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Laserdisc Dynamics vs Blu Ray

I've done a lot of research lately on the merits of Laserdisc. A number of people have suggested that a Dolby PCM Surround track sounds much better then DVD and even in some respects better then Blu Ray.

I understand the DVD vs Laserdisc comparison because of the resolution and lack of compression found on Laserdisc in Dolby PCM and even DTS. What I've found interesting is that Laserdisc used Theatrical Audio Cuts while DVD and Blu Ray use watered down Studio mixes for the home. The theory being that many users will use cheaper speakers and television's as their primary audio sources. A Theatrical Audio cut offers dynamics most systems couldn't endure, therefore the mix down.

Can anybody share experiences? Has anybody compared a Lossless Blu Ray presentation vs an older Laserdisc Dolby Surround cut on a decent setup?
lush
mtrot
804 posts
 
My Jurassic Park LD seems far more clear and dynamic than the DVD(DD, not the DTS DVD). The clearest example is the scene in which they zoom in on the T Rex and it roars real loud. I clearly remember wondering what happened to the visceral impact of the roar when I got the DVD. On the DVD, it just seemed way compressed.
jylee
306 posts
 
I also recently gave away my Pioneer laserdisc player with 100's discs including a bunch of Criterion collection, hi bitrate DTS, uncompressed PCM, etc, etc. LD was good during its time before DVD came out. But the format cannot compete against DVD, let alone BluRay. If you prefer uncompressed PCM over compressed DD or DTS, great! Many modern DVD's also carry LPCM tracks in addition to the standard DD track. BluRay supports all the traditional compressed and uncompressed formats, and also the newer DD-TrueHD and DTS-HD lossless compresed formats. PCM tracks on LD might sound better than compressed DD tracks on DVD. But that does not mean in any way that the sound tracks on LD is superior to the sound tracks on DVD. To compare apple to apple, PCM track should be compared to PCM track.
lush OP
262 posts
 
What DVD's are in LPCM? I'm not aware of any. I haven't come across a single DVD that outperformed LD in terms of audio quality. Usually it's not even close.
jylee
306 posts
 
Most concert DVDs do have 24 bit PCM tracks. Some are 24/96, some are 24/192, and some are just 16 bits. Sometimes it's not labeled well on the box and you just need to pop the disc and select audio menu to see which tracks are available. DVD players will almost always choose Dolby Digital track as the default, and that's what will be playing if you just hit play. I think two channel PCM is also required in all DVDs but I'm not 100% sure about that.
lush OP
262 posts
 
Hi Jylee,

I find it hard to believe DVD has 24/96 and 24/192 standards if even in two channel. These standards would take up so much room on a disc you'd be hard pressed to fit video. DVD Audio which was for the most part DVD with only Audio lived up to these standards but video simply couldn't fit. Also most direct comparisons of DVD vs LD soundtracks by ear are usually slanted towards the LD's favor. Even measured:

http://www.videophile.info/Graphs/JP/JP_01.htm

Take a PCM copy of Apocalypse Now and then compare to the DD 5.1...no contest. True Lies...no contest...Mission Impossible no contest...I could go on and on. I concur that Blu Ray better's LD but many of the movies I've enjoyed simply won't be on BD for many years to come.
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