raan@hp-pcd.UUCP (06/14/84)
>>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)
ables@ut-ngp.UUCP (06/14/84)
I am considering buying a video disc player later this summer but
I'd like the opinion of some "people who know" on a couple of points.
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?
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?
I guess I'm asking what the chances of the current stuff becoming
unused/obsolte in the near future and the distant future?
----
King Ables Computation Center, Univ. of Texas, Austin, Texas 78712
ARPA:ables@ut-ngp UUCP:{ctvax,ihnp4,kpno,seismo}!ut-sally!ut-ngp!ablesdavew@shark.UUCP (Dave Williams) (06/18/84)
RCA has stopped producing their CD disk player. As long as their is a good market for disks I would assume they will continue to produce them; however, look at past audio formats that didn't catch on ( Sony's Elcassette or Wallensach's tape cartridge as examples). When was the last time you saw a new album in either of these formats? Many people believe the Pioneer Laserdisc will catch on as the next big consumer item, but the movie rental industry is taking a wait and see attitude because there aren't that many units out there yet and media costs are expensive. If you are looking for a system that will not degrade the quality of the picture over time this would be the way to go. The RCA system uses a stylus that contacts very small grooves in the disk and will degrade the picture quality. The Laserdisc uses a laser to read the impressions in the disk so no deteriorzation will occur.
wmartin@brl-tgr.ARPA (Will Martin ) (06/22/84)
Just read, in a dealer magazine called "Sight & Sound Marketing", some rather unspecific suppositions that RCA's CED videodisk system will not die when RCA drops production, but that some Japanese company will pick it up and continue it. The idea was that RCA could only continue it if the sales were at a higher level than the market is supporting, but a smaller company could turn a profit on the product line at the actual sales level that the product has been experiencing. Sounds a bit farfetched to me, but maybe so... According to the article, the price cuts for closing-out the RCA line will be coming along soon, but sales seem to be continuing at a respectable level at the current price structure. That seems surprising to me; I wouldn't buy one of these things unless it was VERY cheap, after hearing the news of it being discontinued. However, the marketplace is a funny thing... Will