Laserdisc Collectors - Ode to My Laserdisc Collection
76In January of 2005, I sold off fairly extensive laserdisc collection for a paltry $300. Afterwards, I wrote up this post and shared it with some friends of mine as part of the "letting go" process. If you were once a laserdisc collector, I'm sure you will understand. If you weren't, it will make no sense at all to have been so attached.
I got into home theater shortly after returning home from Australia in 1994. I'd just spent most of the previous five years living without a television, but after finding an apartment in Boston one of my first purchases was a big screen television. It was a Panasonic, 35-inches. It was a really fabulous television set and my father is still making great use of it today. My next purchase was a Mitsubishi S-VHS VCR. I bought it at Tweeter and it cost me about $1000. It had one head! But it was very high end. *g*
Shortly after buying the tv and the VCR, I was turned onto the world of laserdiscs and home theater. I routinely bought every home theater magazine on the market and I spent months researching laserdisc players because I knew I wanted a really good one. I ended up buying a Pioneer CLD-D704, still to this day considered one of the best laserdisc players ever made. Its list price was around $1200, but I bought it online for $700. The laser disc player was the first thing I ever bought online.
Laserdisc Players on Ebay
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Pioneer LASERDISC PLAYER Laser Disc LD CD CDV
Current Bid: $29.99
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Pioneer Elite DVL-90 Laserdisc Player with 15 discs!!!
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Pioneer LaserDisc Video Disc Player Remote CU-V113
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PIONEER CLD-V2600 LASERDISC LASER DISC PLAYER w/ REMOTE
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PIONEER DVL-919 LASERDISC/DVD/CD PLAYER
Current Bid: $152.50
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I rented laserdiscs at Sight & Sound and I bought a lot of my discs there as well. Tower Records also sold laserdiscs. Columbia House had a laserdisc club, of which I was a member. Laserdiscs, on average, cost around $40, but I routinely dropped up to a $100 on a single movie that had lots of special features and special packaging. At the time, I had a steady job, but I wasn't rich so every laserdisc purchase I made was something to think about. Spending that kind of money required a commitment and I rarely made blind buys. I usually bought movies I'd already seen in the movie theater and they were all movies I loved. Unlike my DVD collection, there wasn't a single movie in my laserdisc collection that I hadn't watched multiple times.
At the time I was still doing most of my research for high tech gadgetry in magazines. The internet didn't become a huge part of my gadget addiction enabling until I made the move to DVDs and discovered dvdtalk.com and reel.com. Still, I'd discovered a few audiophile forums where they also discussed home theater equipment. That's where I found out about the Pioneer laserdisc event at Paramount studios in Los Angeles. During my first year in Los Angeles, I went to the event and bought over $800 worth of laserdiscs. I was given a basic Pioneer laserdisc player as a gift with purchase and I sent that one home to my dad along with a bunch of movies.
Laserdiscs on Ebay
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100 LP RECORD ALBUM LASER DISC SHIPPING BOX MAILER
Current Bid: $32.99
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THE RELIC Tom Sizemore LASERDISC OOP HORROR
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50 LP RECORD ALBUM LASERDISC MAILER NEW PRICE & DESIGN!
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SONY MDP 600 CD CDV LASERDISC PLAYER EXCELLENT USED
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LEATHERFACE Uncut LASERDISC OOP HORROR
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Sandkings The Outer Limits Used Laserdisc
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As you can tell, I was deeply committed to my laserdisc collection. Each movie I bought was bought with love. This is in large part why it has taken me so long to dispose of my collection. It wasn't just the money that I'd invested in it, but the emotional component of buying those movies. A movie on laserdisc has heft to it. If you're a vinyl afficionado you can probably relate to it. 12x12 is a lot of room to show off fabulous artwork and with so many movies requiring two discs, the gatefold design allowed even more opportunity to display artwork from the films. Laserdiscs were a labor of love on the part of filmmakers as well. A lot of painstaking work went into the transfers on the best discs and, of course, laserdisc represented the birth of the audio commentary due to the ability to place multiple audio tracks on a disc. I always listened to audio commentaries on my laserdiscs because they were special, having been recorded by people who were real movie geeks and usually had lots of interesting things to say. I rarely listen to audio commentaries on my DVDs because there are so many of them and I just don't have the time to listen to a director describe what I'm seeing onscreen.
