LASERDISC

An analog video optical disc format. Full bandwidth composite video plus two analog audio tracks were recorded on the original disc format. It was later expanded to include digital audio capability. First came the PCM tracks with a specification similar to CD audio. The next step was Dolby Digital occupying the space of one of the analog audio channels. The only analog audio possible in this configuration was a single monaural channel. In some discs the PCM track was replaced by DTS multichannel digital audio. These discs usually had both analog audio channels to make the discs playable where a DTS decode capability wasn't available. The format itself was introduced to the consumer market by MCA DiscoVision in December of 1978 in Atlanta, Georgia. It fell by the wayside as a viable consumer product shortly after the introduction of DVD in 1997. By the middle of 2000 most studios stopped making titles available for the format.