Laser rot

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Laser rot (sometimes written as "LaserRot", after the original product name "LaserDisc") was a phenomenon observed by some users of the Laserdisc format in which audio and/or video quality begins to degrade over time. Laser rot is generally attributed to oxidation in the aluminum layers or inferior adhesives used to bond the discs together.

[edit] Laser rot on LaserDisc

Laser rot is most noted by the appearance of multi-colored speckles appearing in the video of a laserdisc during playback. The speckles increase in volume and frequency as the disc continues to degrade. Much of the early production run LaserDiscs, titled MCA DiscoVision Discs, had severe problems with Laser Rot. Many DiscoVision titles have ceased to work since their pressings in the late 1970s. The Sony DADC plant in the USA was known for producing discs which suffer extensively from strong laser rot, especially towards the end of the LD era.

This problem is of largely historic interest because of the decline of the Laserdisc format, which has been largely supplanted by the DVD.