DVD | Introduction

• It is now more than a decade since the announcement of CD-ROM standard for the computer storage.

• From its origins as a music format, CD has enjoyed unprecedented success and has grown to encompass computer applications, imaging applications (Photo CD), and the video game applications.

• Over the years, we have seen significant advance in the enabling technologies that support the Compact Disc.

• Laser optics, reflective films and disc replication have all made major strides. Digital coding and compression algorithms have become vastly more sophisticated.

• Moreover, integrated circuits and drive mechanisms have made impressive advances.

• All of these advances came into play when work began on the next generation of the optical media.

• The goal:

  • vastly increased capacity, with the ability to feature an entire movie in high-quality digital video on a single side of the disc. This was the start of DVD, a new optical storage technology with far greater capacity than current compact discs.

  • What is DVD? The letters don't officially stand for anything. They are commonly assumed to represent "Digital Video Disk", but that term has already been trademarked.

  • Some vendors use "Digital Versatile Disk". "DVD" simply means "Very Large Capacity CD with Advanced Multimedia Support". It is a storage technology that will change how people buy movies, music, and software