Anyone here ever own a LaserDisc player?

[Guestx]

Because I'm a dork I just watched a short doc. about the technology of the lazerdisc player. I found it interesting that they are actually an analog media source.

I'm gonna check this out, thanks.

 

[Steve-French]

I'm gonna check this out, thanks.

It's only 10 minutes long, but it's still good. I catch a retro tech youtube rabbit hole once in a while. For some reason I find older or lesser known technology (video games, computers, physical media etc..) information to be fascinating. This and Pro Wrestling shoot videos are my youtube guilty pleasures

 

[Guestx]

It's only 10 minutes long, but it's still good. I catch a retro tech youtube rabbit hole once in a while. For some reason I find older or lesser known technology (video games, computers, physical media etc..) information to be fascinating. This and Pro Wrestling shoot videos are my youtube guilty pleasures

If you want to learn about a movie format that's far more obscure than LaserDisc, then look into CED:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capacitance_Electronic_Disc

 

[Steve-French]

If you want to learn about a movie format that's far more obscure than LaserDisc, then look into CED:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capacitance_Electronic_Disc

I posted this earlier in this thread (post #15) but thanks though. A friend of mine's parents used to have one with a milk crate full of movies.

 

[Guestx]

I posted this earlier in this thread (post #15) but thanks though. A friend of mine's parents used to have one with a milk crate full of movies.

Oh shit, I missed that somehow. I just learned about this format a few years ago. It seems pretty shitty, honestly.

 

[Pwent]

wasnt as revolutionary as a dvd rewinder for me

 

[Steve-French]

Oh shit, I missed that somehow. I just learned about this format a few years ago. It seems pretty shitty, honestly.

I always wanted to watch a movie on it at my friends house, but we never did. it was the early-mid 90's and we were young teenagers and a lot of the movies they had weren't very identifiable to us as most of them were from the 70's.

Plus when I was at his house it was usually for a sleep over. We would be outside playing in the woods during the day and at night we would rent VHS tapes or SNES games. This is where I actually watched the first UFC events on VHS.

 

[jefferz]

Now that you mention it, I remember in my 9th grade social studies class we watched something on LaserDisc. I'm pretty sure that was the one and only time I encountered it in the world and can't for the life of me remember what we watched.

The one we watched was about the Gallopgas islands and it was narrated by David Attenborough.

The teacher also had Last of the Mohicans and I remember being blown away at how much better it looked.

 

[Guestx]

The teacher also had Last of the Mohicans and I remember being blown away at how much better it looked.

It would be interesting to see a side-by-side comparison between VHS and LaserDisc on an old SDTV.

 

[TeTe]

Never had one, but I did have a Betamax when I was like 9 or 10.

 

[loyalyolayal]

wasnt as revolutionary as a dvd rewinder for me

I remember the 30 rock quote "Technology is cyclical".

 

[mushishi]

The one we watched was about the Gallopgas islands and it was narrated by David Attenborough.

The teacher also had Last of the Mohicans and I remember being blown away at how much better it looked.

Dayum, that fool been narrating nature docs since the days white dudes had afros!

 

[Jesus X]

my cousin had one we watched AKIRA on laserdisc like in 1998 or 99. iirc correctly it had an A and B side and you had to flip them over.

 

[Peteyandjia]

I had the UNEDITED Star Wars on it.

I have the file ripped from that

Only version I watch

 

[Jesus X]

I remember the 30 rock quote "Technology is cyclical".

{Liz watches Dennis on Dateline NBC's "To Catch A Predator" in shock}
Chris Hansen: What are you doing here tonight?
Dennis:{with balloons} I'm here to boff some chick named Mary.
Chris Hansen: "Boff some chick named Mary"... do you know how old Mary is?
Dennis: 22... I think?
{Liz screams, Dennis runs in and turns off the TV}
Liz: Oh, my God!
Dennis: Oh, crap! That girl said she was 16, but I swear to God I could tell she was 22!

 

[Peteyandjia]

I didn't have a LD player but my friend did, and we were excited like two little kids on Xmas when HEAT came in the mail. At the time, it was the first way to really see the film in the full widescreen since the theater, since it's a particularly wide-shot film & the double-VHS version cropped the shit out of it.

 

[Guestx]

@Lionel Mandrake, okay, I watched that video. Pretty interesting stuff.

It was cool to see the LaserDisc/DVD comparison.

 

[Guestx]

 

[djacobox372]

I had one in the early 90's and amassed quite a collection of movies.

They only held 60 minutes per side, and that was if it was an "extended play" disc. Normal Play discs were only 30 minutes per side. Since normal play was higher quality, most of the collectors editions were in that mode, which meant 2-3 discs per movie, stopping to flip or change the disc 4-5 times.

Quality was really good for the time, not as high resolution as DVD, but with much less compression. I remember dark movies like Blade Runner and Aliens looking much better on the Laserdisc than the first DVD releases due to the horrible compression artifacts on the DVD. Later DVD releases improved compression and made Laserdisc officially obsolete.

 

[Guestx]

They only held 60 minutes per side, and that was if it was an "extended play" disc. Normal Play discs were only 30 minutes per side. Since normal play was higher quality, most of the collectors editions were in that mode, which meant 2-3 discs per movie, stopping to flip or change the disc 4-5 times.

That does sound like a huge pain in the ass.