Not only is the volume of data increasing every year, the reliance of individuals and business organizations on this data are also on the rise. Over the years, a wide range of new storage media came into the market, with their own unique features and abilities. But they soon became obsolete with the passage of time, to be replaced by novel technologies and possibilities. In the modern digital era, punch cards were the first storage media to come in use. They were soon replaced by magnetic tapes, by the early 60s. In the following years, we saw the rise of floppy disks as a popular storage device, to become obsolete by 1990, with the advent of CDs. Came 1995, and the technology moved a step further in its quest for better storage media, with the introduction of DVDs in the market. Considering the latest developments, some people genuinely believe that the CDs will soon become obsolete like floppies, to be completely replaced by DVDs in times to come.
Expectations from a Good Storage Device
The end users always have certain definite and general expectations from any storage device and every new storage media has to qualify these criteria. A good storage device has to be reliable, easily accessible, user friendly, easy to use and reasonably fast. A popular storage device should have a long shelf life and should be perfectly compatible with the existing hardware. It should be easily available in the market, at a reasonable price, so as to fit into the budget of all types of users. Any reliable storage device must offer a high speed and integrity, as far as the writing and the processing of data is concerned. Its usage should not be complex and complicated, demanding astute expertise and advanced knowledge on the part of the consumer.
CDs
One reason why CDs became popular and are still in use is that they qualify most of the above mentioned criteria. Initially they failed to pick up because of their high price. But with a fall in the prices, they became widely accepted as the chosen storage media. A CD is basically an optical device that consists of one single spiral track of data comprising of reflective areas and non-reflective bumps. A CD drive projects a laser on the surface of a CD and is able to decipher data by detecting the reflective areas and bumps. There exist three types of CDs i.e. CD-ROM, CD-R and CD-RW. A good quality CD can hold up to 700 MB of data. CDs are easy to use and offer average levels of integrity. However they get easily scratched and damaged.
DVDs
DVDs are one of the latest storage media. They are similar to CDs but are capable of holding seven times more data as compared to CDs. One reason why DVDs are able to do so is that they have a different format with much greater density. The size of pits and tracks on a DVD is much smaller as compared to a CD. A CD has a lot of extra information encoded on it to allow for error correction. On the contrary, DVDs do not waste so much of a space for error correction. Further, DVDs employ multi-layer data storage to accommodate large volumes of data.
How DVDs Fare Better Than CDs
So far as the storage capacity is concerned, DVDs fare way ahead of the CDs. A single DVD can store all the data for which you will require at least seven CDs. They provide a better picture quality. Many DVDs have a provision for an on-screen index and they offer a more flexible manoeuvering while usage. DVDs facilitate multiple soundtracks and subtitles. They have a longer life expectancy and come with copy protection and lockout features. In simple words, DVDs give a larger, more controlled and interactive user experience. There is no doubt that the DVDs are the ultimate communication tool and will eventually replace the CDs in the next few years. Nothing is permanent accept change. The technology is its own annihilator and inventor.
