The History Of Every Format

1930s: Introduced for radio transcription

1940s–50s: Used for mastering acetates

1960s–present: Used for DJ dubplates and ultra‑limited releases

Soft lacquer → wears quickly

Still used today for one‑off vinyl

1948: Columbia introduces the LP

1950s–80s: Dominates music worldwide

Late 1980s: Declines as CDs rise

2010s–present: Massive vinyl revival

1949: RCA introduces the 45 RPM single

1950s–2000s: Used for chart singles, jukeboxes

Still used for collectors and limited editions

1964: Invented by Bill Lear

Late 60s–mid 70s: Popular in American cars

Continuous loop, no rewind

Declines as cassettes take over

1963: Philips introduces compact cassette

1970s: Improved tape + Dolby noise reduction

1979: Walkman revolution

1980s–90s: Peak popularity

Declines with CDs, later revived by collectors

1978: MCA & Philips release LaserDisc

Analogue video + digital audio

1980s–90s: Cinephile favourite

Large discs, expensive players

Declines when DVD arrives

1976: JVC releases VHS

Wins format war vs Betamax

1980s–2000s: Dominates home video

Declines rapidly after DVD

1982: Philips & Sony release CD

1990s–2000s: Dominates music

Clean digital sound, long lifespan

Declines with MP3 and streaming

1991: Microsoft & IBM create WAV

Uncompressed PCM audio

Used for recording, editing, mastering

Still standard in studios today

Late 1980s–1993: Developed by Fraunhofer

Lossy compression → tiny files

Late 1990s–2000s: Napster, iPods, downloads

Revolutionizes music consumption

Still widely used

2001: FLAC introduced

Compresses audio without quality loss

Supports metadata

Audiophile standard for downloads

Still widely used

1995: DVD launched

Digital video, menus, extras

2000s: Dominates home video

Declines with Blu‑ray and streaming

2006: Blu‑ray launches

2008: Wins HD format war vs HD‑DVD

Supports 1080p, 4K HDR, lossless audio

2010s–present: Collector and cinephile favourite

Streaming reduces mainstream use