Another format dies: Farewell LaserDisc
Mikey 11 commentsIf you don't remember Laser Disc, allow me to paint a picture. Imagine that DVD player sitting in your living room, but about 3 times bigger. Now imagine a DVD Disc, but about 3 times bigger.
I've always prided myself on being an early adopter of new technology, but Laser Disc is one format I'm glad I skipped over.
It turns out that Pioneer have stopped manufacturing Laser Disc players. To be honest, I never even knew they were still making them. I guess that shows there is always a market for obsolete technology, but only up to a certain point.
...in response to this comment by EricVonZipper. HD-DVD was better but it lost out to marketing like Betamax did back when it still competed with VHS.
As for flooding the market with a reduced price point that's not Sony's style. They are still firm believers that people will gladly pay a premium for their stuff. Look at the PS3. Talk about over-priced. If they had halved the price and sold it below cost (like Microsoft did with the 360) then there would be a lot more people supporting Sony.
laser disc, was i asleep, when did it come out
totally forgot laserdisc ever existed. wont be missed!
...in response to this comment by andrew. It was out during the later half of the VHS revolution. My Dad had one (still has I think) I remember the discs were the same size as an vinyl album (12 inch).
I remember seeing laser discs at the library downtown when I was a kid. I assumed they stopped making them in 1989 or so...
...in response to this comment by Anders. Betamax didn't lose to better marketing. It lost because Sony, who owned Betamax, refused to be associated with Porn , resulting in the porn industry releasing their titles on VHS. Apparently, porn outsells regular movies by some $3b US, so game over Betamax.
http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,245638,00.html
Laser disc is to DVD as LP is to CD. In size anyway. I only knew a couple people that owned these. It never did catch on.
Gong
Friday 16th January 2009 | 09:20 AM...in response to this comment by Rodney. never knew that Rodney. Thanks.
I had a laser disc player. My family and I used to rent movies and watch them on the then amazing Sony Trinitron TV. I remember it was so clear.
Good times.
Anonymous
Tuesday 14th June 2011 | 10:26 PMSo why exactly was HD-DVD better? Was the picture any different? Was the sound any different? I never owned one cos' I didn't see the point in buying gear that would become obsolete by the time you walked out of the store with it and realized by the time I could afford to own HD gear the format war would be settled anyway. Blu-Ray will probably be replaced in a couple of years by movie downloads, and I imagine at some point holographic TV will come along. They are already working on some disc-based successors to Blu-Ray http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/5D_DVD
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Holographic_Versatile_Disc
...in response to this comment by Anonymous. Precisely! My thoughts exactly. Thank you for the link. (You must have been reading my mind. I have been considering buying a Blue-Ray, which I may still buy; however, like my TV, I'll buy last year's floor model for a fraction of the original price--God willing.)
EricVonZipper
Thursday 15th January 2009 | 08:29 PMLaser disc ay. Memories. Damn discs and players were temperamental.
I wonder if other companies (will) still make the media? I guess some companies/people have the equipment/presses.
For example. A good friend of mine owns a record vinyl press. The bloody thing is running almost 24/7. He can't keep up with orders. I wonder if the same will happen with laser discs. What market is out there for these things, if any.
Off-topic, but; Next to die (prediction): Blu-Ray. What a horrible horrible format. Awesome for data backups, but that's about it. RIP HD-DVD, a far superior format, just like Beta was.
If Sony/Blu-Ray mob wish to succeed, take a large hit in initial profits and make players $100, and the actual discs at same price, if not lower than current DVDs. Flood the market.