Like CDs, the only major drawback to the discs at the moment is that a videodisc player cannot record. However, I have heard that Panasonic have already started testing a blank disc that you can record on and wipe just like a blank videotape. Just as CDs are superior to audiotape in most other regards, so videodisc has considerable advantages over videotape, even without being teamed up with a computer. A particular advantage for the media teacher who wants to examine a scene or a shot in detail is that she or he can freeze a frame for as long as they like, and the frame doesn't judder and wobble. As well as being more robust, the quality of the image on videodisc is as superior to videotape as CD is to audiotape.
Resolution is about twice that of videotape.
When a segment of North by Northwest on disc was played at the 1991 Australian Teachers of Media conference, a participant remarked that it seemed unnaturally bright and clear. Clearly, she was used to seeing dull, blurry videotapes and elderly 16mm prints of film. Last but not least, any selected frame on the videodisc can be accessed accurately and almost instantly, removing the need to waste time and lose control of the class while fast forwarding and fast reversing looking for a particular shot. Whether the disc is indexed by a time code or by frame number, the remote control unit attached to the disc player enables you to enter a selected number and go to it immediately. Accurate and instant access is also provided if the videodisc player is run through a computer in a multimedia set-up.