A Review of the MCA Disco-Vision System

The MCA Disco-Vision system records audio-video information on a disc, replicates this disc accurately and inexpensively on plastic and finally plays the replicas on home television screens by means of a disc-player attachment. The production of a video record begins with a mastering process where the original program from any video source is recorded in real time as a geometrical pattern on the master disc. After mastering, this pattern is reproduced in the various replication steps leading to the production of multiple inexpensive plastic video records. Specifically, the mastering process uses a laser beam to cut holes in the coating of a master disc and thereby record information. After processing, this master is used to produce replica playback discs. The player reads the information on the playback disc by sensing the reflection of a 1-mW laser beam and recreating an electrical signal corresponding to the original information. The signal is then used to modulate an RF carrier on an unused TV channel and this modulated signal is connected to the TV set where it is processed within the set in the usual manner to produce a color picture and sound.