274:. This introduction was not immediately very widely received and did not spark much interest among those in the audio world. However, some photos were taken of the system, which would later be used in the production of Japanese copies of Ottens' system, which were notably larger in size than the original. Wilhelmus F.A. Heylands, a Dutch civil engineer and inventor in Ottens' team at Philips Hasselt, who graduated from TH Aachen (Germany), often explained that the reason for Philips' breakthrough with the
40:
299:(NatLab) for video records could also be used to make improvements in the field of audio. With contactless laser readout for audio, the issue of wear and tear that was common with vinyl records and tapes would no longer be a problem. The requirements and implementation of this technology to audio differed greatly from video, and research for this technology was split into two projects: Video Long Play and Audio Long Play.
311:, had space for 48 hours of music. However, Ottens recognized that this was not a practical amount of playing time, and in 1972, he commissioned technicians to start testing with smaller discs. The technicians originally experimented with 17.8 cm plates, and when those proved successful, reduced the size even further, to 11.5 cm, so that the discs would be compatible with existing car radio systems.
325:
Immediately after the conference, Ottens and Sinjou traveled to Japan, wanting to gain support for the compact disc and make it a world standard. While on the trip, they reached an agreement with Sony, who was ahead of
Philips in digital development and optical recording, but had not yet found a way
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In 1969, Ottens became
Director of Philips Hasselt. Under his directions, the Hasselt factory would focus primarily on producing Philips cassette systems, with the popularity of general compact cassettes growing. With a growing demand for compact cassettes, Philips Hasselts grew larger, reaching an
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Philips eventually decided to develop their own cassette, with RCA's cassette as a starting point. Ottens started the design of the cassette by cutting a block of wood to fit into his jacket pocket. This wood block would become the model for what became the first portable cassette recorder, the EL
354:
Ottens was confronted with many technical problems very early after the release of the product. Within a few months of the products release, a majority of devices were returned to
Philips for repair. In addition to this, production costs of the Philips system were moderately high when compared to
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As
Philips' audio division did not have adequate in-house knowledge for developing this technology, Ottens formed a seven-person team of technicians with experience in digital technology, two of whom came from the Natlab. In 1977, this team developed the first test model of the digital disc. This
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The laser for the ALP also had to be modified from what was used in VLP's, as the VLP laser was too large for the design that Ottens envisioned. Using resources from the NatLab, a new solid state laser was developed that was smaller and more suitable for Ottens design. However, after years of
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In 1960, Ottens became the head of the new product development department in
Hasselt. While in this position, he led the development of Philips' first portable tape recorder, the EL 3585. This project proved to be quite successful, with over 1 million units being sold.
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Ottens managed a team of ten or twelve workers who had experience in designing gramophones and tape recorders to develop the cassette and its equipment. While developing the cassette, the group often utilized resources and knowledge from the nearby
Eindhoven location.
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After retiring, Ottens remained active in the field of technology for many years. He became chairman of the Dutch
Association for Logistics Management in 1988. Ottens was among the interviewees in director Zack Taylor's 2016 documentary film,
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experimentation, Ottens and his team determined that analog technology would cause too much background noise and would not be able to compete with gramophone records. They subsequently decided to start development on new digital technology.
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Also in 1984, Ottens had his factory produce VHS machines that were practically identical to the Video 2000. These machines would end up replacing the Video 2000, which ultimately failed to catch on and was officially cancelled in 1985.
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prompted enthusiasm from Ottens and led to his formation of a dedicated development lab for the project, which he called the
Compact Disc Development lab. A small production facility for test discs was created for the development lab.
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Under Ottens' direction, a second version of the system was developed with new running gear. This system was more compact and reliable, and had shorter start and stop times. It also featured a smaller footprint, lighter weight, and a
334:
Upon returning from his trip to Japan, Ottens became technical director of
Philips Video Main Industry Group. This division was much larger than the audio division, and was a major player in the TV set business at the time.
278:, was the fact that they offered this patent and invention for free to other manufacturers of similar hardware such as National and Sony. Without this, the Compact Cassette would have never become the world standard.
251:. The goal for this "pocket recorder," as it was nicknamed, was to be inexpensive and small, with low battery consumption but reasonable sound quality. Originally, Philips planned on working with
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295:
In 1972, Ottens became technical director of
Philips Main Industry Group Audio. While in this position, Ottens realized that laser technology being researched in the
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The first full model was finalized by March 1979. It was presented by project lead Joop Sinjou at a two-day press conference in Eindhoven to over 300 journalists.
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port, which had not been implemented in the previous version. Further development efforts were made, and by 1984, the Video 2000 had reliable stereo sound.
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The development of the Audio Long Play, or ALP, required major changes in design when compared to the Video Long Play. The VLP, being the size of an
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system cassette, but Ottens found that the dimensions and tape speed of the set made it not suitable for their desired product.
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on 21 June 1926. Ottens showed an interest in technology and tinkering from an early age. While in his teens, during the
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448:"Lou Ottens, Philips-uitvinder cassettebandje, overleden: 'We waren als kleine jongens die leuk aan het spelen waren'"
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351:. Each company released separate versions of this recorder, with Ottens responsible for the Philips version.
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In his first year in this role, the video division started to develop a replacement for the VCR, called the
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to reduce the size of their device. The companies agreed on joint development and set a universal standard.
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Building on the success of the EL 3585, Philips Hasselt started working on plans to develop a portable
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world premiere screening in London on June 24, 2016. Ottens died in Duizel on 6 March 2021, aged 94.
