You are in the: Small Business
Computing Channel

» ECommerce-Guide
| Small
Business Computing | Webopedia | WinPlanet

Enter a word
for a definition...

...or choose a computer
category.

choose one... All Categories Communications Computer Industry
Companies Computer
Science Data Graphics Hardware Internet and Online
Services Mobile
Computing Multimedia
Networks Open Source Operating Systems Programming Software Standards Types of Computers Wireless
Computing World Wide
Web

Home
Term of the
Day
New
Terms
Pronunciation

New
Links
Quick
Reference
Did You
Know?
Categories

Tech
Support
Technology
Jobs
About
Us
Link to
Us
Advertising

Become
a Marketplace Partner

Submit a
URL
Suggest a
Term
Report an
Error

IT
Developer
Internet News
Small Business
Personal Technology

Search internet.com
Advertise
Corporate Info
Newsletters
Tech
Jobs
E-mail
Offers

Be a Commerce
Partner

DVD Formats Explained
Last updated: June 05, 2009

When DVD
technology first appeared in households, users were simply
popping DVD discs into their DVD players to watch movies —
an attractive option to the then-conventional VCR. But just
as compact
disc (CD) technology evolved so that users could record
and erase and re-record data onto compact discs, the same is
now true of DVDs.

With so many different formats —
DVD+R, DVD+RW, DVD-RAM, DVD-R, DVD-RW, DVD-ROM — how do
users know which DVD format is compatible with their
existing systems, and why are there so many different
formats for DVDs? The following information sheds some light
on DVD's different flavors, the differences between them and
the incompatibility issues that the differing technologies
have sprouted.

Why So Many DVD
Formats?
The crucial difference among the standards
is based on which standards each manufacturer adheres to.
Similar to the old VHS/Beta tape wars when VCRs first hit
the markets, different manufacturers support different
standards. Often called a format war, both the
industry and consumers are still waiting to see which format
will emerge as the industry standard.

Plus or Minus - What's The
Difference?
The different variations on the term DVD
(e.g. +R, -R, -ROM, and so on) describe the way data is
stored on or written to the disc itself. These are called
physical formats.

DVD+R and
DVD+RW
DVD+R
and DVD+RW
formats are supported by Philips, Sony, Hewlett-Packard,
Dell, Ricoh, Yamaha and others.

DVD+R is a
recordable DVD format similar to CD-R.
A DVD+R can record data only once and then the data
becomes permanent on the disc. The disc can not be
recorded onto a second time.

DVD+RW is a
re-recordable format similar to CD-RW.
The data on a DVD+RW disc can be erased and recorded over
numerous times without damaging the medium.

Note: DVDs that have
been made using a +R/+RW device can be read by most
commercial DVD-ROM players.

Key Terms To Understanding
DVD Formats:

DVD
Short
for digital versatile disc or digital video disc, a type of
optical disk technology similar to the CD-ROM.

DVD-Video

A video format for displaying full-length digital
movies.

DVD-ROM

A type of read-only compact disc that can hold a
minimum of 4.7GB (gigabytes), enough for a full-length
movie.

burn
Slang
term meaning to write data to a CD-ROM or DVD-ROM.

Divx
Short
for Digital video express, a new DVD-ROM format promoted by
several large Hollywood companies. With Divx, a movie (or
other data) loaded onto a DVD-ROM is playable only during a
specific time frame, typically two days.

View all terms in
the Webopedia DVD
Category.

DVD-R, DVD-RW and
DVD-RAM
These formats are supported by Panasonic, Toshiba,
Apple Computer, Hitachi, NEC, Pioneer, Samsung and Sharp. These
formats are also supported by the DVD Forum.

DVD-R is
a recordable DVD format similar to CD-R and
DVD+R. A DVD-R can record data only once and then the data becomes
permanent on the disc. The disc cannot be recorded onto a second
time. There also are two additional standards for DVD-R disks:
DVD-RG for general use, and DVD-RA for authoring, which is used
for mastering DVD video or data and is not typically available to
the general public.

DVD-RW is a re-recordable format
similar to CD-RW or DVD+RW. The data on a DVD-RW disc can be
erased and recorded over numerous times without damaging the
medium.  DVDs created by a -R/-RW device can be read by most
commercial DVD-ROM players.

DVD-RAM
discs can be recorded and erased repeatedly but are compatible
only with devices manufactured by the companies that support the
DVD-RAM format. DVD-RAM discs are typically housed in cartridges.

DVD-ROM
DVD-ROM
was the first DVD standard to hit the market and is a read-only
format. The video or game content is burned onto the DVD once and
the DVD will run on any DVD-ROM-equipped device. DVD-ROMs are
similar to CDs.

