I have just recently started buying some cheap laserdiscs from Ebay and now I need something play them on. Are there any online stores that have any decently priced players out there? Or am I going to have to get a player off of Ebay too? Thanks.

Laserdisc only players are long gone from store shelves. No one makes them anymore. You might still be able to get a new Pioneer combi DVD/LD player but otherwise it's back to Ebay.



Jeff

I have seen a few odd, lone players in New York near Chinatown, but for the most part they are no longer stocked.
I bought a player off eBay w/remote and I didn't get burned... YMMV. I'd check some online stores or look into a DVD/LD combo player, which should be easier to obtain new.

A friend od mine just bought the same DVD/LD player I have (Pioneer DVL-919) for $715.00 delivered from JandR.com. IF you can find another internet site selling it cheaper they will price match and since J & R has been around for 25-30 years and is a trusted company it's best to go through them instead of a unknown company.

Laser Disc Players
 

Go to ebay. Search under electronics and laser discs. I have seen everything from new in the box Yamaha for near $1000 to very good Pioneer, etc for about $100. Many come with several discs.

I got a like new Marantz LV 500 from a high fi audio store via ebay. Came with the manual and remote. Was a later model having Toslink optical out in addition to the RCA plugs.

Good way to pick up non-DVD available movies such as Star Wars, Indy Jones, Schindler, Grease, Lion King, Bambi, Song of the South, etc. Becarefull buying by looking at the sellers' feedback. Don't pay too much for discs either

What are some features to look for in a LD player? For example, I heard that not all of them have digital audio outputs. Anything else important?

The main feature you want are Auto-Flip that will play both sides of the LD so you don't have to get up and turn the LD's over. Also you want Optical or Coaxial Digital outputs as well as AC-3 RF output (to output to a RF demodulator to hear Dolby Digital 5.1 audio! DTS audio will be heard as long as there is a Digital output.

I'd also look for s-video out for high quality video. Mine doesn't have RF output. I kind of wish it did, but I'm really happy with Dolby Pro Logic on most and I've got a few in DTS. Not too bad. There are a limited number of discs in DTS, though. I bought mine on ebay for 90 dollars. It is brand new but 5 years old. Never even used. fiber optic output, s-video, plays cds, plays CD-Rs ;), and has auto-side-flip. Also a remote. It's the RCA LDR 400, an exceptional player. I'm very happy with it. Good luck!

If you can, get the Pioneer CLD-D703 or the D704. The D704 adds AC-3 Dolby Digital RF Output, but you can modify the D703 with a $75 kit from precisionlaserdisc.com easily. They have excellent reliability and one of the best video output quality.

Expect to pay $200-250 for the 703 and $300-400 for the 704.

I've got a dumb question. If I have AC-3 out on my ld player, what do I hook into on my receiver? My receiver (Onkyo txds-787) doesn't have AC-3 input. Do I go to a demodulator and then out of that into the digital coax or would I just need a receiver with ac-3 in? Thanks. I may try to pick up the 704. Does it have s-video? I assume it does. What about toslink? Thanks

The 703/704 have digital audio via optical. They also have S-Video.

Now you bring up a non-dumb question. The AC-3 RF output.

The technology of laserdiscs developed over a period of time, from a pretty crude standpoint to where they were when DVD hit the scene. At first, there was these analog soundtracks in stereo! Then ProLogic Surround using the analog soundtracks. When Dolby Digital came on to the scene, the decision was made to use one of the analog tracks (from the left and right channels). The system took the analog encoded data and passed it out to thru an RF coaxial connector.

The downside of this, was that if you tried to play an AC-3 laserdisc without using the AC-3 signal, one stereo channel was pure noise.

Laserdiscs also added digital sound, and this was used for DTS, or playing back commentaries, etc. So most modern players easily handled digital soundtracks and passed them thru to the receiver via a digital cable, just like DVD players.

But that old AC-3 analog RF signal used for Dolby Digital 5.1.... it was not digital. Some older higher end receivers had RF inputs, but newer receivers did not. They expected a digital signal.

To solve this, you need an RF-Demodulator. These things used to be more common place, but they became out of production. Common mfrs are Sony, Pioneer, and Yamaha. The price of these units jumped up a lot on the ebay type market. One of the above units added autoswitching for dual inputs...

I recommend looking into a Sony MOD-RF1, they occasionally get them into stock at the Sony Online Store and you can buy them directly from Sony for $119 or so. Either that, or don't get AC-3 laserdiscs.

Randyc, thanks for your informative post. This information will help me immensely. One more question- what input on the receiver does the demodulator go to? I may just stick with non AC-3 laserdiscs, like you said. I'm aware of a mod to mine, though, that I could probably do myself for about 30 dollars. Not bad. Are there very many titles out there in DD 5.1? Or is it somewhat like DTS, with very limited titles? I really enjoy collecting laserdiscs. The video quality is superb, and it gives me a real sense of nostalgia every time I get one. Much like something great that has been left behind by others for me to enjoy. Also, the Criterion titles on ld seem to be limitless!

Thanks. I do have a lot of those discs. :) I have been actively selling laserdiscs from my website for years now. I had over 2000 of those bad boys (including a few Under Siege II discs..inside joke).

The output from a demod is either an optical or coaxial digital connector, just like your dvd player. Standard digital connection. I believe my Sony demod has either available.


There are a lot of AC-3 discs out there, such as Star Wars as a major example. Depends on how much it means to you. I got to listen to The Phantom Menace in 5.1 sound on laserdisc a long time ago. It had great sound.

I also collect Criterion LD titles. :)

http://www.chases.org/laserdiscs.html

Just a quick note. S-Video is not that big of a deal on a LD player. If the player you get has a better comb filter than your TV you are betting off using the composite video output. With my LD player its about even, so the picture looks the same with either S-Video or composite.

On my setup laserdiscs actually look better when I use the composite video connection instead of the S-video. I have them both running through my receiver, so I can switch between them instantly, and when I do comparisons composite almost always has a cleaner, more appealing picture. My Hitachi Ultravision apparently has a better comb filter than my Pioneer LD player (CLD-D504). With satellite, I think S-video is just slightly better looking than composite, and with DVD component and S-video both look far better than composite.

Thanks for the heads up! I'm gonna hook my ld player up with composite video to see how it looks.