technology Ever Use A Beta Max Or Laser Disc Player?

[Denim&Venöm 16,526]

Most of us have grown up with VHS and DVD players, but have any of you ever used the alternatives Beta Max and Laser Disk?

 

 

[Brony Number 42 9,935]

We had a Beta Max when I was a kid.

[Paianis 488]

Very few households could afford Laserdisc when it was current, even less bought into it. By the time I was born, Betamax had been shunned for a decade.

People with niche interests in say, the original Star Wars trilogy will have a reason to buy into the Laserdisc, but the rest of the world has moved on.

Edited July 1, 2018 by Paianni

[Jeric 46,835]

I still have both in my garage.

I remember laserdiscs being the coolest thing, and the only way to see deleted footage (usually it was edited into the film like T2: Judgement Day). 

[MangoFoalix 24,898]

I have never used both and I honestly wish I have. I have a niche for old obsolete technology, especially when it comes to video technology.

[Twilight Luna 30,952]

I grew up with a beta max. My dad bought one when VHS was coming in and stores were selling them cheap. We got a lot of good movies and blank tapes for cheap. Once we got s VHS player, I learned how to wire them together to transfer the Beta tapes onto VHS tapes.

[Paleopony 690]

I grew up on VHS and DVDs. I didn't even know what Laserdisc and Betamax were.

[Clawdeen 12,110]

No I’ve never used those.

[Fluttershutter 2,122]

Never used either. When I was a kid some relatives had beta for a while.

[Pentium100 2,057]

I have a couple of Laserdisc players and about 100 discs. I prefer buying movies on LD instead of DVD. I do not have a Betamax recorder though and probably never will - I use VHS, but if I wanted something else, I would buy a professional machine, like Betacam or DVCAM.

[ZiggWheelsManning 7,373]

Never, the latter gives you bad memories of how you store vinyl records  

[Rainbow Cloud 16,588]

I've never had a Betamax but I do own a Laserdisc player and around 20-30 discs.

[Pentium100 2,057]

I have a laserdisc player and about 100 LD titles. I do not have a Betamax VCR, because it's not much different from VHS, which I use. 

[Phosphor 11,522]

I've never used a Beta Max nor laser disc but I did get a chance to try out an RCA CED (Capacitance Electronic Disc) player .

Unfortunately, the player didn't work and with parts being impossible to get, I passed on it. Bought one of the discs tho since I'm a huge Clint Eastwood fan.

[Fluttershutter 2,122]

Here's a question: Did anybody jump the gun and go for HDDVD?

[Dreambiscuit 8,024]

We always had VHS but not beta. I have some old beta tapes of Star Wars for their collectible novelty, but never could play them. Laser Disc was interesting because they had EVERYTHING on laser, but they were so expensive no one could afford it. It was frustrating because they got all the rare stuff that was never released to VHS or dvd, as though to say “People who cough up the money for laser disc are the only purists, and no one else could possibly have an interest in these rare titles.” It was lame and now they’re gone.  

On 2021-09-29 at 11:17 PM, Fluttershutter said:

Here's a question: Did anybody jump the gun and go for HDDVD?

I never embraced HG anything to be honest. It costs too much and doesn’t really justify itself. Regular dvd is as hi-def as I need (I never even saw any quality difference in Blurays either). I’m cheap and easy to please. 

[Fluttershutter 2,122]

7 hours ago, Dreambiscuit said:

We always had VHS but not beta. I have some old beta tapes of Star Wars for their collectible novelty, but never could play them. Laser Disc was interesting because they had EVERYTHING on laser, but they were so expensive no one could afford it. It was frustrating because they got all the rare stuff that was never released to VHS or dvd, as though to say “People who cough up the money for laser disc are the only purists, and no one else could possibly have an interest in these rare titles.” It was lame and now they’re gone.  

I never embraced HG anything to be honest. It costs too much and doesn’t really justify itself. Regular dvd is as hi-def as I need (I never even saw any quality difference in Blurays either). I’m cheap and easy to please. 

