We are independent & ad-supported. We may earn a commission for purchases made through our links.
Advertiser Disclosure
Our website is an independent, advertising-supported platform. We provide our content free of charge to our readers, and to keep it that way, we rely on revenue generated through advertisements and affiliate partnerships. This means that when you click on certain links on our site and make a purchase, we may earn a commission. Learn more.
How We Make Money
We sustain our operations through affiliate commissions and advertising. If you click on an affiliate link and make a purchase, we may receive a commission from the merchant at no additional cost to you. We also display advertisements on our website, which help generate revenue to support our work and keep our content free for readers. Our editorial team operates independently of our advertising and affiliate partnerships to ensure that our content remains unbiased and focused on providing you with the best information and recommendations based on thorough research and honest evaluations. To remain transparent, we’ve provided a list of our current affiliate partners here.
Hardware

Our Promise to you

Founded in 2002, our company has been a trusted resource for readers seeking informative and engaging content. Our dedication to quality remains unwavering—and will never change. We follow a strict editorial policy, ensuring that our content is authored by highly qualified professionals and edited by subject matter experts. This guarantees that everything we publish is objective, accurate, and trustworthy.

Over the years, we've refined our approach to cover a wide range of topics, providing readers with reliable and practical advice to enhance their knowledge and skills. That's why millions of readers turn to us each year. Join us in celebrating the joy of learning, guided by standards you can trust.

What is a Digital Versatile Disc?

By D. Messmer
Updated: May 16, 2024
Views: 15,751
Share

A digital versatile disc, which many people refer to by its acronym "DVD," is a plastic disc usually 4.7 inches (12 cm) in diameter that uses microscopic pits on the surface of the disc to store information. An aluminum coating covers the pits so that a thin laser can read the information. They can contain anywhere from 4.7 to 17.0 gigabytes of data. Due to their large storage capacity, digital versatile discs are popular for data storage and are also a common medium for the storage and distribution of video, especially movies.

Digital versatile discs are very similar to compact discs, or CDs, but can hold as much as 26 times more data. They rely on the same laser technology that CDs employ, but since the laser that a DVD player uses is much thinner than the laser in a CD player, the pits that store the data can be much smaller. DVDs can also have a translucent first layer, which allows the laser to access a second layer of data underneath, doubling the capacity. A digital versatile disc can also be double-sided, which doubles the storage capacity again.

There are several different kinds of digital versatile disc, although they all use the same basic technology. DVD-Rs allow a user to write information to the disc one time, while DVD-RAM, DVD-RW, and DVD+RWs allow the user to write information to the disc multiple times. DVD-ROM discs do not allow any writing — they can only be read. DVD video and DVD audio discs are also common, allowing for the distribution of video and audio content respectively.

The digital versatile disc format became popular during the mid-1990s. Initially, several different manufacturers were developing variants of the same technology without an industry-wide standard. Many of the major computer manufacturers, not wanting to get caught in a battle between different formats, refused to utilize the technology until manufacturers of the discs could agree upon a single standard. In 1995, these manufacturers did agree on a standard, and today's digital versatile disc format is the result.

Digital versatile disc technology became popular in the international market very shortly after its initial release in Japan in 1996. At first, its large storage capacity made it popular among software developers, but it's popularity as a means of distributing video followed closely thereafter. DVDs eventually surpassed VHS tapes as the leading format for video distribution to the home market. This was largely due to the improved picture and sound quality that the digital versatile disc offered home movie viewers. The large storage capacity allowed more image and sound information to be included.

New technologies have since appeared to compete with the digital versatile disc. One of these is the Blu-ray disc, which utilizes a laser that is even thinner than the one that DVD technology uses, thus allowing for greater data storage. This laser's shorter wavelength gives it a blue color, rather than the red color of a DVD laser.

Share
EasyTechJunkie is dedicated to providing accurate and trustworthy information. We carefully select reputable sources and employ a rigorous fact-checking process to maintain the highest standards. To learn more about our commitment to accuracy, read our editorial process.
Discussion Comments
Share
https://www.easytechjunkie.com/what-is-a-digital-versatile-disc.htm
Copy this link
EasyTechJunkie, in your inbox

Our latest articles, guides, and more, delivered daily.

EasyTechJunkie, in your inbox

Our latest articles, guides, and more, delivered daily.