Why is a CD 12 cms in Diameter?

[Guest fountainhall]

Interesting little news tidbit. Ever wonder why the CD is 12 cms in diameter (why not 10 or 15?) and can play up to 75 minutes of music? Well, the executive at Sony in charge of development of the CD format was passionately interested in classical music. His instruction to his engineers was a disc which would be large enough to play the entire Beethoven 9th Symphony. Up till then, the work had to be spread over 3 sides of the old LP format.

 

I mention this because that executive, Norio Ohga, who went on to succeed the founder, Akio Morita, as Chairman of Sony, died yesterday.

[KhorTose]

Thanks for the tidbit. I did not know this, but I have to agree that if you were going to use one piece to set your standard, Beethoven's ninth is a great choice.

[TotallyOz]

That is interesting. Thanks. I am always fascinated at how technology changes and why.

 

I was talking with my Aunt yesterday and we were discussing when we got a new TV when I was a kid. It was a Zenith and about the size of a desk. We thought we were the luckiest people on earth. I went into her home yesterday and she now has an 80 inch plasma. Naturally, she is thrilled but it brought back the memories of me sitting in her house to watch Elvis's funeral on a small little TV screen.

[Guest Geezer]

What an event it was when they were finally able to squeeze Beethoven’s Ninth onto two sides of an LP (12 inch Long Playing) record -- monaural of course. Arturo Toscanini

Conducted, and I believe it was the NBC Symphony Orchestra. Imagine a time when a US radio network sponsored a world class symphony orchestra.

 

Before LPs there was the Metropolitan Opera at two o’clock on Saturday afternoons, then at six the NBC Symphony Orchestra. One sat in the living room listening to the huge General Electric floor model radio.

 

My apologies to whippersnappers. This sort of thing happens when you open up a message board to old coots.

 

PS: No, now I remember. The Ninth required 3 sides of an LP. It was packaged as a two record set together with the First. I know no one gives a damn, but I don’t want another old coot's correcting me.

[KhorTose]

PS: No, now I remember. The Ninth required 3 sides of an LP. It was packaged as a two record set together with the First. I know no one gives a damn, but I don

[Guest kjun12]

Another interesting note from the Fountain.

[Guest fountainhall]

I know no one gives a damn

Not at all - I for one find it fascinating. My father never had much interest in classical music, but for some reason which I think neither he nor my mother really understood (!), he gave her as an engagement present the set of 78 black discs with Rachmaninov performing his Second Piano Concerto. I cannot recall how many there were, but it must have been about 5 or 6. Many years later I found them in the attic, but could not play them as no machines then played the old shellac discs!