About Us

Founded by John T. Carter in 2025 , the Kentucky LaserDisc Preservation Society is a media preservation organization with a focus on the odd but wonderful home entertainment videodisc that was produced from 1978 until 1999 in North America - the LaserDisc. Carter founded the society with over 700 LaserDiscs in his personal library and a passion to not just be an evangelist for the home video format but also to celebrate the art form of cinema in general.

What the heck is a LaserDisc?

We totally realize that not everyone is hip to the incredibly obsolete LaserDisc. It's easist described as a CD but the size of a vinyl record. It was the first commercially available optical disc and during the 80s and 90s was the higher-quality option for video and audio. It struggled to compete with VHS because of how expensive they were but, in quality exceeded not just VHS but even DVDs. It wasn't until the advent of Blu-ray that a commercial video format exceeded LaserDisc in quality. Still, there are a sizable number of films that for one reason or another had a LaserDisc release but have yet to have (or may never have) a higher resolution release.

We're Making a Museum & Theater!

The current focus of the Kentucky LaserDisc Preservation Society is to become a 501(c)3 non-profit and establish a LaserDisc Museum and Theater in Berea, Kentucky.

For the twenty years LaserDiscs were produced in North America, thousands of titles ranging over seven decades of cinema were commercially released. Television shows, video games, karaoke, and other odd forms of media were also released over the period. Many innovations in commercial home entertainment were pioneered on this medium and the Kentucky LaserDisc Preservation Society believe its a fascinating history that's worth celebrating.

Further, we felt the best way to celebrate these films wouldn't be just under a glass case but on the big screen. The city of Berea is a rich community that celebrates the arts but is currently bereft of a movie theater. While there was historically a theater in the town, its been without one since the 80s. We'd like to either revitalize the old theater or build a new one that can provide the community a place to revisit (or discover) classic films from the past. We'd want to provide a family-friendly environment and also host kitschy art-house cinema. Not just out to preserve the past but also act as host for the local filmmaking community and foster the future of the artform.

Wanna help?

Right now we're still developing our base. We have plans to provide merch to help finance our efforts as well as accepting donations but for now, we're mainly asking folks to stay informed by joining our mailing list and help spread the word about us.