Re: Laserdiscs

[mlauzon]

When you suggested "Transmutations" I went and pulled the laserdisc out and watched it after the kids were in bed (I usually try to watch something while using the elliptical we have in the family room).  I wanted to provide some more info on the title, since it seemed like a good match.  I should have quoted your post to make the connection obvious.

Thank you for fixing the "Transmutations" / "Transformations" error.  Those LDs are next to each other on the shelf.  I had not watched the latter in a long time and they are very similar, so the title probably got stuck in my mind.

Who the hell still uses Laser Discs, it's the era of the DVD and possibly Blu-ray...although the latter one is still in its infancy?!

[Andrew]

Who the hell still uses Laser Discs, it's the era of the DVD and possibly Blu-ray...although the latter one is still in its infancy?!

Do you know of ANY DVD or Blu-ray release of "Transmutations" or "Transformations?" 

I have been collecting movies for more than a decade, and have quite a few titles that are not terribly common.  I would guess that there are about 300 laserdiscs in the collection.  As DVDs have become available I upgrade to the DVD, but otherwise those titles are important to my reference library.  Just a quick look shows me dozens that are not in print:

The Sisterhood
Invasion Earth:  The Aliens are Here
Nightwing
Master of the World
Radioactive Dreams
etc.

[mlauzon]

Who the hell still uses Laser Discs, it's the era of the DVD and possibly Blu-ray...although the latter one is still in its infancy?!

Do you know of ANY DVD or Blu-ray release of "Transmutations" or "Transformations?" 

I have been collecting movies for more than a decade, and have quite a few titles that are not terribly common.  I would guess that there are about 300 laserdiscs in the collection.  As DVDs have become available I upgrade to the DVD, but otherwise those titles are important to my reference library.  Just a quick look shows me dozens that are not in print:

The Sisterhood
Invasion Earth:  The Aliens are Here
Nightwing
Master of the World
Radioactive Dreams
etc.

How about a list of all those that are not on DVD, maybe I can find them to watch on the p2p networks..?!

[Andrew]

How about a list of all those that are not on DVD, maybe I can find them to watch on the p2p networks..?!

No.

[lester1/2jr]

I have a laser disk player    haven't used it in a long time though

[Andrew]

I have a laser disk player    haven't used it in a long time though

I had not used mine to play a laserdisc in quite some time.  I have one in my office that is a combo DVD/LD player.  It gets used whenever I am working on a review, but most times it is playing DVDs.  When I watched "Transmutations" the other night I pulled my other DVD/LD player out of the closet where it is stored and carted it downstairs to plug into the receiver.  Katie was surprised.

Looking through the LDs, there are a couple I have not watched in a long time that I'd like to watch again.

[lester1/2jr]

The place I used to go here in boston video oasis, which was like one mans own netflix and I'm sad it's gone,  had them and my brother in law gave me the player someone had brought into TWEETER and never picked up.   I saw cannibal holocaust and a bunch of kung fu movies and was completely psyched as it was like 10 years ago before dvd players were like 30 dollars and every movie ever had been released.

[Andrew]

There were two great LD places that I used to visit.  One was in Georgia, near Atlanta, and the other was a few miles south of Washington DC.  Quite a few of my LDs came from both of those when they switched their focus from LD to DVD (this was around 2000 or so).  I cannot remember the name of either of them.  The Atlanta one had a pretty active online sales business, but I cannot remember the website.

[Menaaard!!!]

Ah have CEDs 

The damned player never worked, so I don't know how they look; I just use the CEDs as wall hangings.

Only about half a dozen or better though.

[Nukie 2]

It's funny, but sometimes you can find LD players for sale online at $100-$500.
Some people really like them.

[TheDope]

There's an antique mall in my neighborhood that has a solid 6-foot long shelf filled with laserdiscs of movies.  One of these days, when I can get me a laserdisc player, I'm a-headin' down there....   

[ghouck]

I had a laserdisc player, absolutely loved it, even though I only had a dozen or so movies. But, during shipping, something broke in it and it destroyed a disc when I tried to load it. I had it fixed, which cost about $200, which was about a third of what I paid for the player, only to have it fail again two months later and ruin another disc. I still miss that thing, I really liked it.

[Menaaard!!!]

There's an antique mall in my neighborhood that has a solid 6-foot long shelf filled with laserdiscs of movies.  One of these days, when I can get me a laserdisc player, I'm a-headin' down there....   

You probably know the distinction, but for anybody else who doesn't:

Too many times I have seen, most notably in vendor malls, someone selling CEDs as Laserdiscs. Though an honest mistake, as they look very similar, they are far from the same thing.


BTW, laserdisc players are additionally cool because they can be used to make zombie fighting rayguns; or, at least, something to scare away thugs.

[Andrew]

Laserdiscs were large enough to be dangerous when thrown like a frisbee.  I had a couple die of laser rot (the glue holding the 2 pieces fails and it starts to come apart.  One of them was "Yor!" 

Anyway, I attempted a frisbee throw and that thing went a long ways.  The group of us agreed that being hit by a flung LD might be life threatening.

[Torgo]

A friend of mine still has a large collection of laserdiscs.  His two prized possessions are mint/sealed copies of the Criterion Collection editions of BRAZIL and ROBOCOP.  He also has a sealed copy of FROM DUSK TILL DAWN.