LaserActive Preservation Project - Interesting Stuff

[vgmthebest]

Apparently, some group has launched a website dedicated to capturing a ton of video footage from the LaserActive before they all break.

http://laseractive.wordpress.com

I guess they're serious. They might as well...the damn thing is never gonna get emulated. I always wanted one, but they're beyond my price range.

Thoughts?

[Kitsune Sniper]

Apparently, some group has launched a website dedicated to capturing a ton of video footage from the LaserActive before they all break.

http://laseractive.wordpress.com

I guess they're serious. They might as well...the damn thing is never gonna get emulated. I always wanted one, but they're beyond my price range.

Thoughts?MAME already has working laserdisc games.

It can be done.

[vgmthebest]

MAME already has working laserdisc games.

It can be done.

Oh, it can. It just won't, not enough people care sadly. :(

[Tupin]

Very interesting, LaserDiscs had to be made perfectly otherwise they would have premature bitrot. Still, a very interesting system.

LaserDiscs never had major market penetration. I think it's kind of a forgotten format, people remember VHS and even Betamax, but not LaserDisc. I've only ever seen one player, and I got it when I did. A LaserActive would be awesome to own...

[vgmthebest]

Very interesting, LaserDiscs had to be made perfectly otherwise they would have premature bitrot. Still, a very interesting system.

LaserDiscs never had major market penetration. I think it's kind of a forgotten format, people remember VHS and even Betamax, but not LaserDisc. I've only ever seen one player, and I got it when I did. A LaserActive would be awesome to own...

Apparently they were kind of a big deal in Japan and Hong Kong. Guess they were cheaper there?

[Kitsune Sniper]

Oh, it can. It just won't, not enough people care sadly. :(That's what you say now. But as long as these guys preserve the discs the right way, then there's a chance.

[vgmthebest]

That's what you say now. But as long as these guys preserve the discs the right way, then there's a chance.
Let's hope they do. It looks like they're doing a decent job, they had their console refurbished and everything.

[dnehthend]

my player still works

If anybody wants to donate some discs for me to 'preserve' I'm all for it

:p

[goatdan]

Apparently they were kind of a big deal in Japan and Hong Kong. Guess they were cheaper there?

While the LaserActive wasn't that popular over here, LaserDiscs really don't seem to be that rare here. In fact, just last week I saw a LaserDisc player in a Goodwill, and pretty much every Goodwill has LaserDiscs. There is a used media store that has a section of LaserDiscs that they have carried ever since I remember them opening in around 2000.

[Bojay1997]

While the LaserActive wasn't that popular over here, LaserDiscs really don't seem to be that rare here. In fact, just last week I saw a LaserDisc player in a Goodwill, and pretty much every Goodwill has LaserDiscs. There is a used media store that has a section of LaserDiscs that they have carried ever since I remember them opening in around 2000.

Yep, here in the United States while it was never a ubiquitous format, it did find it's way into an estimated two million homes. Sure, that's roughly only 2% of households even in early-1990s numbers, but it's still not that rare or unusual. I had a laserdisc player when I was a teenager and I still have several players as well hundreds of discs and I knew a couple of other friends who had either laserdisc or RCA CED in the mid to late 80s, so they were out there at least.

[markusman64ds]

Is there any way you can attach a Laserdisc player to a computer, then copy the data to a hard drive? If not, were eventually gonna lose some games.

[vgmthebest]

Is there any way you can attach a Laserdisc player to a computer, then copy the data to a hard drive? If not, were eventually gonna lose some games.

I think I read somewhere that there are a couple people that are really close to dumping the data from discs. Not there yet though.

[markusman64ds]

I think I read somewhere that there are a couple people that are really close to dumping the data from discs. Not there yet though.

Wasn't there a PAC for connecting to a PC or MAC. Are they hacking that?

[rbudrick]

I remember back when the Daphne emuilator came out, there were some LD players that had com ports or something on them that were compatible with the emu. Perhaps some of these players could facilitate this?

-Rob

[vgmthebest]

Wasn't there a PAC for connecting to a PC or MAC. Are they hacking that?
No idea, but I doubt it. It's stupidly rare, nobody's ever seen it up for auction. Some even doubt that it was ever released.

[markusman64ds]

Maybe it's possible to make your own board for the LaserActive to connect it to a PC. It would take some work, but I say it's possible.

On the other hand, anyone trying to connect a Halcyon to a PC?