Look at ultra-hd tvs in stores. The color and picture is amazing. I think a lot of the stuff they throw on blu-ray isn't that high quality to begin with.

 

I work with a guy who's still a VHS purist. He says "they're not gonna put everything on dvd." I didn't argue with him but everything I'm aware of is on disk. I'm sure there's obscure stuff that's hard to find anywhere but probably nothing I'd care about.

[Pentium100 2,057]

2 hours ago, Fluttershutter said:

He says "they're not gonna put everything on dvd." I didn't argue with him but everything I'm aware of is on disk. I'm sure there's obscure stuff that's hard to find anywhere but probably nothing I'd care about.

He's right. There are quite a few releases on VHS that will not be released on DVD - maybe there's problem with getting the rights, maybe the movie or whatever is not popular enough or it is considered politically incorrect.

[Fluttershutter 2,122]

9 hours ago, Pentium100 said:

He's right. There are quite a few releases on VHS that will not be released on DVD - maybe there's problem with getting the rights, maybe the movie or whatever is not popular enough or it is considered politically incorrect.

Like what?

[Pentium100 2,057]

Moments ago, Fluttershutter said:

Like what?

There are lists on the internet. Obviously you won't find any mainstream or blockbuster movies there, because the industry wants people to buy the movies multiple times, though it tries to bury some movies too. For example:

Song of the South (1946). It was released on VHS, but because some people can find it offensive, I doubt Disney would ever release it on DVD.

Let it be (1970) - a movie about the Beatles, it was released on VHS, but then they decided that re-releasing it on DVD would hurt the brand, though now there are plans on releasing it or parts of it on Bluray or DVD.

[Fluttershutter 2,122]

Oh yeah, The Star Wars Holiday Special. Actually I have that and Song of the South on DVD. You just have to find them. 

[Pentium100 2,057]

The Star Wars Holiday special was never released on any home media. The only recordings available are copies of the VHS tapes people recorded from the one TV broadcast of it.

As for Song of te South - I don't know, maybe it's a copy as well  Or maybe it was released at some point.

[Dreambiscuit 8,024]

On 2021-10-16 at 9:37 AM, Fluttershutter said:

Look at ultra-hd tvs in stores. The color and picture is amazing. I think a lot of the stuff they throw on blu-ray isn't that high quality to begin with.

Those are some great looking TVs but the HG content isn't as wide-spread as it should be to justify the price. I'd love it it it was, though!

On 2021-10-17 at 10:53 PM, Pentium100 said:

The Star Wars Holiday special was never released on any home media. The only recordings available are copies of the VHS tapes people recorded from the one TV broadcast of it.

As for Song of te South - I don't know, maybe it's a copy as well  Or maybe it was released at some point.

Star Wars Holiday Special is sadly still only available as the same fuzzy VHS copies and re-copies that have been circulating forever, even thought they've been transferred to dvd. Song of the South was released overseas and some were region-free. I don't think you can get them anymore outside of ebay, etc, but they did have an official release at one point. 

On 2021-10-16 at 9:37 AM, Fluttershutter said:

I'm sure there's obscure stuff that's hard to find anywhere but probably nothing I'd care about.

Yeah, there are loads of old B&W movies out there that were rare even on VHS. Some are considered major series to purists of classics, but most studios won't release them (except for print on demend dvds) because they're B&W and not the most commonly known films. 

[Pentium100 2,057]

1 hour ago, Dreambiscuit said:

Star Wars Holiday Special is sadly still only available as the same fuzzy VHS copies and re-copies that have been circulating forever, even thought they've been transferred to dvd.

It never had an official release and was only shown on TV once, so any copies of it are 1) unofficial and 2) copies of that single broadcast.

[Dreambiscuit 8,024]

Moments ago, Pentium100 said:

It never had an official release and was only shown on TV once, so any copies of it are 1) unofficial and 2) copies of that single broadcast.

Exactly. The dvds I refer to are the same VHS copies of the broadcast transferred onto unofficial dvds. I probably should have clarified that these are not mainstream official studio releases, but fan made copies only. But if they ever do come out officially, I'll be first in line to get a nice copy!