I'm new to the scene but I know DVD pretty much killed off LD around 1999/2000. Can anyone who's been involved with laserdiscs since before then (I'd imagine most of the people here) comment on if the hobby is growing in popularity? Judging by the e-bay market there doesn't seem to have been much depreciation for most of the more desirable discs and the big players still fetch $200-$1000+. I bought my first LD player this year for cheap but was a little surprised to find out the discs I thought I could snatch up for cheap like Braindead, Frighteners Signature, Evil Dead II (blood red), etc. are still selling for close to their new prices.

I'm wondering if the pattern is similar to the vinyl explosion of the last few years or if it's just been holding steady or even dropping off.

Just my opinion, and other members can add theirs, but for the discs I collect, it depends how many there are around or appear, and how many people want it.
If it's a disc that appears on e-bay for example maybe once every year or only every 2 years, and there's 5 serious diehard collectors that want it, the price will probably go high. After the 5 have a copy then the price would probably go lower.

I think too, some people that jumped into the DVD/BlueRay are not quite as happy with it now (edited versions, sound quality etc) and their going back to LD, digging their players out of storage.

How could one be unhappy with BD's lossless DTS-HD Master Audio or Dolby TrueHD audio?

TLK

I for one LOVE it!

eBay can be very deceiving. Many people, (for some insane reason), place Buy-it-Now prices that are way out of line. There was a disc that I had been looking for but the only one on eBay had a Buy-it-Now price of $120.00. Someone else put it on at 9.99 and it sold for around $25. Look at completed listings on eBay to get a more accurate price of any item. Also, analog sound is hot right now so a lot of music LD's are going up in price. I love blu-ray too but many a lot of titles, (music and film) that were released on LD will never be released on blu.

Ron

The supply, at least of the discs I'm interested in, is certainly decreasing. A lot of people were getting out of the game five and ten years ago, which meant big bargains & plenty of choice for people like me, but they're mostly gone now. Again, the big sell-offs of players, both individual & institutional, are mostly in the past. Schools, for example, have mostly dumped theirs by now.

I think the top model players on Ebay are at a premium right now. I remember seeing an LD-S2 selling for $6000+ on there not too long ago!

Even on Craigslist, I saw a McIntosh MLD-7020 for sale for $1500 just two weeks ago. The listing disappeared the next day.

I saw that Mcintosh bid up....
Wished it had been a sleeper, but with a name like that no way possible ....

Very good to read that young collectors are putting in their two cents here at the forum.
A sure sign that LaserDisc fever is still catchy.

While many of the masses have no idea about how collectible these are to a select strata of folks, new people are "coming home" to the LDDB monthly, a sure sign of life for a product considered obsolete garbage to those that once used LD's as cutting edge media.

Is LaserDisc collecting becoming more popular....
I would have to say no to that query,
However there are those "fortunate ones" who Providence smiles upon..........

I don't necessarily think that it's becoming more popular, but that some of the older guys who collected them from the inception or at least the 90s are downsizing their stuff, or at least their movies, and selling them to younger guys willing to buy a whole collection. Then the younger guys like me who often times have more disposable income than sense hone in on one disc and bid it up on ebay because they have to have it.

As far as players, I think with the decline of people able to repair them and the number of them that just break every year, so many people have such huge collections that they're willing to pay big money to get a replacement player. Or when someone's collection gets huge enough and they want a better player, they have enough invested in the discs to justify spending a lot on a new player.

I first started collecting music laserdiscs in early 2006 and have been monitoring Ebay very closely ever since.
Over that time frame I've seen a steady decline in the number of really rare music LDs that get listed each year.
I look back now and am really glad I got into laserdiscs when I did as so many of the best titles have all but vanished now.
From what I can see the supply of music LDs cannot keep up with the demand as I regularly get asked for the same titles which are almost impossible to find these days.
Music companies have also been slow to re-issue content on other formats because what was hip in 1981 may not be so cool in 2011 at least in terms of sales so they don't bother!
They are just interested in the big fish.

I think the optimum time to have started collecting LDs was probably around 2000 when many people started to offload their vast collections fearing they would be worthless overnight.
It was also the time when the internet was coming of age and places like Ebay were starting to take off which is essential if you are a collector of a dead format.

For anyone just starting my advice is grab them while they are still available - I don't think you will regret it. I certainly don't!

I think there is a hardcore group of people going around collecting horror, concert and not on dvd stuff. I had a garage sale the other day and a guy told me he just got into the collecting end of it and was only looking for horror and concert. He was willing to pay like a buck or two for the discs because no one made them anymore. I talked to him for a while. Interesting conversation.

Might be a coincidence but a guy visiting garage sales only interested in horror and concert seems like an Ebay seller trying to acquire merchandise. Those are probably the 2 most valuable genres and while those 2 categories aren't mutually exclusive I don't see a lot of overlap with those interests.

i can defenitly see it growing more, its all about young people like me, were gonna ressurect the format, the fact that all these high schools are giving away their players to any student whos interested has defenitly helped, i know me and freind evan both got into it when our schools offered there ldv 2200's to us,

Quite supprised. A Pioneer Elite cld-52 I was watching e-bay just ended at 182.50 (usd dollars) plus the shipping costs.
Looking at the bids, looks like the two (new to bidding) got into what they call a bidding war against each other. And the seasoned bidder who won it ended up paying more to get it because of that.

