1980: VIDEO DISCS - the future of HOME ENTERTAINMENT? | Tomorrow's World | Retro Tech | BBC Archive

The video tape wars are raging, with multiple recorders and tape formats vying for dominance.

Michael Rodd reports on the current state of play in the home video recorder market, and looks at some of the exciting new machines on offer - including a new 'portable' VCR and machines that offer up to eight hours of recording time on a single cassette.

Into this hyper-competitive market comes the Philips VLP-700 LaserDisc - a video disc system which offers increased picture quality and playback control over its tape-based counterparts, but without their recording functionality - it will be on the market in early 1981.

Could this shiny upstart herald a new era of home entertainment media?

This clip is from Tomorrow's World, originally broadcast 31 January 1980.




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