1981-1990

 

1983

 

First CD player made available through technology developed by Sony and Philips.

• CD's are created, and read, with the use of lasers. A rough analogy is that of a record styllus reading the groves in a record. CD's do not actually read the analog sound waves as records do. This is why they have low distortion and excellent sound quality. CD's use a kind of morse code (binary, the language of computers) made up of 1's and 0's to produce a certain note or chord. They are 16-bit recorded and can hold up to 74 minutes of music. Some more advanced CD's can hold 80 minutes today.

1986

Digital Audio Tape, or DAT, introduced by Sony/Philips.

• An alternative to recording sound on a CD. This is the method most used by profressionals who mix their own music and by sound studios. Its high price makes it mostly a tool for professtionals. It works the same way as a normal magnetic tape.

1988

Sony introduced the D-88 Pocket Discman capable of playing 3-inch compact discs (CD-Singles) introduced in 1987.

• This was the first real portable CD-player. It uses the same principles as the stationary one, but some protection is added so the disc doesn't skip.

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