History of compact disc

Standard sized Compact Discs are 1.2 mm thick with a diameter of 120mm. The original storage capacity of a CD was 680 MB or 74 minutes of audio. Currently 700 MB of data or about 80 minutes of audio is what one would typically encounter. However, larger sizes do exist. Also available are smaller Mini CD's which can vary in both size and playback time, but the most common ones are 80 mm in diameter or approximately 3 inches. These hold 24 minutes of audio or 210 MB of data.

In 1979, Sony and Philips collaborated on new ways to make the CD a more efficient storage and playback device, further refining technology started almost five years previous in Sony's case. In a sense, it was this team that "invented" the CD as we know it today as one of the world's most reliable forms of audio playback. One of the first developments to come from the coalition was the Red Book, which defined standard specification for the CD format. Among other details, it sets out the specific guidelines for playback length, deviations, error rate, modulation, and so on.

Becoming commercially available in 1982, the first album to be mass produced on compact disc was Billy Joel's 52nd Street, which was released at the same time as Sony's CD player CDP-101 in October. In subsequent years, CBS music continued to honor the anniversary by releasing several albums on Compact Disc every year on the same day.

For audiophiles of the time, the new Compact Disc seemed to be a dream comes true. It was highly praised as the superior method of playback by classical music connoisseurs who were one of the first groups to really get behind the new trend. As the 1980's progressed, the price of CD players slowly fell allowing the format to gain mainstream popularity, especially in the rock and pop categories. By 1989, almost a half billion CDs were manufactured on a yearly basis.

While it was originally intended as an audio format, the Compact Disc found use as a data storage method for computer programs. In June of 1985, the first CD-ROM was created for use in computers. A few years of progress later saw the development of CD-Recordable (originally called CD-WO) and eventually CD-RW, allowing consumers to record whatever they wanted onto the discs.

Don't confuse the CD-V with the VCD though. A VCD, or Video Compact Disc, is a more successful video format on CD that was created in 1993. Like audio CDs, a VCD holds either 74 minutes or 80 minutes of video and its quality is roughly the same as a VHS tape. Most DVD players are capable of playing VCDs but VCD players were also manufactured and quite popular in certain parts of the world - especially China and some other Asian countries.

Time continues to march on, however, and the Compact Disc is slowly getting left in the dust. Since the advent of solid state MP3 players, large label CD sales have consistently dropped. The CD still has a place in the computer world, however as an inexpensive way to store data. Though the road has been long, the story of the Compact Disc isn't over yet.

From: articlesbase.com

Advantages of Mini Disc Players

Since the time they were first launched, the mini disc players have become an integral part of the audio systems. This is more evident with the small sized audio systems. A mini disc player has achieved this kind of success more due to the size of it and the storage capacity the mini disc offers. The mini disc is more like a CD but only much smaller to it. A typical mini disc has a size of 6.4 cm and has a playing time of 74 minutes. There are many advantages of using the mini disc players; first it gives you a very good quality output, compared to cassette players or CD players. Secondly it comes very handy compared to other music players so that it is very easy to carry it around. Third is the storage it offers, which is as good as carrying a CD or MP3 players around.

The biggest advantage of the mini disc player is the media or the mini disc. It gives the mini disc player lot many advantages over other music players. A mini disc is reusable like tape cassettes, hence you can overwrite existing files without deterioration in sound quality. Secondly mini discs provide greatly improved quality than cassette tapes and are much more durable. But with the advantages, there are a few disadvantages as well. For instance, the mini disc uses a digital recording format but at the same time employs compression. As a result the recording does not deteriorate over time but has a lower quality than a CD. Secondly minis discs use magnetic material for storing its data, and thus are more vulnerable to elements like magnetic fields and heat that a CD can handle. But above all the disadvantage, the size of the mini disc and the carrying & storing advantages make it quite a popular choice compared to the cassettes or CD’s.

Similarly, like the mini disc players, the mini disc car players are quite popular. These mini car audio systems can handle the wear and tear for any car audio system. Plus the mini discs are great for storage inside the car making it more convenient option. There are mini disc players that are equipped with the disc recording option that makes the whole affair of copying a mini disc from any CD gets even more simplified. You can also have a stationery mini disc recorder that offers the best recording quality.

The advantage of mini disc

You would already know what kind of CD or DVD, right? You normally use to store your favorite songs, photos or other important files. CD or DVD that has a memory size that is different. You can ask the seller.

But you know that there is a mini disc which has the same capacity as a CD or DVD, the thickness is the same, but the mini disc has advantages in terms of memory size. Mini Disc has a size larger than the CD or DVD, and has a diameter of 80 mm. You know how the diameter of a CD or DVD? Yeah right, a CD or DVD has 120 mm of diameter. Compare with mini disc, it can be ascertained that the size of a mini disc diameter is smaller, and indeed as the name suggests a mini disc, mini disc which has a size or smaller.

It would be more efficient and more practical, right? You can store more songs, photos or your important files. Disc players will also be smaller than portable CD player or a regular DVD. It would be easy for you to keep in your pocket.