iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Laserdisc Turtle (Ewan) @laserdiscturtle.bsky.social · 16/01/2026

Turns out that there's a whole 1984 film called "The Audition" (ザ・オーディション) about the group and it heavily features the Jim Steinman track throughout... Sigh...I'm going to have to track down a copy of this aren't I?

A picture of the cover of the 7 inch single of Jim Steinman's "Rock And Roll Dreams Come Through". It shows a painting of a winged, muscular male angel standing on a blue cloudy background, the full moon in the background. A woman in a red dress clings to the angel. In one hand the angel holds a guitar, while in the other he holds up some chains.

A picture of a Japanese album cover, it's the original soundtrack for the film "The Audition" from 1985. English text on the Obi strip highlights "Rock 'n Roll Dream Come Through." The cover shows a shot of four Japanese girls dancing on a stage in blue leotards. Behind that is a blue stylised collage of the four girl's faces.

A picture of the four girls who make up the group Saint Four. They all stand together, looking towards the camera, a cloudy scene in the background.

A picture of the laserdisc cover of the 1984 film "The Audition."

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Laserdisc Turtle (Ewan) @laserdiscturtle.bsky.social · 15/01/2026

Right, I think I've finally got the hang of this new year thing...time to get back to listening my way through all my surround sound albums. I'm into the 1980s now with Queen's "The Game" in 5.1 on DVD-A. A nice surround sound mix of an often overlooked album in Queen's large back catalogue.

A hand holds up a DVD Audio disc of Queen's The Game album.

A close-up of the back of the album showing a table which details the three different formats you can listen to the album in: DVD-A 5.1 on a DVD Audio player, and DTS 5.1 and PCM 2.0 on DVD Video players.

"Production Notes

Considerable care has been taken to ensure the audio on this disc is of the highest quality. The original 1980 24-track analogue master recordings were transferred to a Pro Tools HD digital audio workstation at 192kHz 24 bit. For each song, the 24-track elements were meticulously compared with the stereo mix to ensure all the correct parts were selected for the multi-channel mix. It should be noted that some of the vocal performances on the 5.1 mix of Coming Soon are different from those on the stereo mix because the exact multi-track tape used for the original mix was not available.

The multi-channel version was created with a Neve 72 chan- nel 88R analogue mixing console. Additional analogue outboard processing included vintage equipment by Pultec, Fairchild and EMT. The self-powered monitoring system was comprised of five matched Genelec 1031A speakers and a Genelec 1094A sub- woofer. The 5.1 mixes were recorded on an analogue Studer A827 machine with an 8-track headblock and 2 inch EMTEC Studio Master 900 tape.

Mastering for 5.1 was done from the 2 inch tapes and the resultant 96 kHz 24 bit files were used to generate the DTS 96/24 and DVD-Audio versions. A PCM 96/24 stereo version was mas- tered from the 1/4 inch original analogue mix master and is compatible with all DVD players."

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Laserdisc Turtle (Ewan) @laserdiscturtle.bsky.social · 10/01/2026

I spotted a lovely pulpy edition of a collection of Arthur C. Clarke's "Tales from the White Hart" stories in a Guisborough charity shop. I love these playful short stories, definitely amongst my favourites of his works...but I've already got them in a complete collection of his short stories.

A picture of a hand holding up a paperback book of "Tales from the White Hart" by Arthur C. Clarke. The old fashioned pulpy artwork shows a giant squid sitting on top of a traditional English pub, some of it's tentacles draping over the side of the building while others are raised to the sky. It looks as if the giant squid is roaring. The ground around the pub appears to have turned to slime. A sticker on the front shows the price of £1.99.

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Laserdisc Turtle (Ewan) @laserdiscturtle.bsky.social · 09/01/2026

After falling in love with this Polish film on Mubi I finally got a Blu Ray copy of "War of the Wolds: Next Century". Why does no one talk about this film?! It's incredible! A genuine dystopian classic about the power of government propaganda that still feels horribly fresh and relevant today.

A polish city street with the focus on the corner of a building. On one side of the building are armed and armoured police, on the other is a TV station van. A TV camera is pointed at the building. People are standing and celebrating on the top of the building. Banners are hanging from the top of the building, they read in English: "Martians Love Law"

A group of bored looking people sit at a table which is draped in colourful and patreotic flags. Banners behind them reads in English "Your blood is wanted. Welcome martian friends."

