Video CD a few years later) on each side. The Laserdisc provided picture quality nearly double that of VHS tape and analog audio quality far superior to VHS. Philips later teamed up with Sony to develop a new type of disc, the compact disc or CD. Introduced in 1982 in Japan (1983 in the U.S. and Europe), the CD is about in diameter, and is single-sided. The format was initially designed to store digitized sound and proved to be a success in the music industry. A few years later, Philips decided to give CDs the ability to produce video, just like its
Gerard Philips a decade. On 19 March 1896 Philips married Johanna van der Willigen (30 September 1862 – 1942). They had no children. Gerard's father was a first cousin of Karl Marx (his paternal aunt was Marx's mother). Gerard was an uncle of Frits Philips, whom he and his brother brought into the business. Later they brought in his brother's son-in-law, Frans Otten. Gerard and his brother Anton supported education and social programs in Eindhoven, including the Philips Sport Vereniging (Philips Sports Association), which they founded. From it the professional football (soccer) department developed into the independent Philips Sport Vereniging N.V. Gerard