It was rumored that the length of the CD was determined by…
““It was rumored that the length of the CD was determined by the duration of Beethoven's Ninth Symphony, because that was Norio Ohga's favorite piece of music, and he was the president of Sony at the time. Philips had designed a CD with an 11.5 cm diameter, but Ohga insisted that a disc must be able to hold the entire Beethoven recording. The longest recording of the symphony in Polygram's archive was 74 minutes, so the CD size was increased to 12 cm diameter to accommodate the extra data.””
About This Quote
This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.
Sony expanded CD size to fit Beethoven's Ninth, showing how artistic preference can drive technical standards.
In simple terms: Artistic taste shaped CD dimensions.
Key Takeaway
Consider creative influence on tech decisions.
Themes
technology
design
artistic influence
Mood
reflective
informative
Type
historical
analytical
When to use this quote
- audio engineering
- hardware design
- music production
Key Concepts
product development
cultural impact
Questions to Reflect On
- How do artistic preferences affect product specs?
- What trade‑offs arise when art meets engineering?
A Different Perspective
Technical constraints may limit artistic choices.