A white middle aged man in a bad blonde wig standing on a stage, a microphone stand in front of him as he gives a speech, his lef hand raised as he holds the microphone with his right. Behind him is a scaffolding structure with a big bannee on it. The banner is for SBB TV and has the slogan "Reality! We Create It"

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Laserdisc Turtle (Ewan) @laserdiscturtle.bsky.social · 08/01/2026

Last night I finished reading "The Apollo Murders" by Chris Hadfield. While well written the book didn't really spark with me so I doubt I'll be reading any others in the series....but I do love that flex in the author subtitle! "New York Times bestselling author and astronaut"

A picture of the cover of the hardback book. It shows a lunar landar hovering between the surface of the moon in the foreground and the crescent Earth in the background. The title of the novel, The Apollo Murders" is shown in red all capital letters, while the authors name and other text on the cover is in white all capitals.

A close-up of the authors name and the subtitle under it. It reads "Chris Hadfield, New York Times bestselling author and astronaut"

The author picture in the back of the book cover sleeve. It shows a white man with short dark grey hair and a mustache leaning nonchalantly against a large white space suite.

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Laserdisc Turtle (Ewan) @laserdiscturtle.bsky.social · 28/12/2025

It's a late entry but I think we might have the YouTube thumbnail of the year. www.youtube.com/watch?v=JdlJ...

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Laserdisc Turtle (Ewan) @laserdiscturtle.bsky.social · 25/12/2025

It's not a Christmas film but we're watching one of my favourite Godzilla flicks... Godzilla Vs. King Ghidorah! It has everything!

A picture showing two giant monsters approaching each other in battle. One is Godzilla, a giant grey dinosaur like monster. The other is King Ghidorah, a giant, golden, winged dragon like monster.

A picture of M11; an android. He is a white man, standing in front of a flaming background. The flesh on one side of his body has been burned away, revealing his robotic exoskeleton. Yep...he's a budget Arnold Schwarzenegger.

A Japanese man looks at a sign on a door. The English language sign reads "Super Scientific Play Room."

A picture of a cow farm with Godzilla walking past in the background. He towers over the farm and the cows. A closed caption subtitle reads "(mooing intensifies)". This is a genuine closed caption that actually happened.

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Laserdisc Turtle (Ewan) @laserdiscturtle.bsky.social · 25/12/2025

I think Christmas is a good excuse to open one of the bottles of Dassai 39 that I brought back from Japan this summer. By far my favourite sake, and hideously overpriced in the UK.

A picture of a bottle of Dassai 39 sake sitting next to the box it came in. Both have highly decorative Japanese kanji as well as English text.

A close up picture of the bottle label, with two small sake cups sitting in front of it. One cup has a highly reflective golden interior, while the other has a happy smiling face. Both cups are filled with very clear sake.

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Laserdisc Turtle (Ewan) @laserdiscturtle.bsky.social · 21/12/2025

Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of the War of the Worlds on 5.1 on SACD? No one would have believed...

A hand holds up a copy of Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of the War of the Worlds on SACD.

A close up of a label on the front of the album. It reads "THE CLASSIC DOUBLE ALBUM REMASTERED & REPACKAGED!

STUNNINGLY REMIXED IN STEREO

& 5.1 SURROUND SOUND DELUXE PACKAGING FEATURES 48 PAGE BOOK WITH NEW ARTWORK AND CONTENT PLAYS ON ALL REGULAR CD AND SA-CD PLAYERS"

A note inside the booklet about the SACD format. It reads "Jeff Wayne's Musical Version Of The War Of The Worlds on Hybrid Super Audio CD (SA-CD)

The CD's in this album are hybrid Super Audio CDs that have two distinct layers. One layer contains a newly remastered stereo mix that plays on any CD player. The other layer contains high-resolution Super Audio CD (SA-CD) stereo and multi-channel versions of the same repertoire that will work on SA-CD-compatible players. Both layers have been remastered from the original tapes to deliver significant improvements in sound quanlity for all listeners. These discs play on all regular CD and SA-CD players."

A picture of the gatefold SACD album sitting open on a white table.

