UltimateAVmag.com: Things To Do with Your Laser Disc Player When You're Dead

You plan your life around it, your purchases, living arrangements, and, in some cases, even your career. No, not your family, they can fend for themselves. I'm talking about your orphaned electronic equipment. I don't know about you, but I've got tons of it and it's starting to haunt me bad.

This stuff follows you around like a dead dog, meaning, it doesn't follow you at all, you have to pick it up and take it everywhere you want it to be. Like a retarded Visa card.

Two laser disc players, buried in a closet, waiting to play the near one hundred movies that I collected at prices I'm too embarrassed to admit to now. Back then, you'd think nothing of paying $40 for the privilege of owning a double disc that had you swapping discs in the dark at usually the most inappropriate points during a movie. But there was no choice if you owned a CRT projector. On my Dwin CRT projector, Laserdiscs were the only thing that looked good on the big screen until DVDs and HiDef came along.

Why two players? My first one was the high-end Pioneer Elite CLD-97. This is a beautiful piece of furniture. And heavy. In the high-end game, heavy usually translates to quality. For instance, when Heavy breaks, it costs a fortune to ship it back to the manufacturer. Now that's a sign of quality.

The CLD-97 has a coaxial digital output. Most players in the early and mid Nineties did not. You had CD quality sound which turned into a reasonably surrounding 5.1 soundtrack when played through Dolby Pro Logic which was the only game in town in the early days. Too bad Pro-Logic IIx wasn't available a decade ago. I still think PL II is the cat's meow.

If you own a laserdisc player, you can say things like "cat's meow."

When discrete 5.1 sound came along (gather round boyz and girlz), it wasn't, as many might expect, with the advent of the DVD. Both flavors, Dolby Digital and DTS, were actually first introduced with laser discs. I know, I'm rocking your world.

DTS could be encoded on the digital surround track of a laser disc player and decoded by your receiver or processor if so equipped (my Theta Casablanca has the processing built in). But Dolby Digital used one of the two analog audio channels of the laserdisc to hold a modulated Dolby Digital signal. You needed a special player with an AC-3 RF modulator and a special receiver function called an AC-3 RF Demodulator to make this work.

And you thought having to select 4x3 or 16x9 from your DVD player's setup menu was complicated.

Anywho, on to the 2nd laserdisc player, a Pioneer CL 505. The Pioneer offered the AC-3 output which plugged nicely into my special AC-3 demod card in the Casablanca. I dare say you could buy a decent 5.1 channel Denon receiver today for what that single option added to the price of the Casablanca. But wow, this was really exciting stuff back then!

Of course, the CL 505 (a very non-Elite Pioneer with cheap written all over it - I mean come on, it weighs what, about 2 lbs?) didn't have a digital coaxial output. So here's how the decision process went when reaching for a laserdisc: Is it a Dolby Digital encoded movie? If so, use the cheap, non-flipping (oh yeah, you had to had to get up to flip sides too) CL 505. DTS and everything else? The Pioneer Elite CLD-97 worked great.

After checking what a CLD-97 went for recently on ebay, albeit with lots of collectible discs, I may want to dig mine out of the closet, if I can ever get back that far. Of course, putting a laser disc player into the rack begs the question, would I ever use it? Does anybody still watch their laser discs?

Is there life before DVD?

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Reader Comments

Posted Sun Apr 9, 2006, 10:02 PM — By Kevin in Baltimore

Fred- You are not alone! I've still got a the Elite CLD-59 with the Sony AC-3 Demodulator in my equipment rack. I must look at the manual every time I play AC-3 disc. And reduce the picture on the Sony Projector to the smallest possible for it to look decent. No anamorphic picture-a 2.35:1 picture has 282 lines! Keep the Faith!

Posted Mon Apr10, 2006, 12:12 PM — By Robert Deutsch

Hi Fred- Doesn't *everybody* have two Pioneer laserdisc players? Mine are a CLD-D604 and a CLD-D104. The CLD-D604 plays both sides of the disc and has an AC-3 output; the cheaper CLD-D104 lacks these features but the picture quality is actually better. Neither one comes up to the image or sound quality of a DVD played even on a cheap current player. When DVDs were first introduced and it was apparent that the format was going to be successful, I heard the suggestion that this a good time to buy a top Pioneer Elite player, in that laserdiscs may develop the kind of following that LPs have, and these players would be worth their considerable weight in gold. That obviously didn't happen, but maybe I should check Ebay to see what they're selling for...

