LaserDisc

Synonyms:	LD, CD-Video, LaserVision, Videodisc (used wrongly, see below)
See also:	Vid, Sound Tape, Video Tape Recorder
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LaserDisc was the most prominent intermediate step between VCRs and DVD, an optical analogue video medium recorded on 12" or 7.9" double-sided discs with a capacity of up to an hour or so per side, depending on the disc size and format used. Commercially sold discs were printed on a production line, much like later CDs and DVDs, though the double-sided design made this a much more complicated process and manufacturing defects later proved to impact long-term disk reliability. Recorders did exist but the machines and recordable discs were extremely expensive, aimed at short production runs such as the disks used for some interactive coin slot arcade games, and never marketed at a consumer level.

Recorded discs were the same size as music LPs and EPs with similar packaging in sleeves or flat boxes, which meant that they were easily sold through existing retail channels, with no need to buy expensive display racks etc. They were generally much more expensive than videocassettes, but had the advantages of better picture quality, very quick access to tracks and freeze frame (if the disk was recorded in the high-quality CAV format), and better sound. Most of the audio technologies used for CD and DVD were first used for LaserDisc. The main disadvantage was the sheer physical size and weight of the disks and lack of capacity - a feature film recorded by the high-capacity CLV method needed at least two disc sides, with better quality CAV recordings (which had access to individual frames, considered desirable for screen capture etc.) three or four sides. Machines that could play both sides without stopping existed but were expensive, the disk had to be ejected and turned over manually in most players.

History

The first laserdiscs and players were manufactured in 1978, with greatest popularity in the far East and Japan. European adoption was slow since most non-Asian disks and players were initially made for the American NTSC video system. PAL and other European formats were later introduced but cannot be played on most machines sold for the American market. Many European players could play NTSC discs, outputting PAL 60 video which most TVs sold for European markets could display. In view of the cost of the disks they were often rented, not purchased outright.

DVD was introduced in 1995, with smaller cheaper discs and digital video (though some LaserDisc purists deride the picture quality since it is generated by compressed video files) and the ability to play a feature length film from a single disk. By 2000 the system was obsolete, and the last players and discs were manufactured in 2001. Most distributors eventually dumped their remaining stocks of disks very cheaply, with disks often sold for a tenth or less of their original prices, and most enthusiasts took advantage of the cuts to expand their collections. As a result some late nineties titles are very common regardless of quality - for example, it's rare to find a LaserDisc owner who doesn't have a copy of Speed 2: Cruise Control (1997).

LaserDisc should not be confused with CED VideoDisc, a rival technology which used plastic-cased discs and a capacitance recording system. Image quality and reliability were greatly inferior to LaserDisc, only a little better than VCR, and the system quickly died. Confusingly, while LaserDiscs were sometimes marketed using the CD-Video name there was also an all-digital computer Video CD format sold on conventionally-sized CDs; the discs are not compatible.

Impact on Fans

LaserDisc players and discs did not incorporate the MacroVision technology used to deter video piracy on videotapes, and were (and to an extent still are) a primary source for Western anime enthusiasts who wanted to add closed captions to original Japanese video rather than watching the dubbed, censored and westernized cut versions that were marketed in the USA and Europe. Higher definition than videotape is another advantage. Some LaserDiscs contain uncut versions of films or early cuts that were unavailable on DVD; for example:

• The first LaserDisc release of Star Wars IV: A New Hope was the "Han shot first!" version without later additions such as the CGI Jabba The Hutt; this version was not available on DVD until 2006, when it was briefly available on the second disc of the "Star Wars Limited Edition " collection - the recording was digitally remastered from the LaserDisc.
• The US videotape and DVD releases of Innocent Blood were heavily cut and formatted to pan and scan 4:3 ratio, the US LaserDisc version was complete and wide screen, although letterboxed.

These versions are sometimes used for fanvids.

While LaserDisc is now essentially obsolete, there is still an active community of users hosted at the LaserDisc Database web site.

External Resources and Further Reading

• LaserDisc on Wikipedia, a much more detailed account of the technology etc.
• LaserDisc Database web site and community
• Laserdisc UK Archive with details of many of the models marketed - includes American and Asian models.
• Laserdisc-fans community on Livejournal (largely inactive).