Oddity Archive: Episode 58 - Laserdiscs (and their children)

For all the time we spend with these things (especially lately), it seemed like a full history lesson was in order. In other words, yes, this is one of THOSE episodes...
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[@denelson83]

Legend has it that Ben's nose and mouth is _actually_ a cardboard box.

[@luisreyes1963]

😆

[@JepMasta]

Actually, I would argue that the most famous LD video game was Don Bluth's famous "Dragon's Lair"

[@samrulez06]

I agree as well. I'm surprised that Dragon's Lair wasn't brought up.

[@FoxyStoats]

Well, I guess you could claim Ben was talking about the most famous live action LD game, since Dragon's lair was animated and Mad Dog McCree was a live action interactive movie.

[@PKSandman]

I'm surprised as well that Dragon's Lair, its sequel Time Warp, Space Ace, and Cliff Hanger all went unmentioned. ...oh, and BTW- stop throwing folding chairs my way. I've got enough concussions as it is. ;)

[@fatcat2939]

Also Firefox (Clint Eastward). "Boy, is this a machine"

[@visaman]

I was just about to mention Dragon's Lair. I tried to play it in the arcades, but it was too clunky for my game play. I didn't really have two quarters to rub together then.

[@DMahalko]

7:00 In the mid-80's, players could be controlled by a computer using a serial cable. There were "Interactive Education" programs for the Macintosh using HyperCard (web-like hyperlinked documents) for "how-to" training videos. There were also CLV encyclopedia collections to pull up color still images that the B&W Macintosh could not do by itself.

[@MrWolfSnack]

You forgot to mention that laserdiscs were a victim of their own technology. Because of how advanced they were, it took a long time to produce them. Often, a movie would not be released on laserdisc until 2 months after the movie was released on VHS. Also because of their high cost for movie stores to buy them in surplus and stock them for rental, most mom and pop stores could only afford a handful, and if it was a popular movie, the waiting list would be lengthy.

[@RevengeofGothzilla]

Hello, you. Fancy seeing you here.

[@MrWolfSnack]

RevengeofGothzilla Oh hey bro. lol Same!

[@RevengeofGothzilla]

MrWolfSnack I guess we watch a lot of the same stuff.

[@MrWolfSnack]

RevengeofGothzilla :D

[@RevengeofGothzilla]

MrWolfSnack Woo! Same stuff watching party!

[@Malkmusianful]

how I wish America adopted the iMUSE system back in the '90s we could've been filming in 48K today

[@KurisuYamato]

Funny, we got in a copy of Eraser at work and our copy is, amazingly, rot free it would seem. We got extremely lucky. I should borrow the copy to check out on my player - we were using a very high end one as our tester... but yeah, good copies of Eraser DO exist.

[@WebVManReturns]

I loved that old Universal Picture logo. It was as realistic as you could get before CGI.

[@tjames2123]

Laserdisc players were almost impossible to find in some areas until the late 80s. We lived in Raleigh NC and I can remember reading about LD players and wondering why they weren't in stores. In contrast, you could go to any record store or higher end department store and find CEDs until maybe 1986, 1987. I remember my dad going to Sears in early 1987 and buying RCA Selectavision titles at 2 for 5.00 which was insane at the time. The equivalent title on VHS would have run you at least 60 bucks or more.

[@MrIveyIsBonkers]

"Isn't it rich?" *laser lock* Yes, yes it is.

[@animegrl-gw3kt]

In the late 80s and early 90s, almost no anime was available and Japan did not release anime on VHS. It was selling it all on on laser disc. I paid over 80 dollars just for a company to tape the laser disc onto VHS - and they kept the laser disk! I was in college and couldn't afford a player.

