Hello everybody. I've been around here approx. for 2 years now and I'd like to introduce myself trough my LD-story.
As a child growing up in Zagreb, Croatia (no LD-market ever) I, as most people in former Yugoslavia in the 80's, enjoyed not-criminalised VHS video-piracy, legaly renting and buying VHS copies of popular US movies with then home-made subtitles. To improve quality of 2nd gen-renting-VHS-copies, some pirates, to win more customers from others, offered even LD-sourced VHS copies. I then started to collect 1st gen VHS copies from LD's, without subs, dreaming about how the real LD picture would actually look like. As I liked the Idea of posessing beautiful western colorful VHS-covers and not being able to buy originals, I made my own as beautiful as possible, glueing pictures and typing texts.
Through lack of original imports, pirated VHS was a big market at that time which nowdays doesn't exist; by the way, when in the nineties real copyright laws started functioning, one of then biggest pirates went legal, and built Cinestar - line of Multiplexes across Croatia. It's one of that getting-rich-out-of-nothing transition-stories.
I don't remember why I then knew what a Laserdisc was, I can't remember where I saw one first - but I liked the Idea a lot and knew, they must be very expensive. Of course, at that time, only private dentists and video pirates could have afford it; average 95% of the people, all let's say ,same low middle class earners, couldn't.
Then I came to rich Switzerland to study and has been living here since. Here LD's not only were affordable, but there were even 2 LD-specialised stores in Basel which offered them, but not only to be sold - mr. Frankenbach, seller-owner in his "Music Center" in Steinen Vorstadt really loved them and was somehow excited as his costumers as well, when new releases arrived. He knew all upcoming releases and their exact dates and was excited when informing customers about them. If he reads this, I'd like to thank him, not throwing me out of his beautiful store for only watching and touching them and not buying them. It was a mixed LP - LD store and his shop-window was proudly presenting mostly newest LD's in one of the most frequent places in Basel. Despite that advertising, most people thought they're vinyl records.
Being a poor student from a poor southeastern European country, I dreamed about another 5 years of possessing that kind of quality at my place, looking at that shop-window at beautiful glossy vivid-coloured new LD-covers. Then '96 came around and trough some extra earned money I finally afforded my first LD player, a Pioneer CLD-515, and bought Goldeneye. As a big Bond-fan and Star Wars-fan a new doors opened for me then. I couldn't buy LD's very often but ones I did had a special value and were used immensely. Goldfinger - box, T2, The Godfather chronological Trilogy, The Rock, Alien 3, Aliens. I was finally living this exclusive dream of LD-enjoyment and it was the love for life. Another exclusive LD-seller in Basel, a pale guy called Beat, was even renting them, like in Japan! That was really great. As DVD came along in '98 i embraced it and stopped buying LD's. I noticed though, something was wrong with a common pro-logic surround stereo, it didn't sound rich any more; and that cheap plastic covers - o well. But Ac-3 sounded same and picture was incredible. Despite getting same movies now on DVD, I never got rid of my 30 LD's - no way. They are incredible souvenirs of glorifying and celebrating the phenomena of movies as a media. Never before or since a home video - presentation was made like this. I will always love them. Film is a big media and deserves to be presented big even if buying it for a home usage. However, as LD slowly stopped being produced and swiss parliament forbid importing of foreign DVD's, mr. Frankenbach and Beat closed their stores forever. Still, riding my bycicle from the swimming pool, I almost every time wish to drive at mr. Frankenbach's store to take a look which new LD's came along this week. This will never stop - it's crazy.
How did I got here? I didn't really use LD's much for years; in 2012 I had to spend a month sitting at home to be cured for some infection. I put some LD's in my DVL-909 (second player) again, just for fun. And then it grabbed me - I felt so lucky watching them again, found them incredible, even more then before, trough my new hi-end audio set-up and a new digital pioneer AVR. First time ever I could read about this media in Internet, getting exciting infos about quality, tricks, experiences of others, yours as well, the whole knowledge. I started buying them again 1 - 260$ a piece. I bought CLD-79 from US and one year later HLD-X9 from JP. A lots of new old discs, some of them I never knew they've existed, multiple editions from different countries, a real loving hobby. I love it and enjoy it (other modern media too) almost every day and it's a great relaxation for my professional life. I would also like to thank you all here and to the maker of this site; I hope more people will recognize a real quality, regardless of it's given time in history. One of the most exciting moments on this site was communication with a guy who actually designed some late MGM covers, incl. Goldfinger and Thunderball special edition boxes. I still imagine how the cancelled ones would have looked like. Maybe he already did them? If you read this please answer!
And on the end, I have an Idea - it would be great if 4K-movies for home video would be presented like LD's did. Pioneer, do you copy?
Cheers everybody, thanx for reading, long live LDDB and LD!
Seroxx

approx. 300-400 LD's
LDP Pioneer HLD X-9
LDP Pioneer CLD-79
LDP Pioneer DVL-909
Sony MSC-4000 Muse decoder
Yamaha RF-demodulator
Closed Captions decoder (very small piece of plastic)
BD Player Panasonic BMP-BDT 120
AVR Pioneer SC-LX 56-K
Videoprojector Panasonic PT-AT 5000 full 3D
Videoprojector InFocus SP-5700
TV CRT Panasonic TX 16:9 72cm (from 1999)
Speakers:
Credo Audio[*] Hi-End L,C,R.
Pioneer HTZ-7 LS, LBS, RBS, RS speakers (4)
Cambridge Audio Subwoofer MINX 300
*Credo Audio is a small Hi-End product-line of a family manufacturer KRASKE in Basel. It's been developed for 30 years.

Good morning Seroxx,

WOW!........I have just finished reading your fine introduction Friend.

When reading I could genuinely relate to your fondness of the Laserdisc Format, For many here it was a labour of love to purchase all of the various titles on this format.

Each title imported from the US, Japan or produced in the UK I remember costing between £25 to around £150.
The exception to this of course were the likes of the Star Wars Definitive Box up to £450 and the regular trilogy Box and remastered US and then Japanese £200 to 250 a pop.

I could go on sir but I trust you can appreciate that you are among a unique group of people here.

Thank you so much for the sharing of your experiences with us all here, and shall look forward to corresponding with you at some stage.

Kindest Regards

Interesting to read your story. Growing up in America we don't understand things like this until it's explained. Thank you and welcome to the forum!

Thanx, guys. I'm glad you read it. Cheers!

Hi seroxx, altough I'm late to the party I found your story a very interesting read. Thanks for sharing!

Long live LD.

Greetings from Switzerland