Blue Book (CD standard) Blue Book (CD standard) The Blue Book is a compact disc standard developed in 1995 by Philips and Sony. It defines the Enhanced Music CD format (E-CD, also known as CD-Extra, CD-Plus and CD+), which combines audio tracks and data tracks on the same disc. The format was created as a way to solve the problem of mixed mode CDs, which were not properly supported by many CD players. The standard is not freely available and must be licensed from Philips. E-CDs are created through the "stamped multisession" technology, which creates two sessions on a disc. The first session of
Philips PM5544 the most commonly used test cards, with only the SMPTE bars, the BBC Test Card F and the Snell & Wilcox Zone Plate coming close to its usage. The Philips Pattern was later incorporated into other test pattern generators from Philips themselves, as well as test pattern generators from various other manufacturers. The BBC occasionally used a slightly modified version called Test Card G from 1971 until the late-1990s in conjunction with Test Card F, and although it was also used by the IBA in the 1970s it eventually abandoned the Test Card G and developed its own test card