Laser Disc is a now-defunct 12-inch optical disc format that recorded FM analog video along with analog or PCM-encoded digital audio, serving as an early predecessor to the DVD.
Laser Disc stored video as an FM-recorded analog signal read optically from a large 12-inch disc, delivering picture quality that exceeded the consumer tape formats of its era. Audio could be carried as analog tracks or as CD-quality PCM digital, and later discs added compressed surround formats such as Dolby Digital and DTS by reassigning the available audio channels. The format was prized by enthusiasts and professionals for its image quality and durability.
Although the format has been superseded, Laser Disc remains a reference point in the history of optical media and professional video. In archival and legacy commercial audio-visual environments, equipment that plays these discs still relies on quality coaxial, audio, and video cable to move the analog and digital signals cleanly to displays and sound systems. Maintaining the integrity of those signal paths is essential to reproducing the format's original quality.
At Windy City Wire, the focus on dependable low-voltage AV cable applies wherever legacy and current video sources must connect to displays and audio systems. Quality video and audio cabling preserves signal integrity from source equipment to the screen, regardless of the format involved.
Introduced commercially in 1978, Laser Disc was the first widely available optical disc video format. It influenced later optical media and was eventually replaced by DVD and Blu-ray.