[@ChrisCooling]

I joined Laserdisc really late in the format. I bought a Pioneer for $279 at Bjorns in San Antonio around 1996 I think. Within a year DVD was introduced. I remember attending the demonstration seminars at Bjorns...the early discs were problematic, but after they figured out encoding and disc authoring issues, DVD clearly blew Laserdisc out of the water

[@TheMediaHoarder]

CD-Video was another short-lived offshoot of laserdisc- a CD with 20 minutes of music playable on any CD or laserdisc player, and 5 minutes of analog video playable only on post-1987 laserdisc players. (NOT to be confused with MPEG Video CDs!) DTS laserdiscs are much less of a pain than AC3- they replace the digital tracks and are output through any digital audio output. AC3 requires a demodulator, which was built into the first multichannel receivers but quickly dropped after DVD came on the market. Another historical point is that while laserdiscs were originally aimed at the everyday consumer, by the late 80s they were aimed at videophiles, people who actually cared about sound and picture quality. VHS was "good enough" for most people.

[@NotATube]

***** It's a widespread misconception that Betamax was popular for high-end professional use. It wasn't. That was a pro format called "Betacam" which used the same physical cassette design as Betamax (#), but the recording format was totally different and incompatible with regular Betamax machines and the tape speed was much higher, meaning shorter running times. It was professional grade, but it wasn't the same as the consumer/low-end Betamax format.

[@NotATube]

eyeh8nbc I was going to mention "CD Video" as well! They obviously tried to promote it under that name on the UK market in the late 1980s (#)- my local John Menzies had leaflets and some of the discs in the music and video department. (##) It obviously didn't go anywhere at that point because I don't recall them being sold after that. Laserdisc must eventually have enjoyed some niche success in the UK- at least enough to justify the local Virgin Megastore's respectable selection of discs in the late 90s or so- but for the most part it was still utterly insignificant compared to VHS. (#) I seem to recall Menzies (or the leaflets) having/mentioning ten and twelve inch discs too- I could have sworn they used the "CD Video" name on those as well, but now I think about it, that wouldn't make sense. EDIT: Just read the Wikipedia article which confirms that here in Europe they *did* use the name on 8 and 12 inch Laserdiscs with digital audio.... I'd like to see someone load them into an actual CD player though. (^_^) (##) I don't think I realised at the time that it was related to Laserdisc. Actually, I'm not sure I'd even *heard* of Laserdisc at that point- as I said, the format wasn't really known or successful in the UK then.

[@NotATube]

***** NP... btw, the footnote (#) was meant to note that some later variations of Betacam came in much larger cassettes- for longer running time- that wouldn't have even fitted into a Betamax machine.

[@kskufan]

So in other countries like the UK they have what are called : Dual Disc's (reg size cd/dvd but a lil THICKER * I think ?) !! On one side of disc is video and music is on the other side... ?????

[@stupid8911]

"Halloween II" on Laserdisc, coooooolllll

[@joshuajohnson3296]

Can we order the entire Oddity Archive on VHS?

[@Fuzy2K]

Heh, I noticed Vwestlife's video there. :P I remember when my dad got a Laserdisc player back in 1996. He had Mission Impossible, GoldenEye, and some other things that I don't remember. To this day, the GoldenEye intro reminds me of that Laserdisc player. :P I still have the speakers from his AV setup from back then. Surround sound rocks! I wish I had the Laserdisc player though. It ate a rental disc (and by ate, I mean horribly mangled) and kicked the bucket. :(

[@brandonreina7667]

20:15 - American Laser Games also formed a girls division, Her Interactive, in 1995 which became a separate entity

[@calif1mc]

Awesome video, but you missed Dragon's Lair, an 80's classic! I'm 45, and I loved playing that. It came out in the arcades in the summer of 83, I started 6th grade that September, and Junior High School in the fall of 84.

