Very retro!

DVD's are a fad! VHS is where it's at

Depending on what is on the disk.
If it is a collection of your comics, or a complete collection of other good comics, it would be good.
If it is a collection of pancake recipes.... I like my grandma recipe, so I don't need a lot of new ones.

It's a laserdisc, not a computer disk. For serious movie collectors, nothing is as good as laserdisc. (Short of actual film prints, of course.)

You mean... no disc ROT whatsoever? You sure?

I promise you that there is no rot on the discs I promise. Nothing but good vibes and retro style.

One gets the distinct impression that there are two kinds of collectors. Those who never run across laser rot, and those who never find a disk without it... To hear that camp talk, every disk ever pressed is cursed to rot.

When I worked at Radio Shark back in the early 1980s, we sold the players and a handful of LaserDiscs. Nobody ever seemed to have much more selection than that; even the video rental stores that had hundreds or even thousands of titles on VHS or Betamax might have... dozens of LaserDiscs.

Laserdisc was always a collector's market, for serious film fans, whereas the more common formats were for the general market. Such was the basic idea, anyway. Those who dabbled in laserdisc were certainly loyal to their preferred format, but the public at large never really joined in, since they really didn't have a reason to. Laserdiscs are for purists, essentially, while VHS and the like were something anybody and their brother could play with -and of course, the players and units themselves were far cheaper in most cases. Laserdisc was the first place you could see movies in their correct aspect ratios, for example, but back then it wasn't really that vital of a factor for the average Joe just looking for a movie to watch for an evening's entertainment.

I wasn't really aware of a lot of this; thank you for educating me! it seems LaserDisc was more than 'just another format'.

Well, Laserdiscs often sold for $40-$60 at that time, when you could pick up a VHS for less than $10.

My dad and I used to go to a specialty hi-fi store that had hundreds of titles. I distinctly remember my dad buying The Hunt for Red October for $45. We also rented Das Boot, but my dad dropped it an it shattered. He was pissed, since he knew how expensive it was. Glad it wasn't me who dropped it. 8)

I remember a couple of friends from work renting and buying prerecorded VHS movies back in 1978-'79. $40 was the going price then, so 4 hours of overtime for an armed guard would just about buy one tape. One of them was loading his latest acquisitions into the car and forgot a tape -- on the roof. Of course the next car to come along ran directly over it. He'd have sympathy for your Dad.

Yeah, the prices I remember are cirra 1985 or so. I was born in '78. I remember virtually nothing from my life before age 10, but I do remember the Laserdisc store, as well as "the basement", a computer store where I first saw a Mac 128k (and was sorely disappointed with how crap it was).

Figures the only things I remember from my early age are experiences with technology. I'm not a people person at all. 8)

My dad left me a huge collection of that stuff. I've got all kinds of expensive hi-fi equipment from the 80's. I really should test that equipment sometime to see if it all still works. A lot of the early surface-mount capacitors were pretty terrible quality and likely need replacement, so these old machines may require some maintenance to run properly.

Fun fact: Despite looking like big compact discs, Laserdiscs are 100% analog. The response time is amazing, but on some early players pausing the video can make the image flicker.

You probably already know -- don't trust old tantalum caps. It's fun and exciting when they detonate but it isn't good for the equipment!

Any chance you have some VCRs in all that gold?

If I recall, I still have two really nice Beta units and a cheap VHS, none of which have been powered on in 20 years. There was also a "good" VHS but I don't seem to have it, so maybe my dad gave it to someone else years ago.

I also have a 101 compact disc turn-file. That was mucho expensive back in the day... something like $1,000 retail.

Another score is a brand new HD-DVD unit sealed in its box. My dad bought a "spare" for next to nothing once it was announced the format was dead. I doubt it has collector's value, but hey, I have the space so I kept it anyway. It looks nice next to my collection of 4 Amigas. 8)

I actually have the Laserdisc of Rock-a-doodle and had to scour the net to find a compatible player. It came with extra disks.
Boy was I surprised when it turned out LD Rock-a-doodle was the exact same as the first edition DVD but had to be FLIPPED halfway through! Even the quality was the same. That inconvenience alone is why I believe the format died, never mind the size.

I find the flip convenient in some ways, since it makes for a decent excuse to get a drink or something before starting the movie again. However, there are players that read both sides and play straight through.

All I can say is, I'd love to have that particular movie on laserdisc. The VHS release has the end credits sped up because they ran nearly a full reel in theatrical and later DVD releases.

I can rip that DVD for you since it's the same version. Next best thing, right?

Indeed!

Haha... I was so busy reminiscing about Laserdisc, I overlooked the fact she's got a full 80's haircut and pink leotard.

Ah... the 80's. The wild west of video entertainment, and very definition of campy fashion taste. I miss it so much. 8)