This kind of test may be more likely to work on an early, tube-laser-based machine such as the Pioneer VP-1000 or LD-660/1100, or PR-8210. These players can (and do) play without any frame/time coding in the vertical blanking. Such a player may be more likely to keep running with an external RF signal.

Definitely no. But that's because first I need to take care of the premastering.

I do have experience with modulating laser beams from hamradio, so I already have a rough idea of how I will approach this in this case. But any possible source of information is helpful, so thanks for the tip.

Btw, not far from where I live there is a company that develops industrial lasers. I will probably knock on their door as well.

Good idea. Is there anyone in Europe who might be willing to donate one?

It is possible to acquire the rights to publish films on physical media. Through Sonopress, I have found a company that shares these rights with us in small quantities, for free so that we can publish them on LD.

As already mentioned, we have this (probably unique) opportunity.

Another concern I have is that Sonopress were historically very poor at manufacturing laserdiscs. They were certainly as bad if not worse than PDO.
Almost every PAL Sonopress title I own has rot and checking LDDB.com for other Sonopress titles does not inspire me with confidence they ever mastered the art of making LDs.
The last thing we need is a new 2026 laserdisc pressing that suffers from rot.

Right, they also know the issue they had before. But the way they done it in the past is not how they will do it now.

This is awesome and I absolutely love and endorse the idea

Does anyone have a defect NTSC LD player with a demodulator board that still works? If so, would it be possible to donate the board? I am currently using my Pioneer CLD160k, but I would like to avoid that.

Next month, I will buy a better SDR than the one I currently have. I have chosen this one: https://www.crowdsupply.com/lime-micro/limesdr
The bandwidth of 61MHz and frequency range from 100kHz should be perfect.

I wish you all the luck in the world.
This would be such a monumental change for us. Maybe we could eventually get some more of the criterion collection back in production if that place in Germany is able to strike a licensing deal.

I don’t see Criterion being interested in such a thing. A $500 disc that objectively sucks compared to the $25 ones they are making now runs somewhat against the commitment to quality that made them a household name. Also, they are a profitable company so any dollars spent would need some hope of return. You won’t get any help from them on a volunteer or money losing basis and the only way this project could ever be successful is with volunteers who all lose money doing it.

But they also did the polycarbonate discs which should not have any rot.

Next lets do the fantasy of bringing back player production.

OP, you need at least one million dollars (or more) to start from scratch to revive the totally dead and extinct format.

I’ve seen people make vacuum tubes (Nixie tubes) in their garages in Russia. I’ve seen people make computer video cards from scratch with discrete components.

Broken down to its basic components, making a compatible laser disc isn’t so crazy. Let’s not ask why or even discourage someone from doing such a task. It’s not our money. It’s not our effort. It’s just our ideas and assistance he needs.

Once he makes a laser-etched metal master, getting them stamped is likely the most expensive part.

Then it’s keeping them clean and plating the stamped masters.

I think the likelihood of getting it right the first time is pretty slim unless the plating shop has experience actually plating laserdiscs. It sure would make a great YouTube series, even if it ended in failure.

I know like some here have said that Laserdisc most likely can't be brought back mostly because of the cost involved but I am hoping that your project comes together. Keep us posted.

That would be much more easy compared to getting discs released.
Honestly surprised not a single chinese company just copied a decent later player with all the outputs needed in today’s world.
Seeing new ld releases…. The rights to do so alone would be a major issue let alone produce a decent disc

This whole thing is a "fun, cool" project, but for any actual companies in business, what would the market be? There is, and would be, --absolutely no-- group of thousands of people who "want to buy movies on discs in 2026-2030 or later, but who want them to be standard-definition, analog-picture discs in a large physical format rather than what Blu-ray and UHD discs offer now".

I do not know, maybe there would/could be a couple of -hundred- or so people who fit that description, all or most of whom are likely members of this forum now, but if that hypothetical group can support such a project on their own, it will just be a true hobby activity, I would expect. Fun to watch what happens in any case, for sure.

Me personally, I would like laserdiscs to return so modern movies can be put on them somehow just for the heck of it, but obviously DVDs Blu Rays and 4K is supposed to be what today and from now on has to offer in this modern day and age.

In fact, this is a point for which no business figures exist. What we do know is that licensees increasingly ask for a VHS release after a title comes out. However, hardly anyone will buy a VHS tape for actual consumption. It's usually for emotional reasons. That's why I look at a new LD product as a complete package, not just the content itself (the movie).

Can I make money producing LD? Actually, I don't care.

This is what I meant by modern laser disc production being a "true hobby activity", indeed. I restore early TV sets from the 1940s to the early 1960s to working condition, and I have done a couple of VCRs so far, but I do not do any of it hoping to sell any of the devices with a profit (if I ever sell any of them at all ). I am starting on a restoration of an early Magnavox laser disc player now, too.

My comments about "practicality" were mostly responding to the idea of Chinese companies making laser disc players with HDMI outputs, as one possible example, or to the idea of a resurrected/ongoing new-laser-disc market.


This is a very good and interesting point; I was not aware that any retail-content producers were making or trying/hoping to make VHS tapes of their work even. But your comments probably apply perfectly to the "modern vinyl album" market! (That business seems to be succeeding, so I imagine that anything can happen.)

I wish you much success with this fascinating project.