[@f1reb4ll77]

Not only arcades and CLD-A100, but there was also a PALCOM MSX PX-7 machine able to play MSX games from LDs (the game program itself was stored in one of the audio channels). Also, there was an RDI Halcyon console with only 2 games completed (NFL Football and Thayer's Quest), which wasn't sold in stores. MSX also had games on VHD discs as well, something you should cover in your future episodes (VHD discs, I mean, not exactly the ones with MSX games) :)

[@eaglevision993]

I still have my Pioneer 909 dual player.....

[@Kylefassbinderful]

between this, techmoan and Technology Connections I feel like I could teach a really crappy class on Laserdisc....of course no one would show up but w/e it's my dream.

[@ChuckD79]

Many 80s/90s LD arcade games, in addition to being released for disc-based home video game systems, were later issued on DVD in the early 00s (Dragon's Lair I and II, Space Ace, Mad Dog I and II, Who Shot Johnny Rock?, etc)...unfortunately, Gallagher's Gallery wasn't among them, though that seems to be one of ALG's lesser-known releases, as I'd never heard of it before watching this episode, and it doesn't even have a Wikipedia entry!

[@GUCFan]

About not having footage or stills of MUSE Hi-Vision. Techmoan did make a video about the format recently

[@Angie2343]

My father owned a LaserDisc player and we had SEVERAL videos!

[@BaccarWozat]

At one point, about a year before DVDs hit stores, DVC titles which required a Philips CD-I with a Digital Video Cartridge (hence DVC) came out in some stores. The movies were generally $30 and needed 2 discs, compared to the DVD's $20 and 1 disc. Hence why we have one and not the other nowadays.

[@GeoNeilUK]

Baccar Wozat That and the small matter that the DVC discs required a very expensive console very few people had and an at-the-time incredibly expensive add on. DVD players _technically_ might be able to play them (it's all MPEG1 video after all) but yeah, this is a bit like comparing the number of MegaDrive games with the number of 32X CD games.

[@robocop2283]

Great video, but I have a question... Why are you hiding behind a cardboard box?

[@CrowTRobot-ni7zu]

From a fellow lover of the format, thank you, Ben!

[@Dalia1784]

Your show has encouraged me to get a laserdisc, a CED, and a Betamax player. Ironically I have only one beta tape which is the 1982 release of Walt Disney's Dumbo and a CED disc of Donald Duck and Chip n' Dale cartoons.

[@JasonOlshefsky]

Oh crazy ... I actually had one of those Magnavision top-loading players shown around the 4:10 mark. I saved it from the dumpster at college. We tried to get the other 20 players, but they were already gone by the time we got to the room where they were supposedly stored. Sad day indeed. Once mine decided to play Hudson Hawk's frames in random order, I took it apart and still have the real helium-neon laser (no such thing as a laser diode back then) and 2-axis mirror assembly. Also of note, I have a 9" Laserdisc of They Might Be Giants videos, and a business advertising film titled "The World of dBase". Last thing: have you mentioned "Tippy the Turtle" (as we knew him)? Were there any other examples of video recorded on the "unrecorded" side of discs that was better than said Laserdisc-bellied turtle?

[@TheExodvs]

By the way, you might want to know that the title on the Chinese RoboCop disc is actually the Chinese name for Lost in Space. XD

[@katarinafil]

I love THOSE episodes :D They're my favourite. Enjoyable AND informative

[@georgeprice4212]

Fun fact: you can actually use a Laser Disc to set up anti-skate on a turntable! And, if you watch Ricky Skaggs’ 1982 video of his single, “Heartbroke”, right at the very end, there’s a very early Laser Disc player, but a silver copy of Ricky’s album is removed!

[@tHeWasTeDYouTh]

22:44 wasn't the JVC D-Theater in the early 2000s able to play 1080i on tape? also best laserdisc game was Dragon's Lair and Space Ace

[@megaben99]

don't forget that the game Dragons Lair also used Laserdisc as well.

[@fixman88]

9:17 I own that EXACT Pioneer LaserDisc player! I got it off Ebay a few years back. I have it connected to my living room TV and yes it still works.

