[rescue] Laserdisc players Re: Hello?

[Joshua D Boyd]

On Fri, Apr 05, 2002 at 12:06:43AM -0800, Robert Novak wrote:

> 	http://www.oz.net/blam/DiscoVision/Pioneer_VP-1000.htm
> 
> I got it for $30 at a local thrift store 2-3 years ago, and I finally
> found a remote at the swap last month for $10.  I believe it was the first
> US consumer laserdisc player on the market. Could give a guy flashbacks to
> the old drop-in disk platter drives.

The audio standards changed several times over the years (plain analog, 
analog surround, plain digital, digital surround, etc).  Wouldn't that cause
problems with newish discs on such an old player?  Especially since one of the
newer standards stomped all over the original plain analog audio.

OK, I double checked that.  The analog surround would just be Dolby Surround
(ie what is used on VHS tapes).  Then they had uncompressed PCM digial audio,
and then Dolby Digital (aka AC-3, the same as DVDs).  From the 
alt.video.laserdisc faq, Dolby digital replaces the right analog audio 
channel with the AC-3 data stream.  So, on AC-3 discs, you will get only 
static from the right chanel on old analog players.  Maybe that player is
newer than it looks if it isn't giving you trouble.  But then, it wouldn't
be one of the first consumer models.
 
-- 
Joshua D. Boyd