Anyone Up On Laserdisc Values?

macaltec

Metal Master
I found a Pioneer Laserdisc player and about 30 movies including all 3 Star Wars, all of the Indiana Jones movies and ET to name a few. The asking price is $150.00 for all. Curious to know if that is a good price for outdated technology of this type? Thanks.
 
Seems high to me. I just bought a Pioneer laserdisc for $40 plus shipping. Also, I find laser discs at the TS for $1 or less, same as albums. At the rate I find them it will take awhile to get 30, but for the price I pay I'm in no hurry.

Terry
 
Seems high to me also. just abour any LDP should go for under 30 many under 15, look at Epay, there are alot that go unbid.

The discs themselves should be 6 or less, unless its a sought after set. but in bulk like that a lot less as your not getting to cherry pick them. I'd have to say TW is getting a steal on them at 1. :thmbsp:
 
Thanks for the input. I offerd $100.00 and was turned down. I guess I'll wait for him to get tired of them sitting there. Just wondering about the sound and picture quality compared to DVD's?
 
Picture quality depends on the transfer. So its up in the air. I have an RCA laserdisc player I picked up from the thrift store which is basically the same as a Pioneer with a different badge. After I lubed the loading transport it worked fine. So its probably pretty similar in operation to most of the midline Pioneers. I have a couple of laserdiscs where the picture quality is actually better than the DVD because the lousy transfers of the DVD version allow pixels to be seen on still backgrounds. Other times the DVD is so much better it isnt a contest. Sound is pretty good in ProLogic, even better if its a Dolby Digital or DTS model. If you can get one cheap its a nice toy to have, movies can be had really cheap from time to time.

Depending on what edition the Star Wars movies are, they might be fetching quite a bit if you sell them on ebay. Of course if you end up keeping them it does not do you much good in terms of the $150 you would be out after buying the laserdisc player at full price.
 
The reason most people ask high prices is because they paid a lot for these before DVD came up.

I shed a fortune on LDs and I can't help feel terrible when I see what most of them are worth nowadays. I paid some boxed sets 500$... and I see them going for 20$. aaaaaaargh

I'll never sell them because I like the format but if I were to, I wouldn't be in a hurry to "lose" that much money!
 
Axel,

Also, the other reason the older SW sets (especially the first ones released) are so valuable is that they are now the only good source for the original edit of the movie.

Lucas has sliced and diced the version on the DVD up, including the audio mix, which is getting terrible reviews.

The old LD copies have the original cut and audio mix on the best possible consumer media available at theat time, and the only one (if "laser rot" has not set in) that still look great. Betamax and VHS tapes from 25 yers ago are probably mostly crap by now.
 
It's impossible to say if $150 is good value without knowing which specific Pioneer LDP is involved and which editions of those LD's was offered.

And Axel is so right about people's (unrealistic) expectations when it comes to sell those old LD's.

Back in their heyday they were retailing at $35-50 per movie.

Boxsets were usually $100 and up.

Many Criterion sets were $125.

The first Star Wars Box had a $250 msrp !


:O
 
That's right! f it's an old CD/DVD player, i would pay 150 in a heartbeat. Those were great players!
 
Ahhhh brings back memories... I was working overseas starting in 84 and bought a TEAC LV-5000DS that played LDV's, CD's and was supposed to be able to play DVD's when they cam out (I think). Have a whole box of Disney stuff that I got for the Dau. and some movies. Have noticed a number of LDV's poping up in the TS's nowdays. My player stopped working and years ago and never had it fixed. It powers up, but will not spin? Our local TS has a pile of LDV right now..... Hmmmmmmmmmm may pick 'em up for the heck of it....

BTW the player weighs a TON!!!!!!!
 
OMI,
1984, Digital tracks had not yet appeared on LD's (just about to in Japan)! DVD was not even a dream... CD-Rom was :)
The TEAC btw was a Pioneer CLD-9000 which Luxman also rebadged. The players weigh a ton, yes... 200g spinning at 1800rpm so it better be sturdy indeed!

MannyE,
Not a single "rotted" disc in the 500 I have, of which about 20 were pressed way back in 1980!
Properly stored (and wound/rewound), VHS/S-VHS can be pretty stable but, granted, it's tape (sounds almost like a dirty word nowadays, doesn't it :)
 
LDs

We really were suckered into paying hi $$$ for LDs. I think I paid $250
for the Beatles Anthology LDs. Routinely paid $100+ for Criterion discs.
Speaking of such, the Midnight Cowboy LD had the original uncut psychedelic Party scene, which put one right back at "the scene." :smoke:
 
I got my Anthology at 39$ when the shops were getting rid or their unsold stocks due to the imminent DVD arrival :) A friend bought it for me in NYC because the street price in France was literally astronomical - about 400€ IIRC!!

Boy, did those shops make a buck on our passion! I believe there still are some of these sets floating around... Too bad they didn't fill the sides completely as that would've made quite a few hours more of nice footage and souvenirs...
 
I bought a heap of $100 boxsets from Ken Cranes when they were moving out of the LD biz. Some were dirt cheap but the shipping to NZ killed me !
 
dug out the user manuel for the TEAC. Here is what it played:
12 inch standard and extended play disk
8 inch standard and extended play
Compact Disk

net weight 34.5 LBS.

Dont ever remember the 8 inch disk???

Got the CD right:) Now this was waaaaay back in time:)
 
The 8" was used mainly for short features like the Terminator promo, film making ofs, music videos etc..

8inld1.jpg


8inld2.jpg


8inld3.jpg
 
Interesting. Never saw one of thoes. Alll this talk of LDV's and I think I will ck out my local TS and see if they still have the LDV's. If so I will get 'em. $0.50 per... What the heck.....
 
One thing to keep in mind- the better LD players (Pioneer mostly) were about the VERY BEST POSSIBLE SOUNDING CD players of their era (1985-1990), PERIOD. No expense was spared in the analog electronics in these players! Heck, most of those players were in excess of $500, back in the '80s!

In fact, IMHO, the Pioneer LD players of the late '80s are about the ONLY CD players of that age, that I can STAND to listen to anymore... pretty much none of that "digital grunge" top end "edginess" that was endemic to stuff like the Yamaha, and even some of the Luxman and other higher end CD-only players, of that era. Only the Magnavox/Philips units come close, IMHO... and the Pioneer LD sounds "faster" and more dynamic than the Philips-built units, to my ears, even then!

Also, those late-'80s Pioneer LD players tend to be about the most BRICK RELIABLE CD players EVER. I don't recall ever having one fail on me while I've owned it, and I've only seen ONE dead one owned by anyone, PERIOD... and I'm not convinced that one hadn't been dropped pretty heavily, at sometime in the past...

So, if you're buying sheer functionality and ruggedness, it's hard to go wrong with these CD/LD players. I know I certainly ain't selling any of mine cheap, they WORK TOO DANG WELL to just get rid of for the hell of it!

Regards,
Gordon.
 
Back
Top Bottom