[vgmthebest]

Maybe it's possible to make your own board for the LaserActive to connect it to a PC. It would take some work, but I say it's possible.

On the other hand, anyone trying to connect a Halcyon to a PC?

That would be the only solution. Even if they did get the PC PAC hacked, you can't have two PACs in at the same time. The necessary game hardware would be missing, making it only useful for dumping disc contents.

And haha, I doubt that. People don't care about the Halcyon enough to even collect for it, let alone try to connect it to a PC. Although it is a pretty out-there system :P

[markusman64ds]

That would be the only solution. Even if they did get the PC PAC hacked, you can't have two PACs in at the same time. The necessary game hardware would be missing, making it only useful for dumping disc contents.

I thought dumping the disc was the whole point. I don't think game data was included in the PAC, that's just the hardware to play it on.

[vgmthebest]

I thought dumping the disc was the whole point. I don't think game data was included in the PAC, that's just the hardware to play it on.

Then yeah, it would probably be extremely beneficial in dumping the contents of the disc. From what I've heard, the people who are close to dumping discs are using a custom USB-to-Genesis Controller Port cord, so it'll only work for the Mega-LD titles unless a similar cord exists for the PC Engine. (Though, to be fair, the majority of the LaserActive's games were Mega LD).

[Natty Bumppo]

No idea, but I doubt it. It's stupidly rare, nobody's ever seen it up for auction. Some even doubt that it was ever released.




This is a blurb I found about it:

Computer Interface PAC (PAC-PC1)This PAC has a 25-pin serial port allowing the CLD-A100 to be controlled by custom programs authored on PC or Macintosh computers. This PAC came with a 33-button infrared remote control providing more functionality than the 24-button remote included with the CLD-A100. Also included on DOS and Mac floppy disks was the LaserActive Program Editor. The floppy disks included some sample programs created with the editor for use with the first five LaserDiscs in the Tenchi Muyo! anime series.


It was likely only released in Japan (as the PC-1 designation indicates - the other six modules had a 1 for Japan (such as Pac N-1) or a 10 (such as Pac N-10) for the U.S.

I also found this for it:

http://desmond.imageshack.us/Himg27/scaled.php?server=27&filename=pacpc1.jpg&res=medium

[98PaceCar]

On the other hand, anyone trying to connect a Halcyon to a PC?

There's no point. The data on the laserdisk is just video, the actual game data is stored on a cartridge.

[markusman64ds]

There's no point. The data on the laserdisk is just video, the actual game data is stored on a cartridge.

I know so much about games yet I can't remember a thing. Thanks for reminding me.

[98PaceCar]

Even the laserdisc player portion of the Halcyon is a bone stock, off the shelf Pioneer unit with special badging.

The prospect of being able to dump LA games is very interesting though. I'd love to know how it all works internally.

[vgmthebest]

Even the laserdisc player portion of the Halcyon is a bone stock, off the shelf Pioneer unit with special badging.

The prospect of being able to dump LA games is very interesting though. I'd love to know how it all works internally.

I know the Sega games don't run on much special...just a moderately modified Sega CD BIOS.

[Kitsune Sniper]

Even the laserdisc player portion of the Halcyon is a bone stock, off the shelf Pioneer unit with special badging.

The prospect of being able to dump LA games is very interesting though. I'd love to know how it all works internally.

I remember the MAME team explaining this but in short, each LD dump can be dozens of GB large. The first Laserdisc game emulated by MAME had a 12 GB LD image.

[vgmthebest]

I remember the MAME team explaining this but in short, each LD dump can be dozens of GB large. The first Laserdisc game emulated by MAME had a 12 GB LD image.

It's because they have to store all the analog video at a very low-loss compression ratio. Which generally translates to huge filesizes.

[Tupin]

I'm not very familiar with the LaserActive itself, was it ever sold in games stores? Was it just sold in high-end electronics shops or through mail-order?

Where could you get the games? That video is so 90's, by the way. Why would they use Jurassic Park to show the Genesis compatibility when they could show Sonic?

[vgmthebest]

I'm not very familiar with the LaserActive itself, was it ever sold in games stores? Was it just sold in high-end electronics shops or through mail-order?

Where could you get the games? That video is so 90's, by the way. Why would they use Jurassic Park to show the Genesis compatibility when they could show Sonic?

I honestly have no idea. I'm not an owner, and never was. Would have to talk to a vintage buyer about that one.