[@Knightmessenger]

Have you heard of someone called John Logie Baird? He tried to record tv onto discs back in the 30's but was ahead of his time. Might be interesting to consider what he would have done had he lived in the 70's when optical video discs became practical.

[@WinterSteele]

Growing up, my parents had a laserdisc player, but I don't recall it getting much use. They used the VCR more often than not.

[@pinecone9619]

I wonder how much sound could be fit on a laser disc!

[@luisreyes1963]

Consult Wikipedia for the technical aspects of Laser Disc.

[@nicolerichwine5767]

Dead Laserdiscs = big microwave light show.

[@iamoutofideas1]

Is there a way you can hook up 2 old laserdisc players to a mixer & make video DJ sets?

[@Greeceindirestraits]

Nic Cage has killed more than Laserdisc. He has managed to ruin so many movies, that are otherwise fine.

[@JayDee284]

+Greeceindirestraits Still haven't forgiven him for Raping Ghostrider

[@UNOwen1]

In NYC, during (if I can remember the years correctly), the very early 90's, there were late night/ overnight tests of the MUSE system, which ran for a few weeks, and for anyone who remembers things such as a 20/20 segment which told of how beautiful high definition would be- and even broadcast some clips, they told us because we were using analogue, we couldn't see it. BUT; even though it wasn't visible, it definitely was...a 'cleaner' image, is the only way I can describe it watching those MUSE tests which Japanese techs were conducting in coordination with NBC, those image were also 'cleaner' (I don't remember any audio being played. I think all of this was because even though MUSE WAS high definition, it wasn't digital, they were pushing the capabilities of good old copper wires, electron guns to their limit. What happened - in an almost instantaneous moment (comoaratiu speaking, of course), digital technology bust though, and whereas the 20/20 segment touting high Def was years away (due to the prospect of bringing it to fruition via analogue tech. The segment had to have Aire in the mid-late 80s. High Def was still over amdecade and a half away).

[@sheriff0017]

VideoFilm wasn't McDonnell Douglas' only foray into failing to stay in its lane, and ending up with a loss making product used only in house. They tried to get into the corporate jet market in the 1960s. Fellow military aircraft manufacturers Lockheed and North American had some success in it with the Jetstar and Sabreliner respectively, so McDonnell (prior to the merger with Douglas) designed and built the McDonnell 119, which they renamed 220. They failed to get any orders, and they don't even seem to have tried chartering, so they ended up with a very expensive corporate jet for themselves. It was sold to the Flight Safety Foundation for research use in 1965, and ended up in New Mexico. It belongs in a museum!

[@999manman]

To think the local pawn shop stopped buying DVDs and now sell the non-BluRay versions for a dollar apiece.

[@nathanielenochs1843]

Dragon’s Lair is another most well known laserdisc Arcade Game

[@Andregrindle]

Excellent video Ben! Always felt personally your history lesson based episodes are some of the most entertaining. And its in your presentation of it too! As for that Cheryl Tiegs song in the end? I am sure it was Luther Vandross singing. And what sounds like...Joe Sample/Crusaders or Richard Tee/Stuff supplying the music. Since all three of those people are deceased? Might be difficult to find out for certain. In terms of content? Superb video.

[@lutello3012]

My CLV copy of For All Mankind had visible green spots all over and totally locked up. Thanks, Criterion! CAV version is fine.

[@Edubarca46]

How nice someone thinks, as I do, that LaserDisc was an immense success!!

[@ChuckD79]

As a kid back in the early 90s, I enjoyed reading about the technological advantages offered by the LD format, but knowing there was no way my parents would ever spring for one, my interest waned fairly quickly...years later, I found out that the bonus disc included in MGM/UA's 1993 "Ultimate Oz" release really took advantage of the format, including not only all the video extras from the VHS version (which I still own to this day), but also an "audio vault" which contained hours worth of outtakes, alternate takes, and extended versions of all of the songs and underscoring from the classic 1939 film.

