The compact disk 1982 - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: Homer J Simpson
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 10, 2017, 06:05:31 am
content: https://youtu.be/_Tx6TYnPat8

author: EEVblog
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: February 10, 2017, 07:17:27 am
content: Classic!

author: jimdeane
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: February 12, 2017, 06:36:26 am
content: What kind of laser is that? It almost looked like a ruby rod in a vacuum tube.

author: Ampera
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 12, 2017, 06:37:13 am
content: Quote from: jimdeane on February 12, 2017, 06:36:26 amProbably a Ruby based laser.

author: andy2000
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: February 12, 2017, 03:30:29 pm
content: Quote from: TwoOfFive on February 12, 2017, 06:37:13 amThe laser diode was at the side of the tube. I think the red rod is just a piece of plastic to represent the laser beam in the prop. They never would have used a ruby laser at that time.

author: brucehoult
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 12, 2017, 04:01:17 pm
content: By the end of '83 the wealthier of my university buddies had CD players and three or four CDs. I recall Dire Straits' "Love over Gold" being one of the first, and also Pink Floyd's "The Final Cut".

author: Twoflower
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: February 12, 2017, 04:55:05 pm
content: Nice find Homer!Quote from: andy2000 on February 12, 2017, 03:30:29 pmI think that this is the full laser pick-up of that time. Or rather a mockup of one. You can see two electronic devices. One on the left and one on the bottom of the device. In the crossing point is the beam-splitter. The device on the left is probably the set of photo diodes. Not just one photo diode as you need more information for tracking and focus. I would agree that's a mock-up as you say. The Laser seems to be placed in an open cage (the back-half is still there) to provide a view to it. And placing the optics in a clear enclosing would not be a ideal option unless there's the need to do so.And what is remarkable what she said in the very end. She was right, now nearly everyone can put Beethovens 9th on a chip. And that for very cheap.

author: brucehoult
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 12, 2017, 05:23:31 pm
content: Quote from: Twoflower on February 12, 2017, 04:55:05 pmYup. You can now get a Sandisk 1GB microSD card for $10. More than enough to hold a CD of Beethoven's 9th.Or you can get a Sandisk 16 GB microSD for $7.50. Your choice.

author: xrunner
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 12, 2017, 05:25:15 pm
content: And now, audiophiles use the same old phonograph technology that Edison used because it's more "realistic".Oh and of course you gotta spend $20,000 on the turntable.

author: BravoV
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 12, 2017, 05:37:01 pm
content: Damn, I remembered this video.Quoting that video at the end ..."... until someone perfected method of putting Beethoven's ninth on a silicon chip ... "Time really flies.

author: Cubdriver
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: February 13, 2017, 06:01:45 am
content: Indeed time does fly. It doesn't seem possible that I bought my first CD player about 30 years ago!-Pat

author: Brumby
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: February 13, 2017, 06:09:40 am
content: Quote from: xrunner on February 12, 2017, 05:25:15 pmYou just bent the needle on my wank-o-meter with that one.

author: calexanian
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 13, 2017, 06:20:56 am
content: I wonder if it is at the point where a flash chip is cheaper to produce than a CD.

author: Brumby
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: February 13, 2017, 06:29:58 am
content: I would imagine we passed that point some time ago ... especially if you consider storage capacity.The capacity of a CD falls well short of 1GB.

author: dave_k
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: February 13, 2017, 08:37:13 am
content: Was that a segment from Towards 2000 (ABC TV Australia) .. ?Also, fixed the spelling of the subject

author: firehopper
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: February 13, 2017, 08:42:04 am
content: I think most cd's hold approx 800 meg or so

author: bgm
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: February 13, 2017, 08:57:21 am
content: Quote from: dave_k on February 13, 2017, 08:37:13 amI think so. Jeff Watson, Iain Finlay and Sonia Humphrey in the first iteration./BGM

author: dave_k
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: February 13, 2017, 09:02:32 am
content: Here's even more to enjoy!https://youtu.be/RycdwUHAwwQ?t=487

author: Moshly
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: February 13, 2017, 09:06:46 am
content: Yes, Towards 2000posted by Channel: ABCScienceOnlinevideo description (clipped from youtube)->Published on Jun 10, 2015Towards 2000 debuted on the ABC in 1981. It was a half-hour program showcasing developments and inventions in science and technology. One of the early highlights was this report about the imminent arrival of the next big thing in home entertainment – the compact disc.This technology was considered so exciting that three of the show’s presenters, Sonia Humphrey, Iain Finlay and Jeff Watson combined to tell the story. It’s worth watching just to see them in their 1982 sartorial elegance, but it’s also a treat to hear the use of words such as “radiogram”, and “gramophone”, and “micro-groove long playing record” which you don’t hear so much anymore…In 1983, when the first compact disc players arrived on the Australian market, they ranged in price from $900-$1800. (This made them a very significant purchase, given that the Australian Bureau of Statistics says average weekly earnings were around $350/week at the time). The price didn’t hold back the rapid adoption of the technology.But even then, as Sonia put it in her closing remarks, there was an even better technology on the horizon.“The Compact Disc may well rule the roost – at least until someone perfects a method of putting Beethoven’s 9th on a silicon chip. Don’t laugh, I’m assured that that day, in fact, is not too far off…..”(c) Australian Broadcasting Corporationhttp://abc.net.au/scienceCategoryScience & TechnologyLicenseStandard YouTube License

author: Ampera
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: February 13, 2017, 09:13:40 am
content: Quote from: Brumby on February 13, 2017, 06:09:40 amLol, you're not supposed to wank that hard.