Pioneer CLD-704 Laserdisc Player
The Pioneer CLD-704 Laserdisc player is considered by many to be one of the better Laserdisc players that a mere mortal could afford and definitely the best non-Elite player that Pioneer ever made. The player has most of the bells and whistles that a good Laserdisc player has: autoflip, digital out, AC3 and S-video out which are the four that I find the most important. It also has digital video noise reduction (V-DNR) which allows manual on-screen adjustment of both high frequency and color video noise. It has a video signal-to-noise ratio of 51 db which is a key spec for Laserdisc players.
A lot of my friends wondered why I bought a Laserdisc player. The answer is simple – while DVD’s are a much better format overall, there are still a lot of movies that are not available on DVD that you can get on Laserdisc. The big one being the original cut of the original Star Wars trilogy, you know the one where Greedo doesn’t shoot first. George Lucas has finally promised to give us Star Wars on DVD on September 21, 2004 but they are going to be the special edition versions. While I am going to buy those, I like having the orginal cuts of the movies that I grew up on a loved. Laserdiscs often sound better than their DVD counterparts as well due to their PCM soundtracks. Also DTS Laserdiscs are all full bit rate and the sound on them is amazing. Plus you can often get Laserdiscs for really cheap in the used bin or on eBay. Last but not least those big 12″ shiny discs are just plain cool and you get nice big art work on the packaging.
I have gone through several Laserdisc players. I am always keeping an eye on classified ads looking for good deals so I went through a rapid succession of players. My first was a Pioneer CLD-S104, which is a great beginner player. I then jumped on a Pioneer CLD-504 that came with an RF demodulater and the Star Wars SE box set that I got for a steal. Then came a Pioneer CLD-606 that I picked up on eBay that came with a whole bunch of discs. This player never even made it into my system; while it was in transit to me I found my CLD-704 for $50 in the classifieds; the 704 at the time was going for about $350 on eBay so I just couldn’t pass it up. The great thing is through all this I have sold all my extra players, some of the discs that I picked up with the players and a RF demodulator and in the end I have made more money then I spent, so in a sense my Laserdisc player was free.
Looking to buy a Laser disc player? Then check out my Laserdisc store!
Pioneer CLD-704 Laserdisc Specs
- Horizontal Resolution: 425 lines
- Video Signal-To-Noise Ratio: 51db
- Frequency Response: 4-20,000Hz
- Audio Signal-To-Noise Ratio: 115db
- Video Output Terminals: RCA Jack (75ohms, unbalanced)
- Audio Output Terminals: Digital output (Optical & Coaxial) RCA Jack x 2
- AC-3 RF Output: RCA Jack x 1
- Headphone Output: Yes (with volume control)
- Dimensions (W x H x D): 16 1/2 x 5 1/2 x 17 1/8
- Weight: 18.5lb
Filed Under Retired Equipment | 25 Questions/Comments |
Comments & Questions
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June 27, 2010 6:39 am
I am looking to replace an older Laserdisc player, preferably new.
September 2, 2010 11:19 am
WILL THE RCA LASERDISC MOVIES PLAY ON A PIONEER LASERDISC PLAYER?
September 2, 2010 12:09 pm
Yes. As far as I know, a laserdisc is a laserdisc.
September 9, 2010 4:32 pm
I have an RCA laserdisc player and 30 movies and was wondering if you have or know anyone that may be interested in buying it?
November 19, 2010 5:56 am
I need to buy a laserdisc in very good condition, if anyone is interested in selling contact me.
lrrkuwait@gmail.com
December 20, 2010 11:14 am
Have about 400 movie laser discs of all types and a Pioneer player for sale. All movies are in the original jackets and/or boxes and in excellent condition. Is this something you would be interested in? Do not have a listing of the titles available. If you are looking for specific titles let me know.
January 3, 2011 9:05 am
I’m a kid of the 80’s and also a huge Stephen King fan. (If you want to collect all his books, well, you better save some room on your shelf for his comicbook series too. I had to.) Getting into laserdiscs and wanted to know if you have a list of all laserdisc players up to the time when they were discontinued or where to find one. Trying to find the newest one. And what do you think of the pioneer cld v5000? A d704 is hard to find now. THANKS!
January 25, 2011 6:12 pm
I am interested in buying a laserdisc palyer. I would prefer it to be one that plays both sides and if possible a dvd player as well. Anybody know someone wanting to sell one please let me know! Thanks in advance!!!!!!!
March 23, 2011 5:37 pm
Question. Can I connect my c-cld-704 directly to a 2002 Sony Wega 36″ TV or do I have to run it thru an A/V and or a VCR.
Thankyou!
March 24, 2011 10:12 am
If your TV has composite or S-video inputs then yes, you can connect it.
March 24, 2011 1:19 pm
Thankyou! Thankyou! Thankyou. Just to be sure though that you understood my question, this means that the LDP will play discs on a TV that has S-video or composite input w/o any other appliance being needed for the video signal. My old Sony MDP 3 LDP needed a VCR that was connected to the TV for video signal.
