The DVD is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kind of digital data and has been widely used to store video programs, software and other computer files. DVDs offer significantly higher storage capacity than compact discs (CD) while having the same dimensions. A standard single-layer DVD can store up to 4.7 GB of data, a dual-layer DVD up to 8.5 GB. Variants can store up to a maximum of 17.08 GB.
The data side of a DVD manufactured by Sony DADC
Kees Schouhamer Immink received a personal technical Emmy award for his contributions to DVD and Blu-ray disc.
PlayStation 2, the first video game console to run DVDs
A DVD-ROM drive for a PC
An optical disc is a flat, usually disc-shaped object that stores information in the form of physical variations on its surface that can be read with the aid of a beam of light. Optical discs can be reflective, where the light source and detector are on the same side of the disc, or transmissive, where light shines through the disc to be detected on the other side.
The optical lens of a compact disc drive.
LaserCard made by Drexler Technology Corporation.
Optical discs are not vulnerable to water.
An earlier analog optical disc recorded in 1935 for Lichttonorgel [de] (sampling organ)