Tired of reading about these "MEGARARE" last releases now. Does anyone know what release might be the first one ? What number did they start on ?
There's No Business Like Show Business (1954) [PILF-1001] ?

I want to get the PILF-0001 too, pretty cool number, but those are much later.
Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) [PILF-0001]

https://www.lddb.com/search.php?reference=fh0*&sort=ref
or
https://www.lddb.com/search.php?reference=fy*&sort=ref

https://www.lddb.com/search.php?adv_search=*&format=ld&release_op=before&release=1982&video=1&country=4&format=ld&sort=ref,asc

F; Film
H; Houga(domestic) ,Y; Youga(foreign/imported)
~TH; Toho, ST; SinToho, KD; Kadokawa, SH; Shouchiku....

Thanks for your help, I did try that. But there is so many PILF without release dates on them... its impossible to know where they started... Ill guess you need the japanese ld magasines to track down when they first start using the PILF-XXXX numbers...

http://www.lddb.com/search.php?referenc ... t=date,asc

A little off subject (sorry) & this may be asking something glaringly obvious but.....

Does the PILF listing code have any meaning like eg: (P)ioneer? (I)something (L)something (F)something.

Would think it perhaps has but I don't know what it is & can't appear to find the info in the usual places but I may be missing something & most probably am.

Again sorry if this is a bit of a doh question.

What does PILF stand for?


The first is 1001 if in the order, because 0001's extra standard for temporary low price, 9xxxx and 8xxxx likewise.

Thanks cold_sleeper & an interesting link .

The early Pioneer F1 LDs from '87, '88 (& '89 I think) came with a listing code of numbers prefixed by SC like SCxxx-xxxx & all the issues from '90 until the final release ('97 ?) were PILW-xxxx.

Pretty sure the last letter which varied with the PILx releases meant something to someone at sometime but can't figure out what they all actually stood for if anything.

Thank you coldsleeper. So PILF-1001 should have been the first ever to use the PILF-cat. If you want the last release, you really should have the first release too, right ?

So now, you might wonder what is the first PILx-xxxx release, of was is a foreign film? It seem that all been released on April 25th in 1990.

F-1 Grand Prix Circuits: Driver's Eyes (1990) [PILW-1001]
There's No Business Like Show Business (1954) [PILF-1001]
Beethoven: Solti & Perahia at the Barbi [PILC-1001]
American Karaoke: 50's Hit Parade 1 (1988) [PILK-1001]
Grand Piano: Peterson/Legrand/Bolling (1984) [PILJ-1001]
1941 (1979) [PILR-1001]
Daimajin Trilogy (1966) [PILD-7001]
City Hunter 2: vol.01 Good Days (1988) [PILA-1002] seem to be no PILA-1001 ?

btw, I thought PILF meant Pioneer-titles I'd Like to F*** lol sorry couldnt resist. But the W letter is Pioneer-titles I'd Like to Watch (maybe)

PIL = Pioneer LaserDisc

PILA = Animated
PILB = Background Video
PILC = Classical Music
PILD = Domestic Film
PILF = Foreign Film
PILH = Hi-Vision
PILJ = Jazz Music
PILK = Karaoke
PILL = Domestic Music
PILP = Pop (Foreign) Music
PILR = Rental Disc (Always the same stamper as the PILF version, but with yellow plastics)
PILW = Sports & Documentary

PIM = Pioneer LD-Single (single sided 8" disc)

PIMA = Animated
PIMF = Foreign Film
PIMK = Karaoke
PIML = Domestic Music
PIMW = Sports & Documentary

After a bit of digging it appears that the Pioneer PIL acronym on the PILx code listings actually stands for Pioneer Industries Laserdisc with the various letters that followed PIL being specific to that particular series of releases.

The transition from SFxxx to PILF occurred in 1990.
Warner transitioned from xxJL to NJxL in 1987, and then from NJxL to PILF in 1996.

This is by no means an absolute, but the earliest PILx title I have is PILR-7001 - Casino Royale, which is the rental version of SF057-5323 from April 1988. I will agree that the first title is likely PILF-1001 "There's No Business Like Show Business" released in April 1990. I have records indicating that "Song of the South", PILF-1096 was issued in March 1990, but the database here shows September 1990. I'll need to check my sources. I believe everything from April forward is PILF.

[Update]: Song of the South was indeed in September. Must have been a typo on my database.

SF = Film
SM = Music
JM = 8" Music

GxxxF = Film
GxxxM = Music
GxxxX = Television
WVxxx = Warner Music

THANKS .

An interesting note. PILx-1001 and up are "Pioneer" distributed titles. PILx-7001 and up are titles from other distributors - RCA/Columbia, Herald, Towa, Amuse, Pony, etc.

I think that the reason for the change is that taxation has begun.
Rental record store appeared in the early 1980s, there is a case in which it was gradually shifted to the video store. Based on it, and for future rental purpose, it seems to have the letter to distinguish S as a Sale.

SC045; Sale/Culture/4500yen
SC098; Sale/Culture/9800yen
SF047; Sale/Film/4700yen
SF128; Sale/Film/12800yen
SM045; Sale/Music/4500yen
SM058; Sale/Music/5800yen

However, the official rental is authorized it was that long after.

Thanks for all the input here folks - very informative & helpful .