Quote Originally Posted by 'Stabface',index.php?page=Thread&postID=40251#post 40251
Slightly OT here but there's a pretty interesting history behind the the 29.97 frames per second video standard, it comes from the NTSC color television standard.
Oh man, I love random facts like this. That was awesome. I think my favorite random fact about electronics related specifications is about the length of an audio cd -- 74 minutes. Wierd number, right? Originally the companies involved in developing compact disc technology, Sony and Philips, were planning on making compact discs hold 60 minutes of audio... but the japanese company, Sony, later insisted they extend it to 74 minutes so that the entire Beethoven's 9th Symphony could fit on 1 disc. Why that song? They it every New Year as a tradition in Japan.

And that's why we have 74 minute audio discs. Strange how these things happen, isn't it?