Does obsolescence a collectible make?
That is the question surrounding the demise of the LaserDisc.
Brought to market in 1978, the MCA DiscoVision branded disc and its Magnavox Magnavision player represented a major advancement in consumer electronics: resembling a shiny, silver, 12-inch LP, the analog-encoded disc was read, not by a stylus, but by a beam of light - a laser.
At the same time that the VHS and Betamax formats were battling for control of the fledgling videocassette market, MCA's laser video system was in fierce competition with the non-compatible CED (Capacitance Electronic Disc) format developed by RCA. Introduced in 1981, the RCA SelectaVision VideoDisc system represented the last time that any major consumer product would utilize a stylus to read a grooved disc. Disappointing sales (only about 500,000 of the players were sold) forced RCA to cease production of the players by 1983 and the CEDs by 1986.
MCA's "reflective optical videodisc system" managed to hang on through several name changes, from DiscoVision to LaserVision to LaserDisc, the name it is best known by today. But it, too, suffered from a lack of widespread consumer interest with only about 1 million sold throughout the years. Though CEDs and LaserDiscs, especially, offered picture quality superior to cassettes, consumers preferred the option of recording their favorite television programs, something they could not do with the unrecordable disc systems. Most consumers could not justify purchasing both a cassette and a disc player, and the cassette player usually won the war of the wallet.
It was the advent of a smaller laser disc - the DVD - that performed the coup de grace, and the last LaserDisc was released in 2001.
So, are the discs and their players collectible? You bet!
Videophiles who amassed huge disc collections are hurrying to complete their libraries. Pioneer still markets a DVD/LaserDisc combo player, but collectors of CEDs are scrambling to acquire machines to use as back-ups or for spare parts. And many of the releases are cross-collectible, with, for example, fans of The Wizard of OZ adding the disk to their collections even though they may not own players.
For more information, the following are recommended:
Websites
CED Magic
http://www.cedmagic.com/selectavision.html
Everything you could want to know about the RCA VideoDisc System: history, technical info, FAQ's, title database, links, much more.
The Laserdisc FAQ
http://www.cs.tut.fi/~leopold/Ld/FAQ/#Introduction
Though this site is no longer actively maintained, it remains a great source of information on the consumer laser video systems.
LaserDisc Forever
http://www.mindspring.com/~laserdiscforever
Disc reviews, "Ask the Laser Guru", and terrific links page.
MCA DiscoVision
http://www.oz.net/blam/DiscoVision/index.htm
Comprehensive review of the laser disc system: history, articles, title library, player guide, more.
Books
Complete Guide to Laser/Videodisc Player Troubleshooting and Repair,
by John D. Lenk
The Laserdisc Film Guide: Complete Ratings for the Best and Worst Movies Available on Disc, 1993-1994 Edition,
by Jeff Rovin
RCA and the VideoDisc : The Business of Research,
by Margaret B. W. Graham
