LaserDiscs
LaserDisc is an optical disc format introduced in the late 1970s as an alternative to VHS and Betamax videocassettes. Developed by Pioneer Corporation, it was the first consumer product to use laser technology for playback, predating the compact disc (CD) and digital video disc (DVD). LaserDiscs stored video and audio on a single-sided, 12-inch (30 cm) disc, typically with a capacity of around 54 minutes of video per side, though some formats offered longer playtimes or additional features.
The format gained popularity in the 1980s and early 1990s, particularly in North America and Japan, where
LaserDisc players used a laser to read data from the disc’s reflective surface, unlike earlier optical formats
Despite its advantages, LaserDisc faced competition from VHS and later DVD, which offered digital compression and
Today, LaserDiscs are largely obsolete, though a few specialty stores and online retailers still carry them.