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Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!mhuxl!ihnp4!zehntel!hplabs!hp-pcd!raan
From: raan@hp-pcd.UUCP
Newsgroups: net.video
Subject: Re: video disc players
Message-ID: <20600001@hp-pcd.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 13-Jun-84 17:46:00 EDT
Article-I.D.: hp-pcd.20600001
Posted: Wed Jun 13 17:46:00 1984
Date-Received: Fri, 22-Jun-84 20:51:59 EDT
References: <689@ut-ngp.UUCP>
Organization: Hewlett-Packard Portable Computer Division - Corvallis, OR
Lines: 33
Nf-ID: #R:ut-ngp:-68900:hpcvry:20600001:000:1766
Nf-From: hpcvry!raan    Jun 18 13:46:00 1984

>>Are they going to be around?  I've heard some companies are no longer
>>making them since they aren't selling (which seems amazing since the
>>picture is better and after 10 or 15 years a tape will be awful, plus
>>buying tapes of movies cost more than buying discs).  Is RCA committed
>>to them at least?  If I buy one, will I be able to buy movies in 10
>>years or will they discontinue making the discs when they discontinue
>>making the players?

There are (were) two types of video discs (laser - Pioneer, capacitive - RCA)
RCA has just recently announced that they are dropping their disc line.
Furthermore, several of the capacitive disc producers are dropping their
production.  This leaves only the laser disc as a living disc format.

>>Is the current video disc going to be the form of the media for a long
>>time to come?  I've heard there's so much information they can put on
>>those new audio-laser-discs that the could probably put a movie on them
>>and they're a lot smaller, is there a chance that they'd go to something
>>smaller, rendering the current stuff obsolete?

The laser video disc may be around for a long time, it has many advantages
that the capacitive type did not have.  The audio discs do not have the
storage capacity necessary for full length movies, so I would not excpect
the video discs to switch to that size.  

Personally, I like the tape format much more than disc because of the fact
that I can record my own material, use it for time shifting tv, and so on.
(Time shifting and commercial skipping have become so useful that I almost
NEVER watch "live" tv anymore, even if I am home and doing nothing else.)
I suspect that this flexability is why video disc has not caught on more
than it has.

Raan Young
(hp-pcd!raan)