Kenwood LVD-280 (c. 1994–1995)
The Kenwood LVD-280 is a CD/CDV/LaserDisc player from the mid-1990s, originally priced at ¥55,000. The production year is uncertain - sources place it at either 1994 or around 1995. It was a Japanese-market model, and documentation in English is thin.
The LVD-280 was built with serious attention to video and audio quality. It uses a 4fsc 8-bit digital timebase corrector. That converts the video FM signal into 8-bit digital data, stores it in memory, and uses a crystal oscillator to correct timing and output pixels accurately. This eliminates jitter caused by disc warpage, deflection, and eccentricity. Horizontal resolution is rated at 425 lines, with a video S/N ratio of 50 dB or better. It also has a digital noise cancellation circuit and a color dropout compensation circuit to reduce noise from disc scratches and missing signals.
On the audio side, the LVD-280 uses a 1-bit D/A converter with an 8fs digital filter. Frequency response is 4 Hz to 20 kHz ±0.5 dB (EIAJ), dynamic range is 92 dB or more, and S/N ratio is 115 dB or more. THD is 0.003% or less at 1 kHz.
It's a big unit: 440 × 128 × 393 mm (W×H×D), weighing 7.1 kg, drawing 24W. It runs on 100 VAC, 50/60 Hz, which fits its Japan-market origin. A remote control was included.
Known specs, in brief:
- Type: CD/CDV/LD player
- Horizontal resolution: 425 lines
- Video S/N: 50 dB or more
- D/A converter: 1-bit, 8fs digital filter
- Frequency response: 4 Hz–20 kHz ±0.5 dB (EIAJ)
- Dynamic range: 92 dB or more (EIAJ)
- S/N ratio: 115 dB or more (EIAJ)
- THD: 0.003% or less (1 kHz)
- Power: 100 VAC, 24W
- Dimensions: 440 × 128 × 393 mm; 7.1 kg
There are gaps in the record. No reviews, no owner opinions, no common failure points, and no confirmed position in Kenwood's LaserDisc lineup. A remote control part number (A70099815) circulates online, and service manual searches exist, but little else has surfaced. If you own one and can fill in the blanks, the archive would welcome the input.
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