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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
longhornguy
32 posts
 
I will have to agree with you about the value of an uncompressed PCM soundtrack.

I have Backdraft on LD and I just keep it on PCM stereo, which sounds terrific.

Using Dolby PLII leaves something to be desired though.

I just wish they'd get as cheap as HDDVD's!
lush OP
262 posts
 
Hey Longhorn,

Top Gun and Empire on LD with PCM translated into multi using either PLII or NRL THX sounded better then the DD 5.1 in all scenes. I could simply abuse volume and never hear compression on a decent setup with LD, that wasn't the case with the compressed Dolby Digital soundtracks.
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.
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