DVD recorders come in time for preserving LaserDisc content

January 26, 2004

Before the popularity of movies on DVD, LaserDisc was the only way for
movie bluffs to get movies in the highest quality for home use. LaserDisc debuted in 1977 and several
million consumers purchased LaserDiscs prior to the launch of DVD. LaserDiscs have a capacity of up to two
hours of video and the physical disc size is 12"; the size of a traditional LP
record. Like DVDs, LaserDiscs were
capable of handling extra features such as AC3 and DTS surround sound audio as
well as extra sound tracks, video clips, subtitles and
commentary.

With only Pioneer still manufacturing one LaserDisc player model at
present, LaserDisc owners will need to think of converting those old LaserDisc
movies onto another medium before it is too late. Unlike with records LaserDiscs cannot be
easily played back without dedicated equipment. Several methods of preserving LaserDisc
content include purchasing a new LaserDisc player for backup, making a VHS
recording, purchasing DVD versions of the movies and finally copying to
DVD. The first two options would
not be very suitable since a new player is not guaranteed to last many years
either and VHS tapes have inferior quality and also degrade over time. Finally, not all LaserDisc releases were
ever pressed on DVD, so copying to DVD recordable would be the best
option.

LaserDiscs were developed long before the widespread use of copy
protection systems, so there is no worry about dealing with Macrovision or any
other built-in anti-copy measure.
LaserDiscs can easily be transferred by connecting to a standalone
DVD-recorder using composite or S-Video (preferred) and twin-phono for the
audio. Unfortunately, AC3 and DTS
sound tracks cannot be copied due to no DVD-recorders having digital 5.1 audio
in. Up until recently, the only method of archiving LaserDisc recordings
was on the inferrior VHS or through a PC capture card and using some other means
of storing the huge digital recordings.

Before the current, immense, popularity of DVD (which
has been on the scene for about five years), LaserDisc, which debuted in
1977, was the best format for viewing high-quality pre-recorded video
content amongst home theater enthusiasts and film buffs. Despite the lack
of strong marketing, a short list of manufacturers, the large size of the
discs (12") themselves, and the high cost of both discs and players,
several million consumers worldwide are well aware of how LaserDisc paved
the way for both the way we enjoy home theater and DVD today.

The
LaserDisc Legacy

LaserDisc is historically
signifigant in several ways:

Although it wasn't the
first true disc-based video format (the first disc-based video format
(Phonovision) was introduced in the UK in the 30's, followed by CED and
VHD in the 70's), LaserDisc provided the best quality image reproduction
and garnered acceptance for industrial, insitutional, and home theater
use.

LaserDisc was the first
video format to bring both film buffs and mainstream consumers
widescreen letterbox presentation of films on a regular basis.

The common practice of
including extra features on DVDs, such as subtitles, alternate
soundtracks, commentaries, and supplementary material was first
established as the norm on many LaserDisc releases.

The employment of Dolby
Digital 5.1 (which was referred to as AC-3) utilizing digital optical
and digital coaxial connections that are common on every DVD player in
use today was first introduced in LaserDisc players in the year or so
just prior to the introduction of DVD.

The
Current LaserDisc Dilemma

Despite all of these
"pioneering" advances, however, it must be noted that LaserDisc did not
have the strength to wage war against the more compact, economically
viable, DVD format. New LaserDisc film releases are now very rare. Even
Pioneer, the last producer of LaserDisc players, has finally relented and
now produces an excellent assortment of DVD players, relegating LaserDisc
to only one production model (excluding Karaoke-equipped units), the
DVL-919 which plays both LaserDiscs and DVDs.

With the quick acceptance of
DVD by both videophiles and the general consuming public, LaserDisc has
fallen by the wayside and is finally on its "death bed" as a viable video
format. However, some still have very large LaserDisc collections that
will eventually be unplayable. The supply of functioning LaserDisc players
will someday "dry up". Since LaserDiscs have to be optically read, there
is no mechanical device you can "rig up" to play them like you can play
old LP records. However, in an ironic twist of fate, recordable DVD may
have arrived on the scene just in time to give LaserDisc owners a means of
assisting in the preservation of their collections.

Read the full article here.

It
looks like LaserDiscs have been just about completely replaced with DVD due to
the compact DVD size also featuring high quality video, sound and extra
features. LaserDiscs did have their
advantage of not supporting copy-protection measures or region protection. Now it is like looking back at how we
use to purchase albums on a large 12" LP.
With the widespread popularity of DVDs and no fully decided successor to
later replace them, it looks like DVDs are here to stay for many years to
come.

Read
more about LaserDisc to DVD conversion on this thread on our discussion forum.

Source: About - Home Theater