I'd love to see more people aware of the Domesday Duplicator project:
https://github.com/simoninns/DomesdayDu ... i/Overview
Thinking about having laserdisc games in an arcade cabinet build, I looked into what options exist beyond emulation like Daphne, when original hardware is expensive, players fail, disc rot, (insert other problems here). I looked into a laserdisc player replacement I heard about and discovered projects like 'Arthur,' 'Merlin', 'Lasercon,' and 'Dexter'. If I have this correctly:
'Arthur' is a hardware replacement PCB for Dragon's Lair and Space Ace (and Cliff Hanger).
'Merlin' is a replacement ROM board for those three games.
'Lasercon' is a PCB that lets you use other laserdisc players.
[another board, 'The ALG MultiROM Board' is a modern replacement for American Laser Games (like Mad Dog McCree)]
...for more info:
https://wood1st.com/LaserCon/
There has been intention to merge some of these projects into one, and in the same link, you will see Merlin-DX, Merlin-1000, and Merlin-8000.
To understand those devices, first is the Dexter project (a solid-state laserdisc replacement):
http://www.laserdisc-replacement.com/
Would these modern replacements and a discussion with their creators possibly open a door to FPGA implementation? That and the Domesday Duplicator project's ability for raw files may be the key to laserdisc games preservation, no?
I get it that analogue video is a complicated beast and debates may arise (hopefully not). I'm just contemplating the best way to preserve such history, given the limitations of technology.
[An aside: beyond Arcade preservation, I can see where this could help preserve systems MOSTLY none of us have played: the Pioneer LaserActive laserdisc titles and RDI Halcyon. I also still have hope to help preserve the short lived W.O.W. Action Max].
EDIT: Fixed 'DOOMSDAY' to 'Domesday' (Thank you Lightwave for the correction!)
