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compact disc

The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition | 2008 | The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. Copyright 2008 Columbia University Press. (Hide copyright information) Copyright

compact disc (CD), a small plastic disc used for the storage of digital data. As originally developed for audio systems, the sound signal is sampled at a rate of 44,100 times a second, then each sample is measured and digitally encoded on the 4 3/4 in (12 cm) disc as a series of microscopic pits on an otherwise polished surface. The disc is covered with a transparent coating so that it can be read by a laser beam. Since nothing touches the encoded portion, the CD is not worn out by the playing process. Introduced in 1982, the CD offered other advantages over the phonograph record and recording tape—smaller size, greater dynamic range, extremely low distortion—and met with rapid consumer acceptance; the CD became the music carrier of choice by 1991, when sales exceeded those of audiocassettes.

Other CD formats include CD-ROM [ C ompact D isc- R ead O nly M emory], a form of CD that is read (but not written to) by computer using a CD-ROM drive and that can contain computer programs and digitized text, sound, photographs, and video; CD-R [ C ompact D isc- R ecordable] and CD-RW [ C ompact D isc- R e W ritable], which can be written to one time and multiple times, respectively. Interactive CDs (CD-I, CDTV, and other formats) can store video, audio, and data. Photo CD is a format that holds digitized photographs and sound. There are also CD-ROMs that require special players with built-in microcomputers.

Other optical disk formats include digital versatile (or video) discs and videodiscs. A digital versatile disk (DVD) holds far more information than a CD. DVD players are backward compatible to existing technologies, so they can also play a CD (or CD-ROM), but a CD player cannot be used with a DVD (or DVD-ROM). The videodisc , or laser disk system, uses 12-in. (30-cm) disks for video recording. Its technology, unlike that of the CD, is an analog system that uses a laser to read a variable-width track, much like a conventional phonograph record.

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compact disc

World Encyclopedia | 2005 | © World Encyclopedia 2005, originally published by Oxford University Press 2005. (Hide copyright information) Copyright

compact disc (CD) Disc used for high-quality digital sound reproduction. It is a plastic disc with a shiny metal layer and a transparent protective plastic coating. The sound signal consists of millions of minute pits, pressed into one side of the metal. On replay, a narrow laser beam is reflected from the rotating disc's surface. A sensor detects changes in the beam, and forms an electrical signal of pulses. This is processed and decoded to form a sound signal that can be amplified for reproduction on loudspeakers. See also CD-ROM

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compact disc

The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English | 2009 | © The Oxford Pocket Dictionary of Current English 2009, originally published by Oxford University Press 2009. (Hide copyright information) Copyright

com·pact disc (also com·pact disk) (abbr.: CD) • n. a small plastic disc on which music or other digital information is stored, and from which the information can be read using reflected laser light.See also CD-ROM.

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Francesco Sabatini and Vittorio Coletti. DISC Compact: Dizionario Italiano Sabatini-Colletti, edizione in CD-Rom.
Magazine article from: Italica; 12/22/2002; ; 700+ words ; Florence: Giunti Multimedia, 1997. DISC Compact: Dizionario Italiano Sabatini-Colletti...manuals: the smaller one (32 pages), DISC Compact il Dizionario Italiano in CD-Rom...explaining the theoretical framework of DISC Compact. The lexical entries found in DISC... Read more
Wilson, Brian: Imagination. DTS compact disc. Recorded in 1998. 39+ minutes. Giant 51018.(Review)
Magazine article from: Sensible Sound; 9/1/2000; ; 289 words ; Wilson, Brian: Imagination. DTS compact disc. Recorded in 1998. 39+ minutes. Giant...minutes of material in an age when compact discs are capable of holding twice...frequency. As with the Police album, this disc is short on center-channel information... Read more
Media company is poised to mass market interactive CD technology. (American Interactive Media to market compact-disc television hardware and software to go with it)
Magazine article from: Los Angeles Business Journal; 4/15/1991; ; 423 words ; ...market this fall with interactive, compact-disc television hardware and a full line...variety of choices. It's called Compact Disc Interactive (CD-I). For example, an instructional disc on photography, in one segment... Read more
Roll your own CDs.(compact discs)
Magazine article from: Sunset; 1/1/1999; ; 545 words ; ...recording the music on? A recordable compact disc. There are two kinds of recordable...the difference? CD-R stands for compact disc recordable. You can record on this...at $4 to $8 a disc. A CD-RW, or compact disc rewritable, can be recorded and... Read more
Talking back to magazines via compact computer discs; Time Warner unit plans to publish interactive weekly. (Warner New Media)
Magazine article from: Los Angeles Business Journal; 2/18/1991; ; 700+ words ; Talking back to magazines via compact computer discs Warner New Media, the...publication they receive once a week on a compact disc, insert for viewing in a home computer...multitude of information options. The compact discs, designed to be played on Macintosh...market almost a year, is an ... Read more
Running Medical Tests on a Compact Disc.(Brief Article)
Magazine article from: USA Today (Magazine); 2/1/2001; 472 words ; ...to conduct blood tests and other diagnostics using a compact disc and a CD player. One day, patients may be able to own...because the techniques needed for creating and reading compact discs already exist. CDs have become so easy to fabricate... Read more
Holst: The Planets. Zubin Mehta, Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra. Classic Compact Discs CSCD 6734.(Review)
Magazine article from: Sensible Sound; 4/1/1999; ; 251 words ; ...Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra. Classic Compact Discs CSCD 6734. Classic Compact Discs were fudging a little on this...release of this title, we at Classic Compact Disc hereby grant honorary `London blue back...voices at the end. It is an audiophile disc that bears inspection. Read more
The Police: Every Breath You Take. DTS compact disc. Compilation originally made in 1995; DTS remastering ca. 1998.50+ minutes. A&M 51053.(Review)
Magazine article from: Sensible Sound; 9/1/2000; ; 278 words ; ...Police: Every Breath You Take. DTS compact disc. Compilation originally made in 1995...clearly audible, center feed. The disc is essentially four channels, and...surround channels do more on this disc than just deliver live-rock-concert... Read more
A discography of concert band recordings on compact disc; promoting the artistry of band composition.(Brief Article)(Book Review)
Magazine article from: Reference & Research Book News; 8/1/2006; 160 words ; 0773458298 A discography of concert band recordings on compact disc; promoting the artistry of band composition. Stoffel...included based on their accessibility and are mostly in compact disc format. Organized by both composer and album title... Read more
MIDDLE EAST: GULF STATES - COMPACT DISC SALES UP.(could replace tape players within five years)(Brief Article)(Statistical Data Included)
Newspaper article from: IPR Strategic Business Information Database; 8/28/2000; 115 words ; ...Electronic Products Company expect compact discs to replace the traditional...near future. The company's compact disc sales have grown remarkably...in the markets contain laser disc players. The same sources revealed...Dh 400. Presently, the laser disc player's cost starts at Dh... Read more
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