R.I.P. Laserdisc

[yuppicide]

http://www.akihabaranews.com/en/news-17346.....+Finally.html

 

So since Pioneer has stopped making them what will become of broken laserdisc games?

[Albert]

Wow, I had no idea Pioneer was still making LD players (and three different ones, at that!)

 

As for those broken laserdisc games, well, I could see the guts being replaced with a cheap computer streaming the video from a hard drive.

 

..Al

[Artlover]

[+remowilliams]

I would never have guessed they were still being manufactured.

 

As for those broken laserdisc games, well, I could see the guts being replaced with a cheap computer streaming the video from a hard drive.

So says the 3 laserdisc files taking up like 40GB of hard drive space here.

[+SpiceWare]

I knew players were still being made, hadn't heard they stopped.

 

I've got 100+ laserdiscs - you can see a few of them here(and in the pictures that follow). I used to hide the rear speaker's cables behind them. Now they're stored in the left end of this unit, except for the Collectors Edition of Toy Story that's displayed on the right.

 

As with the switch from LPs to CDs, the decreased size hampers the cover artwork.

[Cassidy Nolen]

Most Karaoke bars use them for the old Pioneer series of discs. They have videos and everything, very neat. I am impressed they lasted this long. Being a laserdisc fan, I too have a collection of them and a player on each tv. Still enjoy them and find some appeal in the flipping of the movie (perfect mid movie break). Sound and video quality are good and I too love the artwork. Something never appealed to me about laser media on DVD. I just don't get excited about dropping 25 bucks on a movie anymore. Sure did with my LD player.

 

As for games, http://www.dragons-lair-project.com/tech/ has it covered pretty well what fits what. Many of the educational players can be hacked to work on games. Even the scary "radioactive"players can be adjusted and most of the time fixed. They are tempermental on location but I think once you have a good disc and a clean player your home use machine will be fine.

 

Just my .25. BTW, I was once restoring a Mach machine and I tested the player on a Star Wars laserdisc. Want to see something strange, how about a Star Wars movie playing in an arcade cabinet!

 

CN

[MrAtari2600]

well it going to go like everytthing has,

First the big companies stop making it,

the little china companies figure out how, and we get them to make them

or make replacment parts.

[+FujiSkunk]

Wow. I actually have one of those models, bought back in 1999 or so. The DVL-919 is a combination DVD and laserdisc player. Mine needed a trip to the repair shop shortly after arrival, and they never did fix it right, so it has trouble playing the second side of a laserdisc. Otherwise, the thing is still going strong, even if its DVD capabilities are lacking compared to most players on the market now.

 

I've tried not to be too nostalgic about laserdiscs. As cool as they were at the time, DVD trumped them in almost every way. But I still have a few gems on laserdisc that have never seen a DVD release (including one of my all-time favorites, Twice upon a Time), and I've still kept a few double-disc releases like Independence Day, because the packaging is just that awesome.

 

Oh well. Rest in peace, LD. 30+ years is a good run.

 

Totally useless trivia: What is the only movie to be available on laserdisc the entire time LDs were on the market? Jaws.

Edited January 16, 2009 by skunkworx