LaserDisc

LaserDisc (LD) was the first commercially available optical disc storage medium – the 12 inch (30 cm, and in size comparable to the classic vinyl music LP record) disc diameter size by far the most common one – and was primarily employed as a motion picture video format for home viewing. The format was introduced in 1978.

Laserdisc was a major leap forward in picture and sound quality compared to its contemporary rivals, VHS and Betamax, gaining a modest following in America. In Europe however, it remained largely an obscure format, relegated to the niche market of videophiles. The most success it had was in Japan and Hong Kong, where the format was only discontinued well after the 1996 introduction of the DVD.

Star Trek was one of the earliest TV shows published on this format as well as one of the last.

Pioneer, the owner of the format, terminated production of Star Trek on LaserDisc for the US in October 1999. The final Star Trek LaserDiscs in Japan were released in 2001.

Release chronology

External links

• Laserdisc at Wikipedia
• lddb.com – LaserDisc Database
• Star Trek: The VideoDisc Site at blamld.com