DVD: see digital versatile disc digital versatile disc or digital video disc (DVD), a small plastic disc used for the storage of digital data. The successor media to the compact disc (CD), a DVD can have as much as 26 times the storage capacity of a CD.
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For 2x, 4x, 8x, etc. drive specifications, see DVD drives.
Movies - Standard Definition
DVD-Video is the movie format, which uses MPEG-2 compression to provide approximately two hours of video per side at standard definition TV resolution (480i resolution). When most people mention the word "DVD," they are referring to a DVD-Video disc. See DVD-Video and DTV.
Movies - High Definition
Blu-ray is the video format that has enough storage for high-definition movies at 1080p resolution. See Blu-ray and table of capacity comparisons below.
Read-Only Data DVDs
Designed for data files, a DVD-ROM disc is a higher-capacity CD-ROM, and like CD-ROMs, DVD-ROMs are manufactured. See DVD-ROM.
Writable/Recordable Data DVDs
A DVD-RAM is a rewritable DVD that functions like a removable hard disk. DVD-RAM media can be rewritten 100,000 times before they are no longer usable. See DVD-RAM.
DVD-R and DVD+R are competing write-once formats for movies or data. DVD-RW and DVD+RW are competing rewritable (re-recordable) formats that unlike DVD-RAM's 100,000 cycles, can only be rewritten 1,000 times. Aimed at the consumer, 1,000 rewrites is considered more than sufficient. See DVD-R, DVD+R, DVD-RW and DVD+RW.
Music DVDs
DVD-Audio is a second-generation digital music format that provides higher sampling rates than audio CDs. Many welcomed the new format, believing that the original audio CD was unable to capture the total sound spectrum, but it never took off. See DVD-Audio.
DVD Stands For?
Originally, "Digital VideoDisc." Since the technology became important to the computer world, the "video" was dropped, and it was just D-V-D. Later, it was dubbed "Digital Versatile Disc" by the DVD Forum. Take your pick.
Minus (-R/-RW) and Plus (+R/+RW)
The formats endorsed by the DVD Forum (www.dvdforum.org) have a hyphen in their names and are verbalized as "DVD Minus R" or "DVD Dash R" (DVD-R) and "DVD Minus RW" or "DVD Dash RW" (DVD-RW). The competing formats from the DVD+RW Alliance (www.dvdrw.com) use a plus sign: "DVD Plus R" (DVD+R) and "DVD Plus RW" (DVD+RW). Starting in 2002, drives that supported both Minus and Plus formats were introduced. See DVD Forum and DVD+RW Alliance.
Specifications
Following are the various DVD types and capacities. Also included is the Blu-ray high-definition format (see Blu-ray). See also DTV.
DVD
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DVD
in full digital video disc or digital versatile discType of optical disc. The DVD represents the second generation of compact-disc (CD) technology. Like a CD drive, a DVD drive uses a low-power laser to read digitized (binary) data that have been encoded onto the disc in the form of tiny pits. Because it uses a digital format, a DVD can store any kind of data, including movies, music, text, and graphical images. DVDs are available in single- and double-sided versions, with one or two layers of information per side. Single-sided DVDs have become standard media for recorded motion pictures, largely replacing videotape in the home market. A double-sided, dual-layer version can store about 30 times as much information as a standard CD. DVDs are made in a ROM (read-only memory) format as well as in erasable (DVD-E) and recordable (DVD-R) formats. Though DVD players can usually read CDs, CD players cannot read DVDs. It is expected that DVDs will eventually replace CDs, especially for multimedia workstations.
DVD
(Digital VideoDisc or Digital Versatile Disc) An optical digital disc for storing movies and data. Introduced in the U.S. in 1997, and developed by both the computer and movie industries, the disc uses the same diameter platter as a CD (120mm/4.75" diameter), but holds 4.7GB rather than 700MB. Whereas CDs use only one side, DVDs can be recorded on both sides as well as in dual layers. DVD drives/players read most CD media as well. See CSS and DVD region codes.For 2x, 4x, 8x, etc. drive specifications, see DVD drives.
