DECLINING STANDARDS

The use of standard formats is declining in the world as more and more competing systems appear. They have even changed the size of a toilet paper roll. Here is a list of standards used in recording and transmitting sound and information, and the times they were in use:

KEY
	Still in use
	Successful, but out of use
	Combo of related technologies
	Not good technology - Replaced as soon as possible

TABLE OF STANDARDS				Histogram (years)
Span	Period	Mark	Device	05	10	15	20	25	30	35	40	45	50	55	60	65	70	75	80	85	90	95	100	110	120	130	140	150
1876-1885	9 yr	##	6" acoustic cylinder record	0		0
1876-*****	137+ yr	@@	Telephone	0																							0
1880-1905	25 yr	##	2" acoustic cylinder record	0					0
1890-1960	70 yr	##	40 column Hollerith punch card	0														0
1889-1929	40 yr	## @@	Lateral widegroove acoustic disc record	0								0
1896-2010	114 yr	@@	Radio telegraphy	0																					0
1904-1929	25 yr	## @@	Vertical wide groove acoustic disc record	0					0
1909-1930	21 yr	## @@	Edison vertical acoustic disc record	0				0
1906-*****	107+ yr	.# @@	AM voice radio	0																				0
1926-1969	43 yr	## @@	Lateral wide groove electronic disc record	0									0
Span	Period	Mark	Device	05	10	15	20	25	30	35	40	45	50	55	60	65	70	75	80	85	90	95	100	110	120	130	140	150
1896-1969	73 yr	## @@	All lateral wide groove disc records	0															0
1932-1955	23 yr	XX	Wire recording	0					0
1935-1964	53 yr	##	BAUDOT text transmission code	0											0
1944-1958	14 yr	##	Full-track reel tape recording	0			0
1947-2007	60 yr	.# @@	NTSC B&W television	0												0
1948-1984	36 yr	## @@	Paper tape text and data storage	0							0
1948-1992	44 yr	## @@	Long playing lateral electronic disc record	0									0
1949-1993	44 yr	## @@	45 rpm lateral electronic disc record	0									0
1949-*****	64+ yr	.# @@	FM voice radio	0												0
1950-*****	64+ yr	.# @@	ASCII text transmission code	0													0
Span	Period	Mark	Device	05	10	15	20	25	30	35	40	45	50	55	60	65	70	75	80	85	90	95	100	110	120	130	140	150
1950-1972	22 yr	##	60 column Hollerith punch card	0				0
1951-1970	19 yr	## @@	2-track 2-pass mono reel tape	0				0
1952-1980	28 yr	##	7 track magnetic tape storage	0						0
1952-1957	5 yr	XX @@	2-track offset stereo reel tape	0	0
1953-1974	21 yr	##	Magnetic drum storage	0				0
1953-2007	54 yr	## @@	NTSC color TV	0											0
1954-1972	18 yr	## @@	2-track inline stereo reel tape	0				0
1957-1993	36 yr	## @@	Westrex 45-45 2-channel stereo disc record	0							0
1959-1980	21 yr	## @@	4-track 2-pass stereo reel tape	0				0
1960-*****	54+ yr	@@	Hard magnetic disks	0											0
Span	Period	Mark	Device	05	10	15	20	25	30	35	40	45	50	55	60	65	70	75	80	85	90	95	100	110	120	130	140	150
1960-1985	25 yr	##	9 track magnetic tape storage	0					0
1960-1963	3 yr	XX	RCA cassette tapes	0	0
1961-*****	52+ yr	.# @@	FM stereo radio	0											0
1961-*****	49+ yr	.# @@	Philips cassette tapes	0											0
1962-1984	22 yr	## @@	80 column Hollerith punch card	0				0
1963-1967	4 yr	XX	4-track tape loop cartridge	0	0
1964-1974	10 yr	XX @@	8-track tape loop cartridge	0		0
1969-1979	10 yr	##	4-track 4-channel reel tape	0		0
1970-1975	5 yr	## @@	Dynaco matrix 4-channel disc record (RM)	0	0
1970-*****	43+ yr	@@	All Regular Matrix (RM) formats	0								0
