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An Overview on Compact Discs
A Compact Disc (CD) is a physical, optical media format that has revolutionized the way we listen to music, store data, and watch movies. The CD was developed in the early 1980s by Philips and Sony and was commercially released in 1982. The medium provided the potential for storing music in the digital form, which audibly surpassed that of vinyl records. CDs allow more than 12 times more music than a standard LP (long play) vinyl record and are less prone to experiencing wear and tear. This made the format an instant success and spurred the industry on to develop new digital music formats such as MP3s and streaming services.
The CD was initially designed for music recordings, but CDs are also now used to store data and are now commonly used for video, movies, and software. The standard size for a CD is either 120 mm or 80 mm in diameter and about 1.2 mm thick. The thickness of CD media is measured in micrometers as is the thickness of the polycarbonate CD substrate. CD players and drives use a beam of infrared light to read the CD data stored on the polycarbonate substrate.
Most new CD and DVD discs are manufactured using injection molding. During this process, polycarbonate is melted, injected into a mold, and then cooled to form the CD. Once the CD has been formed, the manufacturer adds a label and print to the CD. The CD is then lacquered with a chrome layer, which helps to protect the CD from scratches and dirt. The label is then printed onto the CD, either by UV printing (inkjet) or screen print (analogue). Then a thin matt lacquer is applied to the label area. The CD is then placed on a package, which is what you would receive in the store or from an online retailer.
CDs provide a number of advantages over other forms of media, such as vinyl records. CDs are relatively cheap and simple to produce, the format is durable, and the digital storage capacity of a CD is much greater than vinyl. Additionally, CDs are more compact and lightweight than vinyl, making them easier to transport and store.
In conclusion, CDs are an important technology that continue to find many uses in today’s world. CDs offer great storage capacities, digital quality audio, durability, and affordability. These advantages have helped propel the CD format to be one of the most successful physical media formats of all time.