[Bojay1997]

I'm not very familiar with the LaserActive itself, was it ever sold in games stores? Was it just sold in high-end electronics shops or through mail-order?

Where could you get the games? That video is so 90's, by the way. Why would they use Jurassic Park to show the Genesis compatibility when they could show Sonic?

I don't know of any video game chains or indy stores that sold it. I only ever saw it in laserdisc or karaoke dealers. Same with the software. At the end, Pioneer sold games and accessories directly by mail order, but I don't think they ever sold the actual players directly.

[vgmthebest]

This is really fascinating - I didn't know this much about the console. Seems like all the LA collectors are popping out of the woodwork. Wish these guys would get more exposure.

[xelement5x]

I'm a relatively new LA collector but have learned a lot about the unit in the time I've had it. That PC PAC is completely new to me though and looks super cool.

The big detriment with this system are the PACs, especially the Sega onces, as they are prone to failure by this point in their life. The capacitors inside them are getting old and leaking, sometimes irreparably damaging the hardware. I was lucky enough to have mine completely redone by the awesome BlueBMW, so the only fear I have in the next 20 years or so would really be bit rot on the discs or the unit breaking down.

Some games are just ridiculously rare and expensive though, and the PCE/Turbo PACs are very expensive, sometimes the cost of those PACs is more than the LaserActive unit itself! It's a neat system to have in the grand scheme of things, but to me it's just a really big SegaCD ;)

[JSoup]

All I know about Laser Disks is that the medium allowed for relatively high quality copies of Song of the South to be released in Japan. Which is how I got my copy.

[markusman64ds]

All I know about Laser Disks is that the medium allowed for relatively high quality copies of Song of the South to be released in Japan. Which is how I got my copy.

Is it in Japanese?

[Natty Bumppo]

Is it in Japanese?

There were two laserdisc releases of "Song of the South" - from Japan and from Hong Kong.

The Japanese one has two language tracks (English and Japanese) with Japanese subtitles during the title screens and during the songs.

The Hong Kong one (which is much much rarer than the Japanese one) has dual language tracks - Cantonese and English with no subtitles on the disc at all.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7I5dVBezF9k

[vgmthebest]

Are you serious? Haha, wow...I thought that relic was lost. Somebody should capture it and upload it to the internet, forever ruining Disney's reputation.

[Dangerboy]

I took that site as to just wanting videos of the games being played. I have a complete set and was hoping to one day do a Game-Rave type thing for it. I record stuff anyway for screenshots...should just send them my movie files when i'm done.

[JSoup]

The Japanese one has two language tracks (English and Japanese) with Japanese subtitles during the title screens and during the songs.


And the subtitles are all in awesome Ultraman font. :D

[vgmthebest]

I took that site as to just wanting videos of the games being played. I have a complete set and was hoping to one day do a Game-Rave type thing for it. I record stuff anyway for screenshots...should just send them my movie files when i'm done.
I think they're doing all the recording themselves. Also, FLAC rips. I am pleased.

[Tokimemofan]

I remember the MAME team explaining this but in short, each LD dump can be dozens of GB large. The first Laserdisc game emulated by MAME had a 12 GB LD image.

No surprise, that is about the size of uncompressed video at those resolutions

[vincewy]

I currently have a few doubles here which I'll be willing to lend/donate, some common ones like Rocket Coaster and Hyperion, plus a few rare ones (yes, one of them is Vajra 2) if and only if:

1. They can absolutely emulate this thing perfectly.
2. It can be done in a timely matter.

For most of us, the logistics will be time, look at how long it takes Hans to make this website (I'm supposed to lend him more discs for reviews)

http://www.cyberroach.com/new_laseractive_pics/default.htm

Until the above 2 are cleared, my preference would be selling them.

[vgmthebest]

I currently have a few doubles here which I'll be willing to lend/donate, some common ones like Rocket Coaster and Hyperion, plus a few rare ones (yes, one of them is Vajra 2) if and only if:

1. They can absolutely emulate this thing perfectly.
2. It can be done in a timely matter.

For most of us, the logistics will be time, look at how long it takes Hans to make this website (I'm supposed to lend him more discs for reviews)

http://www.cyberroach.com/new_laseractive_pics/default.htm

Until the above 2 are cleared, my preference would be selling them.

Hey, they're apparently buying them, too. Might as well drop em an email, if they'll pay then you know that your sale is going to a good cause.

