Laserdisc: digital or not digital

[c_hernandez32]

Food for thought:

CD=Digital format

CD Player=laser

Laserdisc Player=laser

so it should mean

Laserdisc=Digital format

But I have read from several people that laserdisc is an analog media.

If: records(LP's)=analog media

Then: laserdiscs should be played on recordplayers?

Any thoughts on why laserdiscs aren't digital?

[Tommyknocker]

Laser Discs are digital. You cannot play them on a record player because the data is encased in plastic. Also the format has to be in mode your record player can understand.

[coyote]

Laserdiscs are digital.....just not the same video format. DVD's have much better video compression

[SLK001]

The video on a laserdiscs is analog (regardless of how it looks). The audio can be digital, but more often than not, it too, is analog.

[DVO]

Audio CD are supposed to be analog too I've heard. How!? Can't explain exactly but I have a vage memory that it's stored digitally but from analog sorce and when played the CD converts back to analog through the CD-player/stereo. Confusing? Hahaha! Maybe someone have a better explaination... Something about the processing of the signal...

[SLK001]

Audio CD are supposed to be analog too I've heard. How!? Can't explain exactly but I have a vage memory that it's stored digitally but from analog sorce and when played the CD converts back to analog through the CD-player/stereo. Confusing? Hahaha! Maybe someone have a better explaination... Something about the processing of the signal...

Actually, a DVD is analog, too.

[coyote]

well.....everything eventually gets translated to analog.....

unless you have a digital input into your brain.

[elkfir]

CDs & DVDs have digital files that can be extracted without converting to a different format (therefore no loss.) AFAIK this can't be done with a laserdisc.

Even though laserdiscs are an analog media, they're still an optical format, therefore cannot be played in a record player.

VHS is also an analog media, and you wouldn't want to try and play videotapes in a recordplayer

[The village idiot]

Laser disk is actually analog. Look at a CAV disk, and notice that there is a defined shape to the patterns on the disk. Those are the the video, be frames line, fields, whatever that is the video. If it was digital, it would just be a string of data, and would form no patterns. The pattern gets wider as you move from the center to the edge because the disks moves past the heads at a much quicker linear speed, CAV the disk always spins at the same speed. CLV the disk changes speed as the head moves from the center to the edge.

AC3 audio (digital) is simply a subcarrier modulated into the video signal, the same as color is modulated into a 3.58 subcarrier (for NTSC). Only after it is demodulated is it digital information. If you listen to the AC3 output of your player, you will notice that it sounds like listening to a modem as you are connected to the 'net. Both are digital communications across an analog transport method.

[c_hernandez32]

I hope that no one took my comment seriously. I'm just joking about putting a laser disc on a record player

But what makes something digital?

Doesn't it mean the data is stored as 1's and 0's?

[RabidDog]

digital generally means the info is stored in Binary, generally 1 and 0 also on and off, but can be stored in non binary, decimal or octal or hexadecimal even septuesimal format.

[ThomasW]

I hope that no one took my comment seriously. I'm just joking about putting a laser disc on a record player

Truth is stranger than fiction The ELP Laser turntable

[FulciLives]

I hope that no one took my comment seriously. I'm just joking about putting a laser disc on a record player

Truth is stranger than fiction The ELP Laser turntable

There are cars that cost less than this turntable!

Course not the kind of car I'd like to have but still ...

You gotta be "rich" to afford this thing

- John "FulciLives" Coleman

[The village idiot]

You could buy 3 of what I am driving

[lordsmurf]

LD is analog. Tapes are analog.

DVD is digital. CD-Audio is digital

Forget what you know as the rules of of digital and analog, as LD are applied differently.

[c_hernandez32]

WOW! Laser turntable!

I guess the idea that only laser read media was digital is gone.

Who even has an unplayed record in mint condition to appreciate the sound quality.

By the way are any records still in production? Can I have a record made?

CD>Record?

[FulciLives]

WOW! Laser turntable!

I guess the idea that only laser read media was digital is gone.

