Customer Reviews

Videodisc and Optical Memory Systems

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This is an excellent book on videodisc technology, written by an engineer who worked for MCA DiscoVision and Discovision Associates (the MCA/IBM company formed in 1979). It not only deals with LaserDisc, but also the CED system and the VHD format... recording technology's are discussed as are digital codes for using the optical disc as a computer LD-ROM system. One very interesting part of the book deals with manufacturing defects and their causes and solutions... considering MCA DiscoVision's history and the fact that Discovision Associates shut down in 1981 because IBM couldn't get a grip on defects and didn't want to spend more money perfecting the LaserDisc system, the chapter is a must-read. Additionally, there's a fascinating review of the development of the LD system written by someone inside MCA DiscoVision - it shows clearly how much MCA's engineers at DiscoVision had to do with the technology - and how little Philips really brought to the table. Most people don't realize it, but the LaserDisc system that is the grandfather of CD, DVD and Blu-ray, was about 90% American invented/developed and by a movie studio no less - MCA Universal Studios! In fact, Discovision Associates still exists as a patent licensing company (owned by Pioneer of Japan now) and still collects royalties on CD, DVD and Blu-ray related to their original patents on the LaserDisc system. For all the technology that has come from Japan, the LaserDisc and it's grandchildren are a true "American success" story... anyway, if you are interested in an in-depth look at the "behind-the-scenes" technology of the LaserDisc, CED and VHD systems, by all means buy this book and it's sequel, Videodiscs.

This book emphasizes the theoretical aspects of VideoDisc player operation and signal processing for both capacitive and optical systems. Most of the book deals with optical systems, but there are sections on the CED system that provide a summary of the articles printed in RCA's technical publications.