The first digital home video format was introduced in 1978, known as Laserdisc or “DiscoVision” because this was the ’70s.
Brought to market just two years after the introduction of videocassettes, this high-capacity digital storage format meant video and audio quality far exceeding any VCR. Compact Discs, still four years down the road, were based on this technology.
Laserdiscs boasted extremely sharp images – the likes of which had not yet been seen on home video – as well as digital surround sound.Unfortunately, the discs were heavy and easily damaged, and the players quite loud compared to VCRs.
There was no recording capability, and the discs and their players were super expensive. VCRs reigned supreme until the advent of the DVD, which was a kind of mini Laserdisc.