Re: Philips to close last UK Factory.(Glemsford)
They invested big money in setting the standards for CD. They wrote the Red Book standard that defines all aspects of the CD reproduction system. The serial digital protocol, SPDIF stands for Sony Philips Digital InterFace. I visited them in Eindhoven at their CD electronics plant in the late 80s- it was huge, with a rank of automatic surface mount machines churning out circuit boards.
But yes - LaserDisc was a flop, and is in the same defunct media class as tape cartridge, Betamax, VHS, and reproduction systems like Quadraphonic.
You might a few years ago have say that cassette tape and vinyl were dead and buried, but the are very much alive and growing in market share.
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