LaserDisc Audio Guide – Part 1: An LD Audio Overview

Culturedog Sam Hatch has returned with a small series of videos hashing out the convoluted history of the audio portion of LaserDisc history. Analog, digital, mono, stereo, surround, Pro Logic, AC-3, Dolby Digital, DTS… all those confusing acronyms and output jacks… all will be broken down and explained.

In this first video, Sam will somewhat briefly explain the evolution of LD audio and what you might need to actually listen to it. Future episodes will delve into the specific sound formats and further illustrate how to hook up your gear properly.

Strap in and crank it up!

Chapters
0:00 Opening Titles
0:14 Introduction
1:47 LaserDisc Audio Evolution
3:57 Analog Audio
4:46 Digital Audio
6:04 Player Audio Capabilities
7:17 Digital Outputs/Connections
9:19 Matrixed Surround Sound
10:44 AC-3 Dolby Digital
12:50 DTS Surround
13:47 LD Audio Options
17:25 Player Recommendations


Listen to "Culture Dogs" Sunday nights at 8pm EST on WWUH, 91.3 FM in CT. Also streaming live (and then archived via StreamRewind) on:





Instagram: @culturedog1



WNPR:



96.5 TIC FM:



Intro music: "Anger Mgmt." by Sever the Drama.

[MovieGuy]

Definitely a great intro to a very complicated topic for a lot of newbies. Look forward to seeing the other episodes.

[anthonywilson]

Thank you for doing this brother! 🙏 this is very helpful. I'm sure lots of people have sound issues with LDs and there isn't reliable information online. That's why we come to you!

[ChrisSmith-wedx]

03-05-23; Appreciate the tutorial. Understandingly complex issue(s) as time evolved. This certainly achieved the goal of introducing the key moments of tech advancement along with highlighting the tangents. Just recently into the LD experience, having purchased a Pioneer CLD-59, and this helped me understand several things 'new' to me regarding the back panel hookup options. Will need review and additional details, but now have better basis of truth. My Amp has built-in RF/AC-3 INput, so in several weeks of analysis of used offerings saw immediately I needed to be in the mid-90s + era for a player offering an OUTput to match. Will likely re-listen to this as well as catch the additional videos offered to expand on the knowledge. Looking foward to being competent, knowing the lingo etc. Being a Nerd (Techno-Nerd) was and is not my goal but it is cool to know more than a thing or two and be able to hold intelligent convo's with the geeks to whom I need to rely on to ultimately answer my Questions. No disrespect intended, labels can be used negatively - not my intent. I look at those terms geek and nerd as abbreviations like pHD, Dr etc...

[deckofcards]

Keep wondering how to go about ripping Laserdisc audio tracks then syncing them to BluRay files/ then burn them to disc. So many great movies have been released with remixes as opposed to the movie's theatrical soundtracks in AC3 or DTS.

[TheAbsorbant]

Don't forget that Pioneer (and perhaps other brands) had home cinema amplifiers with built-in RF demodulators. I owned one way before I ever started collecting LD, a Pioneer VSA-E07.

[Nummer]

Great video, but you should explain analog audio on LD even more in depth, since there was variants of that as well. The early discs were just analog - either mono or stereo. Then CX-noise reduction was added and the very first players could be upgraded with an external box. But not all CX-encoded discs were the same. On some (like the first TRON LD) CX-noise reduction had to be manually enabled. That's what the CX-button is for on nearly all Pioneer remotes. Pretty soon CX-discs automatically enabled the decoder. But there were problems. If the movie was mono and the publisher added an audio commentary on the second analog audio channel, CX had horrible side effects. Criterion learned this the hard way with "It's a wonderful Life". They put CX-noise reduction on both tracks and that resulted in awful "pumping" or "breathing" effects if you just wanted to listen to the (mono) movie soundtrack. Later mono movies with audio commentaries dropped CX because of that. For stereo movies CX remained on the analog channels.

[bryanreed]

Been needing this - thanks Sam! Can't wait for the other episodes

[Riddler]

This is an excellent video Culturedog. I am already looking forward to the next part. I remember being blown away when I learned about how all the audio formats worked on LaserDisc.


To this day, the audio on LaserDisc is still impressive to my ears. I love how natural PCM Stereo/Pro Logic sounds on LaserDisc. I still have not heard 5.1 in either Dolby Digital or DTS on LaserDisc though.

[neilsmoviechannel]

Well explained, Sam and I bow to your knowledge on this. I love having laserdiscs but am really not great on understanding the best audio and visual set-up

[StefanHomberger]

Fantastic video. I've seen many videos addressing video with LD, but so as many with audio.

[Earthtime]

Laserdisc analog audio is interesting .I prefer it . Don’t forget the director’s commentary on another “frequency.”

[AncientElectronics]

Forgot to mention a few receivers did have the AC-3 demodulator built in. I think the way to go is a separate demodulator paired with a new(er) receiver but it does seem easier and cheaper to come across those older receivers with the built in AC-3 then it is to find a dedicated AC-3 demodulator. I've come across a few of those receivers at Goodwills and specialty shops for well under $50 where I've never seen a dedicated demodulator in my travels. My setup is backwards in that my receiver has built in AC-3 demodulation but not DTS so I have to use a separate DTS decoder and feed that into my receiver.

[austinwillcut]

Off topic: I'm not sure if you've noticed or heard about this but I bought the 4K edition of Air Force One last Friday and noticed a subtitle change when Gary Oldman is taking over the plane and he says "If we land we're finished" in the vhs/dvd versions but on the blu ray I watched he says "They're it's a very strange change in dialogue and people on blu ray.com have pointed it out. Everything else is the same though.

[HerrBjork]

I actually prefer listening in raw stereo. Digital or analogue depends on release, but I usually stick with digital, although I feel that the analogue more often have higher frequencies. It's prob. due to my preference of two great speakers (BeoVox Penta) over a mediocre 5.1 setup. The day I can afford a great 5.1 setup I might change my mind

[theshadowman]

I recently got rid of the very heavy and big Sony audio processor SPD-EP9ES and got the simple Yamaha APD-1 Demodulator. Very pleased with it. For me it’s essential because my AC3 disc collection keeps growing

[mattsimonette]

Thanks so much for the work you put in on these videos. I’ve had an LD player for 30 years but have not understood the real logistics of the sound until now—this series inspired me to hook it up again. I’m watching everything with an Atmos soundbar these days, but the PCM digital sound is nevertheless a commanding presence!

[rabbitau]

You did not always need the separate AC3 decoder there were receivers that had them built in

[LaserRotShow]

Great info man! Sadly those decoders are illusive and pricey hopefully I run across one someday. I've always been interested in Ultra stereo and the like.

[dbanner]

Sam, can you explain the difference between an amp and a receiver? Is one preferable to the other?

[williamwilson]

I have a 1987 pioneer LaserDisc player would I be able to play The Lion King that came out in 95 on LaserDisc on that without having static