Posted Tue Apr11, 2006, 3:10 AM — By Michael Moskovitz

Hello Fred, My CLD-90 DVD/LD combo bit the dust last summer after and electrical storm, no help from Panamax. A few months later I bough a Pioneer Elite CLD-59 DTS and AC-3 compatible player from a salesman at a local high end shop for $100. Like you he said it was collecting dust in his closet. After reconnecting it to my system I put in some of my old AC-3 copy of Pink Floyd's The Wall and a DTS copy of the Frighteners. I was reminded of just how exciting home theater is. I think that the current generation of videophiles is losing something in the translation of old laserdisc titles from laserdisc to DVD. My living room surround system is modest but my ears tell me that I just don't hear the same full body sound from most commercially released DVDs that I hear in some of my old laserdiscs. Do you think that the sound quality of the lossless audio formats on the forthcoming HD-DVD and Blue Ray DVD formats will bring back that full bodied laserdisc sound? Best Regards, Michael

Posted Tue Apr11, 2006, 6:34 PM — By Jeremy Frost

Fred, your blog makes me laugh out loud pretty consistently. I've managed to lurk quietly up until now, but I have to comment on this entry. I too have two old Pioneer LD players. One is a CLD-A100 Laseractive player, which you may remember was a hugely overpriced unit that could accept modules to allow it to play Sega Genesis and TurboGrafx-16 video games, Laserdisc games designed specifically for the Laseractive player, and even karaoke discs. For all it can do, it doesn't have an AC-3 RF output, so of course I have another, a CLD-59. Incidentally, the auction you linked to is for a CLD-79, not a -97. Dyslexics, untie! I agree with Robert that the LD image we all used to drool over looks pretty pitiful these days. But whether the improvements are real or imagined, full bit rate DTS LDs command a premium on the used market. And you don't even need a demodulator.

Posted Wed Apr12, 2006, 8:47 AM — By jean

Hello Fortunately, my LD player was a Philips who died after some years ( 1st the remote control then the unit ). I still own a DCC by the same manufacturer : it still reads the cassettes ( I must admit it's not as good as my TEAC V1010 ) but refuse to record DCC. Also I think days are counted for my portable minidisc ( although with ATRAC ), mini DV's ( cos ' of mini DVDR ), DAT, like in Ancient Times Elcaset, reel to reel or 8 & even 4-track cartridges. The main problem with LD was you can't record with the machine and the quality was close to SVHS. But it plays CD nicely ( again not as good as modern DVD players ) and I remember one high end LD by an american outfit ( EAD ? ). Nice article, nice feedback, really.

Posted Wed Apr12, 2006, 4:21 PM — By Tom Norton

I have two laserdisc players, too, both CLD-97s. We should start a two LD player club. Who's for jackets? When I unpacked one of them a couple of months ago (they've both been in boxes for the past five years, waiting for the Laserdisc renaissance, no doubt) I couldn't find the remote. Then I unpacked the other. No remote there, either. I've been meaning to contact Pioneer and have them check their catacombs for spares.

Posted Wed Apr26, 2006, 5:20 PM — By John Keane

I've had a Pioneer CLDD704 for some years now, and couldn't figure out why my Onkyo receiver would not decode it's digital audio as anything but Dolby PLII (DVDs usually register as Dolby D-ex). I've recently found that a demodulator has to be hooked up to the AC-3 RF out, then hook it up to an optical or digital output. Is this the same for discs with the DTS track? Can I receive these as DTS without the aid of a box, that on the secondary market, will cost me more than the actual LD player?

Posted Wed Apr26, 2006, 6:36 PM — By Steve Keppel-Jones

Unlike almost everyone else here, I have only one laserdisc player - the beefy Denon LA-3100 (dual-sided, optical digital coaxial output, no AC-3 output - originally). The reason I didn't need to buy a second player to handle AC-3 discs is that I hacked the Denon to produce the RF AC-3 signal at a coaxial port, which then plugs into my external RF AC-3 decoder. Presto, instant digital surround upgrade! So I don't need to make any complicated decisions about which player to use when I pull a disc from the rack. But my pre/pro has some limitations on how many different digital audio inputs it's willing to automatically accept from a single video device, so sometimes I have to reconfigure that (all onscreen at least).