Span	Period	Mark	Device	05	10	15	20	25	30	35	40	45	50	55	60	65	70	75	80	85	90	95	100	110	120	130	140	150
1970-1980	10 yr	##	U-matic video cassette	0		0
1970-1973	3 yr	## @@	Electro-Voice Stereo-4 disc record (RM)	0	0
1970-1974	4 yr	XX	Q-8 4-channel 8-track cartridge	0	0
1971-1984	13 yr	## @@	CBS SQ matrix disc record	0			0
1971-1989	17 yr	## @@	Sansui QS matrix disc record (RM)	0			0
1972-1980	8 yr	XX @@	CD-4, discrete 4 channel carrier disc record	0		0
1973-1977	4 yr	##	Elcaset quarter inch tape cassette	0	0
1974-1998	24 yr	##	Denon UMX / UHJ matrix disc record or CD	0					0
1974-1989	15 yr	##	8 inch floppy disk	0			0
1974-1988	14 yr	##	Betamax video cassette	0		0
Span	Period	Mark	Device	05	10	15	20	25	30	35	40	45	50	55	60	65	70	75	80	85	90	95	100	110	120	130	140	150
1975-1980	5 yr	## @@	BBC matrix H disc record	0	0
1976-2007	31 yr	## @@	VHS Video Cassette	0						0
1977-1985	8 yr	##	Single density 5 inch floppy disk	0		0
1977-*****	36+ yr	.# @@	Dolby Stereo film, video, and disc record (RM)	0								0
1979-*****	34+ yr	#	Dolby 70mm film discrete system	0						0
1980-1992	12 yr	## @@	Double density 5 inch floppy disk	0		0
1982-*****	31+ yr	.# @@	Compact Disc (CD)	0						0
1984-1988	4 yr	XX	RCA Selectavision videodisc	0	0
1984-2007	23 yr	## @@	Stereo TV broadcast	0					0
1985-1999	14 yr	##	Laserdisc videodisc	0			0
Span	Period	Mark	Device	05	10	15	20	25	30	35	40	45	50	55	60	65	70	75	80	85	90	95	100	110	120	130	140	150
1986-1995	9 yr	## @@	Double density 3 inch floppy disk	0		0
1986-1990	4 yr	##	Quad density 5 inch floppy disk	0	0
1989-1999	10 yr	## @@	High density 5 inch floppy disk	0		0
1990-2010	20 yr	## @@	High density 3 inch floppy disk	0				0
1990-2007	17 yr	##	8 mm video cassette	0			0
1990-2003	13 yr	## @@	ZIP disk	0			0
1992-*****	21+ yr	@@	CD-ROM optical computer disk	0				0
1994-2002	8 yr	##	Sony MiniDisk audio and computer	0		0
1995-1999	4 yr	##	Digital cassette	0	0
1995-*****	18+ yr	@@	Dolby AC-3 digital film and CD sound	0			0
Span	Period	Mark	Device	05	10	15	20	25	30	35	40	45	50	55	60	65	70	75	80	85	90	95	100	110	120	130	140	150
1995-*****	18+ yr	@@	DTS digital film and tape sound	0			0
1995-*****	18+ yr	@@	.wav computer audio file	0			0
1995-*****	18+ yr	@@	CD-R and CD-RW recordable CD	0			0
1997-*****	16+ yr	@@	DVD (Digital video disk)	0			0
1999-*****	14+ yr	@@	.mp3 computer audio file	0		0
2002-*****	11+ yr	@@	DVD-R, DVD-RW DVD+R, DVD+RW recordable DVD	0		0
2003-*****	10+ yr	@@	Flash drive	0		0
2005-*****	8+ yr	@@	Various digital TV formats	0	0
2007-*****	6+ yr		Blu-Ray high definition video disc	0	0

Notice these things:

The standards marked ## have died.
The standards marked # are threatened, due to new developments.
Standards marked XX were of very poor quality, and died for that reason.
The newer the standard, generally the less time it lasts.
Very few standards made before 1980 are still used.
Most long-lived standards are for transmission, not recording.
The page author collects music and programs, and owns formats marked with @@.
The page author has to own equipment to play each format marked @@.
Most old music is never re-released on new media.
The Census Bureau almost lost 1960. It scrapped the tape drives used.
If you can't read it, it's effectively gone.

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