The encoded data - the pits and lands do not actually represent digital data, not really. The laser reading process is, frankly, strictly an analog process. The series of pits and lands, their various lengths and the transitions from pits to lands and lands to pits are converted to meaningful digital data downstream. So, since the lengths of pits and lands is variable precise timing is critical to recover the data as it appears on the disc. It is not a difficult task to demonstrate that (1) Reed Solomon is only effective for certain errors, but definitely not all errors. For example it’s extremely ineffective dealing with circular scratches. It’s very good for predictable errors like scratches that are radial. Reed Solomon codes and the laser servo function are both rather ineffective for correcting errors due to vibration, including the fluttering and wobbling of the disc during play as well as seismic vibration, etc., or scattered light detected by the photodetector. Reed Solomon did the best they could under the circumstances, I guess. But that was 40 years ago, for crying out loud. 😢
A lot of errors get past the goalie. For for many people the whole thing works good enough. 🙄
All these issues with CDs and especially the player, have always been there. And there are very important reasons why CDs often sound thin, compressed, congealed, honky, metallic, brittle, bass shy, thuddy, synthetic, like paper mache.
