Editing LaserDisc (section)

=== Computer control ===
In the early 1980s, Philips produced a LaserDisc player model adapted for a computer interface, dubbed "professional." In 1985, Jasmine Multimedia created LaserDisc jukeboxes featuring music videos from [[Michael Jackson]], [[Duran Duran]], and [[Cyndi Lauper]]. When connected to a PC this combination could be used to display images or information for educational or archival purposes, for example, thousands of scanned medieval manuscripts. This strange device could be considered a very early equivalent of a CD-ROM.

In the mid-1980s [[Lucasfilm]] pioneered the [[EditDroid]] [[non-linear editing system]] for film and television based on computer-controlled LaserDisc players. Instead of printing [[dailies]] out on film, processed negatives from the day's shoot would be sent to a mastering plant to be assembled from their 10-minute camera elements into 20-minute film segments. These were then mastered onto single-sided blank LaserDiscs, just as a DVD would be burnt at home today, allowing for much easier selection and preparation of an [[Edit Decision List|edit decision list]] (EDL). In the days before [[video assist]] was available in cinematography, this was the only other way a film crew could see their work. The EDL went to the negative cutter who then cut the camera negative accordingly and assembled the finished film. Only 24 EditDroid systems were ever built, even though the ideas and technology are still in use today. Later EditDroid experiments borrowed from hard-drive technology of having multiple discs on the same spindle and added numerous playback heads and numerous electronics to the basic jukebox design so that any point on each of the discs would be accessible within seconds. This eliminated the need for racks and racks of industrial LaserDisc players since EditDroid discs were only single-sided.

In 1986, a [[SCSI]]-equipped LaserDisc player attached to a [[BBC Master]] computer was used for the [[BBC Domesday Project]]. The player was referred as an LV-ROM ([[LaserVision Read Only Memory]]) as the discs contained the driving software as well as the video frames. The discs used the CAV format, and encoded data as a binary signal represented by the analog audio recording. These discs could contain in each CAV frame video/audio or video/binary data, but not both. "Data" frames would appear blank when played as video. It was typical for each disc to start with the disc catalog (a few blank frames) then the video introduction before the rest of the data. Because the format (based on the [[Advanced Disk Filing System|ADFS]] hard disc format) used a starting sector for each file, the data layout effectively skipped over any video frames. If all 54,000&nbsp;frames are used for data storage an LV-ROM disc can contain 324&nbsp;MB of data per side.<ref name="bbcdomesday" /> The Domesday Project systems also included a genlock, allowing video frames, clips and audio to be mixed with graphics originated from the BBC Master; this was used to great effect for displaying high-resolution photographs and maps, which could then be zoomed into.

During the 1980s in the United States, [[Digital Equipment Corporation]] developed the standalone PC control IVIS (Interactive VideoDisc Information System) for training and education. One of the most influential programs developed at DEC was Decision Point, a management gaming simulation, which won the Nebraska Video Disc Award for Best of Show in 1985.

Apple's [[HyperCard]] scripting language provided Macintosh computer users with a means to design databases of slides, animation, video and sounds from LaserDiscs and then to create interfaces for users to play specific content from the disc through software called LaserStacks.<ref name="laserstacks" /> User-created "stacks" were shared and were especially popular in education where teacher-generated stacks were used to access discs ranging from art collections to basic biological processes. Commercially available stacks were also popular with the Voyager company being possibly the most successful distributor.<ref name="Martin" />

[[Commodore International]]'s 1992 multimedia presentation system for the [[Amiga]], AmigaVision, included device drivers for controlling a number of LaserDisc players through a serial port. Coupled with the Amiga's ability to use a [[Genlock]], this allowed for the LaserDisc video to be overlaid with computer graphics and integrated into presentations and multimedia displays, years before such practice was commonplace.

Pioneer also made computer-controlled units such as the LD-V2000. It had a back-panel [[RS-232]] serial connection through a five-pin [[DIN connector]], and no front-panel controls except ''Open/Close''. (The disc would be played automatically upon insertion.)

Under contract from the [[U.S. Military|U.S. military]], [[Matrox]] produced a combination computer/LaserDisc player for instructional purposes. The computer was a [[Intel 80286|286]], the LaserDisc player only capable of reading the analog audio tracks. Together they weighed {{convert|43|lb|kg|abbr=on}} and sturdy handles were provided in case two people were required to lift the unit. The computer controlled the player via a 25-pin serial port at the back of the player and a ribbon cable connected to a proprietary port on the motherboard. Many of these were sold as surplus by the military during the 1990s, often without the controller software. Nevertheless, it is possible to control the unit by removing the ribbon cable and connecting a serial cable directly from the computer's serial port to the port on the LaserDisc player.