Not all portable digital media were able to support and accommodate all these demands. Constant upgrading is another catchword to survive in the market, and those could not do it were left behind in the race. That was the fate of the floppies and the LD. In the following, one of the most successful formats -- the DVD-- has been discussed.
What are DVDs?
What is a DVD? It stands for Digital Video Disk and the nomenclature denotes its original use. It was invented to store audiovisual information in high quality digital format for distribution and backup. The DVD is an optical disk on the surface of which data is written in clusters that can be seen as rings with the naked eye. This means that the data is written in spirals on the shiny surface and is exposed to the elements just like the CD. However, the DVD offers more space and far better audiovisual reproduction quality than a CD.
Advantages of DVD as a Format
The DVD has several advantages that have helped it to gain popularity in the highly competitive digital goods market.
It has more storage space than the CD or floppy. The floppy had anyhow been ousted by the CD, and the DVD was like its death knell. The storage space offered also helped in retaining various kinds of file formats.
The DVD drive in the computer can usually read and record data on CDs too. The combo drive as it was formerly called, has now totally captured the domestic market and is the accepted hardware component for all laptops and desktop pc.
The better quality of reproduction has made the DVD the first choice for audiovisual file formats. Be it photographs or movies, DVDs are everyone’s choice for media files. It has also grabbed the film reproduction and distribution market from the CD, both as branded and pirated versions of movies, music video compilations and television programme compilations.
The DVD is easy to carry and very handy for usage. It can be inserted and played on any computer with a DVD drive. This makes the information in it easy to share.
The DVD also accommodates all file formats, making it easy to store downloaded content into it.
The DVD is also very cheap and available in attractive get-ups, with DVD bags, jackets, albums and towers to store it.
Disadvantages of DVD as a Format
There are some disadvantages as well.
The DVD is still somewhat costlier than the CD.
The DVD is also susceptible to virus infection easily because of its ready sharing advantage.
Mass production has affected manufacture and some cheap DVDs are created with inherent faults.
File formats may be corrupted and fragmented owing to over-compression, size, mishandling and manufacturing flaws.
The DVD is waterproof, but not resilient to dust, heat, humidity, shock or fire. The exposed data can easily be physically damaged.
DVDs getting stuck in trays and creating a serious threat for the entire system is a common menace. The USB devices have scored higher in this regard.
The DVD still does not have the kind of space that a portable hard disk would offer. It has less storage space than even the USB drive.
How Good for Data Storage
How does one rate the DVD as a data storage device? The pros and cons listed above should give an idea about its viability and weaknesses. There is no denying the fact that the DVD is indeed quite popular as a data storage device, especially for movies.
Why Suited for Data Backup
Why would the DVD be used for data backup?
Its large storage space suits it for domestic data backup purposes.
Audiovisual files stored on the hard disk are a clumsy matter for both home and office users. It is best to copy out such information and free the disk space.
It is cheaper than USB drives and a pack of DVDs can afford us with lots of backup space.
Future Prospects for DVDs
The future prospects of the DVD look bright enough. It would probably develop further features and offer more space.
Competitors of the DVD
The CD, USB drives and portable hard disk may offer competition to DVDs.
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