NPR has a short feature (a featurette?) on the 25th anniversary of the completion of the development of Compact Disc. The CD format was introduced in America in 1983. Here is a brief audio snippet from the NPR featurette.
[audio:http://www.dograt.com/Audio/AUG07/LDCD.mp3]They characterize LaserDisc as having been a flop, and they call it a digital video disc. The first point is debatable and the second is simply incorrect.
LD was never a big success, but after the LaserDisc format was bought from Philips by Pioneer it found its place as a high-end niche product, and it remained in production until after DVD got going in 1998. So LD lasted for roughly 20 years, and its supplementary material, alternate audio tracks and chapter stops were a model for the DVD format.
Digital sound was added to LD around 1985, but at no time did it have digital video. It was FM analog, just like VHS, but with much higher quality. The video in yesterday’s Invasion of the Body Snatchers post was taken from a 20-year-old LaserDisc.
Actually, Compact Discs remain firmly one-sided, and there are DVD’s that are dual-sided like LaserDiscs, but they’re manufactured and not “burned” at home. There are, however, dual-layer DVD’s for home recording, but I haven’t tried any yet.
I, for one, was really blown away by the Laserdisc technology! I remember you playing the various audio tracks to “Wizard of Oz” while we were watching it. Also, how clear “Help” was on the screen and how you could FREEZE each frame like a snapshot. Now, of course, you can record on both sides of a CD and DVD, just like the vinyl records, and there’s downloading music. What’s next? RFID implants in our brains to download our favorite tunes into? SHUDDER!