What kind of audio is available on Laserdiscs?
A. Laserdiscs originally had only two analog hi-fi tracks, roughly equivalent in sound quality to hi-fi stereo in VHS. In the 1980’s, after the rise of the CD, Laserdiscs gained two 44.1 kHz 16 bit digital tracks for a total of four tracks available on Laserdiscs. The analog tracks were retained for compatibility. As a result, on most Laserdiscs, the digital tracks and analog tracks have the same material on them. However, as the need for compatibility lessened, other program material such as director’s commentary and isolated music tracks began to be put on the analog tracks. In 1995, Dolby Digital (previously named AC-3) was introduced to Laserdisc. Laserdiscs with Dolby Digital replaced the right analog track with a Dolby Digital track. However, new Laserdisc players were needed to properly pass along this signal. Furthermore, because the Dolby Digital signal is stored on an analog track, it is modulated into an analog signal and has to be demodulated into a digital signal prior to
