The Differences Between CDs and DVDs
So What's So Different About CDs and DVDs
- Image via Wikipedia
CDs and DVDs possess the same shape and size but that is where the similarities end. The differences lie in the make up of the surface of the disc which are invisible to the naked eye. The biggest difference that you will probably notice is that a DVD can hold a lot more data than a CD.
The reason for the big difference in the amount of data storage will become apparent when you understand how data is written to or burned to CDs and DVDs. A laser is used to burn pits around a spiral groove in the disc. A laser is an intensely focused beam of light and all lasers have a particular wave length. A smaller wave length will produce a smaller pit. More pits in the same amount of surface area results in a larger amount of information and explains why a DVD is capable of holding so much more data than a CD.
DVDs and CDs are digital storage mediums which basically means that all data is stored as ones and zeros. The pits and lands (where there are no pits) on the DVDs and CDs represent ones and zeros. When the disc is read the laser moves around the discs surface and is reflected off the lands but not off the pits. Optical technology reads the data and converts into the ones and zeros that your computer can then understand.
The tracks of a DVD are narrower as well, which allows for more tracks per disc and translates into more capacity than a CD. The common single layer DVD holds 4.5 GB of information, while a CD holds a mere 700 MB..
As the pits on a DVD are smaller the physical make up of a DVD has to be different to a CD in order to allow the laser to focus on them. A thinner plastic substrate must be used, giving the laser less material and less depth to get through to the surface.
DVD drives are also capable of much higher data throughput than a CD drive. The difference in speed is massive with a 52X CD drive reading data at 8Mb a second and a DVD 24X drive reading data at 32MB second.
With Blu-Ray being the new kid on the block and because it has such a massive storage ability DVDs will slowly be phased out as will CDs. CDs are still widely available but I imagine they will eventually go the way of the floppy disk as new technologies keep emerging. For additional related information on Compact disks and DVDs in relation to presentation and marketing go and visit the following website CD and DVD Packaging
Guide on how to convert files to pdf format at How to PDF
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