Newbie to LD. I have always been keenly interested in the format and I think I am about ready to pull the trigger and finally get a player.

Few questions: where (besides eBay and Craigslist) is the best place to get a solid, serviced LD player these days?

Second: I have an HD projector (Optoma HD141X) projecting on a 100" screen. I run an Onkyo TX-NR626 with a set of Pioneer 5.1 speakers. I am looking at getting a better than average player (D704, CLD-97, CLD-99 or another recommended model). Do I need an external 3D comb filter and what should I consider?

I also plan on picking up an AC-3 demodulator. Anyway, quite the laundry list. If I should post questions elsewhere, I will be sure to. Excited to finally get into LD!

craigslist, ebay or you can try to contact grasshopper or krbhar, they service players and may have something.
do the player first then figure if you need external comb filter.

also don't forget some of the higher end older players.

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Any of the older high end players auto flip discs?

yep.
they don't have the AC-3 unless you can add it or pay someone to add it.

look into CLD-3070, CLD-3080, the CLD-2080 is the same but with less still image and other features.
CLD-91, CLD-92, CLD-95 CLD-97

once you get into the elite you are sometimes just paying for the name, like the 91 is very close to the 3070
just read a review about both and the 91 has some extra effects that are missing from the 3070 like turning the
image into pixelated etc.

but if you buy from someone who has serviced it, it will run you more and will be worth it.
or you take the risk on a place like ebay, you can get good stuff but also some won't pack right and you get bad stuff.
good luck.

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the rein-o official signature:

Good evening Dunerider,

Glad you took the plunge & posted here,

Welcome to the forum and hope you enjoy visiting this site as I do.

There is' as you may know already, a great deal of knowledge and experience on the Laserdisc format to be found here and the members are appreciated by myself and the many others who read and post here.

I have no doubt that your laundry list will be addressed, and that you will be fully up and fully running in the coming days, weeks and months ahead.

Kind Regards to you

P.S. I do not have as much experience and knowledge that others have here, but the main thing is that I have a deep appreciation of the Laserdisc Format, and we all have a wealth of memories and in some cases hidden wealth of understanding of this fine format.

Everyone is valued here

Google "Watching Laserdisc in digital age" by Nicolas Santini.

Thanks everyone.

What would you say are the pros/cons between the CLD-3070 and the CLD-99?

I got the schematics, and the 91/92 have a digital time base corrector, and the S-Video is not recombined. So it's probably a decent jump over the standard 3070.

Likewise, the 2080 does not have a digital TBC and if you look at the back it doesn't have the separate audio board either. So it's a 3080 without all the good electronic parts - probably a decent player, but nowhere near as good overall.

Never had etiher, but from what I've seen the 97 (3080 based w/improved electronics) is at heart a better player than the 99 (704 based, with 3d comb filter) - lower noise, etc. Cons are that the 97 needs modding to have AC3 out, and you need a good comb filter to plug it into.

I'd also look into the Japan-only R7G, which is a simpler player if a bit noisier than the 99, but has a better comb filter, and it should be easier to repair in the long run - while it's Japan only it's mechanically a 406/606 type player. It's a lot less complicated than the 3080/95/97, and you can still get spindle motors for it unlike the 704/99.

If you weren't projecting onto such a big screen I'd say start with a simpler player (like a standard midrange player, or a D406) and work your way up, but that would end in disappointment in your setup.

would say there are tons of topics about all these things.

price is one feature about what player to get.
reading some of these older perfect vision magazines, guys would be throwing an LD image to 10' screens.
so you can get some great stuff with LD but have to buy some top end gear.

if you know how to tinker then get a newer player, if you can't then just get a nice solid working player and enjoy the spin.


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At the moment I am leaning towards the CLD-99 as I hear the PQ is sharper, which I prefer over a softer image.

Is running LD on a 100" screen asking too much? I have heard many do it but have never seen it in person. Just as an aside my main goal is to watch some of the unique LD releases (namely Abel Gance's Napoleon) but also collect some of the titles I always wanted on LD as a kid but could never get.

that article is by Joshua Zyber actually. he used to review laserdiscs before dvds.

if you are looking at cld-99 in that price range I would recommend r7g or ld-s9 from japan. you can get a s9 for 100 bucks more and r7g for the same price as 99. s9 is the same player with better comb filter. r7g has more noise but sharper and most modern.

if you are going to use external 3d comb, don't waste your money on 99, get a 704 which is the same player without comb filter, half the price. sleeper is Panasonic 900u.

Duffs has a krbahr serviced 704 listed for $349. If you have a good comb filter available, that's probably better than an untuned 99. (A lot of people don't even use the comb filter on their 99's)

It all depends on what your budget and expectations are. On the LD Forever FB group today there's discussions on which Elite player to get, and someone who's happy with their LD-V2200 as their first player. Two sides of the same coin, eh?

To be honest anything less than cld97 is crap but then spending more than $50 on a laserdisc player is crap too. You decide which crap is better.

What did you decide?

I will be using an external comb filter. No idea which one, but that is the intention.

OK then you really don't need a 99.

Substance decided the former... and then some, he has the McIntosh version of the 97 and an HLD-X0

As for the latter - in the US at least, $50 buys you a good streamer - Roku, Chromecast, etc. Yeah you've gotta pay monthly fees to properly feed one, but no LD player can match the quality of a good HD stream. Or if you look carefully, you can find even a Blu-Ray player. You can feed that from the local library for free with DVD's at least. And for $10 or less you can get a DVD player that might work OK from a thrift store, and if it breaks just get another.

But there's just something about collecting and tinkering with LD's. Maybe because all the stuff in the latter's too easy, and I like having something different

I found an ad local that looks worth checking out. CLD-D702 with 50 movies for $50. I will spring for it and see. Yes that player lacks AC3 but I can always get one of the other players. Heck I would love to just start watching some LDs at this point. Plus, isn't a true LD collector supposed to have multiple players?

Even if they're all common disks, that's probably a good starter set

Thats what I figure. I think I will invest in a good video processor next (my Onkyo does a mediocre job processing). I was thinking a DVDO unit. I'd love an Edgo or iScan Duo but will settle for a VP50 or something similar. Plus I need a DVD recorder with a good comb filter.

If you get a dvdo edge or duo, try the composite input on them. These units have 3D adaptive comb filter although not tweaked for LD. You don't need duo unless you are thinking of grey scale calibration. Both units are equal beside calibration option on duo.

Your receiver has marvel qdeo chip for video processing. It should be adequate for most deinterlacing and scaling. It's noise reduction removes detail but so does the ABT chip in DVDO units. Your receivers analog inputs are probably too aggressive for LD.

Thank you substance and happycube for the helpful replies.

I think for the price, the comb filter in a DMR-E20 is the best way to go, wouldn't you agree?

I will start acquiring the equipment and being playing around with setups and see for myself.