Clemintime

ZigZig said:
DVL models are not good players, I would not recommend them. Their only interest was to have a DVD player coupled to the LD, but at the expense of the overall quality of the image.

Good to know. Will cross them off the list.

ZigZig said:
For what purpose do you look for an LD player? To view records in your living room? to connect to a projector? To capture old LDs and encode them numerically? Only NTSC or PAL? To connect them to a video card, or to a video upscaler? What is your budget?

Depending on the needs, some models will be more recommendable than others…

Right now, my collection is only NTSC. My reasoning for wanting an LD player is strictly for digital preservation so the quality and output is very important. I would use a standard video capture card for a format like Laserdisc. My budget is relatively unlimited because I would pay anything for the best player (not that I don’t look for a bargain), but let’s say $3,000 for all intensive purposes.

I’m still yet to acquire my own Laserdisc player, which is good because I haven’t gotten the wrong one, but bad because my perspective on the best player is constantly changing.

The HLD models have MUSE and are highly regarded among video and audiophiles as the ones with the best playback in the industry. However, the DVL models have Component output, which I hear is superior to S-Video. [I’m not 100% on the truthfulness of this, but still.]

So what do you guys think? Money is not much of a factor as I’m saving up to get the true master player. Of course, I’d love to save some money in the end, but not enough to compromise quality.

Any input is welcome and appreciated.

Hardcore Legend said:

Clemintime said:
If you have any further questions, let me know.

When I used to pull this channel from the wall with a PCTV stick, this is the type of file I was getting. I’d like to replicate this as close as possible. Heck, I’d love to be able to just pull the raw data (whether I stay with my MPEG2 cable provider or switch to DISH). If I do stay with my cable provider, is there a device that offers HDMI MPEG2 encoding that meets or exceeds 15 MBPS?

The device you linked to seemed like it was going to downconvert the audio to 2.0. Will it re-encode the audio or is there a way to capture the data as it is sent out by the receiver?

File: Mux type : TS Stream
TS mux rate : 16.957 Mbps
Video: Encoding : MPEG2
VideoStreamID : x840
Frame rate : 59.94 fps
Encoding size : 1280 x 720
Aspect ratio : 16:9
Header bit rate : 38.800 Mbps
VBV buffer : 976 KBytes
Profile : Main@High
Progressive : Progressive Only
Chroma : 4:2:0
Bit rate : 13.719 Mbps
Captioning : EIA 608/708
Field order : Progressive
Audio Stream: 1 (Primary) Codec : AC3
Channels : 5.1
Language : eng
PID : x841
PES Stream Id : xBD
Bit rate : 384 Kbps
Sampling rate : 48000
Sample size : 16 bits
Audio Stream: 2 Codec : AC3
Channels : 2.0
Language : spa
PID : x842
PES Stream Id : xBD
Bit rate : 192 Kbps
Sampling rate : 48000
Sample size : 16 bits

Ah, but that’s just it. You said you wanted a “lossless” capture method. You have to make a new recording that will capture the audio and put it on a new file, there’s no getting around that. As for the format and channels, while there are devices that capture audio in 5.1 they are all lossy. I know this because I myself have searched high and low for such a device that captures 5.1 sound in LPCM lossless format and it just doesn’t exist in the present time. If you want lossless, you’ll have to stick with 2.0 sound. If you’re willing to chance it on AC3 codecs and you’re not concerned with capturing in 4K, you might want to invest in a Hauppauge, those aren’t bad for $150.

Hardcore Legend said:

I’d like to get as lossless as possible captures from a Dish receiver. What is my best bet on a capture card and/or device. Internal is probably best so I don’t have to power multiple devices.

Easy. Get the Inogeni 4K2USB3 capture device or the Epiphan AV.io 4K capture device (they both capture audio losslessly too) and use Amarec with the LAGS codec to capture. Of course, you’ll need the ViewHD 4K HDMI Splitter to do any real capturing. XD

If you have any further questions, let me know.

Hello, OT community.

I’m looking to digitize some extremely rare audio cassette tapes with very valuable content on it with the best playback possible (particularly Dragon Ball Z stuff, long story).

