The past century has witnessed a number of inventions and developments which have made music regularly accessible to more people than ever before. Not the least of these were the inventions of the conventional analog phonograph and the development of broadcast radio. Both have undergone successive changes or improvements, from the 78 rpm disc to the 331⁄3 rpm disc, and from the AM system to the FM stereo system. These improvements resulted from demands for better and better quality.
More than 20 years ago, another change took place which now enables us to achieve the highest possible audio fidelity yet – the introduction of digital technology, specifically the compact disc. Research and development efforts, concentrated on consumer products, have made the extraordinary advantages of digital audio systems easily accessible at home. The last decade has witnessed an exponential growth of digital media, disc based as well as network based. To address these new media, the latest edition of this book includes the newest developments; as a result, the title has been changed to visualize this evolution. Sony is proud to have been one of the forerunners in this field, co-inventor of the compact disc digital audio system and inventor of the MiniDisc, which has led to an entirely new level of quality music.
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