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Laserdisc Turtle (Ewan) @laserdiscturtle.bsky.social · 19/12/2025

I've not been getting great sleep this week because Her Ladyship has suddenly decided that 3am bunny cuddles are a thing.

A picture of Florence, a sandy coloured LionHead rabbit. She is very, very fluffy, with huge fluffy mutton chops and a mane. Even her ears are covered in thick fluffy fur. She's sitting on a blue towel next to her litter tray, a piece of hay casually sticking out of her mouth as she contemplates life.

020

Laserdisc Turtle (Ewan) @laserdiscturtle.bsky.social · 18/12/2025

Back on SACD today with the 2001 release of "Bat Out Of Hell" by Meat Loaf in 5.1. It's a mixed bag. A bit thin and they often add an annoying reverb of Meat's vocals in the rear. Some of the master tapes were missing leaving one track mixed from the stereo master and another dubbed with new takes.

A picture of a hand holding up and SACD copy of Bat Out Of Hell by Meat Loaf.

A close up of a sticker on the front of the case. It reads "SINGLE LAYER MULTICHANNEL

SUPER AUDIO CD

Plays only on Super Audio CD Players"

A picture showing notes from the booklet about the 5.1 remix. It reads "Mixed by Michael Brauer on July 10, 2000 at Quad Studios, New York

5.1 Surround Mix by Frank Filipetti at Right Track Recording Mastered by Ted Jensen at Sterling Sound

Authored for SACD by Robert Wolff, Sony Music Studios, New York, NY

The 5.1 surround sound mix was created using the original multitrack master tapes, with two exceptions: the completed multitrack masters for "Paradise By The Dashboard Light" and "Heaven Can Wait" were destroyed in a fire. For "Paradise By The Dashboard Light," the only existing multitracks were missing some final overdubs, which have been recreated in the studio by some of the original artists. Unfortunately, no multitrack master for "Heaven Can Wait" could be located. Ted Jensen has created a 5.1 surround sound mix from the original existing two-track mix tape."

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Laserdisc Turtle (Ewan) @laserdiscturtle.bsky.social · 17/12/2025

I'm happy to see a separate 5.1 mix (in LPCM and DTS-HD Master Audio) for those of us without an Atmos setup. Nice not to have to rely on the audio folding down for a change. A nice enveloping mix, maybe a bit rear heavy, might try adjusting levels next time I listen.

A picture of one of the disc menus, showing the different options for the 2025 mix of the album. They include Dolby Atmos, DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1, and PCM 5.1

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Laserdisc Turtle (Ewan) @laserdiscturtle.bsky.social · 17/12/2025

Today I unwrapped my just released Blu Ray Audio copy of "I Robot" by The Alan Parsons Project. By far my favourite APP album, and the first I've listened to in surround.I should track down the rest. A nice enveloping mix, maybe a bit rear heavy, might try adjusting levels next time I listen.

A picture of a hand holding up a Blu Ray Audio copy of I Robot by The Alan Parsons Project.

A close up of a sticker on the front of the case that reads "THE ALAN PARSONS PROJECT

I ROBOT

BLU-RAY

The critically acclaimed, multi-million selling album originally released in 1977

Featuring stunning Dolby Atmos and 5.1 Surround Sound mixes by Alan Parsons from the original multitrack master tapes

Also contains a new stereo HD remaster of the original album by Miles Showell at Abbey Road Studios

Includes a fully-illustrated 16 page booklet featuring full lyrics and Alan Parsons' thoughts on Dolby Atmos and 5.1 Surround Sound"

A picture showing the Blu Ray case open, showing the Blu Ray disc and booklet.

A picture from the inside of the booklet with stylised text that reads" I Robot, the story of the rise of the machine...And the decline of man which paradoxically coincided with his discovery of the wheel...and a warning that his brief dominance of this planet will probably end, because man tried to create robot in his own image..."

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Laserdisc Turtle (Ewan) @laserdiscturtle.bsky.social · 17/12/2025

There are some excellent trains in Japan. The highlights for us on our last trip were the Linimo MagLev in Nagoya and the Hakone Tozan line which had three switchbacks as it climbed a mountain side.

A picture of a MagLev train crossing a raised rail line, silhouetted against the sky.

A picture of a red train carriage running on a rail next to a road. Tall, thick trees are growing on the other side of the track.