[@triangleofdeath6246]

like the "elephant Parts" reference at the end!

[@TimelordR]

One wonders if any porno LaserDics were ever created. Just curious, i guess.

[@denelson83]

So porn LDs are actually called LaserDicks, huh?

[@imrustyokay]

@@denelson83 Boooo

[@denelson83]

@@imrustyokay Boooo-urns!

[@bradleypearl2986]

OK, then.

[@Takimeko]

@@denelson83 Woo!

[@vonithipathachai8449]

Yay! I love history day! Matter of fact, it's actually what I mainly watch this show for!

[@jasonjoneses]

Just wanted to tell you what a great show you have here. I just discovered and have binge watched them all week. Really well done.

[@gonigeena]

Wow, the laser active is very interesting.

[@HaroldDuggart]

The audio effects of laser lock and laser rot sound like Turnado loop settings.

[@JacGoudsmit]

Impressive video! Lots of info there. What I was missing as a spin-off format was the CD-Video (no, I don't mean VideoCD), from 1987 or so. Am I the only one who remembers that?

[@BubbafromSapperton]

My friend spent a billion dollars on a Laserdisc system with all the doodads shortly before DVD appeared, what a waste of money! 🤣

[@2ToThePower]

i saw that laserdisc princess bride scene

[@MartenElectric]

Amazing amount of informations. Thank you for a great video!

[@SonicandRatchetCo]

I guess the Pioneer with the Sega Box is the first home center to exist before Xbox 360s and Ones and PS3s and 4s did!

[@l.tc.5032]

I've never even heard of these kinds if discs my parents went straight to the DVDs when vhs went obsolete.

[@WOSArchives]

My parents had a laserdisc player for a *SHORT* time back in 1999 (I think), and, when we moved, the player was left behind. We still have the remote for it.

[@BlakeAveryProductions]

Laser lock? Sounds like a CD skipping.

[@punknerd9747]

Actually DVHS was 1080i

[@NJRoadfan]

JVC's Digital VHS D-Theater brought digital home high definition video playback AND recording to the US in 2002 before HD-DVD/BluRay showed up. All the digital formats were compressed. MUSE was actually analog interlaced video, roughly on par (but not compatible) with 1080i ATSC. As for CRVdisc, check this out: www.vintage-computer.com/vcforum/entry.php?463-Component-Recording-Video-The-LVR-5000

[@XeCuTioNR]

Im surprised that you didnt touch on the Video CD format..or is that not a child of the LaserDisc?

[@LarryMarston]

Nice thing about living in NM/TX, in the part I'm living in, it's so dry that nothing here has laser rot.

[@niccage6375]

Is it too early to make an episode on hd-DVD?

[@anon4820]

in my opinion, it is a little too early.

[@Tornado1994]

9 years since it was c*ckblocked by Sony's shady shoehorning. I disagree. Its already been 10 years.

[@mgabrysSF]

The compact disc was not an offshoot. It was digital. The laserdisc was analog.

[@ClaireClown7]

Partially correct. Later laserdiscs around 1984-1985 gained digital cd quality sound (near-cd bitrates in NTSC regions but exact bitrate in PAL regions) and dts in 1995-1996.

[@genesisarcherrivera2323]

15:06 when windows xp crashed after the welcome sound

[@TrickyMario7654]

I LOL'D at the join as next time part!

[@KRAFTWERK2K6]

I stopped collecting LDs when i had pretty much every movie i wanted in that format ^^ At least the ones that were very important to me to have with their old masters. It really is a fun medium when you love movies a lot. Just don't expect it to look as good as DVDs. Especially NTSC discs look terrible compared to PAL Laserdiscs. I digitized most of my discs and even extracted their digital soundtrack via digital out. To preserve them as good as possible. And yea, Criterion really had some complete garbage LD masters. The 1989 release of "2001 - a space odyssey" is absolutely ungodly. Blurry as heck. But it's the only High Quality Homevideo release that was supervised & accepted by Kubrick himself. Unlike the MGM Laserdisc which has different colours but looks sharper (because they used a 70mm print, not a 35mm print like Criterion).