When DVD was introduced I didn't make the jump until they'd been on the market for a couple of years. I love gadgetry, but I have to say I've never really been an early adopter. I like to wait and see what is going to happen. And by the time DVDs were becoming really popular I'd already invested a great deal in laserdiscs and like most laserdisc afficionados I kind of looked down my nose at the upstart technology. But the writing was clearly on the wall: saserdisc prices were dropping; Tower stopped selling them; Columbia House closed their club. I knew when Dave's Video in Studio City decided to close their doors that it was all over.
About the time Dave's Video closed was about the time that I finally made the jump into DVD. The timing was right. It was the middle of the internet boom and for awhile you could buy DVDs at ridiculously low prices (The Matrix cost me $1.49). For awhile I was still spending as much time watching my laserdisc collection as I was watching DVDs, but eventually the ease of using DVD won out and I actually started duplicating purchases. After a year or two of buying DVDs, I eventually stopped watching my laserdiscs altogether, except for watching the Star Wars trilogy once or twice a year, or watching the theatrical cut of Blade Runner.
I would have made much more money selling my collection a few years ago because there were a lot more titles that hadn't been released on DVD yet, but I just couldn't let them go. Everytime I'd sit down and start trying to catalog the collection, my emotional attachment and memories would come rushing back with incredible force and I'd throw a movie on and watch it. I'd remember how much I loved buying those discs. They were for film afficianados only. You couldn't buy laserdiscs at Walmart, y'know? You had to go out and look for them and track down the shops that carried them. With the exception of Tower Records, most laserdiscs were sold by specialty stores. There was one store in Dedham, Ma where I used to buy discs that also had a home theater set up in the back of the store and a couple of times a month I went there to watch movies with other laserdisc fans. We'd geek out about special features and the latest releases and discuss and argue over which discs were "reference" discs -- the type of disc you put on to impress your friends due to its superior video transfer and audio.
Basically, laserdiscs were a lifestyle. DVDs are just another commodity. Don't get me wrong, I love DVDs and I have many, but they are cheap and easy to buy, and I just know that I will never feel the same way about them that I did about buying my laserdiscs. Eventually though, you just have to let things go and let your memories suffice.
My Former Laserdisc Collection
12 Monkeys
1941 Signature CollectionA Perfect WorldA Taste for KillingA Time to KillAbsolutely Fabulous Boxed Set (Season 1 & 2)Ace Ventura Pet DetectiveAlien Special Widescreen Collector's EditionAlien Widescreen EditionAliensAmazing Stories - The Mission, The Wedding RingApollo 13Basic Instinct Pioneer Special EditionBatman ForeverBlade Runner Director's CutBram Stoker's Dracula - Criterion CollectionBraveheartBull Durham Widescreen EditionChina MoonClear & Present DangerClose Encounters of the 3rd Kind - Criterion EditionColor of NightCompulsionCutting Edge - Japanese importDances with Wolves Director's CutDead Again Widescreen EditionDead Calm - Japanese importDie HardDisclosureDodge CityDouble ImpactDumb & DumberFatal Attraction Paramount Director's SeriesFerris Bueller's Day OffField of Dreams Signature CollectionFirst Wives ClubForever YoungGhostGhostbusters - Criterion CollectionGolden EyeHamlet (Mel Gibson)Hard TargetHeatHellraiser Special EditionHenry VHighlander Director's Cut Deluxe Widescreen Edition (Signed by Director)His Girl FridayImmortal BelovedIndiana Jones & the Last CrusadeInterview with the VampireJaws Signature CollectionJerry MaguireJFK Special Limited EditionJurassic ParkKnight MovesL.A. ConfidentialLethal WeaponLethal Weapon 2Lethal Weapon 3Liar Liar Signature CollectionLord of Illusions Special EditionMad Max Beyond ThunderdomeMan without a FaceMaverickMercury RisingMilk MoneyMission ImpossibleNature of the BeastNecessary RoughnessNellNo Way Out Widescreen EditionNomadsNowhere to RunOperation Dumbo DropPatriot GamesPresumed InnocentPrincess Bride - Criterion EditionPulp FictionQueen ChristinaQuiz ShowRaiders of the Lost ArkRed RiverRevengeRobin Hood, Prince of ThievesRobocop - CriterionRosencrantz & Guildenstern Are DeadSabrina (Harrison Ford)Schindler's List Special Edition (no book)Sea of LoveSilverado Criterion CollectionSlipping into DarknessSpeedStargateStrange Days Widescreen EditionStriking DistanceTerminator 2 Special EditionThe 4th manThe Abyss Special EditionThe Big EasyThe BodyguardThe CrowThe English Patient - Criterion EditionThe ExorcistThe Fifth Element Deluxe Widescreen EditionThe FugitiveThe Ghost & the DarknessThe Good MotherThe GunrunnerThe QuestThe Road Warrior (remastered)The SaintThe Silver StallionThe TerminatorThe UntouchablesThe Year of Living DangerouslyThelma & LouiseTime CopTin CupTop GunTrue LiesTwilight ManTwo Evil EyesVampire in BrooklynWar of the Roses Special Collector's EditionWaterloo BridgeWaterworldWuthering Heights (Ralph Fiennes)Wyatt EarpPrintShare it! — Rate it: up down flag this hub
Hi Capn Ron, thanks for commenting. And I knew there were titles missing on my list. I used to have the Star Wars Definitive Collection too, but it is one of the first LDs I sold on Ebay. I miss it! It's funny how addictive the laserdisc thing was. I think part of it for me was it was so specialized. Not that many people had laserdisc players. I don't feel nearly as maniacally obsessed about DVDs because everyone and their mother has one :)
Thanks for stopping by!