DVD+R DL and DVD-R
DL
Dual
layer technology is supported by a range of manufacturers
including Dell, HP, Verbatim, Philips, Sony, Yamaha and others. As
the name suggests, dual layer technology provides two individual
recordable layers on a single-sided DVD disc.
Dual Layer is more commonly called Double Layer in the consumer
market, and can be seen written as DVD+R DL or DVD-R
DL.

DVD+R DL (also called DVD+R9) is
a Dual Layer writeable DVD+R.
DVD-R DL (also called
DVD-R9) is a Dual Layer writeable DVD-R. The dual layered discs
can hold 7.95GB
The dual layered discs (DVD+R9 and DVD-R9) can
hold 7.95GB and double sided dual layer (called dvd-18) can hold
15.9GB.

A Note on DVD Burners
Until
2003 consumers would have to choose a preferred DVD format and
purchase the DVD media that was compatible with the specific DVD
burner. In 2003 Sony introduced a multi-format DVD burner (also
called a combo drive or DVD-Multi) and today many manufacturers
offer multi-format DVD burners that are compatible with multiple
DVD formats (as listed above).

Non-standardized DVD
formats

DVD-VCD
is a DVD-Video disc that has data on it that has been encoded by
using the MPEG-1 video format with the same definitions VCD
has.

DVD-SVCD
is also not a valid DVD standard, since the DVD standard does
not support the SVCD resolution. The term DVD-SVCD is used to
describe a hacked, or non-standard DVD-Video disc that has SVCD
compatible content on it.

DVD-MP3
is created with and contains only digital audio files in the MP3
format. Not all DVD players can play DVD-MP3 discs.

DVD-D is
a disposable DVD format that provides a limited time play
duration of up to 48 hours after the packaging has been opened.
After the designated time has passed, DVD players are unable to
read the disc. The packaging of the disc is airtight and the DVD
itself has a special coating that begins to deteriorate when
exposed to air. The DVD-D format is currently being used for
video game and movie rentals where not only can intellectual
property rights be better protected, but consumers have no need
to worry about the hassle of DVD rental returns. According to
the manufacturer's Web site, both the DVD-D disc and the
cardboard packaging it comes in can be recycled.

The DVD-D format was
developed by German company FDD Technologies AG, and while no
official definition of the D has been offered, many use the
abbreviation to mean DVD-Destroy or DVD-Destruct.

Successors to
DVD
Several technologies are
seen as successors to the standard DVD. These include HD-DVD, Blu-ray,
AOD and HVD
(Holographic Versatile Disc). With so many formats competing, it
is similar to the old VHS versus Beta wars, but with one main
exception; the difference in quality between VHS and DVD was
extremely noticeable, and this encouraged consumers to quickly and
easily transition to DVD from VHS. With these new standards,
however, consumers are not seeing the drastic quality difference
of, HD-DVD over DVD for example, and adoption has been slow.
Additionally, the media players and the media itself is quite
expensive (compare $35 or more dollars for a Blu-ray movie versus
$24 for a DVD movie). Overall the industry suggests that consumers
are just not ready to leave DVD behind quite yet. Here are some of
the standards which are believed to be successors to the standard
DVD.

HD-DVD
Short
for high definition-DVD, a generic term for the technology of
recording high-definition video on a DVD. In general, HD-DVD is
capable of storing between two and four times as much data as
standard DVD.

On February 19, 2008,
Toshiba issued a release stating that it would no longer
develop, manufacture and market HD DVD players and recorders,
with cessation of the player and recorders targeted for March
2008. Several major retail chains, such as Wal-Mart followed
with plans to no longer carry the product, and major Hollywood
studios have also dropped plans to release product in HD-DVD
format as well.

Blu-ray
Disc (BD) - uses a 405nm-wavelength
blue-violet laser technology, in contrast to the
650nm-wavelength red laser technology used in traditional DVD formats.
The rewritable Blu-ray disc, with a data
transfer rate of 36Mbps (1x
speed) can hold up to 25GB
of data
on a single-layer disc and 50GB on a dual-layer disc. On
a 50GB disc, this translates into 9 hours of high-definition
(HD) video or approximately 23 hours of standard-definition (SD)
video. The Blu-ray format was developed
jointly by Sony, Samsung, Sharp, Thomson, Hitachi, Matsushita,
Pioneer and Philips, Mistubishi and LG Electronics.

Advanced Optical
Disc (AOD) - AOD and Blu-ray are similar in that they
both use 405nm-wavelength blue-violet laser technology. While
Blu-ray has a storage capacity of 25GB on a single-layer disc,
AOD has a storage capacity of 20GB on a single-layer disc. and
the capacity to hold 30GB on a dual-layer disc. AOD was
developed jointly by Toshiba and NEC.

Did You
Know...
The first DVD players and discs were
available in November 1996 in Japan, March 1997 in the
United States, 1998 in Europe and in 1999 in Australia.

