Yeah, my strategy from the beginning (a long time ago now...) was to find and acquire the best possible source first, and then work on making it look as good as it could with as little post-processing after that. So I've done a bit of LD collecting as a result. I have the DC, several copies of 'Faces', the Japanese 'Collector's Set', and a few different PAL sets. Not to mention the SE LDs from both the US and Japan. Oh, and some DVB broadcasts and suchlike. I doubt anyone has a much more complete collection of junk than I have...

I started with a Denon LA-2300 for capping AC-3 from the SE discs, and then I got the idea to go PAL (in large part because I hated the idea of stray combed frames being left over from the infernal IVTC), so I had to pick up a PAL player. I kinda figured, "In for a penny, in for a pound," and got myself a Pioneer CLD-D925 -- the best PAL-spec player Pioneer ever made. Maybe not as nice as some of the NTSC-only players made for the Japanese market, but still the best I could get my grubby little hands on.