Leonard Nimoy demonstrates Magnavision LaserDisc Player

This is the demonstration video advertising the Magnavox Magnavision VH-8000 Laser Video Disc Player, featuring Leonard Nimoy.

Additional tidbit: the Philips VLP-600 and VLP-700, sold in Europe as the very first consumer LaserDisc players there, were based on the Magnavox VH-8000 and VH-8005, respectively.

Technical aspects:
The video has been taken from the original LaserDisc, played on a Pioneer LD-660 LaserDisc Player. Video output was CVBS (composite). This video was captured using a Dell video capture device on a Dell Dimension 4600 running Windows XP. MediaPortal was the software used to perform the video capture. A conversion utility was employed to remux the DVR-MS file into a proper MPEG2 file. The MPEG2 file is then transferred to my MacBook Pro where, with the Apple QuickTime MPEG2 playback component and MPEG Streamclip, the MPEG2 file is deinterlaced, scaled from 720x480 to 640x480, and transcoded into an MEPG4 H.264 file.

This video made with Windows/made on a Mac.

This is, perhaps, one credit that Leonard Nimoy would probably like to forget about.

As spokesman for Magnavox, Leonard Nimoy demonstrates the first consumer LaserDisc player made, the Magnavox VH-8000 Magnavision. He is introduced to and guided through this product by a blinking, beeping rock. How's that for embarrassment?

Unfortunately for Magnavox, the VH-8000 was well known for its terrible reliability and would later be outclassed by the first consumer grade LaserDisc player from a Japanese competitor, the Pioneer VP-1000. (The first ever production LaserDisc player was the commercial/industrial PR-7820, which was designed by MCA DiscoVision and manufactured by Pioneer.)

Although the Magnavision debuted in 1978, this video was made in 1981, which was about a year after Pioneer introduced their VP-1000 in 1980.

Magnavox revised this model by adding a remote control and calling it the VH-8005. But, Pioneer still had them beat as the VH-8005 was still the VH-8000, flaws and all.

Anyways, enjoy!

• Category

  Science & Technology

[therealAgerbon]

this is the new Xbox One O_o

[TheGameBinge]

So.. could it play movies or not? xD

[ShadowmereNL]

That stone is fking annoying

[Watcher3223]

And, thank you for your kind complements. You're also very welcome.

There's also more videos I've got up concerning LaserDisc, including a couple of demo spots for the Pioneer VP-1000.

[Watcher3223]

Home entertainment electronics has been quite a fun hobby for me, and it still is.

[Watcher3223]

I managed to find a copy on eBay. The LD-660 came out around 1982.

I learned quite a bit through some first hand experience collecting discs and players as well as repairing players, such as being asked to check out a VH-8000 for possible repair. I also learned a lot from the experience of others from various sources, starting with the LaserDisc usenet group as well as enthusiast websites. (Google: Blam Entertainment Group, LaserVision Landmarks).

I learned by myself as well as from others.

[you5711]

I loved this. Thanks for posting it, Watcher. It seems Leonard Nimoy can speak the Beep Beep Beep language. LOL

How did you get the LaserDisc of this? When did the Pioneer LD-660 come out? How did you learn of all the details regarding the Magnavox VH-8000 and VH-8005, the Pioneer VP-1000, and the MCA DiscoVision PR-7820?

"Beep, beep beep beep, beep beep, beep beep beep beep." In English, "Again, thanks for posting this little slice of tech history."

[Watcher3223]

To top it off, the price was in 1978.

Factoring inflation, the figure would be close to $2500 U.S. Dollars in 2013.

[Goremeister100]

So in Canada it probably would have been close to 1000 bucks. I got my first top loader VCR in 1980. For some reason laserdisc players never caught on in Canada.

[Watcher3223]

Approximately $700.