[@Lasse_Viklund]

Love your videos! Where do you get all information ??

[@harrypothead42024]

My dad was always big on laser discs I always thought they looked like shit and were way more hassle than they were worth. The picture was never any good. Unless you were one of the few people who adopted the HD laser disc at the very very end, and I don't know any of those eight people.

[@robsimp1436]

These would look great on an old CRT, but I don't have any left. For no progressive scan it's not even worth the nostalgia factor of getting into these on an HDTV.

[@chell_1.]

Hey man, what's the name of the intro music? It's really good!

[@thevarietybros2486]

+Vodka225 It is "Pavanned" by none other than Ben himself!! He did do music for a short period of time, I think but I'm not 100 percent sure about that! :)

[@daltex81]

dts 5.1 soundtracks on laserdisc did not have the same problem like Dolby AC-3 aka Dolby Digital. if i am not mistaken, the dts soundtrack did not need the requirement of a demodulator like Dolby AC-3 did

[@moviebod]

very interesting. Thanks.

[@MrJasonWell]

watched it all

[@ichigokarasu]

The rot/locked discs youtube poop themselves!

[@mosmi]

Anyone know where I could find a copy online of Video Magazine from Spring 1979 shown at 4:40? I'm interested in the article on teletext. I've tried googling a bunch, but can't find anything beyond the cover online :/

[@johnnyadams9519]

I HAVE THE DISCOVISION JAWS LASERDISC SHOP PROMO VERSION AT HOME GOT FROM THE USA 2 WEEKS AGO AND JAWS 2 AS WELL WORK GREAT ON MY PIONEER LASERDISC PLAYERS 3 IN ALL

[@user-en4ms9gh4q]

What's about Sega Rally from 1990?

[@WOSArchives]

This was posted the day after I got a laserdisc player on eBay.

[@TheCrazystupidpeople]

Did Ben blackmail you to buy one?

[@WOSArchives]

Sam Carver Nope. Just a *EXTREMELY WEIRD* coincidence.

[@thepeternetwork]

Two things: 1) Not to sound creepy or anything. Just would like to tell you that your voice sounds almost like mine or my nephew. 2) How can you talk about laserdisc video games and not mention the arcade hits Dragon's Lair and Space Ace?

[@syxepop]

This is ODD that this is an account mostly about odd entertainment technologies and occurrences yet I had to pause when I've found something that belongs into another TECHNOLOGY ODDITY, like airplanes that weren't built (and that I never knew of this one or the NLA Boeing designed to compete with it at the same time). At 19:15 there's an artist rendering (had to search then and there) of a Mcdonnell Douglas MD-12, a planned 4-engine full double decker commercial airplane design (the only such ever put into production is the even larger Airbus A380, used by just a few airlines in just some routes today), based on their last large plane, the MD-11. Now, THAT'S FITTING THE FORMAT! Good searching, Ben...

[@TheVideoGamesHistorian]

brilliant show once again. I am sure you have a good reason to not bring up dragons lair. Although as a game i hated its 10 pence chewing ass to bits. lol

[@NotATube]

JRush Pixel Ten pence (#) a pop thirty years ago- equivalent to 30p today- doesn't sound too bad for a flashy machine I'd have expected to gouge the customer! I remember reading a review of After Burner circa 1987 that mentioned it cost £1 a game... allowing for inflation, that'd be £2.50 today(!!!) That was possibly the version with the deluxe rotating cockpit, but still... (#) Then again, you might have meant it required several ten pences per game....?

[@Thompsonnw]

I really hate LaserDiscs. Because of their size. I am more familiar with DVDs & Blu Rays.

