(1) Software that plays CD discs. See
media player.
(2) A stand-alone unit that plays CDs. CD players and "CD drives" are both input devices; however, the "player" is a CD source for a stereo system, whereas a "drive" is a peripheral device for a computer. In contrast, a "portable CD player" is a self-contained device meant for traveling with a jack for headphones. See
music system and
boombox.
CD players play CD-DA music tracks, but may also play MP3 files and other compressed audio formats. See
CD-DA,
CD and
DVD player.