPosted: 03 Mar 2014, 16:25 
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Again some background for those who adapted LD technology well after it became defunct.

Back in those days an average LD player cost was around $500-1000. Elite players were often in the $1500-2500 range. For instance Pioneer Elite CLD-97 was retailed at $2400. You could import a brand new Pioneer HLD-X9 for around that much or less(retail was $2400 as well).

Average discs cost was $20-50 and box sets were usually over $100(SW: definitive set was $250). Hi-Vision discs were retailed at $150-250 each. So if $100-200 box sets sold in good quantities in the US, Hi-Vision had a chance in my opinion.

The biggest obstacle was probably the availability of HD sets. But I think if there was content available, the interest would be there too. At the end, LD was a niche market for the extreme hobbyist and the very wealthy. I am sure those with LD-S2($3200), Runco LJR($4500), McIntosh MLD-7020($3200), Pioneer CLD-97($2400) could afford a $8000-10000 HDTV. Most of them already owned beyond HD 8" or 9" CRT projectors($40000+)
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 Post subject: Re: Would you buy Hi-Vision LD if they were sold in the US?
PostPosted: 03 Mar 2014, 19:05 
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nope.
my father bought a player back in 1989 and it was the CLD-3070, I didn't get any upgraded player until 2004-2005.
we only had a handful of discs when it was around, about 50, we would buy them at tower new until i would say 1992 or 93.
then the last one that i bought new was heavy metal, i was so out of LD at that time, but i went into virgin and saw it standing there :lol:

and that was it, the next discs were bought on ebay around 1999 or 2000.
LD was just way too expensive at the time, it was a great format but that's all.

i want to say that heavy metal was around 35 bucks and a year or so later you could buy a DVD for half the price.
yes the format was junk at the time, others would always post about how poor the quality was for DVD at the time.
but they are better now, aren't they :silent:

i'm just happy that my father got the family an LD player when it was at its peak and not after the death of the format.

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 Post subject: Re: Would you buy Hi-Vision LD if they were sold in the US?
PostPosted: 13 Mar 2014, 20:55 
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Probably not, as a regular high end player was out of my range back then; let alone a high end player, MUSE decoder and MUSE capable TV!

I will say though, I was considering buying a MUSE capable TV back then as they were actually selling them in the Exchange on the US military bases in Japan. Those widescreen CRTs did really look cool. Coulda put one on layaway and such!
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