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Laserdisc Turtle (Ewan) @laserdiscturtle.bsky.social · 16/12/2025

When you try to take a picture of your rabbit with the Christmas tree.

A picture showing the lower part of a an artificial Christmas tree in the background, standing in a carpeted hallway. The view or the tree however is almost entirely obscured by the giant blur of a sandy coloured rabbit suddenly dashing in front of the camera.

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Laserdisc Turtle (Ewan) @laserdiscturtle.bsky.social · 15/12/2025

Oh go on, I'll follow it up with "Rumours" by Fleetwood Mac in 5.1 on DVD-A. Another perfect surround sound mix!

A picture of "Rumours" by Fleetwood Mac on DVD Audio.

A picture of the back of the case showing the track listing and audio formats and specs.

A picture of the inside of the case, under where the disc sits, there is text explaining the format. It reads:

"This album was mixed and mastered especially for DVD-Audio. Playback is possible with all DVD-Video or DVD-Audio players.

Your hardware set-up determines the mix you hear. DVD-Video compatible Dolby Digital Multi-Channel Surround. New for DVD-Audio, Advanced Resolution Multi-Channel Surround or Stereo."

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Laserdisc Turtle (Ewan) @laserdiscturtle.bsky.social · 15/12/2025

I'm a little under the weather today so running a bit late on my daily lunchtime surround sound album, but now sitting back and enjoying "Hotel California" by The Eagles in 5.1 on DVD-A. A nice full enveloping mix that puts you right in the middle of everything.

A picture of a hand holding up a DVD-A copy of Hotel California by The Eagles.

A close-up of the back of the disc showing the DVD-A, MLP Advanced Resolution, and Dolby Digital logos, as well as a table showing encoding information for each audio format.

A picture of the open case shaping the disc and the back of the booklet.

120

Laserdisc Turtle (Ewan) @laserdiscturtle.bsky.social · 15/12/2025

Last night I finished reading "I Who Have Never Known Men" by Jacqueline Harpman. What an incredible book! Easily the best book I've read this year and given we're midway through December I doubt it's going to be dethroned. Highly recommend to everyone. Go in knowing as little as possible.

A picture of "I Who Have Never Known Men" by Jacqueline Harpman sitting on my bookshelf.

011

Laserdisc Turtle (Ewan) @laserdiscturtle.bsky.social · 14/12/2025

I was totally wrong when I said that DVD-A players just play the audio...turns out that's just how the first disc I picked up to test it worked. Of the 6 discs I own only one of them works that way, while the others all have a display of some sort, always different to the regular DVD-V layer.

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Laserdisc Turtle (Ewan) @laserdiscturtle.bsky.social · 14/12/2025

Back to Queen today with the title and format that introduced me to surround sound music; "A Night at the Opera" in 5.1 on DVD-Audio. A good mix, but a bit bright, lacking bass.

A hand holding up a DVD Audio copy of "A Night at the Opera" by Queen.

A close up of the back of the case shaping the DVD Audio, DTS, and MLP "Advanced Resolution" logos.

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Laserdisc Turtle (Ewan) @laserdiscturtle.bsky.social · 13/12/2025

While most surround sound music enthusiasts are probably spending their weekend with the brand new 50th anniversary Blu Ray edition of Pink Floyd's "Wish You Were Here" I'm just sitting back with my morning coffee and enjoying my 2011 5.1 SACD. Pink Floyd are masters at mixing music for surround.

A hand holds up an SACD copy of Wish You Were Here by Pink Floyd. Rather than a regular CD case this comes in the form of a small book.

A picture of the inside of the book, showing some art carts and a key piece of art from the album.

230

Laserdisc Turtle (Ewan) @laserdiscturtle.bsky.social · 11/12/2025

I was having such a good time that I put on the next surround album in my collection; Queen's debut album in Dolby Atmos on Blu Ray Audio. This controversial mix is highly revisionist, with Roger Taylor redoing most of the drums and some inexcusable auto tuning on Freddie Mercury's vocals!

A hand holding up a Blu Ray Audio copy of Queen's debut album, Queen One.

