LaserDisc: a product with an unknown purpose that was both a few years too late and way too far ahead of its time. That'll make more sense later on.note "An unknown purpose" means that consumers have not yet warmed up to the idea of home video. The "few years too late" part means it was released in 1978 while VHS and Betamax were released in 1976 and '75 respectively. The "way too far ahead of its time" part meant that it was the first ever system for consumers where you could buy movies to play on your TV, while the VCR was, at least initially, marketed exclusively for recording TV broadcasts. It was also the first ever optical disc format for consumers, beating Compact Disc by 4 years and DVD by 18.
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