802:"NEWS: East End Film Festival world premiere of Cassette will feature Lou Ottens and Thurston Moore"
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Ottens in 2007 during an interview for the magazine of the Dutch Royal Institute of Engineers (
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864:"Lou Ottens (1926-2021) was de uitvinder van het cassettebandje, maar vond de cd beter"
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347:. This was a new video cassette system that they had developed in collaboration with
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845:"De man van Philips-vindingen als cassettebandje en cd had geen 'trotsmetertje'"
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80 Years of Research at the Philips Natuurkundig Laboratorium (1914-1994)
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In 1963, Philips decided to publicly introduce the cassette system at
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Cassette: A Documentary Mixtape - Documentary Film Trailer (2016)
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165:, he constructed a radio that he would use to secretly listen to
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542:"Het cassettebandje is terug en de uitvinder snapt niet waarom"
214:. In 1957, he transferred to a newly opened Philips factory in
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190:. While attending university, Ottens worked part time as a
568:"Lou Ottens, Father of Countless Mixtapes, Is Dead at 94"
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1960–1969: Head of Product Development at Philips Hasselt
431:"Dutch inventor of the audio cassette tape dies aged 94"
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for an X-ray technology factory. He graduated in 1952.
406:"Compact Cassette supremo Lou Ottens talks to El Reg"
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German occupation of the Netherlands in World War II
883:"Inventor of cassette tape Lou Ottens passed away"
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178:, Ottens constructed the radio with a primitive
827:"Uitvinder cassettebandje Lou Ottens overleden"
514:"We hadden geen andere keus dan digitaal gaan"
46:Nederlands Koninklijk Instituut van Ingenieurs
703:"Mislukkingen van de techniek: de Video 2000"
141:, and for his work in helping to develop the
182:. After the war, Ottens began attending the
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330:1979–1984: Director of Philips Video
291:1972–1979: Director of Philips Audio
137:, best known as the inventor of the
126:(21 June 1926 – 6 March 2021) was a
655:. Mariner Books. pp. 138–140.
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881:Ruffalo, Jennifer (9 March 2021).
566:Genzlinger, Neil (11 March 2021).
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800:Johnson, Eugenie (27 June 2016).
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297:Philips Natuurkundig Laboratorium
149:for the entirety of his career.
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378:Cassette: A Documentary Mixtape
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862:Misérus, Mark (9 March 2021).
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477:The Twentsche Courant Tubantia
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184:Delft University of Technology
171:broadcasts. In order to avoid
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701:Engels, Joep (24 June 1998).
593:"HISTORY OF COMPACT CASSETTE"
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287:employee count of over 5000.
202:In 1952, Ottens was hired by
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939:21st-century Dutch inventors
934:20th-century Dutch inventors
929:21st-century Dutch engineers
924:20th-century Dutch engineers
677:"Interview with Joop Sinjou"
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729:"Video 2000: b.1980 d.1985"
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949:Dutch industrial designers
944:Dutch electrical engineers
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16:Dutch engineer (1926–2021)
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145:. Ottens was employed by
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101:
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37:
30:
124:Lodewijk Frederik Ottens
58:Lodewijk Frederik Ottens
19:Not to be confused with
619:De Vries, Marc (2005).
780:East End Film Festival
382:East End Film Festival
380:, and appeared at the
188:mechanical engineering
887:Netherlands News Live
681:dutchaudioclassics.nl
649:Nathan, John (1999).
206:. He started in the
410:www.theregister.com
192:drafting technician
186:, where he studied
180:directional antenna
157:Ottens was born in
452:Eindhovens Dagblad
257:RCA tape cartridge
959:Philips employees
597:Vintage Cassettes
355:similar systems.
249:cassette recorder
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255:and using their
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96:, Netherlands
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890:. Retrieved
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809:. Retrieved
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783:. Retrieved
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759:, retrieved
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736:. Retrieved
733:Total Rewind
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711:. Retrieved
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684:. Retrieved
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600:, retrieved
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575:. Retrieved
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550:, retrieved
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525:, retrieved
521:De Ingenieur
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481:, retrieved
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468:Duk, Wierd,
451:
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413:. Retrieved
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303:Compact disc
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228:loudspeakers
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168:Radio Oranje
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159:Bellingwolde
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143:compact disc
123:
122:
88:(2021-03-06)
86:6 March 2021
72:Bellingwolde
68:21 June 1926
45:
25:
919:2021 deaths
914:1926 births
454:(in Dutch).
371:Later years
173:Nazi German
102:Nationality
76:Netherlands
908:Categories
709:(in Dutch)
632:9085550513
548:(in Dutch)
523:(in Dutch)
479:(in Dutch)
388:References
345:Video 2000
339:Video 2000
272:IFA Berlin
220:turntables
153:Early life
112:Occupation
64:1926-06-21
32:Lou Ottens
831:Telegraaf
212:Eindhoven
21:Lou Otten
892:13 March
811:12 March
785:12 March
761:12 March
738:11 March
713:11 March
686:11 March
602:10 March
577:12 March
552:10 March
527:10 March
483:10 March
415:11 March
135:inventor
131:engineer
116:Engineer
349:Grundig
216:Hasselt
204:Philips
176:jammers
147:Philips
659:
629:
263:3300.
226:, and
198:Career
94:Duizel
707:Trouw
517:(PDF)
473:(PDF)
361:SCART
128:Dutch
106:Dutch
894:2021
813:2021
787:2021
763:2021
740:2021
715:2021
688:2021
657:ISBN
652:Sony
627:ISBN
604:2021
579:2021
554:2021
529:2021
485:2021
417:2021
133:and
83:Died
54:Born
849:NRC
546:NRC
253:RCA
910::
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866:.
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804:.
778:.
731:.
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679:.
641:^
611:^
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408:.
396:^
309:LP
230:.
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Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License. Additional terms may apply.
