Big. Shiny. Analog.

Released to the public in 1978, LaserDisc offered consumers a trifecta of the perfect product: no recording, expensive media and players and the need to flip the disc during the movie.

The response, historically speaking, was tepid.

Developed by Philips and MCA, LaserDisc confused consumers with multiple names from different companies: Laservision, Laser Videodisc and my personal favorite, DiscoVision. LaserDisc, as the format has come to be known, entered a world just starting to entertain the idea of watching movies at home whenever you want. VHS had a two-year head start in the market, Betamax three and each of these offered something even more novel to the burgeoning home video market: recording.

What LaserDisc offered was significantly better picture and sound quality. By some estimates, LD had 40 percent better horizontal resolution over either tape format. Sadly, though, when the average screen size is in the 20-inch range, even VHS looks fine.

It was generally only those with projection televisions (front or rear) that could really see the difference. For them, the quality of LaserDisc was vital and adored.

Sound, too, was a significant step above the tape formats. Multiple audio tracks were available, including stereo PCM digital audio at CD-comparable bitrates and even surround sound. Looking back, it's almost amazing to think that not only did these gigantic CD-looking things have analog video, but the surround sound was often analog as well. Unless it was DTS. And getting that surround sound to work on your system required either a bit of luck or a lot of equipment.

Commentary tracks (sound familiar?), the better audio/video experience, and the large number of original aspect ratio releases enamored the format to movie buffs and videophiles. Sadly, though, these groups can't sustain a format indefinitely.

And wait, you need to get up during the movie? This was often the straw that broke the consumer interest. Better picture quality could not offset the expensive discs and players, the lack of recording or the lack of an uninterrupted movie.

A fringe format for two decades, DVD was the final blow. The few who said LD looked better than early DVDs were quickly silenced when anamorphic DVDs with better encoding became the norm. Pioneer was the last company to manufacture LaserDisc players. You can even find the DVL-919 (shown below) still on their website: a near anachronism of disco-era technology viewed on your computer on the Internet.

MCA was bought and sold and diluted over the years, eventually becoming part of French sewage treatment conglomerate Vivendi, as part of Universal Music Group. Philips went on to co-develop CD, DVD and even Blu-ray. The optical disc format they created lives on, in spirit anyway, in every disc you have in your library.

Consumer electronics companies learned a lot from LaserDisc, mostly in what not to do. Marketing blunders were avoided by a unified format and name with DVD. Fitting the movie on one disc (layer change notwithstanding) was part of the original design spec. The increased quality, however, was not forgotten. With larger screen sizes looming, the need for DVD (and eventually, BD) was obvious. So while LaserDisc may often be the butt of jokes, it is in fact the progenitor of a direct line to where we are today: 1080p/24 on the last optical disc video format ever.

DISC PRICE: $35—40 (upwards of $80 in today's money)
LEGACY: High quality video in an optical format, bringing us DVD and later BD. And, thankfully, a movie on one disc.