Pioneer LD-700 LaserDisc Player (1984)

Pioneer LD-700 

🥇First Commercially-Released Solid-State LaserDisc Player

The Pioneer LD-700, introduced in March 1984, was a pivotal machine that fundamentally altered the design of the LaserDisc format. It holds the dual distinction of being the first consumer player to replace the bulky, fragile helium-neon gas laser with a solid-state laser diode and the first to feature a front-loading tray rather than a top-loading lid. These innovations allowed the LD-700 to be significantly slimmer than its predecessors—matching the "component" look of 1980s stereo systems—and introduced the crucial tilt-servo mechanism to keep the laser perpendicular to potentially warped discs. While the new laser diode initially produced a slightly "softer" image and unique streaking artifacts in solid colors compared to gas lasers, the LD-700's compact reliability and lower production costs made it the blueprint for every LaserDisc player that followed.

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LaserDisc 

The first LaserDiscs were marketed as MCA DiscoVision discs and released in 1978. Pioneer later bought a majority of rights to MCA DiscoVision, and re-branded it at LaserVision and LaserDisc in 1980. The LaserDisc was discontinued in 2009 after an estimated 3.6 million players were sold in it's lifetime.

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