[Source]

More DVD Terms: Webopedia: Hardware >
Data
Storage > DVD

AOD

Blu-ray

CD-I
(Compact Disc-Interactive)
CD-ROM

compact
disc
Divx

DVD

DVD5

DVD9

DVD
Video file system
DVD
VR
DVD+R
DVD+RW

DVD-R

DVD-RAM

DVD-ROM

DVD-R
DL
DVD-RW

DVD-Video

DVD-VR

Compiled and maintained by Vangie
Beal
Last updated:
June 05, 2009

DVD FAQ

A
comprehensive and informative compilation of commonly asked
questions (and answers) about DVD technology.

DVD Frequently
Asked Questions (and Answers)
This is the
Jul 30, 2007 revision of the official Internet DVD FAQ for the
rec.video.dvd Usenet newsgroups.

AfterDawn
AfterDawn.com was founded as a hobby project back in
spring 1999. Originally the site's focus was to provide various MP3
news and software downloads to users and also provide a free web
hosting services for independent artists who wish to distribute
their music in MP3 format for free.

DVD Overview

Outlines the technologies behind the large capacity
successor to the CD, its various formats and the compatibility
issues. Includes graphics, diagrams and an integrated glossary. This
page is from "The PC Technology Guide."

Small
Business Computing: Buyer's Guide: DVD Writers
These days, CD
burners are standard equipment on almost every new PC. But the
immediate future lies in more powerful DVD burners that work with
discs that can hold 4.7GB of data, and may be used for performing
back-ups and storing movies that may be viewed through consumer DVD
movie players.

The DVD Forum

The DVD Forum
is an international association of hardware manufacturers, software
firms, content providers and other users of Digital Versatile
Discs.

USByte's DVD Technology
Page
Includes information on DVD technology including
topics such as formats, lasers, compatibility, configurations, and
more.

DVD Technical
Notes
Provides a comprehensive array of technical notes
about DVD technology. Sections include: general, physical,
applications, files, standard density CD, and other Web
resources.

Burn World
Everything you need to know about burning DVD
and CDs.

Do you have an interesting piece of computer-related trivia
that you would like us to explore?
Tell us
about it.

The Network for Technology Professionals

Search:

About Internet.com

Legal Notices, Licensing, Permissions, Privacy Policy.
Advertise | Newsletters | E-mail Offers

Solutions

Whitepapers and eBooks

Intel Brief: Five-Star IT Support--Intel Core 2
processor with vPro Delivers ROI of 524 Percent
Inside BlackBerry Developer's Blog
Intel Whitepaper: Implementing Intel vPro Technology
to Drive Down Client Management Costs
Intel Article: Intel Core i5 vPro Brings Intelligence
to the Processor
Microsoft Personalized Whitepapers and Resources for
You
Articles: Build a More Agile Business with
IBM
Microsoft Whitepaper: Optimizing Your Data
Center
Whitepaper: 5 Ways SharePoint Can Save You
Money

Articles: IBM Offers Enhanced Measurement and
Management for Energy Usage
Microsoft Article: Windows 7 Features Your Clients
Will Need on Day One
Articles: IBM Helps Transformation to an
Information-Based Enterprise
Microsoft Articles: Visual Studio 2010
Whitepaper: Monitoring Microsoft Forefront Protection
2010 for Exchange Server
Adobe Article: Java Developers Finding a Home at Adobe
Flex
Microsoft Whitepaper: Optimizing SharePoint
Environments
MORE WHITEPAPERS, EBOOKS, AND
ARTICLES

Webcasts

Microsoft Video: Desktop Optimization
Webcast: Overview of Web Development for the
BlackBerry Smartphone
Webcast:
Connecting PHP to Microsoft Technologies

Video:
Windows Azure Debugging Tips
MORE WEBCASTS,
PODCASTS, AND VIDEOS

Downloads and eKits

Blackberry Developer Zone
Why
Develop for BlackBerry?
Red
Gate Free Trial: SQL Toolbelt
Free Trial: Adobe Creative Suite 4 Web
Premium
Ready. Set. Windows 7.

HP
PartnerONE | SolutionsINFINITE Visit us at
hp.com/partners/us
Microsoft Free Trials: Windows Server 2008 R2,
Exchange Server 2010 and Windows 7
Iron Speed Designer Application Generator
MORE DOWNLOADS,
EKITS, AND FREE TRIALS

Tutorials and Demos

Learn Unified Communications
BlackBerry Application Development Resources
Learn SQL Server 2008
Learn Windows Server 2008 R2
Internet.com Hot List: Get the Inside Scoop on IT and
Developer Products
Learn Forefront

Learn System Center
All
About Botnets
BlackBerry Application Development Tutorials
Learn SharePoint
MORE TUTORIALS,
DEMOS AND STEP-BY-STEP
GUIDES