DVD-Video is a standard for storing and distributing video/audio content on DVD media. The format went on sale in Japan on November 1, 1996, in the United States on March 1, 1997, in Europe on October 1, 1998 and in Australia on February 1, 1999.[25] DVD-Video became the dominant form of home video distribution in Japan when it first went on sale in 1996, but did not become the dominant form of home video distribution in the United States until June 15, 2003, when weekly DVD-Video in the United States rentals began outnumbering weekly VHS cassette rentals, reflecting the rapid adoption rate of the technology in the U.S. marketplace.[4][26] Currently, DVD-Video is the dominant form of home video distribution worldwide, although in Japan it was surpassed by Blu-ray Disc when Blu-ray first went on sale in Japan on March 31, 2006.
And Terminator 2 sold a lot of LaserDisc players back in the early 90’s. The format had the best image quality available to the public at the time, and T2 became something of a benchmark for effects and wow factor.
Even after the DVD was introduced there were many who claimed that the LD provided a “better” experience. And they weren’t entirely wrong as early DVD releases tend to be a bit rough, often with obvious visible compression artifacts while the LD technology was mature and looked better than ever.
With time they perfected the art of DVD mastering and surpassed the quality that the LD system was capable of. And you didn’t even have to get up to flip or change the disk in the middle of the movie!
VHS is sooo 80’s; switch to Blu-Ray sweetie…
Pfft, “80s”. Try 90s. DVDs didn’t become popular (in America anyway) until at least 2000.
DVD-Video is a standard for storing and distributing video/audio content on DVD media. The format went on sale in Japan on November 1, 1996, in the United States on March 1, 1997, in Europe on October 1, 1998 and in Australia on February 1, 1999.[25] DVD-Video became the dominant form of home video distribution in Japan when it first went on sale in 1996, but did not become the dominant form of home video distribution in the United States until June 15, 2003, when weekly DVD-Video in the United States rentals began outnumbering weekly VHS cassette rentals, reflecting the rapid adoption rate of the technology in the U.S. marketplace.[4][26] Currently, DVD-Video is the dominant form of home video distribution worldwide, although in Japan it was surpassed by Blu-ray Disc when Blu-ray first went on sale in Japan on March 31, 2006.
(as per wiki)
I remember it was The Matrix than got everyone into DVD. The Matrix and modern sound-systems (TVs hadn’t quite caught up yet).
And Terminator 2 sold a lot of LaserDisc players back in the early 90’s. The format had the best image quality available to the public at the time, and T2 became something of a benchmark for effects and wow factor.
Even after the DVD was introduced there were many who claimed that the LD provided a “better” experience. And they weren’t entirely wrong as early DVD releases tend to be a bit rough, often with obvious visible compression artifacts while the LD technology was mature and looked better than ever.
With time they perfected the art of DVD mastering and surpassed the quality that the LD system was capable of. And you didn’t even have to get up to flip or change the disk in the middle of the movie!