Advantages and Disadvantages of CDs and DVDs | Pros and Cons

Technology is developing day by day nowadays the data is stored in small chips popularly known as Memory cards, and Pen Drives.

CDs and DVDs are used as a medium of storing data almost permanently. They are also called secondary storage devices.

These storage devices are used to store movies, songs, pictures, important data, and information.

But before these devices were introduced people used CDs and DVDs which were the popular source of storing data.

CD stands for Compact Disk
DVD stands for Digital Versatile Disk or Digital Video Disk

These CDs and DVDs are also used to install the software in computer systems but they are easily replaced by pen drives and memory chips.

In this article, we are going to learn the advantages and disadvantages of CDs and DVDs in education with the pros and cons of CDs and DVDs with benefits.

Let’s Start.

What is CD?

The Full Form of CD is Compact Disk.

These are circular shape disks that can store data and information permanently.

The CD was invented by American physicist James Russell in August 1982 the first compact disk was manufactured and released in October in the year 1982.

Sony and Phillip Company were the first to manufacture CDs and made them available to the general public.

These CDs are circular in shape and can store data and information of around 650 MB it can hold up to 74 minutes of songs with a particular size of 120 millimeters (4.7 in).

The CD also comes with a capacity of 700 Mb which can hold up to 80 minutes of songs.

They are cheap and readily available in the market as their production is in abundance.

They are capable of storing all types of information like images, pictures, videos, software, games, etc.

A special type of device is used to read and write the data of a CD which is known as DVD-RW Digital Versatile Disk Read Write] or CD-RW [Compact Disk Read Write] or CD-ROM [Compact Disk Read O­nly Memory].

But these CDs are vulnerable and can get damaged easily also the data and information stored in them can get corrupted.

The CDs are doubled edges swords and there are two sides to a coin, therefore, we are going to discuss both advantages and disadvantages of CDs with the pros and cons of using CDs.

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Advantages and Disadvantages of CDs and DVDs

Merits and Advantages of CDs in Points

1. Capacity.
2. Inexpensive.
3. Availability.
4. Portable.
5. Permanent Storage.
6. Data Security.
7. A Computer Can Read CDs

1. Capacity

The CDs can store data/information of about 650 MB to 700 MB. They can store data like images, pictures, videos, games, software, etc.

The data stored in the CDs are stored almost permanently. It is very easy to transfer data from CDs to another storage medium with ease.

Before some years CDs were the most popular storage medium as the capacity of CDs at that time was considered to be huge.

This was the major advantage of CDs therefore they were used in abundance. But as the days passed they are replaced by other storage mediums like DVDs. Pen drives and Hard Disks.

2. Cheap

The raw material requires to manufacture this CD is quite cheap therefore the manufacturing cost of these CDs is very low as compared to other storage mediums.

The manufacturer produces these CDs in huge quantities therefore the manufacturing cost drops further.

Later the manufacturer bombards the local market with their products and even sometimes dumps them these eventually encourage more competition in their industry which results in low cost and premium quality.

3. Availability

These CDs are readily available in the market because of the huge amount of production made by the manufacturer.

But it has been observed that CDs had been easily replaced by DVDs and other storage mediums.

4. Portable

The major advantages of CDs are that they are portable and can be carried from one location to another with ease.

They can be carried by ourselves so that the data/information in the CDs can be easily transferred from CDs to other media.

5. Permanent Storage

The information stored in the compact disk is stored permanently and can be accessed anywhere anytime.

A huge amount of data can be easily stored on CDs in fact any kind of data can be saved like images, videos, games, and software.

The data available on the disk can only be corrupted or get damaged when there is physical damage on the disk other than that the data is safe for reuse.

6. Data Security

The data present in the CDs are protected in some sense they are also read-only memory, therefore, we can read the data and are unable to delete or update the data and information present inside the CDs.

However, there are some CDs and DVDs that can be reused in the form of updating, or deleting, and data/information multiple times.

7. A Computer Can Read CDs

The computer system possesses devices like CD-ROM and DVD-RW which help the system to read the data present in the CD.

The devices are also cheap in nature and can be purchased from the local market.