Posted Mon May 8, 2006, 1:39 PM — By Hans

Hi John, the DTS sound of DTS laserdisks comes right out of the digital coaxial or optical connector instead of the PCM signal, so you don't need any extra box besides your DTS-capable AV-decoder. When I once had the problem regarding DD 5.1, I went to the electronics junkyard and could get an old Denon AVD-2000 DD-decoder with an AC-3 RF input - still working ! It feels like to buy a used car just in order to get a cigarette lighter - however saved a lot of money by not buying a dedicated AC-3 RF demodulator ... so now I have this Denon pitifully hooked up between my Pioneer CLD-925 laserdisc player and my modern Yamaha AV-decoder/amplifier, as a kind of "RF demodulator with remote control". By the way I do even have more than two players, the others being a Philips LDP 600WS and a Pioneer DVL-919 - all work fine and besides DVD I still enjoy watching laserdiscs - all of them look better than ordinary TV broadcast.

Posted Wed May10, 2006, 8:28 PM — By Keith Roberts

I too have a pioneer CLD-925 still connected up in my rack with a lexicon LDD-1 AC-3 RF demodulator. I still enjoy watching my laserdiscs as I have many films I have not replaced with DVD's, and untill September, it's still the only way to watch the original Star Wars trilogy.

Posted Fri May12, 2006, 8:37 PM — By Michael Moskovitz

The original Star Wars trilogy was the real reason we all kept the flame for laserdisc. Well George has decided to lighten our wallets again with DVDs of the original trilogy. I'll keep my wallet shut uless they offer uncompressed PCM stereo sountracks. Cheers,

Posted Sat May13, 2006, 12:26 AM — By Fred Manteghian

Michael, what a brilliant suggestion, the thought of a stereo PCM track is pretty great, especially when you consider how wonderful ProLogic II or IIx is compared to original Dolby. I bet it will sound fantastic and, yes, uncompressed!

Harry Potter, two channel mode (DD 2 channel, not even PCM), play squibage or whatever that flying game is, in PL-IIX was awesome. Every bit as good as the DD 5.1 track on that sequence.

May the force be with you!

Posted Sat May13, 2006, 12:33 AM — By Fred Manteghian

Keith, do you mind if I ask you on what set you watch Laserdiscs? I mean, is it a rear projection set, LCD, plasma, and the size too. I have a suspicion that lasers might look darn decent on my Plasma, whereas on the CRT projector (89") they're not close to DVD. Fred

Posted Mon May15, 2006, 4:01 PM — By Keith Roberts

I have an old 28" CRT set that I brought with me from the UK when I moved to Canada a few years back. Very small by North American standards I know and with no progressive scan or component inputs either. I realise I'm not getting the best out of my DVD's yet and hence the difference between anamorphic DVD and letterbox LD, although noticable, isn't as great as it would be with a newer display. I've been holding out for an affordable HD digital projector, but there never seems to be a good time to jump in, it's worse than buying a new PC :-)

Posted Wed May17, 2006, 9:29 PM — By Fred Manteghian

Keith,

I have a 27" TV in my bedroom, with a completely useless 4x3 aspect ratio, but it works fine for the Lucy DVDs that always seem to be on when I try and reclaim my position in the bed.

As you know, there's never a "good time to jump in" the hi-def waters, but prices are definitely dropping for quite respectable front projectors. You can't get a $13,000 Yamaha projector for $2,000 - there are still differences, but compared to your 28" PAL/NTSC set and my 27" Sony, it would definitely be a step up.

Posted Sat May20, 2006, 2:20 PM — By Michael Moskovitz

As another unquoted scibe put it, we're in the golden sunset of CRT directview television. The selection of affordable, small, under 35" 16:9 and 4:3 is getting smaller daily. Some video buffs say that CRT has "jumped the shark" since model x or model y was discontinued last year, but I contend that any new HDTV monitor or integrated set will be an improvement over your old set. If anyone is looking for a "bridge" television I would suggest driving to your local retailer that still has a few direct view CRTs in stock. These sets won't be around much longer and the prices won't drop much lower. Whatever set you buy you'll have atleast a good picture for watching laserdiscs, 480i broadcastand even the odd VHS tape. Hopefully flat panels will catch up with the picture quality of your "sunset CRT" and prices will drop to CRT levels by the next time you get the bug to upgrade. Cheers

Posted Tue Sep12, 2006, 6:00 AM — By John Baseley

Great stuff, unlike most of you im just about to enter the world of Laserdisc....I have had two players delievered already broken bah, but still im strong for it lol, with teh first player came a healthy delesction of standard blockbuster movies is museum condition, the smell is awesome. I have a Denon AVD-2000 like the guy above to use with my surround reciever, hopefullly soon ill get a player that works :/

