Phonograph History

• An early hand-operated phonographphonographe image by Christophe Fouquin from Fotolia.com
  
  The phonograph was invented by Thomas Edison. Put simply it was a machine that could record and play back sound using a metal cylinder and a needle. The cylinder, which was covered in tin foil, was turned by hand while a needle attached to a vibrating disc was placed against the cylinder. The sound was funneled through a mouthpiece, which made the disc and needle vibrate and form dents in the foil. When another needle was subsequently attached to the cylinder, the original sounds could be heard.
  
  

Development of the Phonograph

• The phonograph became increasingly sophisticatedblack record player graphic image by catherine rogers from Fotolia.com
  
  Others built on Edison's original invention. Eventually the cylinder was replaced by a flat disc, or record. Over time the phonograph, or record player as it became known, was powered by electricity and the heavy and brittle material of the record was replaced by vinyl.
  
  Those early records all played at 75 rpm (revolutions per minute). In the late 1940s, a slower speed of 45 rpm was introduced. This meant that whole symphonies or collections of music could now be recorded on a single long-playing record, or LP.
  
  

CD History

• Although the introduction of audio tape cassettes in the 1960s seriously threatened the record industry, it was the arrival of the compact disc or CD in 1982 that pushed the phonograph into commercial decline. By the early 1990s, most companies had stopped production on records and the CD had become "the music carrier of choice" according to the Columbia Encyclopedia.
  
  

How CDs work

• CDs use digital technologyportable cd player with red disk image by Ferenc Szelepcsenyi from Fotolia.com
  
  To produce an audio CD, sounds are digitally encoded onto the polished surface of the disc as a series of microscopic pits. The disc is then covered with a transparent coating so it can be read by a laser beam.
  
  

Advantages of the CD

• As nothing touches the encoding on the disc, the CD will not wear out through playing. Other advantages are its smaller size of 4.75 inches (an LP is 12 inches) and absence of background sound. A CD holds roughly the same amount of material as an LP, but is read on one side only, making its uninterrupted playing time twice as long.
  
  

Phonograph appeal

• The phonograph still had a strong following as of 2010. At that time eBay had a "Phonograph Records" section under its "Popular Items" listing. The introduction claimed there had been a resurgence of interest in record stores and record players. The report also claimed that phonograph lovers believe the quality of sound from a vinyl is far better than anything you can get from a CD because records play the full range of sound. With a record there is also the satisfaction of being able to pick up the needle and put it down on your chosen track.