Computer Hardware Help
Articles To Save You From Computer Hardware Nightmares!
Computer Hardware Help Article:
Differences Between CD DVD Media
Even though both CD and DVD disks have the same media size and shape, the things they have in common ends there. There are many different things between the two, such as what they hold and how much they hold.
Data pits and lasers
A disc has microscopic grooves that will move along in a spiral around the disc. CDs and DVDs both have these grooves, with laser breams applied to scan these very grooves.
As you may know, digital information is represented in ones and zeroes. Inside of these discs, very tiny reflective bumps known as lands and non reflective holes known as pits, which can be found beside the grooves, reflect both the ones and the zeroes of digital information.
By reducing the wave length of the laser to 625mm or more infrared light, DVD technology has managed to write in smaller pits when compared to the standard technology of CD. This will allow for a greater amount of data per track on the DVD. The minimum length allowed for a pit in a single layer DVD-R is .4 micron, which is obviously more than the .0834 micron that a CD offers.
The tracks of a DVD are narrower as well, which allows for more tracks per disc, which also translates into more capacity than a CD. The avaerage single layer DVD holds 4.5 GB of data, while a CD holds a mere 700 MB.
Layers
As stated above, a DVD has smaller pits and the lasers need to focus on them. This is actually achieved by using a thinner plastic substrate than in a CD, which means that the laser needs to pass through a thinner layer, with less depth to reach the pits. It's this reduction in thickness that's responsible for the discs that were only 0.6mm thickness - which is half that of a CD.
Data access speed
DVDs will access data at a much faster rate than a CD can. The average 32X CD-ROM drive reads data at 4MB a second, while a 1X DVD drive reads at 1.38MB a second. This is even faster than an 8X CD drive.
Universal data format
The recording formats of CDs and DVDs are quite different, as DVDs use UDF, or the Universal Data Format. This format allows data, video, audio, or even a combination of all three to be stored in a single file structure. The advantage to this is any file can be accessed by any drive, computer, or even consumer video. CDs on the other hand aren't compatible with this format.
Related Computer News and Articles From ezinearticles
Your computer has slowed to a crawl, and it's driving you crazy. Here's a list of specific actions you can take to fix your slow computer.
Lexmark is one of the best known manufacturers of printers and you can either buy a new inkjet cartridge or an ink cartridge refill if you use this type of printer. Here are a few of the most popular Lexmark cartridges.
Choosing a supply source isn't rocket science. Once you understand the basics of power supply options, you will be well on your way to full power in no time.
Software developers have produced special versions of operating systems and common place applications that run from live USB Flash Drives. These systems are typically optimised for size and configured to place temporary or intermediate files in the computers main RAM rather than store them temporarily on the Flash Drive.
Disposing of USB Flash Drives negligently could land you in hot water. This article is a warning to those who are thinking of just throwing them in the bin without looking what's on there.
You Can Own This Website!
This website is an example of a new product called article site manager developed especially for people who wish to own Adsense sites or sites to promote their own websites and products but do not have the technical ability to own or maintain a website.
Details about this site and other article sites in different categories can be found at the link below. Prices start at $259 for a complete website like this