Posted Sun Feb11, 2007, 12:02 PM — By Tim Aukofer

OK you all may think you have It, but anybody without a Pioneer made-for-Japanese-Use-Only X-0 or X-9 MUSE/Hi-D player is missing out. X-0 if you wanna flip and change discs yourself, an X-9 if you want 2-drawer auto-flip. Both of these have the capability to play the dozen or so Hi-D Laserdisc titles in existence (also made-for-Japanese-use-only) (the cal disc is on EBAY anyday u look there) as well as both the NTSC Squeeze LD format (standard def, but the widescreen video is recorded all squashed together like on the original print, instead of having 282 lines of picture and the rest black, as well as the handful of combination MUSE/Hi-D-SqueezeLD's that are out. This format combines Squeeze LD's recording of the picture in its' native squeezed film format along with MUSE. Color comb filters, signal-off-disc demodulators and special narrow-beam laser are the best the format has to offer AND will play skippy disc. The MUSE/SqueezeLD front projection TV (for Japanese bars) is similarly the best

Posted Tue Apr 3, 2007, 5:10 PM — By JOHN n Denver

Feb 2007, and still a new LD post. Warms my heart. I would still like to score a MUSE player some day. But still nearly $3K US to import one. OUCH. :) My CLD99 was scored 2 xmas's ago now cheap on ebay, I had it shipped straight to Duncan for a full factory refurb job. I still have and use extensivley my 1000 LD collection with my 84" HD front projection system. I just gotta come across one of those MUSE players one of these days.

Posted Wed May 2, 2007, 1:00 AM — By Jon n Springfield

I'd like to find a decent HDTV or HD-ready Sony TV that would allow a the same result from an LD source as with TV's before digital came along. I've tried hooking a Pioneer player to a widescreen KV-34XBR910 tube HDTV but the picture was not very good. I've heard the 4:3 ratio HD tubes might be better at displaying laserdisc generated pictures but don't know if that is true. I'd appreciate anyone providing a model number that indeed provided the great results we came to love with the Laserdisc format.

Posted Tue Jun12, 2007, 2:54 AM — By Dave

I just read this article tonight so it may seem a waste to post a comment this late. However, I think I win the contest for most LD players. I currently have 10. That's right.. "10". But I will be getting rid of one soon to get it back down to 9. The models I have in order of model year released: 1) Pioneer CLD-3030 modified w/ an AC-3 RF output (my first baby and still favorite). 2) Pioneer CLD-1030 (broken but saving as spare parts for the 3030). 3) Panasonic LX-101 (don't like it much so it's going bye bye soon). 4) Pioneer CLD-M90 (love this machine for it's complicated 5CD changer mechanism). 5) ProScan PSLD43 modified w/ an internal RF Demodulator 6) Pioneer CLD-D701 modified w/ an internal RF Demodulator 7 & 8) Denon LA-3100 modified w/ an internal RF Demodulator (I have two of them w/ the same mods). 9) Pioneer Elite CLD-59 (lovely finish). 10) Pioneer CLD-D704 (everyone should have this machine). So that's it. Isn't that e

Posted Sun Jun24, 2007, 5:42 PM — By Marc (from Sweden)

I not satisfied until now. I just sold my Pioneer CLD-D703 and my latest purchase is a Pioneer LD-S9 (little above the US CLD-97/99). My reference parts for demonstrating my system is (without doubt!) "Gaias Daughter" on "DTS Experience"-disc and chapter 14-15 on "Sony Test Disk For Wide Television" Both discs are "Squeezed" (Anamorphic). The best picture quality regarding movies is found on Austin Powers. But Fifth Element, Long Kiss Goodnight and Enemy Of The State are not bad either. I wonder if an Algolith Flea (with S-video input) could improve PQ even more? Anyone who tried that?

Posted Mon Aug27, 2007, 2:16 AM — By Rony (Israel)

Dear friends, It is strange but I still love my Laserdisc players, yes, I have only two (compared with Dave, posted his comments on June 12, here). I had a simple Pioneer CLD-D701, which started to sugffer from the typical problem this player has - a terrible grinding noise when turning to the other side of the disc. This borought me to look for a better player, and I have found a beautiful piece on eBay - the Pioneer DVL-919. I use it quite frequently, hooked up a good converter and now connect its output (S-Video) through an HDMI cable to my big LCD TV. Yes, there is life after Laserdisc, full of hi-res, HDMI, aspect rations, various spoken languages and subtitles on a movie. But to my belief there is nothing compared to the thrill of handing a big shiny laserdisc - especially a good CAV - rare movie - in hand. Don't throw away your players, they are a real treasure!!!

Posted Wed Aug29, 2007, 11:38 PM — By David (San Francisco)

This is a message to Rony. Save your CLD-D701 and go order a replacement loading belt from Pioneer. Believe it or not, that is the problem. The part number is PEB-1013 and cost about $5. It is easy to replace this belt once the tray is left open and the power un-plugged. The location is toward the front on the left hand side. Any questions, give reply to me at david_yuen2@yahoo.com.