A close up of a sticker that came with the album. It Reads "Queen One, Audiophile Blu-Ray. The debut album mixed from the multitrack masters. Reinstating 'Mad the Swine' for the first time. 2024 Dolby Atmos Mix. 2024 Stereo Mix (96 kHz 24 bit). 2024 Stereo Backing Tracks (96 kHz 24 bit)

A picture of the back of the album, showing the specs and track listing.

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Laserdisc Turtle (Ewan) @laserdiscturtle.bsky.social · 11/12/2025

I'm breaking my chronological album order of the listen through of my surround sound album collection, but you know how the other day I said I'd love to get hold of a copy of The Moody Blues "On the Threshold of a Dream" on SACD someday... ...well look what turned up in the mail this morning!

A hand holding up a copy of "On the Threshold of a Dream" on SACD by The Moody Blues"

A close up of a sticker on the front of the album which reads "The Moody Blues On The Threshold of a Dream. Digitally Remastered Digi-pak Edition. The original album mixed in Stereo & 5.1 Surround Sound. With 9 Bonus tracks plus expansive booklet containing sleeve notes and rare photographs."

A collection of magazine cutouts including two pictures of the band and two articles focused on the album "On the Threshold of a Dream."

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Laserdisc Turtle (Ewan) @laserdiscturtle.bsky.social · 10/12/2025

Today's lunchtime surround sound listening session is Mike Oldfield's "Tubular Bells" in 4.0 on SACD. I actually own the 2009 5.1 mix of this on DVD but I prefer this SACD quadrophonic mix. My copy also includes an SACD booklet.

A picture of a hand holding up a copy of Tubular Bells by Mike Oldfield on SACD.

The cover of a booklet included with the release. It shows a picture of a CD on a black background. White text reads "The Compact Disc was a good idea..."

A picture of the inside of the booklet, the next page. It shows a similar picture but text now reads "...this is even better." Text underneath explains "Introducing Super Audio CD.

It looks like a CD. It plays on all your CD players. But this

Super Audio CD (SACD) is much, much more. Created by Sony and Philips the people who invented the CD- this disc actually contains three separate versions of the same

musical program.

1. Direct Stream Digital multichannel surround sound

2. Direct Stream Digital two-channel stereo

3. CD standard stereo"

The next page details how multiple layers work on the disc format.

Compatible with the players you already have.

What you hear depends on your disc player, amplifiers and speakers.

If you have a multichannel SACD player with multichannel amplifiers and speakers, you can play back any of the three versions.

If you have a stereo SACD player, you'll be able to enjoy the stereo SACD version and the CD version. Unlike some other systems, both stereo versions are complete studio masters that reflect the creative decisions of the artists and producers. They're never computer derived "fold-downs."

If you have a CD player, you'll hear the 16-bit CD version. It's compatible with the more than 600 million CD players worldwide. The CD version can

even be based on the DSD studio master, thanks to

the Super Bit Mapping Direct™ process. The result

is the highest fidelity available on Compact Disc."

More pages from the booklet explaining the DSD audio format and surround sound.

"DSD Direct Stream Digital

The next generation in music reproduction.

From the earliest digital recordings and 16-bit Compact Discs on up to even the latest 24-bit recordings, digital audio has always used multi-bit PCM technology. Until now. Now there's Direct Stream Digital™ recording, a one-bit system that's fundamentally different. Thanks to an amazing 2,822,400 samples per second, you get audio performance that no other format can deliver. Where CD frequency response extends to 20,000 Hz, DSD technology can theoretically reach 100,000 Hz. Where CD has dynamic range of 96 dB, DSD recording can achieve 120 dB across the entire audible range. The difference is breathtaking. If you care passionately about music, then SACD will inflame that passion as never before."

"Multichannel SACD.

SACD multichannel sound can contain as many as six separate channels, each captured on disc at the full DSD bit rate with the full DSD sound quality. Some producers will use the added channels to faithfully reproduce the precise acoustic signature of the performance space. Others will realize new creative possibilities, immersing the listener in a 360-degree field of sound. Multichannel SACD takes its place beside stereo SACD as another compelling way to enjoy music."

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Laserdisc Turtle (Ewan) @laserdiscturtle.bsky.social · 08/12/2025

Just spent my lunchtime with an absolute classic of the SACD format; "The Dark Side of the Moon" by Pink Floyd in 5.1. It's a lovely mix this; you get that lovely all encompassing sound that you want from a Pink Floyd album, but lots of directional details too.