Maybe the new forum has fueled the fire

It is a cool hobby. You can get movies that will never be released on dvd, and some of the ones from the 1990s and 1980s were pretty cheesy. As to the music stuff, some of it will never be released because no one cares per say.

I think it's getting new fans all the time. I know I just started recently and I am around 450 disks so far.....

I have to say steadily I’m slowly start back up on collecting (steadily mind you) I should have never sold most of my Laserdiscs off years ago for the shakes of thinking DVD was better and bluray is sure hells not and HD 1080p better! SIGH what a misleading format it is. I buy a few bluray title and I know what to look for and listen for.

Hail Laserdisc! Shiny Laserdisc Forever!

Over the past few years I have brought

Superman the movie as I am sick and tired of that worthless DVD version abomination they restored they need to look the word up I don’t think they know the meaning of restoring or restoration! Its a total mess! The DOLBY film mix has flaws all the way though it on the English track!

As for the Laserdisc WOW the DOLBY STEREO experience its too bad its not a DOLBY STEREO AC-3 as it would be thee FIRST EVER film to be mixed in what some call 5.1 with split stereo surrounds.
Apocalypse Now was not the first film, it might be the first film to be publicized but it was never the first film. Superman was the first thee first experimental 70mm six-track DOLBY STEREO release with split-surrounds (1978) and I will not sale the copy I have it has some mild diloauge panning that sounds super cool and the DVD SIGH I have no doubt the bluray with that stealing thieving dts hd master audio does no justification to the original DOLBY process film mix!

I like a good rant it makes me feel more human.

Anyway other title was

THE ABYSS theatrical version I have the DVD R2 version that has the SE and 1989 release expect for the rat scene that was cut from the UK version but that is not why I brought it!

I have seen the film projected at least 3 times in the cinema in 35mm DOLBY STEREO and the colour is so pure and natural yet the consumer versions are crap!

Anyone seen the film if so take another look at both versions or all versions and if anyone happens to have recoded it off-air onto VHS many years ago there should be a more natural grittiness to the picture quality and I’m talking about standard definition, now then.

Yes not the first underwater dive scene and the flood lights in the background has a poor colour balance. All the lighting has green around the whites and its not the first time this dire crap issue has turned up on consumer versions or very rarely would it happen on TV!
The issue with colour is down to two things.

One the colour has slight (blue) okay

Two the (white lights) now what happens when you mix poorly mix them without even review the work. Oh yes it all turns to pure crap and so what if THE ABYSS is not anamorphic on DVD is that all the people can see! Please get your vision checked over! The film is technical poor from start to finish and it needs a brand total start from scratch new telecine and a video engineer that knows the craft and art of mirroring the colour balance without anything more or less being added to the transfer.

T2 on all consumer versions is the same crappy pile green issue! I can list a whole lot of titles!

Anyway enough of my ranting I like a good rant and sorry, no I’m not sorry it had to be mentioned.
Anyway the next Laserdisc is THE ARRIVAL that arrived broken in the mail due to a total sap idiot on ebay that has no business what so ever in selling laserdiscs.

The title was deeply cracked on side 2 so the film is unplayable! I got my refund back and told the seller that he was a wanker! Oh yeah he expects positive feedback, after saying its Royal Mails fault in pm, I could punch his lights out the cheeky bugger.

Anyhow I leaned my lesson not to jump at a Laserdisc on ebay always read how the seller packs them and we all know how they are suppose to be packaged, right!

That is about it I have only brought a few a few that I’m looking for and as for THE ABYSS I have seen only once on TV a mirrored colour version that gave me the flashbacks of the cinema release the colour had no technical issues so if anyone has recoded off-air on Channel 4 many years ago check it out it would make a bluray if release fit for food blender!

I ship between 2 3mm cardboard boxs, with 2 mm on the outside and another 2 mm on both sides of the LD. You could use my boxes as a frisbee and not damage the disc. On the bad side, cracked a disc when I was going to mail it. Semi expensive disc and wanted the guy to get a nice copy. Found one for 50 bucks, 2 times what was paid but it was like, not his fault, get it to him. Was listed as near mint, perfect condition. He mailed it in a polybag by itself. Lets just say it didnt make it there in NM shape, vg shape, g shape, maybe fair. I was not happy.

I think you guys are kidding yourselves thinking this Laserdisc collecting is in any way resurrecting itself. Time is working against the discs themselves as many will sooner or later succumb to laser rot, be remastered to another source, or lack of working players. I did high quality digital lossless transfers of all my discs and dumped them on Ebay, player and all. Have no intention of ever owning another player or disc. Pretty much have all the titles transfered that I will ever want and enjoy them at a click of a mouse any place I may land in the world. But I must say, it's nice to have some of this rare material, goodbye laserdisc. Elvis