What is a laser disc player?
Before the DVD format became standard, Sony and Philips introduced the laser disc player to the global market. The format failed to take off in North America and Australia but achieved greater popularity in Japan. The players and laser discs are no longer produced.HistoryPhilips introduced the laser disc format in 1978, but they invented the technology during the 1960’s.FunctionA laser disc player played platters known as laser discs. The platters contained sound and images recorded in the pits of the discs. A laser in the player read the stored data.SizeBecause the laser disc players measured 12 inches in diameter compared to five inches for a DVD or CD, the average laser disc player needed to be larger than the average VHS player, the standard format at the time of the technology’s introduction.LimitationsLaser disc players cost more than VHS players. You could not record on the platters, and each platter could hold no more than two hours of video. Only about 1 million of the players
