Write‐Once Laser Disc Technology

The first videodisc was demonstrated in 1927. A brief history of the videodisc is presented, describing the three major current manifestations of this storage medium—read‐only, write‐once, and erasable. Read‐only became an important information delivery format in 1985. During 1986, write‐once will begin to have impact on libraries and information centers. The current status of this technology, the major corporations involved in the field, and the potential uses for various types of storage media are described. A sidebar discusses Geac's use of optical media.