In retrospect, CDs and DVDs seem like a complete scam. They didn't offer any significant benefits over vinyl and tape. They were still a physical thing that you had to handle and store, and taking more than a few with you when you went somewhere was a major hassle. And they were far more fragile.
Are you kidding? CDs were miles better than vinyl and tape and were the dominant format for a very long period of time. Until the rise of mp3, there was no way to get high quality sound in a compact form. Have fun trying play vinyl in your car or on an airplane. CDs were a revolution and an amazing piece of technology, especially when you consider that they were created in the 70s.
you can listen to a CD more than once in quick succession without permanently distorting it
you can play a particular track on demand
you can reproduce a disc without quality loss
rewinding a DVD is pretty quick
DVDs include subtitles; tapes didn't
CDs and DVDs are significantly smaller and easier to store than records and VHS tapes - I have a pocket-sized container that will safely hold a couple dozen CDs, but that would be fairly difficult with records.
In summary, CDs and DVDs are both vast technological improvements over vinyl and tape. And I have no idea what you're talking about with "And they were far more fragile."
