DVD (Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is an optical disc storage medium developed and invented by Sony, Philips, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. It is an evolution of the Compact Disc (CD) format and its use superseded the CD-ROM format which had become the main medium for software and multimedia applications in the early 1990s. The DVD offers higher storage capacity than a CD-ROM while having the same physical dimensions.
DVDs are composed of two thin sheets of 0.6 millimeter-thick polycarbonate plastic that are bonded together to form a 0.6 mm thick disc. This is about the same thickness as a CD. There are two different types of DVD: the single-sided/single-layer DVD, which stores up to 4.7 gigs (4.37 GB) of data, and the double-sided/dual-layer DVD, which can store up to 8.5 gigs (7.95 GB) of data.
DVDs are widely used in the consumer electronics industry for audio, video, and software applications. They are the preferred storage medium for digital movies, music, and video game software. DVD players are available as a stand-alone devices as well as built into home computers and televisions.
The encoding technology used for DVD playback is called the MPEG-2 video codec or H.262. Other technologies such as MPEG-4 are also used. The most common type of DVD drive available for computers is the internal IDE/ATAPI DVD drive.
DVDs offer several advantages over other forms of media, such as CDs, tape, and VHS. DVDs are harder to scratch or damage, are less prone to wear and tear, and can store significantly more data than CDs or tapes. DVDs also offer consumers lower costs because of economies of scale in manufacturing, easier and more efficient physical storage, and more efficient algorithms for data compression and playback.
The DVD format has been the standard storage medium for digital entertainment since the late 1990s. It has become increasingly popular due to its high quality, durability, and wide availability.
