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{{Short description|Sony's portable CD player}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=August 2024}}
[[File:Discman logo.svg|thumb|Discman logo used by Sony until 2000.]]
[[File:CD Walkman.png|thumb|CD Walkman logo used from 1997 until 2000. Later Sony models bear the [[Walkman]] logo. Walkman is a Sony exclusive naming.]]
[[File:Sony Discman D-145 face 20160921b.jpg|thumb|Discman D-145 (1995)]]
[[File:Sony CD Walkman D-E330 (cropped).jpg|thumb|CD Walkman D-E330 (2002), with Walkman logo]]
{{Nihongo|'''Discman'''|ディスクマン|Disukuman|lead=yes}} was a brand name used by [[Sony]] for their [[portable CD player]]s. The first Discman, the Sony D-50 or D-5 (depending on region), was launched in 1984. The Sony brand name for Discman changed to '''CD Walkman'''{{efn|{{Nihongo|CD ウォークマン|CD Wakūman}}}}, initially for Japanese lineups launched between October 1997 and March 1998,<ref>{{cite web |title=Sony Celebrates Walkman(R) 20th Anniversary |url=https://www.sony.com/en/SonyInfo/News/Press_Archive/199907/99-059 |website=Sony |access-date=April 23, 2021}}</ref> and then entirely in 2000. Discman and CD Walkman players were discontinued at the beginning of the 2010s, when they lost popularity with the general public.

== Background ==
Prior to the development of the [[Compact disc]], cassette tapes were the dominant form of audio storage in the then-fledgling portable audio industry. In 1979, Sony introduced the [[Walkman]] in Japan.<ref>{{cite web |title=Sony Celebrates Walkman(R) 20th Anniversary |url=https://www.sony.com/en/SonyInfo/News/Press_Archive/199907/99-059 |website=Sony |access-date=April 23, 2021}}</ref> When Sony realized the potential of the CD, the Walkman was promoted to mainstream buyers.

== Original development ==

Sony improved the design of the [[Sony CDP-101|CDP-101]] CD player which was launched in 1982, reducing the power consumption and the number of parts needed and making it smaller. The cost was reduced to between 50,000 and 60,000 yen, in what was called the "CD CD Project", which stood for the 'Compact Disc Cost Down' Project. By August 1983 the company was able to produce a CD player which was one-tenth the size of the original, and a portable CD player became a possibility.{{Citation needed|date=April 2021}} The aim was to create a player that was the same size as four CD cases stacked on top of each other. A piece of wood 13.4&nbsp;cm across and about 4 cm thick was shown to the staff to illustrate the dimensions.

The final design did not incorporate a power source and had a 9-volt (positive outer) coaxial jack on the rear. This allowed  the use of an EBP-9LC wall adapter, a carrying sleeve which held six primary C cells, or rechargeable cells which could be charged in situ. The AC-D50 [[AC adapter]] was also available, which attached to the rear of the D-50/D-5 and allowed it to be powered from [[Alternating current|AC]] input at 110, 120, 220, or 240 [[Volt|V]], 50 or 60 [[Hertz|Hz]], 9 W with a [[Direct current|DC]] output of up to 500 [[Ampere|mA]]. The AC-D50 also offered line level audio out, presented as two [[RCA connector|RCA jacks]].{{Citation needed|date=April 2021}}

=== Release ===
[[File:Sony D50 Discman.JPG|thumb|Sony D-50/D-5 Discman]]
The D-50/D-5 was launched in November 1984, two years after mass production of CDs began. The unit offered the same functions as the full-size CDP-101 player, but came without a remote control and the repeat function of the full-size unit. The D-50/D-5 retailed for 49,800 yen<ref name="Sony D-50 Brochure">{{cite book |title=Sony D-50 Brochure |date=November 1984 |url=https://www.hifiengine.com/hfe_downloads/index.php?sony/sony_d-50_brochure_jp.pdf |access-date=April 23, 2021}}</ref> (US$350 in 1984), approximately half the price of the CDP-101. The  D-50/D-5 sparked public interest in CDs, boosting their popularity, and within a year and a half had become profitable.{{Citation needed|date=April 2021}}

Early production units of the D-50/D-5 did not carry the Discman brand and were instead referred to as "CD Compact Player".<ref name="Sony D-50 Brochure" /> The Discman brand was applied later because of the unit's portability and similarity to the cassette [[Walkman]]. This brand name was used for [[Sony]]'s portable CD players until 2000.

