At first I accepted the low PQ. I even didn't mind that the color was a bit washed out or the fact that I need to change a disc out twice, or the fact that I can't properly zoom in to the picture on my set. Yup, I was that dedicated of a fan that I was willing to look past these flaws. But what made me officially say "no more" was this evening as I was watching E.T. Here is my setup:

Display: Sharp 60" LED
Cables: Composite
Player: DVL-909 (also used my V2200 and had same results)

Something just didn't set quite right. I just couldn't figure it out. I had adjusted the settings on my TV to make up for the bright picture, but it wasn't until about 5 minutes in that I realized things were leaving trails and it was mostly noticeable in dark. I know everyone is gonna give me the "well you have to get an upscaler" or "well LD is just not for you then" (and in this case, the latter would be correct), but I NEVER had to run around this much with DVD. Maybe it is because I am scrutinizing the picture quality more since I paid a lot for a better player, but I am still very unimpressed and I didn't notice any difference in PQ between the two players.

I'll be selling off all my LD stuff now and just going back to DVD since it looks better, is cheaper, local stores sell it, and I can get every movie I want on DVD and don't have to have more than 1 player in my cramped room.

As a side note, I have to say, E.T. is f***ing scary. ET's hands and all the mist, and the spaceship, with the background score playing, it's a very unsettling experience.

Well, that's a little unfair to LD. LaserDisc doesn't have the built in scalers that DVD players do, so yes, you do end up having to go get one yourself. Also, you might try calibrating your set for LD (the same as you should for DVD), if you haven't already. Also, you probably should've gone for the cld-d70x series as it's usually cheaper and has higher PQ (the DVLs are based on the cld-d60x). Oh and, are those 17 titles on your Collection page all of it? And are you selling the stuff here?

No, I have a ton more. I have about 70 random ones that were made in the 80's which I'll probably sell as a lot, and about a dozen or so that I bought individually. Star Wars CAV, Indiana Jones, E.T. box set, Waterworld, Dumb and Dumber, Creepshow, Jurassic Park, Platoon hard cover edition (love this box set), Bordello of Blood, and some Steven Seagal movie

the CLD-D700 series were the first ones I tried to find and eBay didn't have any listed. The 909 was the best one I could find.

and yeah, you're right maybe it's unfair but I can't justify the price of a scaler nor do I want an extra piece of equipment I have to mess around with

Are you going to list those ones too? And that's some bad timing, there's a buy it now Panasonic LX-900 for 60 bucks.


Well, I don't know what you consider a high price, but I got my iScan HD for only around eighty dollars (that I also use for DVD scaling), for example.

Trails? Sounds like the film-to-video transfer. There's nothing I can think of in the LD format or electronics which would give that result.

maybe so, either way, I never had the problems with DVD or BD.

I think what drew me to LD was just the fact that it was different but even if a film is a perfect transfer, it still has the flaws of being bulky, hard to find, too many discs for a single film, etc. I am just a minimalist- maybe it's the mood I am in.

thanks for the insight, guys

maybe you have to already have a liking for analog to get into laserdisc, and perhaps liking "big bulky" things helps too, but with a better laserdisc player you'll be closer to a better image, ive never heard good things about the dvl series. i think your describing false outlines, you should defenitly try a different player before you give up! try a 3080 or a 3380 i hear good things about those and there not too expensive, give LD another chance!

Get a stand alone DVD ripper, scaler is built in. Works wonders!

That player has problems, though. The tray won't open. That's why it's listed at such a cheap price.

I say, please yourself. You don't have to justify to anyone the decisions you make with respect to home entertainment, after all.

I don't really understand the mindset which gets enthusiastic about something, sinks a bunch of money into it, & then abandons it just as rapidly. But I don't have to. As for myself, while it's true that I could probably acquire a good fraction of my LD library in DVD form, some of them even with a quality improvement, there's really no incentive. Only a few will ever be released in High Definition versions, so that's not terribly relevant either. LD works well for me, & I don't really have any stake in whether it does for others.