The front cover of "The Dark Side of the Moon" by Pink Floyd.

A close-up of a sticker on the front of the album which reads: "PINK FLOYD THE DARK SIDE OF THE MOON oh SACD 30TH ANNIVERSARY EDITION

Reissued on Hybrid SACD in 5. Surroun'd Sound 5.1 SACD Mix From Original 16-Track Tapes by Longtime Producer/Engineer Jatmes Guthrie New Art & 20-Page Booklet by Pink Floyd Designer Storm Thorgerson

*Plays on both CD and SACD players. See back for details."

A close-up of a note on the back of the album which reads: "This product is a Hybrid SACD designed to play in both CD and SACD players, as well as SACD- compatible DVD players. The 5. 1 SACD Surround Sound Mix requires a Multi- Channel SACD player or compatible Surround Sound system. The 5.1 SACD Surround Sound Mix is not available using a standard CD or DVD player. This product is provided AS IS. without any express or implied warranties. SACD DSD and their logos are trademarks of Sony."

230

Laserdisc Turtle (Ewan) @laserdiscturtle.bsky.social · 07/12/2025

Just watched the 4K Blu Ray of Star Trek: First Contact and wow! They did an incredible job at restoring the film. It looks amazing and still really stands up! It's funny how the second entry in each Star Trek film franchise is easily the best...except for Into Darkness which is abysmal.

A picture of the 4K Blu Ray box set of the Star Trek The Next Generation Motion Picture box set.

360

Laserdisc Turtle (Ewan) @laserdiscturtle.bsky.social · 07/12/2025

Carrying on my wander through my collection of surround sound albums with "The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust" by David Bowie in Dolby Atmos on Blu Ray Audio. I don't actually have an Atmos setup so I'm just listening in 5.1 but it's still a lovely listening experience.

The front cover of the Blu Ray album copy of David Bowie's Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars.

It shows David Bowie and a blue jumpsuit, guitar slung over his shoulder, standing outside a red brick building with a green door, his foot resting on a stack of cardboard boxes.

A closeup of the back cover of the album. It lists the listing options available.

2024 Dolby Atmos Mix
2024 Stereo Mix (96 KHZ / 24-BIT PCM)
Original 1972 Stereo Mix - 2012 Remaster (192 KHZ / 24-BIT PCM)
Original 1972 Stereo Mix - 2012 Remaster (48 KHZ / 24-BIT PCM)

To be played at maximum volume.

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Laserdisc Turtle (Ewan) @laserdiscturtle.bsky.social · 06/12/2025

That was lovely. Think I'll follow it up with "A Question of Balance" also by The Moody Blues, also in 5.1 on SACD. I'd love to get hold of a copy of "On the Threshold of a Dream" on SACD too someday.

A picture of the front cover of A Question of Balance by The Moody Blues.

A picture of the back cover of A Question of Balance by The Moody Blues.

A close-up of a label on the front cover of the album reading "The Moody Blues A QUESTION OF BALANCE

Digitally Remastered Digi-pak Edition The original album mixed in Stereo & 5.1 Surround Sound. with 6 Bonus tracks plus expansive booklet containing sleeve notes and rare photographs."

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Laserdisc Turtle (Ewan) @laserdiscturtle.bsky.social · 06/12/2025

With the new UHD/SACD/DVD-A player all plumbed in properly I think it's time for me to explore my collection of surround sound music. Think I'll go in album release order. Starting off with "Days of Future Passed" by The Moody Blues in 5.1 on SACD.

A hand holding up a copy of the album Days of Future Passed by The Moody Blues.

A picture of the back of the album, showing the track listing of the album along with the bonus disc.

A close-up of a label on the front of the disc that reads "The Moody Blues DAYS OF FUTURE PASSED

Digitally Remastered Deluxe Edition

The original album mixed in Stereo & 5.1 Surround Sound. with 19 Bonus tracks plus expansive booklet containing sleeve notes and rare photographs."

2110

Laserdisc Turtle (Ewan) @laserdiscturtle.bsky.social · 06/12/2025

After Orson Welles and Laserdisc came up in conversations with both@hex@dads.cool and @RABroadley@mastodonapp.uk in the last couple of days I feel like Confidential Report (AKA Mr. Arkadin) will be a suitable ironing film for this afternoon.

