# What was the first Laserdisc you bought? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 15, 2010, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-first-laserdisc-you-bought/550337 "2010-08-15T16:53:03Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![PSXer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/48db29/32.png) [@PSXer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PSXer)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2010, 4:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-first-laserdisc-you-bought/550337/1 "2010-08-15T16:53:03Z")
Inspired by [this](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=574656) topic I bought 3 at once Back to the Future Escape From New York A Clockwork Orange total: $25 ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2010, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-first-laserdisc-you-bought/550337/2 "2010-08-15T17:19:14Z")
Skipped over them completely and went from VHS to DVD. Probably because I was overseas. ---
**Author:** ![In\_Winnipeg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/a8b319/32.png) [@In\_Winnipeg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/In_Winnipeg)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2010, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-first-laserdisc-you-bought/550337/3 "2010-08-15T20:56:49Z")
Never fell for that fad – they looked too bulky to take anywhere conveniently, whereas VHS tapes were smaller and more convenient. There was also Betamax, but it didn’t allow for recording at three different speeds, and it was impossible to find in most places. ---
**Author:** ![PSXer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/48db29/32.png) [@PSXer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PSXer)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2010, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-first-laserdisc-you-bought/550337/4 "2010-08-15T21:01:27Z")
I don’t take my laserdiscs anywhere I just watch them at home. They don’t need to be convenient Laserdiscs were produced from 1978-1999 I wouldn’t call that a fad ---
**Author:** ![jasonh300](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/46a35a/32.png) [@jasonh300](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jasonh300)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2010, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-first-laserdisc-you-bought/550337/5 "2010-08-15T22:03:47Z")
I’m 36 years old and I knew exactly one person who had (and still has) a laserdisc player. ---
**Author:** ![In\_Winnipeg](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/a8b319/32.png) [@In\_Winnipeg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/In_Winnipeg)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2010, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-first-laserdisc-you-bought/550337/6 "2010-08-15T22:07:30Z")
> [@PSXer](#): > > Laserdiscs were produced from 1978-1999 > > I wouldn’t call that a fad Really? They were pretty much dead in the market place from about 1980 or so. I never saw them for sale in any electronics stores I patronized, but there was no shortage of VHS tapes, and later on, of DVD’s. Because the vast majority of people thought they sank like a stone in 1980, I would indeed call it a fad, even though there may have been some enthusiasts for a dead format out there after that date. ---
**Author:** ![PSXer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/48db29/32.png) [@PSXer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PSXer)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2010, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-first-laserdisc-you-bought/550337/7 "2010-08-15T22:07:45Z")
Yeah it is a niche market. I still don’t know anyone who has a blu ray player. It wasn’t a dead format until DVDs came out. No one wanted laserdsics in the 80s or 90s because they were too expensive and only worth the extra cost over VHS for true fans. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2010, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-first-laserdisc-you-bought/550337/8 "2010-08-15T22:23:24Z")
> [@PSXer](#): > > Yeah it is a niche market. I still don’t know anyone who has a blu ray player. > It wasn’t a dead format until DVDs came out. No one wanted laserdsics in the 80s or 90s because they were too expensive and only worth the extra cost over VHS for true fans. I know for a fact that my sister still has her Betamax player and tapes. ---
**Author:** ![PSXer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/48db29/32.png) [@PSXer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PSXer)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2010, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-first-laserdisc-you-bought/550337/9 "2010-08-15T22:50:49Z")
lol betamax get with the times. that was obsolete even when it came out. I watch VHS because I don’t want to have to put in a new beta tape every hour ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2010, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-first-laserdisc-you-bought/550337/10 "2010-08-15T23:17:56Z")
> [@PSXer](#): > > lol betamax get with the times. that was obsolete even when it came out. > > I watch VHS because I don’t want to have to put in a new beta tape every hour The claim was that the picture was clearer because of the higher speed, but I don’t know how anybody could tell on those old CRT sets. ---
**Author:** ![PSXer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/48db29/32.png) [@PSXer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PSXer)\ **Post date:** [August 15, 2010, 11:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-was-the-first-laserdisc-you-bought/550337/11 "2010-08-15T23:27:41Z")
CRT is the height of television technology. I heard the NES Zapper doesn’t work on those new-fangled sets