LaserDisc
From Invertopedia, the encyclopedia of how things fail
Entry 128. An analysis built from the public record, not an insider account. Spot an error? Tell us.
LaserDisc was an analog video disc format. Pioneer shipped 9.5 million of the 16.8 million players sold worldwide[1][2]. No new titles came out in the US after 2000 or in Japan after 2001[1]. In January 2009 Pioneer announced it would stop making players[3].
This entry is a stub: the short version, sourced. Know more about LaserDisc? Help expand it.
What happened
| 1980 | Pioneer releases its first consumer player, the VP-1000.[1][2] |
|---|---|
| 2000-2001 | No new US titles after 2000; none in Japan after 2001.[1] |
| Jan 14, 2009 | Pioneer announces the end of LaserDisc player production.[3][1] |
The kill shot
LaserDiscs could not record, so they never reached VHS's scale and prices never fell to match tape.
The Register wrote that the lack of recording stopped the widespread use VHS won, which kept prices from falling[1]. Pioneer said by 2009 it was hard to procure the parts for players[1].
The inversion
A better picture does not win if the cheaper format can do the one thing buyers use daily: record.
References
- ^ “Pioneer calls a halt to LaserDisc hardware production”. The Register, January 14, 2009. Titles, sales, picture quality and why it never scaled.
- ^ “Official: Pioneer kills off Laserdisc players”. TechRadar, January 2009. Pioneer's press release on 9.5 million players of 16.8 million.
- ^ “Pioneer pulls the plug on LD production”. TechCrunch, January 14, 2009. The end of player production and Pioneer's own comment on DVD and Blu-ray.
Categories: Hardware · Video format · Ended in 2009 · Cause of death: lost to VHS and DVD · From the public record