Lou Ottens was a key figure at Philips developing the techniques behind the cassette tape, which he is most famous for. But he is also credited for leading the team behind the development of the compact disc, evolving from these explorations in recording media. He was also the manager of Philips Hasselt, the place where he invented the cassette tape in 1963. The compact disc was also a milestone of Philips Hasselt in 1983. About 5-10 years later, the CD-i players would also be produced in the factory of Hasselt. Unfortunately around the same years as CD-i was being produced, the factory has to re-organize several times. But it is needless to say that without the effort and creativity of Lou Ottens, the future of Philips Hasselt would have been a lot different and in fact, the storyline of CD-i could have been totally different.
Lou Ottens passed away recently at the age of 94 in Duizel, The Netherlands.