[@devicemodder]

why does he always have the box infront of his face?

[@visaman]

Acne.

[@denelson83]

devicemodder That's his trademark. That's how you know you're watching an authentic Oddity Archive video.

[@internziko]

Lol.. DAT intro

[@KRAFTWERK2K6]

So far the only disc in my collection that has some laser lock is the CAV edition of "Twister" and thankfully only on the second disc always towards the end. It's really bad on the last side during the credit roll. The disc master is also heavily affected by DNR so it's not really a good picture quality. Regarding Laser rot it has affected 3 of my PAL Laserdiscs that were made at PDO UK. They had some real problems back then :/ But thankfully 2 of them still play nicely but showing some spikes in the picture as well as chroma noise. My worst case is a Laservision Disc that has visible damages of the reflective layer. Looks really nasty x3

[@CrowTRobot-ni7zu]

KRAFTWERK2K6 My only case of Laserlock is near the end of side 1 of “Dr. No.” It’s not too bad. My worst case of rot is side 2 of “The Black Hole.” Picture and sound are both affected, but not so much that it isn’t watchable.

[@EDP2000]

Crow T. Robot Was the Dr. No disc CAV or CLV?

[@multijamesbondfan]

Ok, why would Ray Charles care for Laser Disc just for the sound since he can't see, when he can just listen to a CD, that makes no sense.

[@cb._]

lucky shot

[@moonriverdiver]

An unnecessarily patronising look at a format that remains the only one remaining for some great musical performances that otherwise have to resort to VHS tapes for sourcing here. I picked up a number of Japanese NTSC music laserdiscs. A vastly larger range of titles the US ever did but then its market penetration 10% instead of 1%. I still play them on my Pioneer and notice many never subsequently released on DVD or even CD. For example Bob Dylan's 1986 Hard to Handle tour with Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. A CBC source said no market for it. Another, technical point that could have been mentioned is that LD's digital soundtrack uncompressed unlike DVDs and CDs. Because of the indolence of the record companies and possible licensing issues music laserdiscs continue to matter...to music lovers. I'm putting them on my channel where no DVD release.

[@OddityArchive]

Given the timing of your posting (and a quick scan of your channel), I can't help but feeling this is more a crack at promoting your own channel than anything else. I admit, I haven't watched this episode in ages, but I seem to remember saying that LD's were most popular in Japan and covering the pertinent audio stuff. Also, bear in mind, you're not gonna get a comprehensive history of LD's (or most video formats) in 25 minutes. As for Japanese music LD's, you are right. I've got a few of them myself. Oh yeah, and, really, patronizing? It's an overview meant for anyone with an interest in the format (novice, expert, or any point in between). Any snark in the video (seems like there's little-to-none in this one) is part and parcel of this channel.

[@moonriverdiver]

Your measured reply is appreciated. My focus is admittedly different - almost archival by comparison. Yes I admit I want to alert music lovers to laserdiscs where they are the only remaining digital source of great performances. KZbin sanctions uploading without identifying the source, such as a VHS tape. So yes I'm promoting going further where this discarded format can still provide through collectors such as myself. Thanks for at least providing an overview of this victim of 'progress' though its uncompressed digital soundtrack I consider a boon (even Greg Milner's Perfecting Sound Forever cursory on this lingering holdout - incidentally none of my 200 LDs has developed laser rot after 30 years - just praying my Pioneer LD-98 keeps playing them!). Have a happy new year and I have subscribed to your channel.

[@nyarome8436]

Who is Ben?

[@nyarome8436]

REYTPARGSolver me so stupid

[@UltimateNinja-fe6yh]

Sony mini disc anyone?

[@luisreyes1963]

That's an audio format.

[@andrewhowden5826]

my dad had a Phillips 2000 laser disc and a twin sided video player. why are you talking behind a box? I look like an idiot.

