CD Audio – playing music made easy

Memo This Story will be greatly expanded later, with many pictures

In the 1970s, several video systems vied to become the standard for DAD, Digital Audio Disc.

The ill-fated VHD video disc system developed by JVC, was one; Teldec’s Mini Disc was another. But the optical disc system developed by Philips and improved by Sony won the day when, in December 1980, the majority record companies and Japanese hi-fi companies backed optical CD.

Optical discs killed off all the other systems – but that’s for another Picture Story.

CD launched in 1982 and needed completely new disc production techniques – but that’s also another story.

Early pressing was done by men in space suits in a clean room. Anyone who has tried to stick a protective cover on a smart phone or tablet screen will know how much dust there is in the air!

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