Editing LaserDisc (section)

{{Short description|Optical analog video disc format}}
{{Distinguish|Disk laser}}
{{About|the early optical disc format|other optical disc formats|Optical recording}}
{{Multiple issues|
{{Original research|date=August 2014}}
{{More citations needed|date=November 2018}}
}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=April 2023}}
{{Use American English|date=June 2023}}
{{Infobox media
| logo = LaserDisc logo.svg{{!}}class=skin-invert
| image = LaserDisc.jpg
| caption = A LaserDisc held
| type = [[Optical disc]]
| encoding = [[NTSC]], [[PAL]], [[Multiple sub-Nyquist sampling encoding|MUSE]], [[HD-MAC|HD{{nbhyph}}MAC]], [[PALplus]]
| capacity = {{Unbulleted list
  | 60/64 minutes on CLV
  | 30/36 minutes on CAV
  | (NTSC/PAL, per side)
  }}
| read = 780&nbsp;nm [[laser diode]] (early players used [[Helium–neon laser|He{{nbndash}}Ne laser]])
| standard = LaserVision
| owner = {{hlist|[[MCA Inc.|MCA]]|[[Philips]]|[[Pioneer Corporation|Pioneer]]}}
| dimensions = {{Unbulleted list
  | Common: {{cvt|300|mm|1}}
  | Less common: {{cvt|200|mm}}, {{cvt|120|mm}}
  }}
| use = [[Home video]]
| extended to = {{hlist|[[Compact disc|CD]]|[[DVD]]|[[LV-ROM]]}}
| released = {{start date|1978|12|11}} (as [[DiscoVision]])
| discontinued = September 21, 2001 ([[Tokyo Raiders|films]])<br>July 2009 (production)<ref name="PioneerUKPressRelease20090115" /><ref name="JCNNetwork20090114" />
}}
{{Optical disc authoring}}

'''LaserDisc''' ('''LD''') is a [[home video]] format and the first commercial [[optical disc]] storage medium. It was developed by [[Philips]], [[Pioneer Corporation|Pioneer]], and the movie studio [[MCA Inc.|MCA]]. The format was initially marketed in the United States in 1978 under the name [[DiscoVision]], a brand used by MCA. As Pioneer took a greater role in its development and promotion, the format was rebranded '''LaserVision'''. While the LaserDisc brand originally referred specifically to Pioneer's line of players, the term gradually came to be used generically to refer to the format as a whole, making it a [[genericized trademark]]. The discs typically have a diameter of {{convert|300|mm|4=1|sp=us}}, similar in size to the {{convert|12|in|4=0|adj=on}} [[phonograph record]]. Unlike most later optical disc formats, LaserDisc is not fully [[Digital data|digital]]; it stores an analog video signal.

Many titles featured [[Compact Disc Digital Audio|CD-quality]] digital audio, and LaserDisc was the first home video format to support [[surround sound]]. Its 425 to 440 horizontal lines of resolution was nearly double that of consumer competing consumer videotape formats, [[VHS]] and [[Betamax]], and approaching the resolution later achieved by [[DVD|DVDs]]. Despite these advantages, the format failed to achieve widespread adoption in North America or Europe, primarily due to the high cost of players and their inability to record.

In contrast, LaserDisc was significantly more popular in Japan and in wealthier regions of Southeast Asia, including Singapore, and Malaysia, and it became the dominant rental video format in Hong Kong during the 1990s.<ref name="Followers" /> Its superior audiovisual quality made it a favorite among [[videophile]]s and film enthusiasts throughout its lifespan.<ref name="LaserDisc_videophiles" />

The technologies and concepts developed for LaserDisc laid the groundwork for subsequent optical media formats, including the compact disc (CD) and DVD. LaserDisc player production ended in July 2009 with Pioneer's exit from the market.