May 2, 2011 4:26 pm
Nice site, as a long time laserdisc afficiando and collector I love reading about players and discs. I was a fairly early adopter of laserdiscs in the late 1980s and really kind of skipped the whole VHS tape buying thing. For about 15 years while everyone else was watching crappy 240 lines of resolution VHS tapes, with movies mostly in pan and scan, I was watching gorgeous 425 line resolution widescreen movies. Plus, concerts in full uncompressed PCM audio which of course blew away tapes and still blow away most DVDs, many of which are very compressed. That is one thing people still don’t understand–just how much better the audio is on the better laserdisc players.
I own hundreds and hundreds of laserdiscs still, many many concert discs which may never be released on DVD, which is why I also have hung onto my multiple LD players—-I have Pioneer Elites L2-S2, CLD 99, CLD 97, CLD 79, as well as a Panasonic LX900 and some cheaper industrial Pioneer players (just cause I got them cheap). I would love to own a McIntosh or one of the high-high end Japanese Pioneer Elites, but my 97 and 99 are still going strong and hard to beat. The 704 is a fine player, as you say, pretty much the best non Elite player Pioneer made. The 79 Elite is about the same player with some added perks and a little sturdier construction.
One thing I don’t understand about your “laserdisc store”—all your links are to Ebay sales. Are those your players you are selling on Ebay, or are those links just for convenience?
By the way, one thing people should be doing when they hook up a laserdisc player is hooking the audio directly to their reciever (analog and digital outputs) so you can take advantage of the fantastic audio laserdisc delivers. Don’t just hook it up to your TV audio—-that is defeating the purpose.
Keep up the interest in laserdiscs, there are still people out here…..
May 2, 2011 4:40 pm
Read all those negative comments about hooking up LDPs to the TV and getting lousy pictures. Hooked my CLD-D704 to a 27″ Daewoo, mediocre picture. Tried my Tobisha 32″ LCD w/ S-Video and Yamaha 900 Power Bar. FANTASTIC. Sound and picture. I was ready to give up my equipment. Not now. I can enjoy all those LDs once again
May 3, 2011 2:04 pm
Gee, I would hope a 32″ Toshiba LCD would give you a better picture than a 27″ POC Daewoo, LMAO. I would think you would want to use the composite video hookup and let your TV’s comb filter do the work and not a 20 year old Laserdisc player’s comb filter though….
May 19, 2011 9:00 am
There was a question above about whether “RCA discs” would play on a Pioneer laserdisc player. Moe, I wonder if he was asking about those early RCA Selectavision CED laserdiscs, the kind that required a player with stylus to play them? Those early CED discs from the late 70s/early 80s will not play on Pioneer laserdisc players, its a different technology. RCA put their money into the wrong type of laserdisc system early on and they lost the battle. CED discs will not play on normal laserdisc players, you would need a CED player to play them. That technology was bad and outdated from the get go.
May 24, 2011 5:36 pm
I want and looking to buy a Laserdisc Player.Where can I get same.I am also looking for a Compact Disc Interactive Player
June 12, 2011 7:31 pm
hey Stanley, I know this is a wacky idea, so work with me here, but you might want to give it a shot as a last ditch effort if you are looking for a laserdisc player and a compact disc player. This is nutty and kooky, I know, but have you tried……Ebay?
September 17, 2011 4:41 pm
hi im interrested in buying a ld but i whant a laser disc thats compatible 16:9 widscreen they exist i just dont know what model
is yours compatible with a 16:9 aspect ratio
September 17, 2011 7:56 pm
This answer is for Tommy: yes, my cl704 LDP plays just like regular cable on my Toshiba LCD TV 16.9. I have it connected with S-Videoto the TV and digital cable to a Yamaha Power Sound Bar. I never thought it would look and sound so good. No fancy adjustments or gizmos needed.
January 15, 2013 12:54 pm
Hello i am looking to purchase a Laser Disc Player
can get back to me…
my cell 416-578-9608
January 27, 2013 10:14 am
have you still got this player if so how much do you want thanks roger
January 27, 2013 3:19 pm
Sorry, the player is not for sale. Good luck, I’d keep an eye on craigslist and ebay if I were you.
March 28, 2017 3:42 am
I am trying to buy a jog knob for my pioneer laser disc cld-d704 I need to part# can you help thanks
November 6, 2019 11:32 am
Question:
I have a curated, 150 disc collection of great opera performances. I would like to donate the collection, in my father’s name, along with a Pioneer CLD-704 laser disc player.
Could the 704 be compatible with today’s equipment for a small, high-end residential theater, seating 65-75 people? If so, what software & equipment would I need?
November 7, 2019 10:17 am
It would be compatible, most likely anyway. It probably would not look very good. Laserdisc has a very low resolution, blowing up an image to a screen for a theater that holds that many people would end up with a very poor picture. It would probably sound quite good though.