Under Tech Tangents' microscope, LaserDisc video becomes visible
The microscope experiment shares the active catalog with Sony's 1982 computer and a troublesome IBM rebuild.
Why this story? The channel's weekly summary: what went up this week, what is drawing views now, and where the channel stands among similar channels.
Microscopes can See Video on a LaserDisc - Andonstar AD246S-P
A microscope and some random samples sent Tech Tangents toward an unexpected discovery: video that could be seen on a LaserDisc and CED. The description says that discovery prompted the purchase of a proper microscope to explore it further. Seven months after posting, "Microscopes can See Video on a LaserDisc - Andonstar AD246S-P" has passed roughly 755,000 views and remains the busiest video on the channel's active shelf.
There were no new uploads this week, but the catalog added about 133,000 views. Subscribers held steady, while the current daily viewing pace is more than twice the channel's usual level. That is a lively present for a channel spending so much time with technology's past.
The other active videos offer two very different encounters with old computers. "Sony's First Computer - The SMC-70 from 1982" moves through a demonstration, teardown, software and a genlocker, hardware used to synchronize video signals. "Rebuilding IBM's Most Obnoxious PC - PS/2 Model 70 Type 1" starts from a less affectionate relationship: the creator says the machine had been ignored for years because it was awkward to work on. Needing it for another video finally supplied a reason to tackle the rebuild.
Published on Trari
Where next?
The videos drawing views on Tech Tangents right now
- Channel
- Tech Tangents
- Subscribers
- 241,000
- Channel views, last 7 days
- 133,192
- Videos published this week
- 0
The numbers
Here is how Tech Tangents' week and active video catalog look in views and subscribers.
💡 Test your knowledge
Which company's SMC-70 appears in Tech Tangents' active catalog?
The video is titled "Sony's First Computer - The SMC-70 from 1982."




