I always thought that the main reason laserdisc didn't do too well was that it was priced so high in comparision to VHS that only the audio/videophiles really went for it, because of the better quality, even if it wasn't too much. In Japan, were laserdisc was priced much cheaper than in the US, it was much more popular. Laserdisc target the elite high-end market, not the mass-market.