Posted Thu Oct11, 2007, 1:39 AM — By Henrik

Yes there is life. I just love em and just have found a nice Ead 9000 player that i will install as soon as i have done my living room. DTS sound just beutifull on laser and the covers looks to. How cool isnt the Criterion Collection SE7EN compared to the dvd version. Sorry about my spelling since i live in sweden and my spelling are a bit rusty. mvh Henrik

Posted Sat Sep27, 2008, 10:35 AM — By JOHN

i am young (26) but i have been enomored with LD since the late 1990's when i saw on the bay the very first player that i fell in love with, and sold me on the format instantly; the PIONEER CLD-3030. it took me seven years and three LD players to get there, but i finally got my dream LDP (the 3030) just late last year.(2007) in the time since, i have replaced the thin rubber pads and medium-sized PIONEER insulators with a set of feet comprised of two rear feet from the CLD-1080, and two large PIONEER front feet that can be found on several PIONEER models (such as the PD-91,VSX-D1S,CT-W900R,CT-W910R,ETC...) the result? the deck is raised of the shelf higher, improving it's looks, and better decoupling it's mech. vibrations from the shelf. better isolating the player. a HIGHLY RECOMMENDED mod!! anyway, i have around 80 LDs, over half being Anime (japanese animation) and am always on the beat for more. i may be a late bloomer, to be sure, but am and always will be a diehard Laserphile!!

Posted Fri Feb19, 2010, 11:05 PM — By Bill Schwenke

I came here late too, reason being I recently sold an import from the USA, CLD-HF9G, the Japanese gold plated CLD-99 Elite USA counterpart, on arrival it was damaged and wound up returned so I recently swapped mech with a Goodwill USA unit and for my own CLD-59, another transport repair was swapped! I learned something new too, however, because parts both damaged were the gear motors (they cause the grinding, not the loading tray belts!!) I need new motors to replace the two, the spares incapacitated are the CLD-D503, and CLD-D703...well, I should say CLD-D504 IIRC, the newer gen GammaTurn mech versus the one the 703 and HF9G and 99 use. They swap right out with only four screws and some wires. My collection is less then 10, but I still have a Japanese (100volt) CLD-S99, no Auto-reverse there or AC-3. The D504 has AC-3, the HF9G, and CLD-59 as you may know. The rest need conversion, which I would love to do if I only had the parts! (anyone?) The CLD-3030 I also possess but don't like the lack of features.

Posted Fri Feb19, 2010, 11:08 PM — By Bill Schwenke

Posted Wed Feb24, 2010, 5:14 PM — By Ashram

"Doesn't *everybody* have two Pioneer laserdisc players?" I have FIVE Pioneer LaserDisc players (six, if we include one Sony that I have as well). Three of them are hooked up to my system. My main player is a Pioneer CLD-59. The player for playing older discs that may not play too well on the CLD-59 is my Pioneer LD-660 (an old, top loading, gas tube laser player). And, finally, one of my video game systems is a Pioneer CLD-A100 LaserActive. The other two Pioneer players that aren't hooked up are my Pioneer CLD-3070 and my Pioneer DVL-700. The Sony is an MDP-605, with board LV-20 totally recapped by me to get it working again, though I need to replace one of the video process ICs responsible for dropout correction (waiting for a parts Sony LD player as the IC in question was used in a lot of players, including the common, craptastic MDP-333). But, I've been toying around with selling either my CLD-59 or my DVL-700; I need to raise money to pay off a layaway on a Beret

Posted Wed Feb24, 2010, 5:16 PM — By Ashram

"Doesn't *everybody* have two Pioneer laserdisc players?" I have 5 Pioneer LaserDisc players (6, if we include a Sony I have as well). 3 of them are hooked up to my system. My main player is a CLD-59. The player for playing older discs that may not play too well on the CLD-59 is my LD-660 (an old, top loading, gas tube laser player). And, finally, one of my video game systems is a CLD-A100 LaserActive. The other two Pioneer players that aren't hooked up are my CLD-3070 and my DVL-700. The Sony is an MDP-605, with board LV-20 totally recapped by me to get it working again, though I need to replace one of the video process ICs responsible for dropout correction (waiting for a parts Sony LD player as the IC in question was used in a lot of players, including the common, craptastic MDP-333). But, I've been toying around with selling either my CLD-59 or my DVL-700; I need to raise money to pay off a layaway on a Beretta 92FS.

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