Editing CD player (section)

===First ''Red Book'' CDs and players===
''Red Book'' was the first standard in the [[Rainbow Books]] series of standards.

Philips established the Polydor Pressing Operations plant in [[Langenhagen]] near [[Hannover]], [[Germany]], and quickly passed a series of milestones.

* The first ''test pressing'' was of a recording of [[Richard Strauss]]'s ''[[Eine Alpensinfonie]]'' (''An Alpine Symphony'') played by the [[Berlin Philharmonic]] and conducted by [[Herbert von Karajan]], who had been enlisted as an ambassador for the format in 1979.<ref name="AutoMR-3">{{ cite press release |url = http://www.research.philips.com/newscenter/dossier/optrec/firstcds.html | title = Optical Recording | publisher = Royal Philips Electronics }}</ref>
* The first ''public demonstration'' was on the [[BBC]] television program ''[[Tomorrow's World]]'' in 1981, when the [[Bee Gees]]' album ''[[Living Eyes (Bee Gees album)|Living Eyes]]'' (1981) was played.<ref name="AutoMR-4">{{cite book| last = Bilyeu|first = Melinda|author2=Hector Cook |author3=Andrew Môn Hughes  |publisher = Omnibus Press|year = 2004| isbn = 978-1-84449-057-8| title = The Bee Gees:tales of the brothers Gibb| page = 519 }}</ref>
* The first ''commercial'' compact disc was produced on 17 August 1982. It was a recording from 1979 of [[Claudio Arrau]] performing Chopin waltzes (Philips 400 025-2). Arrau was invited to the Langenhagen plant to press the start button.
* The first ''popular music'' CD produced at the new factory was ''[[The Visitors (ABBA album)|The Visitors]]'' (1981) by [[ABBA]].<ref name="AutoMR-5">{{cite web|url=http://www.geekzone.co.nz/content.asp?contentid=7304|title=And 25 Years Ago Philips Introduced the CD|work=GeekZone|access-date=11 January 2008 }}</ref>
* The first 50 titles were ''released'' in Japan on 1 October 1982, with the first-cataloged CD in this wave being a reissue of [[Billy Joel]]'s ''[[52nd Street (album)|52nd Street]]''.<ref name="AutoMR-6">{{cite web|url=http://www.sony.net/Fun/SH/1-20/h5.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080802133849/http://www.sony.net/Fun/SH/1-20/h5.html|archive-date=2 August 2008|title=Sony History: A Great Invention 100 Years On|publisher=[[Sony]]|access-date=28 February 2012 }}</ref>

The Japanese launch was followed in March 1983 by the introduction of CD players and discs to Europe<ref>[http://www.newscenter.philips.com/main/standard/about/news/press/20070816_25th_anniversary_cd.wpd Philips celebrates 25th anniversary of the Compact Disc], Philips Media Release, 16 August 2007. Retrieved 6 October 2013.</ref> and North America (where CBS Records released sixteen titles).<ref name="G&M 1983-03-05">{{cite news
  | last      = Kaptains
  | first     = Arthur
  | title     = Sampling the latest sound: should last a lifetime
  | newspaper = The Globe and Mail
  | date      = 5 March 1983
  | location  = Toronto
  | page      = E11
}}</ref> This event is often seen{{by whom|date=April 2023}} as the "Big Bang" of the digital audio revolution. The new audio disc was enthusiastically received, especially in the early-adopting [[classical music]] and [[audiophile]] communities, and its handling quality received particular praise. As the price of players gradually came down, and with the introduction of the portable [[Walkman]], the CD began to gain popularity in the larger popular and rock music markets. The first artist to sell a million copies on CD was [[Dire Straits]], with their 1985 album ''[[Brothers in Arms (album)|Brothers in Arms]]''.<ref name="AutoMR-7">''[[Maxim (magazine)|Maxim]]'', 2004</ref> The first major artist to have his entire catalog converted to CD was [[David Bowie]], whose 15 studio albums were made available by [[RCA Records]] in February 1985, along with four greatest hits albums.<ref name="AutoMR-8">The New Schwann Record & Tape Guide Volume 37 No. 2 February 1985</ref> In 1988, 400 million CDs were manufactured by 50 pressing plants around the world.<ref name="AutoMR-9">MAC Audio News. No. 178, November 1989. pp 19-21 Glenn Baddeley. ''November 1989 News Update''. Melbourne Audio Club Inc.</ref>

[[File:Sony CD Walkman D-E330 (cropped).jpg|thumb|Sony CD Walkman D-E330]]