Anyway, the common word on the street is that the Nakamichi Dragon is the premiere tape deck, and I have heard samples of its playback, and it is incredible, certainly for audio cassette playback.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LX5hErEtG30

BUT! This Dutch guy argues that the Pioneer CT-95 is in fact the best.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ylFeX8rkwQw

The sound on that one is great too, but which one is truly the surperior deck?

Also, is it true that if you play a non-Dolby tape on a Dolby player that the quality will decline? If so, is there any way that the Dolby can be switched off?

I almost forgot, let me know if there’s a deck other than these two that you think is the best.

I hope to hear from those of you who know your stuff or just have a strong opinion on this subject.

JayArgonaut said:

Clemintime said:

JayArgonaut said:

I went with the UltraStudio Mini Recorder and so far, so good. Now, I need a HDCP stripper that works with 1.4a. Can anyone recommend one? The ViewHD is 1.3 and my PVR is 1.4a, so I need something more recent and I’m wary after looking through countless reviews for these devices and seeing warnings by people who had their HDMI ports blown by these removers.

I have the ViewHD and it’s been working just fine. Not to mention I have friends who use it too.

Ok but are you capturing from devices with HDMI 1.4 and above? Does it remove the HDCP on those?

Unfortunately, I have not tried to capture anything 3D or 4K so the answer would be no.

However, I did stumble upon the Goronya splitter which is totally equipped with HDMI 2.0 capability and though it says it has HDCP 2.2, they all say they have that and it also says it’s compatible with Blu-ray players among other HDCP-laden things, so I say it’s worth a trial run. And if it doesn’t work, Amazon will take it back; No questions asked.

https://www.amazon.com/Goronya-Splitter-Premium-Quality-Certified/dp/B01NC2YQUF/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_product_top?ie=UTF8

Forgive me if this has been pointed out before, but are there any devices currently on the market that can record in at least 1080p video and 5.1 LPCM audio in tandem?

I’m really eyeing the Inogeni 4K HDMI to USB 3.0 Converter (really dull name) except for one thing. While the audio is recorded losslessly, it’s maxed out at 2.0.

If there are none with all 3 requirements, I guess I’ll get that one and be done with it.

JayArgonaut said:

I went with the UltraStudio Mini Recorder and so far, so good. Now, I need a HDCP stripper that works with 1.4a. Can anyone recommend one? The ViewHD is 1.3 and my PVR is 1.4a, so I need something more recent and I’m wary after looking through countless reviews for these devices and seeing warnings by people who had their HDMI ports blown by these removers.

I have the ViewHD and it’s been working just fine. Not to mention I have friends who use it too.

RU.08 said:

Good luck! I hope people do help you out with this as it’s important we can get good quality LD transfers.

Thank you. I actually have the 1982 Disney Christmas special on Laserdisc and I’d love to capture it with this player.

digitalfreaknyc said:

It would also probably help if people knew where you were located.

Don’t see how until we’ve actually raised the funds, but sure.

I live in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. So I would be able to plug it in and use it with no difficulty.

So here’s the story. I recently snagged a Pioneer HLD-X0 for 200,000 yen. That’s $1,761.24 USD as of this writing.

Here’s the link to the exact auction for info: http://buyee.jp/item/yahoo/auction/k278262761

Problem is, like you’d be able to guess, I don’t have 200,000 yen! I just want it so bad to capture the Laserdiscs I’ve collected thus far.

For those of you who don’t know, the HLD-X0 is the pinnacle of Laserdisc playback, video-wise, and more importantly audio-wise. Everything comes in clear as a bell on this baby.

Now for the time being, I will try to fund the purchase as best I can, but to make a successful transaction more likely, I will probably need the assistance of my fellow video/audiophiles.

Anywhere around the $1,000-mark is extremely cheap for an HLD-X0. Heck, it’s good for any high-end Laserdisc player.

If you’d like financially assist me, PM me and I’ll give you my PayPal information.

Now this venture will not just be for Laserdiscs I’d like to preserve. If you have any Laserdiscs you’d like to have digitized in the best quality, over and under, send it/them to me if you have them or tell me where to buy them and I’ll try my best to finance them when I can.

Thank you for your time and I hope we’re able to make this happen together. ^_^

-Arian