Robert, I like the general parameters of your theory, but like Colombo, there's one little thing that bothers me. Hollywood traditionally loves a price-gouging format to sell to the 'philes. Since they get to charge more for D-VHS than DVD, I'm suprised they're not more intrested in D-Theater...that's my little thingy. The smell of fresh money in the morning...
Art, in the very beginning of LD they were determined to keep disc prices low. That could of worked out better, maybe? However, they released the format before they bothered to purr-fect the software. Costs went totally orbitable as the discs came back.
A team of crackerjack scientists and fun loving guys here in Knoxville solved the LD/CD oxidation thang. They baked them, poured acid on them, frooze them, threw them, scratched them, sanded them, put them in salt water, fresh water, water mixed various agents, and assorted other nasty, heinous acts that mostly are too horible for me to mention in this decorum.
The Magnavox employee whom I partied with and told me everything I wanted to know, well, it's my impression that he really enjoyed his work! He put an LD between two seat cushions and sat on it, at his desk, for a month before they measured it for warpedness.
Anyhow, somewhere along the way the crack team of LD-ologists figured out it was the glue oxidating the big and little baby discs too. The dude told me to never buy LD's dated before 1984. This was in '85 and I finally got LD about a year later. I always heeded his advice.
There were lots of DiscoVision discs circulating here in the 80's. I think Magnavox more or less forced their employees to take those big toploaders home. I have one myself. I got it with a lot of discs I obtained some years ago. It stille works. It belongs in a museum or somethin'!
I have some DiscoVision discs and pre-1984 discs that I've obtained in various lots. They'd be totally useless beyond arts and crafts if it wasn't for the HLD-X9!
Well, we all know where LD prices ended up going.... "...ludicrous speed now..."
I'm really suprised Hollywood is so casually disintrested in grooming D-VHS into a bigger coin thang...like LD, sort'a. Best wishes guyz!
