In 1979, the CD, as a storage medium, was introduced in the audio industry.
In 1985, the CD came to the computer industry. Development was slow because the hardware was too expensive for most manufacturers and users.
In 1991, the CD-ROM/XA standard was enhanced, and multimedia requirements for hardware were specified.
In 1993, high-quality video playback came to the computer.
Today, the price of CD-ROM drives continues to drop, while their speed climbs. Approximately 85 percent of all computers include an internal CD-ROM drive as standard equipment. Most software packages are shipped in CD-ROM versions (3.5-inch disk versions are available but usually only by special order, and often they do not contain all the extras of the CD version).
About CD-ROM Standards
The CD-ROM world makes use of several standards. These are usually referred to by the color of the cover of the volume issued by the ISO (International Organization for Standardization) committee-for example, the White Book, Yellow Book, and so on. ISO formats are discussed in more detail later in this lesson.
CD-ROMs store data as a series of 1s and 0s, just like a floppy disk or a hard disk drive. However, instead of using magnetic energy to read and write data, CD readers and writers use laser energy. There are two major advantages to using lasers:
There is no physical contact between the surface of the CD and the reading device.
The diameter of the laser beam is so small that storage tracks can be written very close together, allowing more data to be stored in a smaller space.