An Affordable Laser Recorder? Not Yet : Technology: A machine is on the market now that can deliver professional quality--but it also carries a hefty price.
The laser disc format has one big drawback: The machines are only good for playing back prerecorded material. Industry analysts say that the introduction of an inexpensive recordable disc unit would trigger a laser revolution.
What most laser fans don’t know is that there already is a recordable laser disc player on the market. Pioneer has one on display at the Consumer Electronics Show, which opened Thursday in Las Vegas.
Inexpensive, however, the VDR-V1000 LaserRecorder isn’t. It sells for $39,950.
If that’s not staggering enough, check out the price of each disc: $1,295.
The unit, the first laser recorder on the market, obviously is not aimed at the average consumer. “We just wanted to show the public how the technology in this area is advancing,” said Mike Fidler, senior vice president of home electronics marketing for Pioneer.
The LaserRecorder, which was introduced last fall, is designed for professional broadcast use, Fidler explained, and is sold through Pioneer’s commercial industrial division. The unit, which can record and erase simultaneously, can record off a multitude of sources, including video cameras, video tape, TV, other laser discs and computers. Naturally, the quality of the recording is limited by the quality of the originals.
From a consumer point of view, the LaserRecorder has two negatives other than the cost: It can accommodate only 32 minutes of information per side, and the sound is analog (similar to what’s delivered by standard audiotape) rather than digital.
When will the technology advance to the point where, say, $500 units, featuring two-hour recording times and digital sound, can be mass-produced?
“Years in the future,” Fidler replied.
Laser-Changer: Pioneer has another laser unit that’s creating a stir in the marketplace--the CLD-M90, a combination laser-disc player and CD changer that is the first laser-changer on the market. It plays both 12-inch laser discs and up to five CDs. The M90 retails for $700, but some outlets have priced it in the $550-$600 range.
Eventually, this unit may challenge the popular combi player, which plays both laser discs and CDs, but which can accommodate just one CD at a time.
The market for CD players is now dominated by CD changers-- multiplay units that allow the user to insert many CDs at once, play them continuously or program cuts from all of them. “Machines that play just one CD are just about dead,” Fidler said.
The M90 is attracting consumers who like CD changers and want to explore lasers. “It’s out-selling all the models in our line,” Fidler said.
Look for other companies to market laser-changers in the next year.
What’s New in Video: “Thelma & Louise” (MGM/UA, $95 ) is the big release of the week. This box-office hit starring Geena Davis and Susan Sarandon is about two friends on a weekend vacation that turns into a crime rampage. It’s sort of a female road movie, a feminists’ “Easy Rider.”
“Another You” (Columbia TriStar, no price). Richard Pryor and Gene Wilder, who had teamed successfully in such hits as “Silver Streak and “Stir Crazy,” reunited for this lame comedy that appealed to neither critics nor fans.
“Dying Young” (FoxVideo, $95). Although it was expected to be a blockbuster because of Julia Roberts’ success in “Pretty Woman,” this much-maligned tear-jerker didn’t attract big crowds. Roberts plays a companion who falls in love with the patient (Campbell Scott) she’s hired to comfort.
“Bill and Ted’s Bogus Journey” (Orion, $93). According to critics, this journey with the spaced-out youngsters, played by Keanu Reeves and Alex Winter, has its moments, but it isn’t as consistently funny and inventive as the 1989 original.
“Closely Watched Trains” (Fox Lorber, $80). This Oscar-winning 1966 comedy-drama, directed by Jiri Menzel, is about the sexual awakening of a young train dispatcher in a strange setting--Czechoslovakia during the German occupation in World War II. It’s worth a look for Vaclav Neckar’s acclaimed performance as the dispatcher. This is a new version with better subtitles.
Laser Release: “Confidential Report” (Criterion, $40). This rarely seen 1955 British movie, originally titled “Mr. Arkadin,” stars Orson Welles, who also wrote and directed. You’re never quite sure what’s happening in this oblique story of a strange financier, but it’s still interesting.
