Optical Disk With Applications And Advantages

An optical disk is a type of computer memory used as a permanent storage device.  A laser beam is used to read and write data on an optical disk. It can store data up to 1 GB. In this article we will define optical disc and its types, working of the optical drive, optical disk advantages and disadvantages, optical disk capacity, optical disk diagram, and much more. So stay with us.

Optical Disk

optical diskThe optical disk uses laser technology to read and write data. The LASER stands for Light Amplification Through Stimulated Emission Of Radiation. Laser beam writes on the surface by creating small pits (holes) in the disk.

Working Of Optical Disk

An optical drive reads data by focusing a laser beam on the surface of the disk. A laser detects the presence of a pit. The presence of pit indicates 1 and absence of pit indicates 0. Laser beam converts these pits into digital data.

Optical Disk Capacity

The amount of space required to record an optical bit is much less than a magnetic bit. Optical disk storage capacity is from 600 MB to over 1 GB. Optical storage is much faster than magnetic media.

Types of Optical Disk

Following are the major types of optical disks:

  • CD-ROM
  • DVD
  • WORM Disks
  • Re-Writable Optical Disks

CD-ROM

optical disk

CD-ROM stands for compact disk read-only memory. The data stored on CD-ROM can only be read. It cannot be deleted or changed. CD-ROM is a portable storage device. The data can be transferred easily by using CD-ROM. It can store about 650MB of data.

Uses of CD-ROM

  • CD-ROM is mostly used to store a large amount of information like sound, color, graphics, and videos.
  • It is often used to distribute new application software and games.

Advantages of CD-ROM

  • It is the least expensive way to store large amounts of data and information.
  • CD-ROM disks are durable and easy to handle.
  • Information can be stored on CD-ROM for many years.

Disadvantages of CD-ROM

  • The data cannot be edited.
  • It retrieves data and information more slowly than magnetic disks.

Digital Video Disk (DVD)

optical diskDVD stands for digital video disk. It is similar to CD-ROM. It uses a laser beam with a short wavelength. The short wavelength reads smaller holes on the disk.

The data storage capacity of the disk is increased it the hole size is small. So the storage capacity of DVD ROM is much greater than CD-ROM. It can store up to 17 GB of data.

WORM Disks

optical disk

WORM stands for write once read many. It can only be read and cannot be updated or changed. It can store greater volumes of information than CD-ROM. Its capacity is 200 GB.

Rewritable Optical Disks

optical disk

It uses several technologies to combine optical and magnetic disk technology to enable read and write storage. A 5 ½ inch rewritable disk can store up to 5 GB. These are normally used for applications using large volumes of storage with little update activity.

Optical Disk Advantages And Disadvantages

Advantages

The advantages of using this type of optical drive are many, including:

  • It can be easily connected to a laptop or in any case.
  • The second advantage is that it is very easy to connect and will be detected in most operating systems.
  • Finally, no special software is required to install and use it.
  • And it can easily be used to burn all types of optical discs such as CDs and DVDs.

Disadvantages

The disadvantages of using an external optical drive versus its advantages are very small, including:

  • its lifespan is shorter than that of an internal optical drive.
  • Also, because the USB cable is used for connection, reading data is a little slower

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