We feel a little like Chevy Chase famously telling Saturday Night Live viewers that “Generallissimo Francisco Franco is ... still dead,” but reportedly Pioneer Electronics has stopped production of its three laserdisc players, effectively killing a format that died off a while back.
Sure, you can still go onto Pioneer’s website and drop $999 for the DVL-919 combination Laserdisc, DVD and CD player, but get ‘em while supplies last. Pioneer’s also ending production of the DVK-900 and DVL-K88 models, says Akihabara News (via Engadget).
Laserdisc played a nice role with home theater buffs and videophiles as a bridge between VHS and DVD formats—a few of the Engadget commenters noted that it was the best way to get Lucas’ original Star Wars trilogy in all its glory. It also gained acclaim as a way to get Dolby Digital, along with some other home video firsts that are fun to check out at Laserdisc Planet.
Alas, times are tough for legacy electronics it seems—only a few months back JVC put the nail in standalone VHS’ coffin. Of course, there’s always eBay.
Wow, a sad day. I love laserdiscs. I still have 3 players hooked up and 2 more in storage. 127 discs still in my collection.
Laserdisc actually outlived HD DVD!
It’s a shame really, Laserdiscs were the first HD format I had used…after VHS & VCD’s…although DVD’s came shortly which imo, replaced it.
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Laserdisc was, and remains, a definitive product in the development of the home theater environment. It deserves a proper place in the entertainment hall of fame and Pioneer along side it. If laserdisc was a bridge between VHS, Beta and DVD, it was the GoldenGate. I still remember the wow of seeing it for the first time.