Laserdisc technology, using a transparent disc,[1] was invented by David Paul Gregg in 1958 (and patented in 1961 and 1990).[2][3] By 1969 Philips had developed a videodisc in reflective mode, which has great advantages over the transparent mode. MCA and Philips decided to join their efforts. They first publicly demonstrated the videodisc in 1972. Laserdisc was first available on the market, in Atlanta, on December 15, 1978, two years after the VHS VCR and four years before the CD, which is based on Laserdisc technology. Philips produced the players and MCA the discs. The Philips/MCA cooperation was not successful, and discontinued after a few years. Several of the scientists responsible for the early research (Richard Wilkinson, Ray Dakin and John Winslow) founded Optical Disc Corporation (now ODC Nimbus).
In 1979, the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago opened their "Newspaper" exhibit which used interactive Laserdiscs to allow visitors to search for the front page of any Chicago Tribune newspaper. This was a very early use of digitally interactive technology in museums and could even be among the first.[citation needed]
The first Laserdisc title marketed in North America was the MCA DiscoVision release of Jaws in 1978. The last two titles released in North America were Paramount's Sleepy Hollow and Bringing Out the Dead in 2000. The last Hong Kong-released Laserdisc format-movie was Tokyo Raiders. A dozen or so more titles continued to be released in Japan, until the end of 2001. Production of Laserdisc players continued until January 14, 2009 when Pioneer stopped making them.[4][5][6]
It was estimated that in 1998, Laserdisc players were in approximately 2% of US households (roughly two million).[7] By comparison, in 1999, players were in 10% of Japanese households.[8] Laserdisc was released on June 10, 1981 and a total of 3.6 million Laserdisc players were sold in Japan.[9] A total of 16.8 million Laserdisc players were sold worldwide of which 9.5 million of them were sold by Pioneer.[4][5][6]
Laserdisc has been completely replaced by DVD in the North American retail marketplace, as neither players nor software are now produced there. Laserdisc has retained some popularity among American collectors and, to a greater degree, in Japan, where the format was better supported and more prevalent during its life. In Europe, the Laserdisc has always remained an obscure format. The format was, however, chosen by the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) for the BBC Domesday Project in the mid-1980s, a school-based project to commemorate 900 years since the original Domesday Book in England.