Who even has an unplayed record in mint condition to appreciate the sound quality.

By the way are any records still in production? Can I have a record made?

CD>Record?

LP records are still popular with some music collectors especially soundtrack collectors.

So yeah there still are LP records made but usually in very small quantities and finding a place that will sell them is often tricky as well.

- John "FulciLives" Coleman

[lordsmurf]

I have a very nice mint LP collection. Some stuff is just not available on CD or even cassette. I've done audio conversions myself since 1995.

[Cyrax9]

Well pardonthe pun, but "THIS CHANGES EVERYTING!" I wonder how many CD's are actually analog now and even more about LD Videos.

As for the ELP LASER Turntable... DAMN I already OWN A HOUSE!

I mean geez I'd LOVE one of them, I do have two albums that were played ONLY ONCE to copy to Audio Cassette because I care a lot about thier quality and had been shrinkwqrapped since the 1960's, but if I ever win the lottery I know what I'm buying!

I mean geez, I have a nice record collection including stuf I got off of my parents, oh what I'd give for digital quality ro the ability to convwert it to a decent souding CD burned on my PC even, this is like, finding my dream come true, nly it's extremely voerpriced!

I mean geez, the RIAA is pissing and moaning about copy protection and fans are complaining about LP's breaking, heres the solution! Ok, broken records that play again... damn I wish I had one of these "The Martian Melody" could be fixeed up pretty niceley with it, talk abouta fancy system, and I thought my DMR-HS2 Set-Top DVD Writer was the talk of the block, geez, it's too abd the ELP is so overpriced if it weren't I'd know what I want for christmas tis year!

As for LD's, I thought they were digital oo but UI guess this changes the idea of laser = digital and sinc eI never bought my own LD Player I probably wouldn't be the best authority on it, but I did have a feeling it seemed like it wasn't much better than VHS.

Now here's one are VCD's Digital? DVD's are defintyly Digital it's the first "D" in the DVD Acronym DIGITAL Video/Versitle Disc.

I wonder what else there is like tis we don;'t know of, maybe you'll eventually be able ot "press" a DVD/CD instead of "bruning" one with a similar obscure device, either way this is definitly interesting, I wonder how many people have ELP's laser turntables, very col device indeed, I think I just found something that's nicer than a hybrid car or a porche that's been triced out!

A record player that doesn't damage the Disc, hmm.. do they make something like this for VHS Cassette Tapes as well? If they do I may fall out of my cahir! Hoenstly thisis quite a.. unique invetion we have here, too bad only one company mqes it, I would lvoe to see a consumer priced model. Actually one wonders how hard it would be for you to "press" your own DVD's instead of buring them as well and how much it would cost, not to mention the fact thgat these Record players I've just seen have now ade me almost thik of SACD's as already dead, geez talk about breathing old lfie into new products, instead of selling SACD's why not start selling these palyers, old fashioned LP's and DVD-Audio Discs? SACD'sa flopped once sevweral years ago, why is the RAA Banking on them again, LP's are time tested and still popular among a few collectior's if they could produce these devices on a large scale, well let's just say the RIAA might not have such a problem selling muysic anymore, because I'd gladly go out andpick u some new LP's as well as old favorites.

[FOO]

I never saw such a lot of bullshit.
All optical media is digital. (except for the sound track on real Film)

[thxkid]

WRONG!!! LD is not digital for the video, analog, thats why you could get Laser Rot, the problem of the water used to glue the plastic together would become stale, causing bacteria, which would show up as breakup lines on your LD between the analog siginal and plastic outter cover, a huge problem in the early 90's, with at one point owning over 1000 LD's this I had seen personally happen to a few of my LD's. The only Digital on a LD was the Digital Soundtrack, which you had 2 tracks as analog and 2 tracks as digital in the later LD's one digital track was AC-3 5.1 usually the right side and the left side mono soundtrack or directors commintary.
Since a DVD is way more compressed than a LD most but not all good THX LD's had just as good or Better picture than alot of the 1st DVD's, example is True Lies, my LD of it blew away the DVD of the same movie and LD's for the longest time had was more lower base than a DVD had.

