ld-decode is a software-defined decoder for LaserDisc RF captures made using modified LaserDisc players and capture devices such as the DomesdayDuplicator

ld-decode recovers video, analog audio, digital audio and metadata content from raw RF samples captured directly from LaserDisc players, bypassing the analog signal chain to achieve preservation-quality digital transfers.

Although ld-decode was originally dedicated to LaserDiscs it has become part of a larger ecosystem including:

• vhs-decode (for videotape formats)
• cvbs-decode (for composite video)
• hifi-decode (for audio processing)

All sub-projects share common tools and techniques by being active forks of this repository.

ld-decode is a GPL3 open-source project run entirely by volunteers and provided for free (as in freedom).

Note that the main repo is under constant development and, while we strive to keep it stable, it is a part of the active development cycle. Contributors maintain ready-made binary builds which are far more suitable for end-users and are available for platforms such as Windows and Apple MacOS. The main ld-decode repo targets only Ubuntu (generally the current LTS version - although it's possible to compile the project on most Linux flavors).

If you'd like to download binaries or compile the project from source please see the project's wiki for detailed instructions.

For detailed build instructions, see BUILD.md which includes:

• Quick start guide
• Step-by-step build process
• Building individual tools
• Build options (Debug, Release, Qt debug symbols, etc.)
• Troubleshooting

For installation instructions after building, see INSTALL.md which covers:

• Installation directories and targets
• System-wide vs. staging directory installation
• Custom installation prefixes
• Python module installation
• Verification and troubleshooting

You can find the wiki here: ld-decode Wiki

The wiki includes details of the ld-decode community's Discord / IRC Bridge and the now legacy Facebook group.

If you are interested in contributing or have general questions please join the Domesday86 Discord server which has the entire family of decode projects developers on it (or IRC if you must) as the Facebook group is mostly inactive.

For detailed information on how to contribute code, report bugs, or suggest enhancements, please see CONTRIBUTING.md.

There is also a VHS specific subreddit r/vhs-decode that is fairly active.

The source is split roughly into three sections:

• ld-decode - The main Python application responsible for decoding lds/ldf LaserDisc RF samples into tbc files (time-base corrected framed video) and generating the initial metadata
• ld-decode-tools (under the tools/ directory) - The Qt based tool-chain for processing tbc files and associated metadata in various ways
• scripts (under the scripts/ directory) - Various scripts to assist with development and decoding
• prototypes (under the prototypes/ directory) - Tools under development that are not yet suitable for inclusion in the main tools build environment