The Compact Disc Goes on Sale

In October 1982, the compact disc arrived on the consumer market in Japan, marking the debut of a small optical medium created through an engineering collaboration between Philips and Sony. As the second consumer optical disc format to become publicly available, following the larger LaserDisc, the compact disc introduced digital sound reproduction into everyday domestic audio setups. Its technical foundation rested on the Compact Disc Digital Audio specification, formalized in a 1980 framework colloquially designated as the Red Book, which standardized two-channel 16-bit pulse-code modulation at a sampling rate of 44.1 kilohertz.

Physically, the standard disc measured 120 millimetres across, 1.2 millimetres in thickness, and featured a 15-millimetre centre spindle hole based on the Dutch dubbeltje coin. The design consisted of a transparent polycarbonate base stamped with microscopic pits arranged in a continuous spiral winding outward from the inside. Each pit measured roughly 100 nanometres deep and 500 nanometres wide, overlaid with a reflective coating of aluminium or occasionally gold, and protected by a thin layer of spin-coated lacquer carrying the printed label.