=== Impact ===
The release of the D-50/D-5 sparked public interest in CDs as an audio format, and in the audio industry in general. A portable CD market was created and the price of competing CD players from other manufacturers dropped. The CD industry experienced sudden growth, with the number of CD titles available dramatically increasing.{{Citation needed|date=April 2021}}

==Variants==
{{expand-section|date=May 2022}}

=== ATRAC CD Walkman ===
[[File:Sony D NE 301 - 1.jpeg|thumb|ATRAC CD Walkman D-NE301 with remote (2004).]]The ATRAC CD Walkman played [[ATRAC CD]]s in addition to [[Compact Disc Digital Audio|audio CDs.]] The ATRAC CD contained audio encoded in [[ATRAC|ATRAC3 or ATRAC3plus]]. Most, if not all, models also played [[MP3]]s. The D-NE1 from 2003 was one of the earliest models.<ref>{{cite web |title=週刊 デバイス・バイキング |url=https://av.watch.impress.co.jp/docs/20030425/dev022.htm}}</ref>

=== Video CD Discman ===
[[File:Sony D-V500.png|alt=A Sony D-V500 portable video CD player.|thumb|A Sony D-V500 portable video CD player from 1996. Note that it does not bear the Discman brand.]]
'''Video CD Discman''', later rebranded as '''VCD Walkman''', was a line of portable [[VCD|Video CD]] players. They were able to output the audio from video CDs as usual, but were also equipped with an additional [[Phone_connector_(audio)#Video|3.5mm audio/video]]-to-[[RCA connector]] output.<ref>{{cite web |title=Sony D-VJ85 Portable Video CD Player Manual |url=https://www.hifiengine.com/manual_library/sony/d-vj85.shtml |access-date=April 23, 2021 |website=HiFi Engine}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Sony D-V55 Portable Video CD Player Manual |url=https://www.hifiengine.com/manual_library/sony/d-v55.shtml |access-date=April 23, 2021 |website=HiFi Engine}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=[…] Sony Video CD Discman D-VJ85 CD Player Portable VCD in box […] |url=https://sonyportablecdplayer.com/2019/05/vintage-rare-sony-video-cd-discman-d-vj85-cd-player-portable-vcd-in-box-tested-2/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200805185938/http://sonyportablecdplayer.com/2019/05/vintage-rare-sony-video-cd-discman-d-vj85-cd-player-portable-vcd-in-box-tested-2/ |archive-date=2020-08-05 |access-date=January 27, 2022 |website=SonyPortableCDplayer.com}}</ref>

=== Others ===
*'''Intelligent Discman''' was a line of Discman players that played [[CD-i]] format discs.<ref>{{cite web |title=Sony Portable CD-i Player – The intelligent discman |url=https://smallmart.nl/artikelen/vintage-computers/68-sony-portable-cd-i-player-the-intelligent-discman |access-date=April 23, 2021}}</ref>
*'''CD-ROM Discman''', both Sony and Panasonic released portable CD players with a [[PCMCIA card]] connector for use as an external CD-ROM drive on a computer, though with a lower speed than dedicated [[optical disc drive|computer drive]]s.<ref>{{cite web |title=Panasonic CD-ROM PCMCIA KXL-D720 |url=https://www.tietokonemuseo.net/yleinen/panasonic-cd-rom-pcmcia-kxl-d720/ |website=Tietokone Museo |access-date=January 27, 2022 |language=fi |date=March 18, 2018}}</ref>

*'''DVD Discman''', later rebranded as '''DVD Walkman''', was a line of portable DVD players.{{Citation needed|date=April 2021}}

== Gallery ==
===Sony D-50/D-5===
<gallery>
File:Sony Discman D 50.jpg|Sony D-50 without the Discman brand.
File:Sony D50 Discman PCB.JPG|Sony D-50 with its rear cover removed, revealing the main PCB.
File:Sonyd50.JPG|Sony D-50 with the optional rechargeable battery station.
File:Sony D50 Discman Inside.JPG|Sony D-50 with its main PCB flipped up.
</gallery>

== See also ==
*[[Data Discman|Sony Data Discman]]
*[[Walkman|Sony Walkman]]

==Notes==
{{Notelist}}

==References==

{{Reflist}}

;Sources
* {{cite web|url=http://www.sony.net/SonyInfo/CorporateInfo/History/sonyhistory-e.html|title=Sony History|publisher=Sony Electronics Inc|year=2016|access-date=April 11, 2016}}
* {{cite web|url=http://history.sandiego.edu/gen/recording/walkman2.html|title=Sony Walkman Personal Stereo Turns 20 Years Old|publisher=Sony Electronics Inc|date=April 5, 1999|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090720112254/http://history.sandiego.edu/gen/recording/walkman2.html|archive-date=July 20, 2009|access-date=April 11, 2016}}

== External links ==
{{commonscat|Sony Discman}}
* {{cite web|url=http://www.walkmancentral.com|last1=Jarman|first1=Tim|last2=Jarman|first2=Nick|title=Walkman Central|year=2016}} – Reference site containing details and pictures of various Discman and Walkman models.
* {{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hw0enSx3ScA |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211213/hw0enSx3ScA |archive-date=2021-12-13 |url-status=live|title=EEVblog #863 – Sony D50 Discman Teardown – World's First Portable CD Player|publisher=EEV Blog (YouTube)|date=March 28, 2016}}{{cbignore}}

{{Sony Walkman}}
{{Sony Corp}}

[[Category:Sony products]]
[[Category:Compact disc players]]
[[Category:Consumer electronics brands]]
[[Category:Japanese inventions]]
[[Category:Portable audio players]]
[[Category:Products introduced in 1984]]
[[Category:Walkman]]