Facts on CDs

Developed in the early 1980s as an upgrade to the audio cassette, CDs were originally marketed to quality-minded audiophiles. This new, high quality method of storage allowed for nearly noise-free music in a format that was more durable and compact than its predecessor. CDs quickly became the standard for new albums, a format that is still in use today.

History

"52nd Street," by pop artist Billy Joel, was released in October 1982, making it the first commercial music CD in history.

Size

The most commonly used CD size is 12 cm, or 4.75 inches, in diameter and 1.2 mm in thickness.

Features

CDs use a digital encoding method to produce nearly noise-free results, and correct minor physical damage using error correction.

Benefits

A CD can hold up to 680MB of information, or approximately 500,000 typed pages measuring 210 mm x 297 mm.

Effects

Originally designed to hold 60 minutes of music, CDs were later redesigned to hold 74 minutes in order to accommodate the entire "9th Symphony" by Beethoven.

Fun Fact

CDs record music using pits in a spiral track that would stretch over 3 1/2 miles in length.