In the early 1980s, the world of music technology was about to be transformed forever with the introduction of the revolutionary Philips CD100 CD player. Designed, developed, and built in the Philips factory in Hasselt, Belgium, this game-changing product owes much of its success to the innovative design team known as the Corporate Industrial Design (CID).

Philips compact disc Lou Ottens Philips CD100

CID designteam led by Hugo Vananderoye

Led by the visionary Hugo Vananderoye, the CID team consisted of six talented individuals who worked to create a product that would change the world of music forever. These talented individuals were Michel Roig, Jos Geraets, Dries Vandeuren, Pol Rapport, Robert Daemen, and Jeff van Vinceknroye.

Hugo Vananderoye was recognized with an honorable mention from the Design Centre's 'Gouden Kenteken' in 1983 for his part in the design of the CD100 compact disc player.

The Philips CD100 was a game-changer in terms of its design. The unique top-loading design and sleek silver finish made it stand out from its competitors, making it a must-have for any serious music lover. The advanced technology used in the player ensured that it was not just a pretty face, but also a true game-changer in the world of music technology.

Introduced in 1982, the Philips CD100 was the first CD player that Philips sold, and it immediately became a sensation. Its success was due in no small part to the visionary CID team who created it, and their groundbreaking design which set it apart from all other music players at the time.

Hugo Vananderoye, head design Philips Hasselt CID From left to right: Michel Roig, Jos Geraets, Hugo Vananderoye, Dries Vandeuren, Pol Rapport, Robert Daemen, Jeff van Vinceknroye

Belgian prize for Compact Disc spear - BRUSSELS

BRUSSELS - Princess Paola of Belgium presented the 'Gouden Kenteken 1983' to Hugo Vananderoye, head of design at Philips Hasselt. The six-man design group received this award for the stylistic execution of the Compact Disc player CD 100.

The 'Golden Badge', instituted in 1956, has an international reputation. It is on a par with the 'Prize of the Duke of Edinburg' (Great Britain), the Italian 'Composso d'Oro', the German Bond public's 'Die Gute Form' prize and others. The prize is awarded every three years for Belgian achievements that are outstanding in terms of design.

King Boudewijn of Belgiumcongratulating Hugo Vananderoyre for his role in designing the groundbreaking Philips CD100 in 1983 King Boudewijn of Belgium congratulating Hugo Vananderoye for his role in designing the groundbreaking Philips CD100 in 1983

Revolutionizing Compact Disc Player Design

The CD100 was launched in November 1982 and was immediately recognized for its unique design. It featured a top-loading door, which made it the smallest compact disc player on the market. The device had a silver finish, giving it a refined and high-end look, and the control buttons were angled at the front, next to the LED lights that indicated the number of tracks on the disc, the track currently playing, and any programmed tracks.

Philips produced the CD100 compact disc player between 1982 and 1984, initially in Eindhoven, the Netherlands, and later in Hasselt, Belgium. The CD100 models built in Eindhoven were designated with "/00", while those built in Hasselt had the "/05" designation.

The first CD100 players were produced in building SBP in Eindhoven, before production was moved to the new pilot plant in building SFH on the Strijp-1 site. However, Eindhoven only produced small quantities of new products, and once production was scaled up, larger volumes were manufactured in Hasselt. To ensure high-quality products for consumers, manual quality control was implemented at the Philips factory in Hasselt during the production of CD100 players.

The Philips CD100 was also offered by other brands including Marantz CD63, Magnavox FD 1000, and Grundig CD-30. These players were similar in design to the CD100 and also received recognition in the world of music technology.

Design proposal Philips CD100 Design proposals Philips CD100 Design proposals Philips CD100

Philips' CD100 Compact Disc Player Naming

The CD100 was initially given the type designation "F8421" by Philips, but the company decided to change it to "CD100" just before the product's launch. This change in designation reflected the product's focus on compactness, as the "CD" in the name referred to the compact disc format that the player was designed to play. The "100" in the name was likely chosen to indicate that the player was the top of the line model in Philips' CD player lineup.

The "F8421" designation, on the other hand, may have referred to the internal code or project name used within Philips during the development phase of the product. It is unclear why the company chose to change the designation from "F8421" to "CD100" before the product's launch, but it is possible that they believed the new name would be more marketable and appealing to consumers.

Technological Innovations of the CD100: CDM-0 Drive and TDA1540 Converter

The CD100 was not only a design success but also a technological one. The first drive used in Philips CD players was the famous Philips CDM-0 drive, which was known for being very reliable and solid, partly due to the use of glass in the lens above the laser. The CDM0 drive uses a "swing arm" for the lens and laser, which is known for its reliability and solid construction. Part of its reliability is due to the use of glass in the lens above the laser. The CDM0 drive was soon followed by the CDM1 drive, which was also widely used by other brands. The CDM0 drive reads the subcode of the disc (TOC or Table Of Contents), so that the player knows what quantity of tracks are on the disc, and where to find them. This principle is still used today and is known as the Red Book Standard.

Philips CDM0 cdmechanism Philips CDM0 cdmechanism

The Philips TDA1540 d/a converter played a key role in the success of the Philips CD100. Its high SNR and use of oversampling helped to ensure that the analog signal produced by the CD100 was of the highest quality. The TDA1540 is a 14-bit stereo digital-to-analog converter (DAC) that was widely used in compact disc players during the beginning of the 1980s. The TDA1540 was manufactured by Philips Semiconductors and was one of the first high-performance DACs available on the market.

An important feature of the TDA1540 is its use of oversampling. Oversampling is a technique that involves taking multiple samples of the digital audio data and averaging them together to produce a higher-resolution digital signal. This results in a smoother and more accurate analog signal when the TDA1540 converts the digital audio data to analog.

Philips TDA1540 h8029 Philips TDA1540 d/a converter

CD: High-Quality and Durable

The compact disc digital audio (CD) was an important development in the world of music and technology. It became quickly the standard for music playback and storage. The compact disc digital audio was revolutionary because it offered a new way to listen to music that was much more advanced than the traditional vinyl LP or cassette tape.

One of the key features of the compact disc digital audio was its high-quality sound. CDs were able to store digital audio data that was much higher quality than the analog audio data stored on LPs and tapes. This meant that CDs had a much wider dynamic range, and a much lower level of noise and distortion. This made CDs the ideal medium for music lovers who wanted to hear their music in the best possible quality.

Another important feature of the compact disc digital audio was its durability. Unlike LPs and tapes, CDs were not prone to wear and tear. They were also resistant to scratches and other forms of physical damage, which meant that they could be played many times without losing their quality.

1984 April 9th, King Boudewijn of Belgium visits the Philips factory in Hasselt, Belgium. 1984 April 9th, King Boudewijn of Belgium visits the Philips factory in Hasselt, Belgium. Philips compact disc Lou Ottens From left to right: Willy Leenders, Hugo Vananderoye and Lou Ottens

Source

Photos - Willy Leenders