Movies - Standard Definition
DVD-Video is the movie format, which uses MPEG-2 compression to provide approximately two hours of video per side at standard definition TV resolution (480i resolution). When most people mention the word "DVD," they are referring to a DVD-Video disc. See DVD-Video and DTV.
Movies - High Definition
Blu-ray is the video format that has enough storage for high-definition movies at 1080p resolution. See Blu-ray and table of capacity comparisons below.
Read-Only Data DVDs
Designed for data files, a DVD-ROM disc is a higher-capacity CD-ROM, and like CD-ROMs, DVD-ROMs are manufactured. See DVD-ROM.
Writable/Recordable Data DVDs
A DVD-RAM is a rewritable DVD that functions like a removable hard disk. DVD-RAM media can be rewritten 100,000 times before they are no longer usable. See DVD-RAM.
DVD-R and DVD+R are competing write-once formats for movies or data. DVD-RW and DVD+RW are competing rewritable (re-recordable) formats that unlike DVD-RAM's 100,000 cycles, can only be rewritten 1,000 times. Aimed at the consumer, 1,000 rewrites is considered more than sufficient. See DVD-R, DVD+R, DVD-RW and DVD+RW.
Music DVDs
DVD-Audio is a second-generation digital music format that provides higher sampling rates than audio CDs. Many welcomed the new format, believing that the original audio CD was unable to capture the total sound spectrum, but it never took off. See DVD-Audio.
Type Sides Layers Capacity Read Only Standard Definition DVD-Video/DVD-ROM 1 1 4.7GB (DVD-5) DVD-Video/DVD-ROM 1 2 8.5GB (DVD-9) DVD-Video/DVD-ROM 2 1 9.4GB (DVD-10) DVD-Video/DVD-ROM 2 2 17.0GB (DVD-18) Read Only High Definition Blu-ray (BD-ROM) 1 1 25.0GB Blu-ray (BD-ROM) 1 2 50.0GB Blu-ray (BD-ROM) 2 1 50.0GB Write Once Standard Definition DVD-R (A) 1 1 4.7GB DVD-R (G) 1 1 4.7GB DVD-R (G) 2 1 9.4GB DVD-R DL 1 2 8.5GB DVD+R 1 1 4.7GB DVD+R DL 1 2 8.5GB Write Once High Definition Blu-ray (BD-R) 1 1 25.0GB Blu-ray (BD-R) 1 2 50.0GB See Blu-ray. Type Sides Layers Capacity Rewritable Standard Definition (100K cycles) DVD-RAM Ver. 1 1 1 2.6GB DVD-RAM Ver. 1 2 1 5.2GB DVD-RAM Ver. 2 1 1 4.7GB DVD-RAM Ver. 2 2 1 9.4GB DVD-RAM (80 mm) 1 1 1.46GB DVD-RAM (80 mm) 2 1 2.92GB Rewritable Standard Definition (1K cycles) (Also called "Re-recordable") DVD-RW 1 1 4.7GB DVD-RW 2 1 9.4GB DVD+RW 1 1 4.7GB DVD+RW 2 1 9.4GB Rewritable High Definition (10K cycles) Blu-ray (BD RE) 1 1 25.0GB Blu-ray (BD RE) 1 2 50.0GB See Blu-ray.
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| Sides and Layers |
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| DVDs come in any combination of single or double sided with single or double layers. This shows the laser beam contacting the recorded surface in all of the possibilities. |
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| DVD Vs. CD-ROM |
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| At minimum, the capacity of a DVD is seven times that of a CD-ROM because its tracks, pits and lands are more than twice as dense. It also uses more efficient recording algorithms. Add a second layer or record on both sides of the DVD, and capacity is doubled. (Image courtesy of C-Cube Microsystems.) |
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DVD
(communications)
An optical disk that has formats for audio, video, and computer storage applications, and that uses the same basic structure as the compact disk (CD) to store data, but achieves a greater storage capability by using a track pitch less than half that of the CD, pits and lands as little as half as long as the shortest on a CD, and two substrates, bonded together. Derived from digital versatile disk; digital video disk.
| DVD - Digital Versatile Disc |
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