Editing Compact disc (section)

{{short description|Digital optical disc data storage format}}
{{Redirect2|CD|CDs|other uses|CD (disambiguation)|and|CDS (disambiguation)}}
{{For|the 'audio CD' specifically|Compact Disc Digital Audio}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2023}}
{{Use American English|date=March 2021}}
{{Infobox storage medium
| title = Compact disc
| name = Compact disc
| logo = [[File:Compact Disc wordmark.svg|frameless|upright=0.6|class=skin-invert]]
| image = CD autolev crop new.jpg
| caption = The readable surface of a compact disc is [[iridescent]] because it includes a spiral track wound tightly enough to cause light to [[diffraction grating|diffract]] into a full [[visible spectrum]].
| type = [[Optical disc]]
| capacity = {{Unbulleted indent list
  | 650{{nbndash}}870&nbsp;[[MiB]] data
  | 74{{nbndash}}99 minutes audio
  }}
| read = 780&nbsp;nm [[laser diode]]
| write = 780&nbsp;nm laser diode
| released = {{Unbulleted list
  | [[Japan|JP]]: {{start date|1982|10|df=yes}}
  | [[North America|NA]]/[[Europe|EU]]: {{start date |1983|3|df=yes}}<ref>{{cite web |url=https://historyofinformation.com/detail.php?entryid=1189#:~:text=Visitors%20by%20ABBA-,.,United%20States%20and%20other%20markets. |title=The Compact Disc (CD) is Developed |website=historyofinformation.com |access-date=9 February 2023}}</ref>
  }}
| standard = [[Rainbow Books]]
| owner = [[Philips]]{{,}}[[Sony]]
| dimensions = {{Unbulleted indent list
  | [[Diameter]]: {{Cvt|120|mm}}
  | Thickness: {{Cvt|1.2|mm}}
  }}
| use = {{Unbulleted indent list
  | [[Audio storage]]
  | [[Computer data storage]]
  }}
| extended from = [[LaserDisc]]
| extended to = {{hlist
  | [[CD-RW]]
  | [[DVD]]
  | {{nowrap|[[Super Audio CD]]}}
  }}
}}
{{Optical disc authoring}}

The '''compact disc''' ('''CD''') is a [[Digital media|digital]] [[optical disc]] [[data storage]] format co-developed by [[Philips]] and [[Sony]] to store and play [[digital audio]] recordings. It employs the [[Compact Disc Digital Audio]] (CD-DA) standard and was capable of holding of uncompressed [[stereo]] audio. First released in [[Japan]] in October 1982, the CD was the second optical disc format to reach the market, following the larger [[LaserDisc]] (LD). In later years, the technology was adapted for computer data storage as [[CD-ROM]] and subsequently expanded into various writable and multimedia formats. {{As of|2007}}, over 200 billion CDs (including audio CDs, CD-ROMs, and [[CD-R]]s) had been sold worldwide.

Standard CDs have a diameter of {{convert|120|mm|abbr=off}} and typically hold up to 74 minutes of audio or approximately {{bytes|650|Mi|link=mebibyte}} of data. This was later regularly extended to 80 minutes or {{bytes|700|Mi}} by reducing the spacing between data tracks, with some discs unofficially reaching up to 99 minutes or {{bytes|870|Mi}} which falls outside established specifications. Smaller variants, such as the [[Mini CD]], range from {{convert|60|to|80|mm}} in diameter and have been used for [[CD single]]s or distributing [[device driver]]s and software.

The CD gained widespread popularity in the late 1980s and early 1990s. By 1991, it had surpassed the [[phonograph record]] and the [[compact cassette|cassette tape]] in sales in the [[United States]], becoming the dominant physical audio format. By 2000, CDs accounted for 92.3% of the U.S. music market share.<ref>{{Cite web |title=U.S. Music Revenue Database |url=https://www.riaa.com/u-s-sales-database/ |access-date=2024-03-17 |website=RIAA}}</ref> The CD is widely regarded as the final dominant format of the [[album era]], before the rise of [[MP3]], [[Music download|digital downloads]], and [[Music streaming service|streaming platforms]] in the mid-2000s led to its decline.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Lynskey |first=Dorian |date=2015-05-28 |title=How the compact disc lost its shine |url=https://www.theguardian.com/music/2015/may/28/how-the-compact-disc-lost-its-shine |access-date=2024-03-17 |work=The Guardian}}</ref>

Beyond audio playback, the compact disc was adapted for general-purpose data storage under the [[CD-ROM]] format, which initially offered more capacity than contemporary personal computer [[hard disk drive]]s. Additional derived formats include write-once discs ([[CD-R]]), rewritable media ([[CD-RW]]), and multimedia applications such as [[Video CD]] (VCD), [[Super Video CD]] (SVCD), [[Photo CD]], [[Picture CD]], [[CD-i|Compact Disc Interactive]] (CD-i), [[Enhanced Music CD]], and [[Super Audio CD]] (SACD), the latter of which can include a standard CD-DA layer for [[backward compatibility]].