[lordsmurf]

I never saw such a lot of bullshit.
All optical media is digital. (except for the sound track on real Film)

Sorry, but you're flat wrong on this one. LD is analog. Optical means it's read by a visual pickup, has NOTHING to do with the data storage method.

This is opposite of D-VHS and D-8, digital data on an analog tape.

[bugster]

digital generally means the info is stored in Binary, generally 1 and 0 also on and off, but can be stored in non binary, decimal or octal or hexadecimal even septuesimal format.

Hmmm, would some like to explain to me how a computer stores/processes the Hexadecimal value 5C. I always thought it was simply a convenient shorthand for 01011100 or 92 decimal.

Hexadecimal is used a lot in programming, especially embedded systems, as a two charachter Hex value happens to equate to one byte of storage.

[SLK001]

Well, bug-man, we were refering to the transport medium, not the ultimate storage on a computer. A DVD is technically an analog transport medium, in that the pits on the disc itself do not directly represent "1's" and "0's", but instead causes the pattern reflected off the surface to create a modulation that DOES represent "1'" and "0's". Subsequent decoding of this modulation pattern results in true digital data.

The video on a laserdisc is entirely true analog. The pattern of pits on a LD cause the reflected laser beam to be modulated in a way that is an exact copy of the analog base band video signal. After low pass filtering, this can be fed directly to any video monitor for display (with no further processing needed).

This is an over-simplification, but I hope this is easily understood.

[lordsmurf]

Well, bug-man, we were refering to the transport medium, not the ultimate storage on a computer.

A DVD is technically an analog transport medium, in that the pits on the disc itself do not directly represent "1's" and "0's", but instead causes the pattern reflected off the surface to create a modulation that DOES represent "1'" and "0's". Subsequent decoding of this modulation pattern results in true digital data.

The video on a laserdisc is entirely true analog. The pattern of pits on a LD cause the reflected laser beam to be modulated in a way that is an exact copy of the analog base band video signal. After low pass filtering, this can be fed directly to any video monitor for display (with no further processing needed).

This is an over-simplification, but I hope this is easily understood.

This is a perfect explanation... and I don't think I could have said it better myself. Thanks.

[FOO]

I've looked all over and can't find a good description of
the LD format.

However I now believe I may be full of shit about it being digital.
The reason I said that is that there is no way in hell the light reflectivity
could be made linear enough over the required 6 or 7 orders of magnitude
for video. And I've seen EM pictures of the LD surface and it has pits.

I now conclude that it must be FM modulated spots somehow which would
be analog.

Anybody know of a good technical description ?

[bugster]

Well, bug-man, we were refering to the transport medium, not the ultimate storage on a computer. A DVD is technically an analog transport medium, in that the pits on the disc itself do not directly represent "1's" and "0's", but instead causes the pattern reflected off the surface to create a modulation that DOES represent "1'" and "0's". Subsequent decoding of this modulation pattern results in true digital data.

The video on a laserdisc is entirely true analog. The pattern of pits on a LD cause the reflected laser beam to be modulated in a way that is an exact copy of the analog base band video signal. After low pass filtering, this can be fed directly to any video monitor for display (with no further processing needed).

This is an over-simplification, but I hope this is easily understood.

Thanks SLK001, but you misunderstood my post (good explanation, though I did already understand that part). What I was actually trying to do was ask RabidDog if HE understands the difference between data being stored in binary and data being stored in Hexadecimal, decimal or whatever. I was also trying to be a little sarcastic, but obviously not enough for anyone to realise !

@RabidDog, AFAIK, all digital storage medium use binary to store the data. (as long as we understand the 1st part of SLK001's post!). The use of any other number base, such as Hex or decimal, is merley a convenience of representation when written, displayed or otherwise represented to a person. So, all digital storage IS binary. No device actually stores HEX as such.