A picture of the front cover of Confidential Report on laserdisc.

A picture of the back cover of Confidential Report on laserdisc.

A picture of the disc label of Confidential Report on laserdisc.

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Laserdisc Turtle (Ewan) @laserdiscturtle.bsky.social · 05/12/2025

You want a dirty frame? Here, have a dirty frame! When I get around to it this shot is going to be a nightmare to try and clean up. An end of the reel so lots of damage, missing frames, and so much dirt. On top of that it's a shot that's not in any other HD sources.

A very dirty 35mm frame from Highlander 2. It shows Virginia Madsen and Christopher Lambert standing on a mountain top staring into each other's eyes.

010

Laserdisc Turtle (Ewan) @laserdiscturtle.bsky.social · 05/12/2025

You've all been good lately so here, have a nasty, damaged frame from my beat up 35mm print of Highlander 2.

A shot of Sean Connery, wearing medieval inspired sci-fi armour standing in the ruins of a spaceship delivering a speech. The shot is from a damaged 35mm film print and features a horizontal tear in the film around the mid point. There is also a very obvious edge of the tape used to repair the tear towards the top of the frame.

241

Laserdisc Turtle (Ewan) @laserdiscturtle.bsky.social · 02/12/2025

It's the first time I've owned an actual DVD-A player. I've got plenty of DVD-A discs, but I've always listened had to the Dolby Digital or DTS Video layers of the disc rather than the LPCM Audio layer.

100

Laserdisc Turtle (Ewan) @laserdiscturtle.bsky.social · 02/12/2025

Sadly my beloved Panasonic DP-UB820 4K Blu Ray player has started to struggle with a small number of discs, so I decided to upgrade my old Region A locked Sony Blu Ray/SACD player to a Sony UBP-X800M2 multiregion 4K/SACD/DVD-A machine from mrmdvd.

A picture of a 4K Blu Ray player sitting on top of it's box. Both box and player are sitting on top of a white table in front of a window with the blinds closed. The box proclaims the 4K Blu Ray player to be a Sony UBP-X800M2.

A close up of a sticker on the box, added by mrmDVD detailing their hardware E-ICOS multi region modification and how to use it.

A picture of the back of the box showing various specs and marketing about the player. Of note it shows that it can play 4K Blu Ray discs, regular Blu Ray discs, DVD video and audio discs, CDs, and SACDs.

470

Laserdisc Turtle (Ewan) @laserdiscturtle.bsky.social · 26/11/2025

I guess I just really hate the #Highlander 2 #BluRay in general. Why settle for just crushed blacks and blown out whites when you can have BOTH! (H2 Blu Ray vs H2 US Cut HD Stream)

A shot of Sean Connery being amazingly cool as Juan Sánchez-Villalobos Ramírez in Highlander 2. He is wearing dark clothes and the black levels have been set so wrong that there is simply no detail on his body. Meanwhile the light reflecting off of his grey hair is a blown out white blob. Highlights in the background are effected in the same way.

The same shot as before but taken from a different source. The image looks a bit flatter, but there is plenty of detail in the shadow and highlight areas.

071

Laserdisc Turtle (Ewan) @laserdiscturtle.bsky.social · 26/11/2025

I've always hated this effects shot in the Special Edition of #Highlander 2. Sure the original 1991 shot is clearly unfinished and needed refreshing but this still looks unfinished by 2004 standards. And then part way through a building vanishes leaving text just floating in the air. Truly awful.

A screenshot from Highlander 2 showing a dystopian, sci-fi mega building; the MAX security prison. There are angular towers and barbed wire fences. The sky has been replaced by a laser shield...don't ask. A car is driving towards the complex, the headlights illuminating a small building in front of the main complex, words on the side of the small building read "M.A.X." along with some smaller text that can't be made out.

The same shot as before, but taken a few seconds later. The car has passed through the barbed wire gates and is entering the complex. The small building from the previous shot has somehow vanished...leaving the "M.A.X." text just hanging in the air.

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Laserdisc Turtle (Ewan) @laserdiscturtle.bsky.social · 23/11/2025

Dram #1: Bunnahabhain "The Unpronounceable!"

