Pioneer CLD-3080 upgrade or mod? Want a "play everything" player but this doesn't hav
 

Good afternoon everyone

Have been keeping an eye out for a while now and haven't seen anything. Basically where I'm at is I have a CLD-3080 that I bought off I think FBMP ~1 year ago, no picture, got it fixed and it's been good since. Flips over OK and no perceived problems.

I recently saw another player with a collection of discs for sale with no model number. Contacted seller, turns out it's a CLD-1010.

I'm assuming that a CLD-1010 would not be an upgrade from a 3080 correct?

I've not yet seen any players for sale in my area with AC3 output. The 3080 has both S-video and optical S/PDIF.

At this point I'm wondering if it would be worthwhile to have my CLD-3080 modded to provide an AC3 output. In the opinion of this group is that worth doing, or would that a) not produce the same results that using a player designed with said output would or b) lower the value of the unit?

the 3080 is in nice shape and I have two remotes for it, one working and one not. The only obvious flaw, other than ~35 years of minor wear and tear, is the little control drawer doesn't latch like pretty much every one I see in pictures - the tech who replaced the bad capacitor that was killing my video said it'd take a lot of disassembly to fix it and he doubted he could get the part anyway, so I've left it.

You should ask here:

LDDB.com

Laser Disc Data Base...

Well, they ain't making anymore players. If the price isn't bad, I would grab it anyway. I guess that's why I have so many VCRs now :D

I thought S/PDIF was basically the same audio data as AC3 only in an interface better supported by more AV receivers. Why not grab a 5.1CH AV receiver with S/PDIF from your local thrift store for $25 and use the player you have?

Pretty sure that is only stereo audio, you need the AC3 demod to get multichannel.

The CLD-3080 is a big step above the CLD-1010. It has, if I remember right, two-sided play, and it has digital memory for freeze and slow motion on Extended Play discs (90% or more of the discs made after 1980).

An AC-3 output is only used for the specific 5.1-channel sound on some of the mid-to-late-1990s discs, and beside that connection on the player, you also need the matching AC-3 decoder or demodulator device, and those are still relatively rare and expensive even now. That device converts the "AC-3 RF" signal into baseband Dolby Digital, essentially another S/PDIF connection. (The S/PDIF connector on the player is only used for digital-sound stereo (or Dolby Surround) discs (most discs made after 1985-86), and for CDs.