I'm thinking of buying a laserdisc player so I can get movies for cheap. I just want to know if it's worth the money. Do the Criterion laserdiscs have the same features as their DVDs? Is the quality as good or nearly as good as DVD quality? That's really all I can think of at the moment.
Quote from: Chest RockwellDo the Criterion laserdiscs have the same features as their DVDs?
Sometimes the laserdiscs have more features than the DVDs, as with the case of the Criterion "Silence Of The Lambs". Also the Criterion "Se7en" had more extras than the version New Line put out. Criterion "Crash" has a Cronenberg commentary that the DVD doesn't have.
Quote from: Chest RockwellIs the quality as good or nearly as good as DVD quality?
I think so.
So I should go ahead and put up the money for one, then?
Quote from: Chest RockwellSo I should go ahead and put up the money for one, then?
I would. There are things on laser that will never be on DVD. And laserdiscs and players are incedible cheap now, you could find some great deals.
do general stores like say best buy or something like that, do they still sell them? or would u have to do it off the internet? if u dont know i can look for myself, but i think u might :)
Quote from: ewarddo general stores like say best buy or something like that, do they still sell them? or would u have to do it off the internet?
Your best bet to finding laserdiscs nowadays is the internet. Even the store where I bought the bulk of my collection has them in limited supply and does their business on ebay.
cool, thanks
the quality of sound and picture on a laserdisc is better than the quality of sound and picture on a dvd. (IMO)
Yeah, but don't you have to flip those suckers over mid-movie. Talk about annoying.
Quote from: rudieobthe quality of sound and picture on a laserdisc is better than the quality of sound and picture on a dvd. (IMO)
Ah, let's see here... no.
Quote from: GoneSavageYeah, but don't you have to flip those suckers over mid-movie. Talk about annoying.
Just get one of those auto-flipping players. There's probably some sort of pause while it flips, but it'd only be a few seconds.
Quote from: rudieobthe quality of sound and picture on a laserdisc is better than the quality of sound and picture on a dvd. (IMO)
I can't imagine it would be better...otherwise the laserdisc would have hit off a little better than it did.
Billy Brown, Jack White must be a Laserdisc fan and beat you up for your comments.
What I love about Laserdiscs (and vinyls for that matter) is the big picture on the cover. It is so big. And sometimes, the cover of the DVD is lame and has all kind of critics' comments on it, but on the laserdisc it's just the big beautiful picture.
The beautiful picture is big and I like it.
Plus, they're so big and pretty and shiny!
I have a couple of LD's that I bought just to own, even though I didn't/don't own a player. They've both been released on DVD, so they're pretty worthless now.
If you ever want to own the Star Wars trilogy in its original form, laserdisc is probably the last place to own a quality version of it.
Quote from: Chest RockwellI can't imagine it would be better...otherwise the laserdisc would have hit off a little better than it did.
The reason they were so unpopular and unsuccessful was the cost. I was told that laser discs, back in its day, costed about $50-$100 per movie. The fact that you had to flip the disc, or weight a few seconds in between "autoflips" wasn't very appealing.
My dad informed me of this when I asked why we never had a laserdisc player, because there's a wealth of cinematic treasures available on laser discs that aren't on DVD.
If you can get all that crap cheap, I say definitely go for it. I would.
Quote from: samsongThe reason they were so unpopular and unsuccessful was the cost. I was told that laser discs, back in its day, costed about $50-$100 per movie.
Not entirely true. Only Criterion discs or Special Edition box sets were that much. The average laser was around $25 - $35.
I still have my player, but was forced to sell off the discs b/c of haggard financial woes (I miss those criterions most of all). The best part was the complete lack of copy-guard-- anything I wanted to keep, or any commentaries I wanted to save, they got booted to VHS.
Quote from: Weak2ndActI still have my player
I have a spot right on top of my dusty VCR for that :wink:
Quote from: GoneSavageBilly Brown, Jack White must be a Laserdisc fan and beat you up for your comments.
Indeed, I got von bondied, but good... :cry:
The media library at my university has some LDs. Any recommendations for titles that are on LD but not on DVD, or have interesting extras on the LD? I see they have Criterion Taxi Driver, which I hope has the Scorsese commentary.
Quote from: RaviAny recommendations for titles that are on LD but not on DVD
Short Cuts
Magnificent Ambersons
Bad Day At Black Rock
Suspicion
Foreign Correspondent
Dial M For Murder
Lifeboat
I Confess
Cat People (1942)
After Hours
Alice Doesn't Live Here Anymore
She's Gotta Have It
The Rapture
Quote from: Ravior have interesting extras on the LD?
The Game
Breaking The Waves
Crash
The Fisher King
Bram Stoker's Dracula
Trainspotting
Sling Blade
Shine
Menace II Society
Dead Presidents
Evita
I read that some LDs produce better image quality than poorly mastered DVDs because, although they output analog, they have far less compression.
you know what i got for xmas? a big ass laserdisc player!!! the remote for this thing is as big as my girlfriend's head!!! i love it! my gf's sister's bf is the head of AV club at OSU and he got me one. now i need some laserdiscs...
Holla!
Quote from: rudieobyou know what i got for xmas? a big ass laserdisc player!!!
Had you wanted one?
yes for like a year now. once i went to amoeba records and i saw a huge criterion laserdisc collection for sale, i wanted a laserdisc player....
Quote from: rudieobonce i went to amoeba records and i saw a huge criterion laserdisc collection for sale
LaserBlazer (http://www.laserblazer.com/) in West LA has a pretty good selection too, Criterion and non.