or ever did

If you want to restart LD production, you'll need this.

It's the modulator that takes the video & audio signals, & outputs the carrier which goes to the modulator. With it, you could go to just about any CD pressing plant & have them make CDVs for you. There would, of course, be certain other equipment involved, but without it you're not getting much of anywhere. Anybody want to do a Kickstarter project?

That is awesome. I'd definitely pitch in for something like that.

but how much would something like that (besides the modulator) even cost?

Understand that I'm not proposing starting up pressing the large-size discs again, which would require a much larger capital investment, just plugging into the existing CD mastering & pressing infrastructure.
So, you'd need a good clean composite video source ; frankly, a DV editing deck can do that, at least if driven by a good master sync generator, such as my Tektronix 1410 (bought off eBay for a pittance a few years back), although D1 feeding a Faroudja Super-NTSC encoder would be the "ideal" solution. Then you need something which generates valid Redbook EFM, including the TOC subcodes & so forth, which the mastering facility would have already anyway. Frankly, it would surprise me if everything together, including shooting a cool video & pressing a run of CDVs, cost more than $10 000, & it might well be significantly less. Resolving that question would involve inquiring with CD mastering & pressing facilties.

how much more do you think the fuller sized discs would cost? and if I remember correctly, CDV is only 5 minutes, is there any material that would be good for it? (or could one just have 6 discs to make up for one 12" CAV side) and I think CDV also has 20 minutes of audio, could you reduce audio length to increase video length?

There were some 12 inch LDs made from the same polycarbonate material as CDs so are the same thickness. They work really well.

This thread discusses them:
viewtopic.php?f=32&t=29&hilit=polycarbonate

With only 1 side available as is the case for a normal CD they can only hold 60 minutes of video however that is a big improvement on CDVs or VSDs.

It sounds like it wouldn't take that much effort for a disc manufacturing company to produce polycarbonate based LDs from conventional CD materials.
Worst case CDVs should be easy to manufacture - I'd be all for contributing to funding this as they would be ideal for music videos.

A CDV-single is limited to 5 minutes of video. There are plenty of VSDs, which are CDV-singles without the audio part, but they still only run 5 minutes. Most of them were music videos, but there are exceptions. I don't see a problem in creating a good promo/thank-you/demo video to put on one, to be passed out to everyone who pitched in to get the project done.

The larger size discs are much more of a problem. Information I dug up suggests that the 20 cm size were being pressed in Japan until 2008 or so ; maybe the factory still has that capability, or can readily get it back. If it doesn't, between mastering, injection-molding equipment, & so forth, even with clever use of surplus, I wouldn't venture to guess a figure below $100 000. The 20 cm thin singles would at least not require the gluing of two sides together, which is not a step used in most current processes.

So...I guess we could sum this up by saying that it is a "Dreamality"? :-/

Kevin

hey,
so if there are these "bootleg" discs listed how were they made??
http://www.lddb.com/search.php?search=b ... sort=title

lets face it, i don't think 3M or Pioneer was making any of these,
they would have had to been some small run or something like bootleg LP, VHS or audio cassettes.

so if they were made that means that such factory has the machines and can make more if you can find them.

I'd say it's more likely you're see new laserdisc players first when they start to pack in and parts can't be replaced. Once enough fans protest you're see new laserdisc players just to accommodate the discs already out there but I think like most of the thread laserdisc pressing themselves are years away again.

Roger Shore

The odds are LDs coming back in production are about the same as cassette tapes, 8 tracks, VHS tapes, beta tapes, etc etc coming back in production. It's an outdated format that's gone forever. Why would anyone want a big a** LD of (say) Terminator 2 when you can get a much better quality blu ray for $5 that can be played on a computer, on a PS3, and on a blu ray player? It makes no sense at all.

but if you've been reading news papers etc.
you will see that cassette tapes and VHS are making a comeback.
it was printed in the NY times about a horrror company who releases DVDs and VHS at the same time.

the only way LD will make any comback is 1st someone has to start production of players with upto date connections, i.e. HDMI, then upgrade the players so the discs will look good on new TVs.
possibly something that will also play what is avaiable now?

2nd LDs didn't just come out of the air, they had to make the technology, the molds etc.
so someone has to get the metal molds made.

the reason or only reason this will never happen is the cost, someone has to get the money together to do it.

look we went to the moon, LD production can be started again if anybody want's to waist there money and time.

The cost is not the issue. It's the zero chance of actually making your money back.



Right. Anything can be done with money. But problem is most people don't want to lose money.

well, if titan A.E sells for 2G i'm going to get the money with a loan, find a factory, get the rights and start makes LDs to sell for 2G

I'll join ya!....there's gold in them thar hills!!

Not likely going to ever happen!

I can't see someone paying $79 for a new movie like I once did back in the 90s.

What really helped killed off laserdisc was the sell-through street date of DVDs when they came on the market. If people remember, purchasing a laserdisc was still cheaper than the street date of VHS which went straight to rental, often times those VHS tapes were $100 or more while the laserdisc was cheaper for the collector. Very few VHS movies were $19 on the street date release.

If DVD was not sold of as cheap as it was on the street date of the films release, laserdisc would still hang on.

Also remember that laserdisc was pulled by the major companies because they simply didn't want laserdisc around as a comparison to any DVD pressings. A lot of laserdisc reviewers at the time suddenly went over to the DVD camp pretty quickly and laserdisc that had been great pressings were suddenly rubbish compared to their DVD counterparts. One reviewer in particular annoyed me because one minute laserdiscs were the greatest thing on earth and next minute they were the worst format every invented. I got very suspicious of a lot of these reviews when clearly a lot of the times the laserdisc was better. A smelt a big big rat at the time There was no question the demand was and still is there, the studios didn't want to know.
I do think at some stage we'll see a 21st century new laserdisc player and if discs do return they'll be in a different format but still backward compatible with the old laserdiscs. I"d say you'd see RGB laserdiscs instead of the old composite. If I was to put a bet on it, I'd say 90% certainty we'll see a new laserdisc player at some stage but not for 5 or 10 years.
The recession is to deep to allow any return at the minute.

Roger

Cassette tapes are still in production. This format is very alive and well in the underground. I run a small label, and have released several cassette tapes the last couple of years, and in fact, I am going to send the master for a new release tomorrow.

Good to hear. Only the other day it was announced that vinyl sales are doing well and that independent record shops are making a comeback. So there is always some light on the horizon.

Roger