Hi! Everybody, Can somebody explain to me in short,what the basic difference is between a CD and a DVD? Also what you can do with each of them. I think I know what it is,but am not sure how to explain it.Sorry for my ignorance and thanks in advance! Matt. Matthew P Ebien-Pesa

The basic difference is the amount of storage on each disk. CDs have 700MB. DVD single layer have 4.7GB. So DVDs can hold over 6 times the data. You can use both for pretty much the same things. DVD is the disk of choice for movies so the home players are primarily DVD players. On the technical side the increase in the capacity (density) is accomplished primarily by using a difference type of laser to burn the pits in the disk shiny surface. The wave length of the DVD laser is substancially shorter. For more in depth coverage see the link below. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Optica...

The obvious difference to a consumer: How much data each can hold. A CD is less than a gigabyte, wahre as a DVD (single layer) can hold over 4 gigabytes. If you are using them with a computer, there are pretty much interchangeable in terms of "what you can do". They each hold data, just like a hard drive, SD card, of floppy disk, so you can put what ever you want on them. Again, the only difference is how much you can put on them. To (most)non-PC devices, a CD holds music and a DVD holds videos. For more details on how each is technically different (like, how do they get more data on a DVD even though it is the same size?) search wikipedia.com -Ryan Adams http://RyanTAdams.com

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Thanks OtheHill,KTADAMS89 and aegis for your quick and very explainable responses,so that I am a little more educated now! Thanks again and Have a Great Day! Matt. Matthew P Ebien-Pesa

Your welcome. With all respect, consider searching Google first. A simple search like "difference between cd and dvd" will answer your question. In fact, the first result is from a CD/DVD drive manufacture and discusses the general and specific differences of the two disks: http://www.google.com/search?source... -Ryan Adams http://RyanTAdams.com

There are also dual-layer DVDs which hold 8.5 Gig of data, but you need a dual-layer burner to burn data to those. Life's more painless for the brainless.