Blu-Ray DVD Player vs. LaserDisc DVD Player

Yahama CDV-1000 LaserDisc Player
Designers: Sony
Publishers: Sony
List Price: $129.99 [Buy at Ebay]


Sony BDP-S57 3D Blu-Ray Player
Designers: Sony
Publishers: Sony
List Price: $154.99 Revised [Buy at Amazon]

Kinda looks like a combination between a DVD player and a microwave

A loooooooooooooooooong time ago, in another galaxy in another couple thousand universes away, I had a VCR player. It was okay, and I thought it was the coolest damned thing to ever come up, the VHS tapes. In fact, my mom used to comment "Hey! It's like watching a movie at home!", which, obviously, was before we had Netflix and regular DVD players today.

So, sometime in the 90's, when I was kind of past my college years, something was slapped beside the Christmas tree in rather average wrapping. A Laserdisc Player, with about fifteen Laserdisc disks. And I thought this was the next big thing. It could hold movies on a single dual-sided disc, and they were recordable, so I could just take something off my television and send it to my friend's house.

So then came the regular DVD player, but I was kind of "eh" to said player. However, several years after the Laserdisc came the Blu-Ray. I first saw it hands-on when I was online on my Playstation 3, and my friend suggested "let's watch a movie." He brought over some movie that slipped past my memory now, and I was literally blown away.

So, here at the small TF141 Media studio I work at here (more on that in later posts), the Blu-Ray was slapped on my desk, bought with my own money.

Since these were made by the same people, you might be wondering, since Laserdiscs are still around, which one's better? The Laserdisc or the Blu-Ray? Well, here's my straight-forward opinion.

DVD BURNING

WINNER: LaserDisc

Let's be honest: Laserdisc is what started the trend of Compact Disks and DVDs. For starters, the visuals that transform from the computer unto your disc are amazing. When it comes to making a good-looking picture, nobody does it better than this here disc.

You also have the choice to switch between the UK anamorphic PAL, which gives you a longer running time, but the audio is kind of drowned out. Not to mention that you'd have to suffer the whole NTSC-to-PAL transfer. Granted, most Sony Discs nowadays can beat the LaserDisc length space. Not to mention the fact that the resolution for a regular NTSC disc is 425 TVL, and the PAL is 440 TVL.

The problem is, compared to blank BD-R discs, you'd need a BD-R writer, which will give you quite a bit of advantages over the usual VHS tape or Memorax compact disk. Unless you want to spend the money on a good BD-R writer, I'd rather suggest the far more superior Laserdisc burning thing.

Well, despite the whole Laser rot thing, but that's a whole different story.

Many thanks to Lyris, a moderator of the Loyal Order of Stupids, for this example!

The remastering on the LaserDisc is a resounding success, all kinds of Digital Voice Noise Reduction is fixed
and the audio sounds far more superb.

Do note, though, that if there's harm done to a Laserdisc, such as a scratch, fingerprint, or dirt, the picture will be drastically damaged at times (you'd be lucky to get away unless you fix it), so play with care.

And does anybody have a Laserdisc version of 'Apollo 13'? I ask because this is a very blurred disc, filled with comb filtering, I believe.


VIDEO

WINNER: Tie

For starters, the Laserdisc is able to fix a common DVD problem called 'Electronically Speeding Up' the DVD. It's really common in television episodes and TV Show season DVDs. These are easy to spot, the fields have been shown to jump, disturbed with vibrancy. The Laserdisc, if you know the correct options, is able to fix any kinds of DVNR or problems with electronically sped up movies / television episodes.

The Blu-Ray, however, with the motion and animation, tends to be the victor, mostly because the Laserdisc can be subject to fade freezes, and pictures can be known to distort. Animation on some pictures for the Laserdisc can be applied by accident. Blu-Ray masters said problem. Note that, if you record using a Laserdisc, be sure to switch the master to a different one should there be DVNR, or if the movie is electronically sped up. (I can send a free disc example, provided there's no legal violations)

AUDIO

WINNER: Blu-Ray

Blu-Ray's stereo soundtrack is superb. The Laserdisc version tends to be a lot more muffled, suffering from standard transferring from your PC-to-NTSC. The Blu-Ray's DVD can freely be supplied on its own disc with a 1080i HD viewing option, the audio remastering is excellent.

At times, I swear I could of heard something like a cassette tape while I was playing the Laserdisc. Does anybody know the reason to this?

PRICING

WINNER: Blu-Ray

Let's be honest: the Blu-Ray discs are great, and at the price some people offer nowadays, it seems pretty fair. The Blu-Ray revising is amazing, with very little DVNR popping up. It's a clean protection master, and the operating on the Blu-Ray disks are far and beyond better than VHS tapes and regular DVDs.

Laserdiscs are quite expensive, still today, and, granted, both are flawed in their own ways. The Laserdisc, however, can have some real problems.

THE VERDICT

BLU-RAY

Well, after several papers thrown about, many, many disk comparisons, and having to discuss the whole NTSC-to-PAL and PAL-to-NTSC problems (OVER AND MOTHERFUCKING OVER AGAIN), I've decided that the Blu-Ray is far superior.

Hey, Gregg, do you remember working with these differently?

I'm not sure, I think that Nick had supplied me with these examples. Whoever did, cheers to you!

I think I met those guys in high school.

I don't know, but I think I haven't mentioned SECAM quality on the Laserdisc.

Ah fuck.