CompuServe Messages

If that's true (the problems of VHS tape wear and tear), then how come laserdisc rental places are almost impossible to find? LDs are higher quality than VHS, and you can get a LD player for the price of a decent Hi-Fi VHS deck. So why hasn't the LD rental market caught fire? I can think of a few reasons: a-LaserDiscs can't take rough handling like tapes can. A disc carrier (a LD-caddy?) would help here. b-You have to flip discs every 40 minutes or so. Or spend $600 on a player that does it for you (which still interrupts the video). c-VHS quality is "good enough". I don't hear too much clamoring for HDTV (or IDTV even). Only the videophiles and people who make a living in video seem to want (and are willing to pay for) better video. My problem with pushing MPEG CD video is that you are degrading an already dated video format in the name of new technology. Now if we were getting 60+ minutes of HDTV off that disc I'd be *real* interested in plopping down some money. Until the world shifts into a new video format, VHS will pretty much rule. Not because it's cheap or it's the dominant format. Just because it's "good enough".