[@PhuckHue2]

laser discs were made to fail. thats why it never caught on. they were already working on DVD technology in the early 90's

[@veganmeatballsareyoukiddingme]

This is probably your best to work Ben. Very little if any forced comedy.

[@goodiesguy]

That's my only complaint of OA, occasional forced comedy (and riffing over clips like that awful show MST3K) and the line "But I digress" used in basically every video.

[@jamesslick4790]

@@goodiesguy I disagree, But.I digress... Any one that dislikes MST3K is a Communist.

[@tjames2123]

You would think that Dragon's Lair would be the most well-known Laserdisc game and not Mad Dog Mcfuck (that's what my friends and I called it when we were kids.) I also remember as a kid playing the sequel to Dragon's Lair and realizing that it was CED-based because if you tipped the machine to the left just a few inches off the ground, it would skip to the end.

[@Generation_X_Computers]

Really

[@RichardGarrison]

The DVD information in this video isn't accurate. The first players were $1,000 and up and most discs were $30-40. I bought my first DVD player in 1997 or early 1998 for $450. it was a clearance model so it was half off plus I saved $50 by getting open box from crutchfield. I bought my first discs from Sam Goody as they weren't available from most mass market retailers like Wal-Mart for several years. My second player was a Sony model that was about $300 and was purchased in 1999. DVD was just starting to take off at that time and didn't really explode until the following year when the PlayStation 2 was released. Laserdisc media cost substantially more than DVDs.

[@MGSBigBoss77]

Up until places like Tower Records closed down i'd agree with you. Even towards its end i saw Laserdiscs costing upwards of £45 to £50 or more of the; Star Wars Special Edition trilogy, and such films like; Highlander 2: Renegade Edition, Jaws, Indiana Jones trilogy, Superman The Movie, Tron, E.T., westerns and sword & sandles movies costing way more than DVD's on Laserdisc even toward its end. DVD's were new in 1997 to 1999 into the 2000's, but they didn't cost nearly as much as Laserdiscs did in Tower Records however. Luckily they're (LD's) are much cheaper nower days online, in places like E-bay and what have you today though.

[@X2FileWrightonite]

The first DVD player model ever was the Toshiba SD-3000. Dvd players started arriving in the United States in 97. They were the Samsung DVD-(MSRP$750), RCA RC-5200P (MSRP$600). Pioneer DVL-700 (MSRP$1000), which, btw- was also Laserdisc/Dvd combo unit that I owned for many years and was a solid LD player, and could be had for as little as $679. There was also a Sony DVP-S7000 ( a tank like unit w/ a MSRP of $1000bucks) and a Panasonic DVDA100. I remember seeing a Samsung player - a 709 I think? For $399 in 1998. My second player though was a JVC ( the 501BK) which sold for $300. My next DVD player was my original XBOX - which I used just about daily in my main surround system from 2003 -2013 when I “retired” it, as it was replace with a Blu-ray player. I also acquired a 26 HDTV monitor with a DVD player built in. I can't say enough good things about the Original XBOX as a DVD player. It was a true workhorse -let me tell you.

[@X2FileWrightonite]

I still remember the day i bought my 1st DVD - which was Star Trek: 1st Contact - and I still have it. At that point in time I would RENT Disney Laserdisc - in order to transfer them to VHS for my son to enjoy, as Disney Tapes were still $30bucks a pop. Now you find them at every flee market for a dollar or less.

[@tjames2123]

I purchased a Magnavox DVD player in 1999 for around 300 bucks. It was a piece of junk and crapped out by around 2001. It would occasionally pop up with a "Region Not Supported" warning- even in the middle of playback. The regional lockout was so restrictive it ruined the unit.

[@plushifoxed]

the first laser lock example reminded me of some kind of youtube poop

[@tigerkay9393]

Roxie Mika exactly what I thought

[@prfo5554]

It made me think of Max Headroom.