Some good news. My Pioneer CLD-D704 laserdisc player’s spindle clamp was not grabbing discs and I feared the worst. But after cleaning it,the clamp now grabs the disc and begins playing.
I should have some time next weekend to transfer the footage and see what it needs to create a proper upscale. Still hoping a HDTV airing will come along with the footage. From what I see online, past HDTV rips are 187 min (NTSC) and 180 min (PAL) - so they are the cut version.