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Anyone else returning to Physical Media
- Thread starter JamesMay82
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Physical media can be better for those who care (quality over convenience).
It is a good idea to run some of these players periodically, just to make sure they still work. It's really annoying when age catches up to some of these electronics, stuff like capacitors drying out or rubber belts crumbling.
It is a good idea to run some of these players periodically, just to make sure they still work. It's really annoying when age catches up to some of these electronics, stuff like capacitors drying out or rubber belts crumbling.
Agreed about region locking! I use mine a few times per year. The picture is so-so but the sound is great because it is digital. Some discs even have 5.1. As an added bonus, my laserdisc player can play CD videos - an obscure format. I have some of these from Japan.I played one of my laserdiscs not so long ago, first time in about 10-15 years….
Much like my HD-DVD player, Laserdiscs can be played from anywhere in the world, none of this region rubbish you get on DVD and BR.
The belts have been an issue in my vintage tech. I've managed to find replacements for pretty cheap from eBay and Amazon.
I needed a full refurbishment of my turntable which is over 40 years old. Even some of the plastic parts disintergrated.
LD bros 🤜🏼
I like how that dvd drive is hidding in the middle between the mini disc and LD.
I didnt know mini discs players came in this huge size. I thought the idea of a mini disc to play on mini devices. That must be a multi media type player
Stuff I care about - yes I am picking up physical dvd/bd/ultra hd blu-ray
1: quality
2: need something to do when the internet goes out / apocalypse happens
1: quality
2: need something to do when the internet goes out / apocalypse happens
Minidisc wasn't big in North America. It was pretty big in Japan though. I think there is still a minor following there. My car is a 2006 and it has a MD player! The home unit is from the Sony store. It was the only one they had and I paid full retail for it, $700 in 1999. It only plays regular MD format, not even mdlp format. I also have a portable player. The laserdisc player can play multiple formats though and it is even older!
For the most part, I’m happier playing my CD’s on my Superdrive into my Mac Mini M4 at 16-bit/44.1Khz.
I use a Bryston BDA-2 DAC, BP6 preamp, 4BSST power-amp, and Tannoy studio monitors - a very revealing system indeed. For $20,000 it certainly should be, and I’ve tweaked it to be totally flat and honest.
Apple Music converts everything to 24-bit, and my music productions run at 96Khz - so most Apple Music conversions run at that rate. Fantastic on paper…
But I find the 16-bit/44.1Khz CD’s to sound slightly more organic, if that’s possible.
I don’t like the clutter of having CD’s around, but the only other Apple-free option was to buy a reportedly problematic Bryston BPD-3 player, for which there are now no spares. 16-bit/44.1 on AES/ABU with Bryston/AKM upsampling would be lovely though, but you have to be realistic.
Physically picking up a piece of media invokes memories of when you bought it.
Pressing a play button just makes you think of nothing - except perhaps when you last heard it!
I use a Bryston BDA-2 DAC, BP6 preamp, 4BSST power-amp, and Tannoy studio monitors - a very revealing system indeed. For $20,000 it certainly should be, and I’ve tweaked it to be totally flat and honest.
Apple Music converts everything to 24-bit, and my music productions run at 96Khz - so most Apple Music conversions run at that rate. Fantastic on paper…
But I find the 16-bit/44.1Khz CD’s to sound slightly more organic, if that’s possible.
I don’t like the clutter of having CD’s around, but the only other Apple-free option was to buy a reportedly problematic Bryston BPD-3 player, for which there are now no spares. 16-bit/44.1 on AES/ABU with Bryston/AKM upsampling would be lovely though, but you have to be realistic.
Physically picking up a piece of media invokes memories of when you bought it.
Pressing a play button just makes you think of nothing - except perhaps when you last heard it!
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The Pioneer BDR-X13E-S is well liked, and ships with 2023 firmware.
9 Best Professional Blu-ray Authoring Software on Windows and Mac [2025 Update]
Looking for top-tier Blu-ray authoring software to create professional-quality discs at home? Whether you're a home entertainment enthusiast or a professional video creator, Blu-ray authoring software is essential to produce high-definition movies with stunning menus and flawless video quality...
Can’t remember a time when I said to myself, hell I forgot to pack my ancient media players. However nostalgia is a powerful thing.I played one of my laserdiscs not so long ago, first time in about 10-15 years….
Much like my HD-DVD player, Laserdiscs can be played from anywhere in the world, none of this region rubbish you get on DVD and BR.
I think those Pioneer drives are discontinued - so you'll have to find them as old stock at stores and on eBay.
The Pioneer has been discontinued and there is no stock left in the USA. Does Amazon EU still have stock?
The case I bought for my most recent PC build didn't even have a place to install an internal drive so I bought an external drive that had decent reviews, the ASUS BW-16D1X-U with USB 3.1. I want to rip almost 600 CDs to a new music streamer.
I decided to pick up a backup and options are almost nonexistent, internal or external. ASUS SATA drives are backordered, LG SATA drives the same and may be discontinued. I ended up buying an OWC enclosure that takes SATA drives yet has a USB connection to a PC, MAC or Streamer. I got it with an installed optical drive. Windows properties indicate it is an LG BH16NS40 Blu-Ray Disc Rewriter so OWC must still have LG stock. I have two old PC's with SATA optical drives installed so I should have backup options for a while. Another option I found was Buffalo but the reviews are questionable.
I also just read about the Melco D100 | Optical Disc Drive/Ripper but don't know much about it..
D100 - DELA Audio
Optical Disc Drive/ripper (USB) D100 Overview The D100 is a highly advanced Japanese-technology optical drive that reads optical discs, such as CDs, with great precision. Using a D100 to ‘rip’ CD collections onto a Melco library or hard drive, allows for optimum data transfer in archive quality...
dela.global
I also appreciate streaming a new artist to check out the music.
I call that youtube video. Its free.
Otherwise, I never left physical media.