Mallette Posted November 2, 2008 Share Posted November 2, 2008 ...prices in the toilet. Just picked up a Sony MDP-750 with S-Video and optical out for 25 dollars with almost no use on it. I am picking up discs in lots as low as 50 cents each. On the high end, and at the PAW's request, nabbed a Star Wars Definitive Collection Laser Disc set in THX, letterbox for 32.00. Heck, at these prices I can live without 480P for most things. I can't rent stuff this cheap. I'm figuring if we just watch the stack we have then throw it all out we came out ahead. Reminds me of vinyl...but even vinyl prices are higher. Spent the afternoon listening/watching a stunning performance of Brahm's Piano Concertos with Bernstein and Vienna. Now I am prowling for opera. Some killer performances out there for peanuts. Price/performance...that's the ticket. And LaserDisc has never been cheaper. I can't seem to learn to keep my mouth shut. I said this about Frazier speakers in two channel and prices for them quadrupled. Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
damonrpayne Posted November 2, 2008 Share Posted November 2, 2008 Interesting, Dave. What are the output resolution (480i?) and audio codecs supported? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mallette Posted November 2, 2008 Author Share Posted November 2, 2008 I haven't looked at the specs in years. However, I THINK audio is 16/48. Most folks aren't aware the video is analog. That's why the discs are so big, and yes, it is 480i. So, I have it on an old, but still pretty much in spec, 50 inch Toshiba rear projection in the Family Room where my Frazier Eleven's reside. I just realigned it and the video is very, very nice, and the audio is awesome. Like I said, the 480p from a DVD is certainly nicer...but I am an audio guy anyway and at the price I can tolerate a little less video res. After all, it is ALL, including 1080P, flat as a pancake and won't fool my cat...and at these prices a no brainer. Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sfogg Posted November 2, 2008 Share Posted November 2, 2008 LD is 480i (just as DVD is) and for audio it has 2 analog channels and 2 channel CD quality. Near the end of LDs run they had AC-3 (DD) available though it required an external demodulator to convert for the AC-3 RF signal output on compatible LD players to a standard DD stream. Shawn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich_Guy Posted November 2, 2008 Share Posted November 2, 2008 I had a Sony MDP 510 in the early 90's, it did have optical digital out. It was a great player with great sound at the time. Here is a link to one. http://www.laserdiscarchive.co.uk/laserdisc_archive/sony/sony_mdp-722/sony_mdp-722.htm The laser disc resolution was 425 lines Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldtimer Posted November 2, 2008 Share Posted November 2, 2008 My brother in law has had laser discs for years now. His player has been repaired a few times. The downside for me (now this is really ironic) is that you have to flip the disc in the middle of the movie. Sure there are valid reasons why its different with an lp than it is with a movie, but the hair splitting can get fine...We purchase discs for him when we find them. I recall a very nice transaction with whamo from this forum a couple of years back. Dave if you run across more working players for that kind of money and you don't want it give me a shout? It sounds a lot cheaper than repairs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mallette Posted November 3, 2008 Author Share Posted November 3, 2008 The MDP-750 reverses automatically. It's amazingly fast given that the disc has to spin down from 3k or so and spin up in the reverse direction. I think other top of the line models had this feature as well. Since I'd nabbed mine I did not really survey the market, but the glance I had at it suggested that there were lots of working players at 150.00 or less. Given that the supply of software on Ebay is huge, and the risks small compared to used vinyl and such, it's a heckuva deal unless one just has a fetish for high res video. Actually, I am quite convinced that a few of the discs I've acquired (Star Wars Definitive, Back to the Future Trilogy, Gone With the WInd Special Edition, Fantasia 50th Ann, Etc.) will increase in value over the years. Don't really care, but a nice thought. My Beatles "Meet the Beatles" reel to reel is worth a bunch, as is my Sun Elvis and a few others from "obsolete" formats. Dave Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Oosto Posted November 8, 2008 Share Posted November 8, 2008 DTS was also supported and interestingly, audio was at 1.5mbs compared to the majority of DVD DTS releases being at 768kbs. In fact, I still whip out the ol' Jurassic Park DTS LD on the odd occasion for demo purposes because IMO the DTS audio on the LD is superior to the DVD version. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
artto Posted November 8, 2008 Share Posted November 8, 2008 I have an old Pioneer PR-8210 LaserDisc I would like to part with if anyone is interested. I have maybe 12-20 discs too. Raiders of the Lost Arc Special Edition comes to mind. Back to the Future, Rear Window, a Reference Recordings calibration disc & others. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wsu99999 Posted November 13, 2008 Share Posted November 13, 2008 I've wanted to get into Laserdisc's too. I almost picked up a deal on Ebay last year that had about 200 discs, and a top of the line Pioneer player. It ended up going for around 175 bucks but the shipping on it was outrageous due to the weight and size of the discs. I ended up passing, but I see package deals on the bay all the time that are nice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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