Audio sound quality food chain (unless you are hearing impaired or have poor equipment)...
1)Vinyl
2)SACD (Direct Stream Digital aka DSD)
3)DVD-A (Meridian Lossless Packing aka MLP)
4)DTS HD Master Audio
Its all down hill from there folks...

This thread was supposed to be about Laserdisc right; can we get back to that?!

"Audio sound" is subjective and always has been. The tech specs are simply informative.

glad to read this one, this is correct and always will be.

I notice a difference between flac and mp3 though. huge difference there. never listened to vinyl and havent listened to a casette tape in over a decade

I got Weird Al's Album on vinyl, that count? ;0

The math/sampling rates of the codec(s) is not 'subjective' nor 'simply informative'; it is scientific fact.

Can we PLEASE get back to Laserdisc now; this thread has gone WAY off topic?

Here in the UK vinyl never 100% disappeared. Many artists big and small released albums and singles on vinyl throughout the 90s, even when it wasn't the cool thing to do. Unfortunately most 90s vinyl is of pretty poor quality but because it never went away it meant that vinyl's return wasn't too hard, on the other hand there hasn't been a laserdisc manufactured for around a decade now, so I agree that comparing laserdiscs to vinyl is a dead end.

We may see the occasional new laserdisc player being produced sometime in the future but I think on the whole we have as long as we can maintain our players. I guess all we can do is try and keep everything in as good condition as we can for as long as possible so later generations can enjoy dabbling in past formats some day.

THANK YOU for returning this thread to its original topic!!!!
I have read there is a guy in VA and one in Washington state that repairs/refurbishes players.
If anyone knows of any other places to have LD players repaired please let us know.

I think most major cities will have somewhere to get players repaired, when I was looking to repair mine benmbe pointed me in the direction of this link (http://www.pioneer.eu/uk/content/support/support/service.html) where you can download an xls of authorised pioneer laserdisc player servicers in the UK, I'm sure there's something similar for each country.

Thanks for the info; lets take this advice global if we can as the cost of packaging and shipping players is huge!

I shall be having an HLD X0 shipped from Japan this year hopefully, And fully serviced.
I am aware that the shipping to the uk will cost around $400+, and customs charges will no doubt be around the £700+

The cost is based on the CLD-97 that I imported from the US 4yrs ago, at half the weight of the X0 and this came to £330+ in customs charges. . . . . Besides the cost of shipping.

You are right ohreally,
It is expensive servicing & shipping the hardware.

As Corporal Hicks said in "Aliens", "Your not reading IT right", as in my post. Audio sound is of course subjective (of or resulting from the FEELINGS of the person). The math/sampling rates are absolutely factual, your right, I didn't say THEY were subjective. Also, if they didn't inform you, you wouldn't know what the you were listening to. So, blu ray may technically blow away laserdisc, but many people might not like it, therefor subjective.

You are not obligated to read posts that cause you to "yawn". Laserdisc delivers awesome audio and comparisons to it often arise.

Hi Remington,

For me personally and this is just a personal preference.
Laserdisc got it right with the sound

DVD was a compromise because market forces pressured the manufactuers to produce something smaller. . . . .something had to give and it was the sound ''BIG TIME''
Not to mention the fact that a number of the studios didn't make the DVD format, the best that it could be and so produced dvd's with shoddy authoring.

the exceptions were movie titles from ''NEW LINE'' warner, of which were spotless and sharp
Sony SUPERBIT titles were also good

HD DVD was also a fine format that was a more finished product when it came to market than Blu-ray.

Blu-ray is a fine format, but the sound ''for me anyway'' still doe's not match the richness of Laserdisc and only a few come close.

Regards

Thanks for an interesting read benmbe. If you've read many of my posts you will see that I always put a strong emphasis on preference. It is for that reason that I advocate for an eventual analog video return. There are many words to describe the audio of laserdisc, but my favorite is the word "open". The spacial feel is what I'm getting at. I would rather hear the crackle of thunder, the breaking of glass, etc. on ld over blu ray (or dvd) because it sounds real, full and open.

I love listening to the old Universal monster films on ld especially in regards to audio. I'm glad to see some of the younger generation becoming exposed to laserdisc. However, some hold to statistics and revolutions with such fervor that it becomes important (at times) to stress the past, and alternatives.

Digressing to the original topic, I believe we could have another 70 years of our current laserdisc technology because there are enough dedicated individuals to maintain it. You might not think about it but there are hundreds, if not thousands of 1922 home radios still working, kept operational or stored for parts. Laserdisc players are much more mechanically complicated units but the zeal of their owners may exceed a 1922 home radio enthusiast.

Hi Remington,

The word ''OPEN'' is a perfect way of describing the sound from Laserdisc's

Your quote;
It is for that reason that I advocate for an eventual analog video return.

My reply;
Well wouldn't that be a fine day if & when it happens.
You and I are not alone in this hope my friend.

Always a pleasure to read your post's as they are simple clear and well balanced, and are written with experience.

I shall look forward to further correspondence.

Sincere Regards

I greatly appreciate your sentiments. Thank you.

Here we go again with this again...

Pop in "Sucker Punch" (Extended Version) and listen to the DTS HD Master Audio soundtrack; if it does not sound better to you than any Laserdisc then you have a problem somewhere in your equipment.

Please remember I LOVE Laserdisc as much as you or anyone else here on this forum but 'feelings' don't change the fact that the new codecs are better for accurate sound reproduction.
I'll put it another way; if you are feeling like it is not raining and it is in fact raining and you walk out in the rain naked you are going to get wet regardless of your feelings.

Continue to flame if you want but it is hard science you will be flaming not me; I am just the messenger and I am done and hoping to get this thread back on track.
Be advised there is a Soundtrack forum...

This thread is supposed to be about preserving our beloved Laserdisc format so can we get back to that?

"Feelings" is a confusing word for you. "Personal" (also meaning subjective) is a word you might understand and more aptly apply to the discussion. Laserdisc deals with the world of audio, any and all references MAY appear.

As you have repeatedly designated yourself a guardian of what must appear on this thread and what bores you as well, as per policy I will leave it to the site ADMINISTRATOR (and possibly the fan base) to determine how we can "properly" talk about laserdisc. Most don't want that rigid of an enviornment. We all become informed through various means. And please, say what it is you want to say that is ON TOPIC. You are not held back from doing so, nor should you be.

AND AGAIN...
This thread is supposed to be about preserving our beloved Laserdisc format so can we get back to that?

Thank you for your feedback. Yes I agree, always uplift and preserve laserdisc. I actually have a web site devoted to that, it's called "Laserdisc Today." In all my posts, I put laserdisc above all formats and vigerously support it. Even though the bit rates are higher on dvd and blu ray, I still like the sound of laserdisc better.