I know it's just because your former disc list is in alpha order, but I like that 12 Monkeys is at the top. I love that flick. Thanks for the hub.
Thanks Red! I love that movie too. It's one of my favorite Bruce Willis movies and a great sf film :)
I recently saw a Japanese version of the 1984 Giorgio Moroder version of METROPOLIS going for over $150 ! Glad that I still kept mine, 'cause they cannot reissue it in ANY format because of legal disputes about the rights.
Wow, this really does take me back to those moments hunting down LD's! Here in London there really was one place, The Laserdisc Shop in Needham Road, Notting Hill. Imports used to cost around £30-45 on average ($60-90!), but that wasn't a problem because like you said, it's all about the product, the features, the packaging, and having something that the majority didn't have. Whilst I cleaned out most of my collection ages ago, I still held onto a few, plus my Pioneer CLD-2850. I'm in the process of trying to let it go as I move into a new apartment. I simply don't have space for all my gear, and since I haven't touched the discs in years, I'm contemplating it. Mind you, I still have my SW: Definitive Collection, a few Criterions, plus boxsets like Toy Story and T2. Maybe I should try and find a good home for it!
hi, i just wanted to say that i would be very upset if i had to sell my collection of lasers! i collect movies on many formats but would gladly get rid of them all apart from my lasers, i have grown attached to them over the years so i can understand what it must of fealt like to sell them, alot of effort goes into buying these wonderfull things, the packaging is great and i love the way lasers look and sound, something dvd left behind maybe. my only source of lasers is ebay now ha ha where ya can pick them up for not to much. my fav laser is seven criterion i think it out beasts the dvd edition
I didn't get into Laserdisc until 1996, the year before DVD was introduced. Needless to say, Laserdisc died in the first year of DVD. I did buy several discs from Pioneer for $6 each when they liquidated their factory, including sets still not available on DVD.
My Laserdisc player just died and would require circuitry repairs, so I'm getting the few unavailable titles professionally converted over to DVD and I guess I'll try to sell the collection.
Wow, great post! I started collecting LaserDiscs in 2005, because I was too young when the format was "booming" (even though it never really boomed). Not a lot of people even know what "a LaserDisc" is, here in Belgium. It's quite great to collect them nowadays, because most of the discs are so cheap (and most of the ardent collectors took great care of them).
I found the "Star Wars Definitive Collection" in unplayed condition for $75. Not too shabby.
Hey Julian, thanks for commenting. I often wish I hadn't sold my Star Wars Definitive Collection. $75 is a great price for it!