A whisky bottle with a rather unusual, pulpy sci fi style label showing an alien creature. The words "The Unpronounceable" are shown in a 1950s horror or sci fi style font.

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Laserdisc Turtle (Ewan) @laserdiscturtle.bsky.social · 23/11/2025

Having a pint while I look at the menu...

A picture of a woodenpub table. There is a half empty beer pint glass sitting next to a small glass tea light candle holder. There is a large booklet in front of the beer glass which is the focus of picture. The cover reads "Islay Malt Whisky Selection". A Daphne De Maurier novel can be glimpse partly in shot; Jamaica Inn.

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Laserdisc Turtle (Ewan) @laserdiscturtle.bsky.social · 06/11/2025

It includes some footage from the DC but loses some from the US. Crucially it's a longer cut but it retains the "S-Mart" ending. Even more fun is that the disc includes the DC ending after the credits, so you can program it to include whichever ending you want!

A screenshot showing a portion of the S-Mart ending.

A screenshot showing a portion of the Director's Cut ending.

A picture of the back of the laserdisc, a close up of the chapter listing. If you could read Japanese you'd see that the listings include both endings.

A picture of the opening of the Japanese laserdisc showing Japanese title of Captain Supermarket.

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Laserdisc Turtle (Ewan) @laserdiscturtle.bsky.social · 06/11/2025

One of my "holy grail" #Laserdiscs just arrived! CAPTAIN SUPERMARKET! The western version of the film had some boring title like #EvilDead 3 #ArmyOfDarkness, but only Japan released it with the true, superior title. #キャプテンスーパーマーケット #Laserdisc

The front cover of "Captain Supermarket" (also inferiorly known as Evil Dead 3: Army of Darkness). It shows the standard poster artwork of a muscular Ash (Bruce Campbell) posing heroically with a gorgeous woman clinging to his leg. A castle and a skeletal army are shown in the background. The laserdisc includes the Obi strip, and the Japanese title is also shown: 死霊のはらわたIII キャプテン・スーパーマーケット

The back cover of the laserdisc, showing plenty of images from the film, a bit of text about the film (in Japanese), and the chapter listing.

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Laserdisc Turtle (Ewan) @laserdiscturtle.bsky.social · 30/10/2025

Last night I finished reading The Shining, my first (but not last) Stephen King novel. While reading it I kept wondering why Kubrick left out all the crucial character backstory from his film, but it turns out I've only ever seen the International Cut which is missing 25 minutes of backstory.

A photo of a hardback copy of a collection of three Stephen King novels in one. They include The Shining, Carrie, and Misery.

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Laserdisc Turtle (Ewan) @laserdiscturtle.bsky.social · 19/10/2025

Tonight's spooky season film was Edgar Wright's incredible "Last Night in Soho." It's become a bit of a Halloween staple for us and is possibly my favourite film of the decade.

A hand holds up a copy of Last Night in Soho in front of a shelf of Blue Rays and DVDs.

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Laserdisc Turtle (Ewan) @laserdiscturtle.bsky.social · 18/10/2025

As it's our anniversary weekend we finally got around to opening one of the bottles of sake we brought back from Japan. Dassai 39 is my favourite, but we brought back a small bottle of the fancier 23 that is usually too expensive here in the UK. I'd forgotten how smooth and floral it is.

A 300ml green glass bottle with a white label. The label has Japanese characters in black ink. The sake is Dassai 23.

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Laserdisc Turtle (Ewan) @laserdiscturtle.bsky.social · 16/10/2025

I can't believe it's already been ten years since the best trip I ever took to the cinema!

A picture of the outside of a building. Signs on the outside read "Tyneside Cinema", and another reads "Tyneside Bar Café". It is the Tyneside Cinema in Newcastle. The electronic billboard that usually displays the films that are being shown currently reads "Victoria & Ewan - 16.10.2015"

A picture of the inside of a grand, 1930s newsreel cinema, still maintained today. The wedding couple stand hand in hand up on the stage in front of the cinema screen. A luxurious red curtain covers the screen behind them. He is wearing a kilt, while she is looking glamorous in a sparkling red dress.

A photo of the couple sitting next to each other in front of large illuminated letters that read "V&E." They are leaning together kissing in front of the sign.

A picture of the couple and family, posing on a staircase, looking up towards the camera.

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