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CDs Vs DVDs (Track This Article)

Back in 1979, when the Compact Disk was introduced as the new option to old-fashioned tapes and records, it was hailed as break through technology. It was innovative and compact, backed by a resilient digital format. The compact disk went on to become cutting edge back up media to store standard computer data in the mid 1980's. It was a very exciting time for archival media and CD drives for computers were introduced. They were bulky, large and expensive. However, since the computer disk caught the fancy of the denizens of the world of information technology, CDs became wildly popular in the mid 1990's and took on a sleek avatar and became very affordable. Big multinationals began investing in this new storage medium and came up with high-end products. As an added bonus, the compact disk burning process was introduced and it soon became a regular feature the world over.

The unique feature of burned media is that high energy laser is used. So here then was a slick, efficient and affordable media that became a part of every day living. The compact disk has had a relatively long run especially when one considers that everything said and done it is not the best permanent form of storage.

It is common knowledge that disks are meant to be changed after burning and not suitable nor capable of being a long term archival media. Therefore, the over 20years that the compact disk has been a major player is extremely commendable.

Along Came DVDs

Considering that CDs have had a pretty good run, it wasn't surprising that it soon had competition in the form of DVDs. The first DVDs started making their presence felt in the mid 1990's. With an amazing capacity to store as much as 7 times the data of an average CD, it was no wonder that people stood up and took notice. DVDs were first introduced to play high quality videos and then slowly edged into the world of computer archival storage. By the beginning of the 21st century, DVDs took on a new shape with increased capabilities and capacity. The newer DVDs were proven to burn better and protect data better. With these innovative improvements, the DVD has definitely edged out CDs as archival storage media. That the DVD will have to give way to newer inventions is a given but CDs are already being considered a spent force.

Since CDs are not permanent in nature as backup media, it is often recommended to backup data from the backup media to the hard disk drive! CDs are also error prone and the DVD makers have tried to keep that in mind to offer a better product.

The Way Forward

The constant complaint against CDs is that using it means eventual failure. Further, due to piracy and the presence of cheap and inferior versions available in the market, the compact disks reputation has taken a beating. Almost akin to the time when vinyl started going out of fashion and CDs started becoming a rage, a similar sense prevails and it perhaps won't be too long before the CD goes the floppy disk way. In fact, with thumb sized archival media available, CDs are now considered unwieldy and inconvenient. The DVD still scores because of its superior storage capacity.

Perhaps another point against CDs and the reason why they are vanishing is that the quality of the first versions haven't been maintained and the current day CDs are more easily destructible than the older ones. So much so that even the tiniest finger print can make a CD skip.

The sole reason why CDs haven't completely vanished off the surface is that they are unbeatable in the price regard. CDs are the cheapest contemporary archival media available and therefore continue to hold on. However, with data storage being so important, when people think long term, CDs may not be considered such a cheap alternative after all. They need constant replacement and data once lost can prove too expensive. One can safely say in the final analysis, that the CD's days are numbered but to give its due, it had a good run. DVDs are currently dependable and serve the need of the hour but its time to get off the throne too, will come.

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James Walsh is a freelance writer and copy editor. For more information on computer crime and Computer Forensics see www.fieldsassociates.co.uk

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