I remember them showing us documentaries and educational films on LaserDisc in high school. That was the only place I'd ever seen one and I had always wondered why they had that technology since it looked so expensive and we could have watched the same video on VHS without wasting taxpayers money. This post is very interesting and gives great insight to the now highly obscure existence of the little known LaserDisc. Thanks
we bought a laser disc player in hongkong and have lots of disc that have hardly been used our laser disc player got broken so i need a home for these
Hi i have an extensive collection of laserdiscs to which I must sadly sell off. if any one knows of any collectors i would appreciate it. I so sadly hate to see my collection go.
i can be reached through lorilimo@hotmail.com
Thank You
So sad that a great hobby vanishes into the ether. I identify with all the comments about being attached to what we collected. I get that clearly, right in the old gut. But laser discs died very quickly after DVD caught on, and the great lesson to be learned is that collecting movies in different video formats is a doomed obsession. No matter how remarkable today's format is, the next to come along will eclipse it. I have nearly 2000 laser discs that I cannot even GIVE away. And I certainly don't want to be buried with them. If you are sitting there now with your Blu-Ray discs and chortling to yourself over us foolish analog laser freaks - just keep in mind that your favorite format will be garbage even sooner. The laser disc had almost 20 good years. Blu-Ray won't have ten. DVD is already on the decline. Frankly, as good as it is, Blu-Ray as a product was doomed from the moment they attached that moniker to it. Blu-Ray doesn't tell you anything about what the product is. It sounds like some brand of surfboard. It will be gone tomorrow, and your bloody Blu-Rays will be worth no more than my laser discs are today... about a nickel apiece at the shops that will buy them for resale. And this despite the fact that many laser disc titles have not yet, nor ever will, make it to DVD. Or Blu-Ray. You want to invest in something that will have lasting value? Buy a mint copy of Action Comics #1. I thought that my laser disc collection would last a lifetime. Ho ho. Sorry to be such a downer, kids. But there is bitterness in realizing my addiction to this hobby was foolish. I loved them, but I have left pets too, and cars, and women, and restaurants. And when they go, all you can do is look back fondly... and move on. But don't spend all your dough getting there.
All I can say is, enjoy watching movies on any format you have because it cost money to rent or see a movie, why do that when you can watch a movie you have already? And have not seen in years maybe decades?!! Laser disc will live on as long as the players and the disc's themselves hold up, laser rot etc., oh and you have a TV to play them on. Which of course they still look good on the new LCD wide screens TV's too. Not as good as say a Blue-Ray movie format, but again why spend the money when you have allot of movies to watch already'. So go watch' them' with that someone' special', instead of going out all the time and spending more money' you don't have to spend'.
It was great to read your post. Thanks so much for sharing. Your post definitely struck an emotional cord.
As a ridiculously obsessive movie geek, my entertainment stand still holds my ginormous Sony LD player and the remains of my LD collection, although now since the big plasma came home, it's no longer connected. That's how most marriages end, though, right, due to neglect? Although it's functionally been replaced by a Blu-Ray and an HD-DVD player, I just can't bring myself to bring it out to the garage. Breaking up is hard to do.
Why are LD's so hard to let go? There was just something magical about the weight of a Laserdisc and the record album sized glossy covers - especially the gatefolds. And the extras and commentaries that you could only get on LD. Maybe some of the appeal was because most people weren't part of the LD world. Most of our friends were watching VHS tapes at the time. We were all so passionate about our LD's and our players.
I remember scouring for HK action flick imports at Big Emma's in Cambridge and that place up in York or Kittery, Maine in the late 90's early 2000's as the format was fading, but our love for it wasn't.
This year Pioneer announced that it was discontinuing its last three players....we'll miss you LD.
Thanks for your comment, Speedwaygirl. I'm from the Boston area as well. Did you ever go to Sight & Sound? I believe it was in Waltham. They used to have such a great selection of Laserdiscs. I always loved to browse there.
I still miss mine sometimes. My dad finally threw out his old player recently and I thought about keeping it, but really it would have been silly. Such is nostalgia! Those small little DVD discs just aren't the same. Oh well, maybe it will make a comeback someday, just like vinyl :)
Capn Ron says:
2 years ago
I can totally relate with you. I am going through the same process as I write this letter. I am trying to decide whether or not to keep my Criterion Collection "Ghostbusters" even though I have since replaced it with the DVD version. That's one small example out of my 500 plus collection. I think I'd have an easier time deciding which toe to cut off.
I too can remember the hunt for the elusive titles and how completely ridiculous the prices were compared to what dvd's run now. I have to laugh at how I didn't even bat an eye at the thought of dropping a hundred bucks for the unrated Criterion "Robocop". I scoffed at the $350 price tag for "Star Wars : The Definitive Collection" just to replace it a few short years later, plopping down another $150 for the "Star Wars Trilogy Special Edition".
I look into the past and have come to the conclusion that I was a laserholic.