[vgmthebest]

Huh, apparently they actually followed through on those FLAC rips. This song is stuck in my head for eternity now.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TlQKSNlD2rk

[Steve W]

Another Laseractive owner here. I know that the store chain Incredible Universe used to sell them, since that's where I bought mine. They used to carry all sorts of stuff in their game section, including the 3DO, Neo•Geo, and CD-i. The Laseractive didn't sell too well at $1300, and their stock didn't exactly fly off the shelves. I always wanted one anyway, since I had a Pioneer rack stereo system that I wanted to add a Laseractive to. Whenever I'd go shopping there, I'd usually hit the Black Hole area, which was where their scratch-and-dent items ended up, along with floor models. Sure enough, three units were on the shelf, so I grabbed one and went to the laserdisc section to get some games. But they had gotten rid of their games a week before. The employees had no idea where. Over time I managed to get Pyramid Patrol and Rocket Coaster, sadly the only ones I've ever been able to get my hands on.

I come across laserdiscs fairly quasi-often in thrift stores. The last time was a month or two ago, it was a kids educational title that had been badly manhandled by the patrons. I looked at one side of the disc, the side with no video on it, and it was fine. I flipped it over and side A was bitrot within an inch of its life. I've never seen that kind of bitrot before, it was like a cracked, dried lake bed.

[TascoDLX]

Huh, apparently they actually followed through on those FLAC rips. This song is stuck in my head for eternity now.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TlQKSNlD2rk

That's excellent. I wrote some lyrics so you can sing along:

I'm lifting off
and away
into the future
I'm shooting the moon
and a million shining stars

I'm taking off
to the sky
Heaven will catch me
I'm flying up high
to the galaxies beyond

No one can stop me now
on a mission bound from this Earth
Now I'm searching for a new and brighter Sun

No one can stop me now
on my rocket to distant worlds
Discover all of the hidden mysteries and won...der!

I'm counting down
It's the day
Heaven can't stop me
I'm not looking back
'til I see the great unknown

I'm blasting off
way up high
Wild blue yonder
It's my dream to soar
among the brilliant stars alone

No one can stop me now
I'm a rocketman off to Mars
And on to Neptune and the million stars beyond

No one can stop me now
on my flight away from the Earth
Soon I'll be lifting off in 5, 4, 3, 2, won...der!

* I'm releasing these lyrics under a Creative Commons license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/), so feel free to adapt them, perform them, whatever... go nuts. ;)

[madman77]

It's impossible to "rip" a laserdisc as the video is not stored in a digital format such as on a DVD.

[vgmthebest]

It's impossible to "rip" a laserdisc as the video is not stored in a digital format such as on a DVD.

They're using a capture card and storing it uncompressed, that's as close to ripped as it gets.

[JSoup]

It's impossible to "rip" a laserdisc as the video is not stored in a digital format such as on a DVD.

If you've got the right set up, you can record the laserdisc to DVD by playing it to a TV, then recording from there. That's how I got my copy of Song of the South.

[madman77]

Correct, but it's not a rip in the digital sense like ripping a DVD or CD where you are copying digital data bit for bit. "Ripping" a laserdisc is the equivalent to "ripping" a VHS tape or a record. I consider that copying.

[vgmthebest]

Correct, but it's not a rip in the digital sense like ripping a DVD or CD where you are copying digital data bit for bit. "Ripping" a laserdisc is the equivalent to "ripping" a VHS tape or a record. I consider that copying.

Yeah, guess it would be the correct term. That or "converting".

[rbudrick]

Correct, but it's not a rip in the digital sense like ripping a DVD or CD where you are copying digital data bit for bit. "Ripping" a laserdisc is the equivalent to "ripping" a VHS tape or a record. I consider that copying.

True, true. I suppose it's no different than all those albums that were recorded on analog equipment then sold on CD.

-Rob

[markusman64ds]

They're using a capture card and storing it uncompressed, that's as close to ripped as it gets.

How do they get the actual game data then?

[vgmthebest]

How do they get the actual game data then?

They aren't, they're videodocumenting the games.

However, there are methods for data dumping that are close to fruition. See earlier in the thread.

[vgmthebest]

Holy shit, they just put up a LOT of footage. Like 3 hours worth.

Quality sucks but apparently it was a donation.

[TheClash603]

I didn't know this existed, very cool project.

I have almost all of the Laseractive games, and I often thought about trying to do some youtube videos, but I am kinda lazy and suck at recording. These guys will do all the hard work for me. Great!