I have not read any reviews of the Sharp LEDs so I cant speak to that. I am currently using a 61in Samsung DLP and the image quality is perfectly acceptable (same as a non-anamorphic DVD). When the display receives an analogue signal it allows for zoom modes not available to digital signals so I can view the proper aspect ratio. Your Sharp may not allow this feature so buyer beware.

As soon as $$$ allow I will be picking up a video processor to render this problem moot and allow me to run digital...

I also gave up on Laserdisc some time back and admit Blu-ray makes Laerdisc look like s**t but I am now buying LD again as there are way to many films, commentary tracks, supplemental material etc... to be a true film fan without using the Laserdisc format. This stuff is just not going to be on DVD//BD or may take forever to get there.
Life is short so I am enjoying my LDs as well as DVD/BDs!

Have you properly calibrated the input you are using for the LD?
Also you definetly need a better player; at least a 703 or above...
Best Wishes.

i regret to inform that sharp makes some of the poorest electronics last decade or so. Sharp tv sets offer very poor picture only comparable dynex etc bestbuy store brands. I dont care what reviews says I sell av equipment for living I see almost every brand tv projo everyday.
As for the dvl, everone here agrees its not anything special.
So pretty much poor media,poor player,poor processing,poor display.
If you want decent pic. You need a good player and a scaler.

If you're looking for hd video and convenience of use then laserdisc probably isn't for you. For most of us here LD has a certain special quality that about them that makes them special. Personally, I have had more trouble with dvd than I've ever had with LD but that's me. I also hate streaming, and with local video stores going by the wayside, I'm pretty happy that I can own as many movies as I do and have spent as little as I have. Yes, they take up lots of space but it's a small price to pay for the joy I get out of having a better selection of titles in my backroom than Blockbuster ever did. I've never experienced the problem you're describing so I can't relate to your frustration, but I know one bad record, cd, tape, vhs, laserdisc, dvd, hd-dvd, or blu-ray would never turn me off to an entire format. I don't have incredibly expensive equipment and I do not have an upscaler. My TV handles the signal incredibly well and with most titles I cannot tell the difference between an LD or a dvd. But that's me or I guess I should say most of us here on the forum and to each their own. I wish you the best of luck in your future home entertainment.

gbpxl,
Glad to read your moving on from laserdisc.
Only because perhaps that will lead to less negative posts from you on this forum.
Also if you were scared by E.T. I highly recommend Stephen King"s " IT "
Thank you for this invigorating thread.

That's your problem right there. Now, I don't want to throw the old "LD is analog, HDTV isn't" routine. I've been through displays great for LD and displays bad for it. I've been through decent and so-so LD players. I've got "trails", smears, aliasing (mostly due to interlacing), rainbow edges, etc. on all of these different setups. Everyone here acknowledges the imperfections of Laserdisc and its fragile composite analog nature. Some of those including myself find the fun in these little imperfections and either embrace them or try to reduce them without losing quality. I suppose the latter was too tough for you and you decided to deport from it. If it makes you happy, I greatly support your next chapter. I will also be happy to buy the stuff you'll be selling. (I'll gladly take your DVL-909)

It seems like people here are getting a bit touchy. I don't get the hostility aimed at gbpxl. It's perfectly understandable that for some LaserDiscs are too outdated to deal with in today's Hi-Def world. It takes a lot of effort to make LDs look acceptable on a large screen LCD.

For myself, I've made an effort with LaserDiscs because I own movies in that format that aren't available on DVD or BD (yet). I also already invested heavily in the player and discs back in the early '90s, when LDs were the best quality available. It's not the same as someone who is getting into the format for the first time these days.

Sorry to hear about this

well, I'll be honest the Sharp is not quite as mind blowing as I had expected it to be, but the more I thought about it, I realized how many times I've had to ask myself whether something was HD or not (on any TV, not just mine) and to me that just says a lot about Blu Ray and High Def in general. The screen size and light weight was what was most important to me and I like that I can stream Netflix without anything extra needed.

Mitsubishi makes an awesome product. I have the rear projector and love the picture. Lots of control as well. Sound isnt the best but what the heck, you can fix that.