LaserDisc

LaserDisc is an optical storage format for video and film that was introduced in 1978 by MCA and Philips. The format uses 12-inch discs on which analog video and audio are stored and read by a laser, allowing high-quality, random-access playback with precise frame control.

There are two main disc formats: CLV, which provides longer playing times per side, and CAV, which preserves full-frame fidelity and enables true frame-by-frame navigation and still frames. Most discs carried two-channel analog audio, with some titles including digital or surround audio tracks.

In practice, the DiscoVision system, as the first consumer LaserDisc, debuted in the late 1970s. Pioneer and other companies popularized home players during the 1980s, but the format did not achieve broad market adoption due to higher cost, limited titles, and competition from VHS. Nevertheless, LaserDisc found niches in home theater and film archiving because of its image quality and random access.

LaserDisc also had a presence in arcade and amusement gaming, using the discs to provide pre-rendered video for animation and interactive titles such as Dragon’s Lair and Space Ace. With the advent of DVDs in the late 1990s, LaserDisc usage declined, though the format has left a legacy in video technology and remains valued by collectors and libraries for its high-quality analog video and archival potential.