What Is the Difference Between DVD Burner & CD Burner?

The difference between DVD burners and CD burners is how they write data and what types of data they write. Both are considered data storage systems; they ta e data from a computer and write it to a disc using a !aser. DVD and CD burners use different methods to transfer this data" depending on what type of data they are writing. CD burners are formatted to write audio and te#t fi!es whi!e DVD burners are formatted to write audio and $ideo fi!es.

Technique
%. Both DVD and CD burners write fi!es to an optica! disc using !asers. The !aser creates mar ings on the disc by heating the writab!e !ayer of the disc. The mar ings are a series of bumps and $a!!eys that the reading !aser can then interpret. &n a read'on!y disc ()&*+" the !aser creates permanent mar ings on a !ayer of photo'sensiti$e dye whi!e on rewritab!e discs" the !aser creates mar ing on an a!!oy !ayer" which can be me!ted and ha$e data written on it a number of times. The !aser used by a DVD burner has a shorter wa$e !ength than a CD burner" which a!!ows it to write data at a significant!y faster rate. The wa$e !ength for most CD burners is ,-. nm and the wa$e !ength for DVD burners is /0. nm.

CD Formatting
1. CD burners write information in digita! format. The computer con$erts audio ana!og fi!es into a digita! format before sending the data to the burner. The fi!es are burned onto the disc and then recon$erted bac to ana!og fi!es for p!aybac . Data" such as documents" that are written to CDs are a!ready in digita! format when they are created and are sent straight to the CD burner without any type of con$ersion.

DVD Formatting
2. DVD burners write audio information in digita! format" much !i e a CD burner" but it can a!so write $ideo fi!es in either *345 or 367. *345 is a generic format used by digita! te!e$ision stations and 367" phase a!ternating !ine" is an ana!og fi!e code used by broadcast te!e$ision. The DVD burner writes the *345 fi!es in a digita! format which resu!ts in a $ideo created by pi#e!s. The 367 fi!es resu!t in a $ideo picture that is made up of a!ternating co!or'coded !ines.

CD Types
8. 6udio CDs are formatted to store audio fi!es and come in a $ariety of different storage si9es. The fi!es are written to the disc in a digita! format that is contained in frames; each frame consists of // bytes of data. The frames are organi9ed into trac s. CDs typica!!y contain :: officia! trac s a!though some contain more" which are referred to as hidden trac s. Data CDs can ho!d audio" $ideo and document fi!es and ha$e rep!aced the f!oppy disc as the most popu!ar data storage system. Video CDs are formatted to ho!d $ideos and mo$ies" but that;s where the simi!arity to a DVD ends. Because of the way $ideo fi!es are burned onto the disc" the picture and sound <ua!ity are much poorer than the <ua!ity found on a DVD.

DVD Types
0. DVD $ideo discs are used to burn mo$ies or $ideo. The disc is ab!e to support both *345 fi!es and digita! audio fi!es. Video discs can consist of one or two !ayers; sing!e'!ayer discs contain $ideo fi!es that are embedded with audio fi!es whi!e dua! discs ha$e one !ayer for $ideo fi!es and one for audio" which are burned simu!taneous!y. DVD audio discs are simi!ar to CD audio discs but because of the way that the data is burned onto the disc" DVD audio discs can ho!d more audio fi!es in a higher <ua!ity. The audio data is burned onto the DVD in a simi!ar fashion as a audio CD" but the DVD;s red !aser burns faster than a CD;s u!tra$io!et !aser thus creating a higher number of compact fi!es.