Drawbacks and Disadvantages of CDs in Points

1. Size Limitations.
2. Damaged.
3. Dependency.
4. Security.
5. Scratched Disk

1. Limitations of Size

The sizes of compact disks are 600 MB and 700 MB as all of us know that in this modern era, the data used today is enormous.

Therefore the size of a CD is not capable of storing the amount of data present in this modern world.

Therefore DVDs, pen drives, and hard disks have replaced them easily as they can handle and store large amounts of data/information with ease.

2. Damaged

The CDs are circular and made of some kind of plastic which is not that strong and can be easily broken and gets damaged.

The data inside this compact disk can get corrupted easily and hence cannot be reused or read.

Therefore to avoid these circumstances we should take periodic backups of our important data or even we can make copies of our CDs and preserve them in a safe place.

3. Dependency

The CDs can be read If and only if your computer, the laptop has CD-ROM or DVD- RW is installed on them.

This is the major disadvantage of CDs where they are heavily dependent on other devices for accessing the information inside the CDs.

4. Security

This is the primary concern when using CDs.

The CDs are not completely secured and the data information inside them can be stolen and can be replicated or even someone can make illegal copies of your information and misuse them.

According to me, it is one of the disadvantages of CDs.

5. Scratched Disk

A disadvantage of a Compact Disk is that if it gets too scratched, it will not be able to read properly.

These CDs are very delicate and therefore it is highly recommended they must be used with a high level of caution as it tends to get scratched easily.

Advantages and Disadvantages of DVDs

In the above section, we have discussed briefly on advantages and disadvantages of CDs with its Pros and Cons of using CDs.

The days of Compact Disks are gone now there are new technologies that are getting more and more popularity because of their excellent features which are unmatched.

DVD is called as Digital Versatile Disk or Digital Video Disk

DVDs, Pen drives, and hard disk drives have replaced all old fashion storage devices comfortably.

DVDs can store a huge amount of data and information almost permanently.

But here in the portion, we are going to learn and discuss on advantages and disadvantages of DVD with its Pros and Cons of using DVD.

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What is DVD?

On March 31, 1997, digital video disc (DVD) video players were first released for sale in the United States.

Digital optical disc data storage format was invented and developed in 1995 and released in late 1996.

DVD stands for Digital Versatile Disk DVD or Digital Video Disk can store around 7 to 10 times more data than a simple CD (Compact Disk) as they are capable of storing huge data and information they have become more and more popular compared to Compact Disk.

A simple compact disk stores data of around 640 MB whereas a single-layer DVD comes with a storage capacity of 4.7GB and a double-layer DVD comes with storing capacity of almost 8GB to 18 GB.

This optical disk is cheaper and can handle huge data efficiently. They can store data permanently. Double Layer disks are used because they can store huge volumes of data.

Merits and Advantages of DVDs in Points

1. Large Storage Capacity.
2. Availability.
3. Low in Cost.
4. Quality.
5. Portable.
6. DVD-RW

1. Large Storage Capacity

The DVD (Digital Versatile Disk or Digital Video Disk) comes with a huge capacity to store data.

The necessity to store or handle a huge amount of data and information has led the manufacturer to produce high-quality DVDs with enormous storage.

The DVDs are also called secondary storage devices. The normal DVDs come in the size of 4.7 GB to 12 GB which is staggering.

You can rest sure that there will be more advanced DVDs with the capacity to store data will also be enhanced because of the heavy demand by the users.

2. Availability

The DVDs are readily available in the market because of the mass production by the manufacturer and also they have flooded the market with high-quality DVDs at low cost.

The DVDs are available in a small shop as they are household stuff nowadays.

3. Low in Cost

The raw material to manufacture DVDs is very cheaper these days. Therefore the manufacturing cost drops incredibly when manufactured in large quantities.

 The computer peripheral industry is considered the most competitive industry around the globe.

Due to their competitive nature, the companies offer great prices and deals on their products which eventually help the users.

Therefore according to me, this is the major advantage of DVDs and therefore they are used in abundance.

4. Quality

The DVDs were previously used for storing images, sound, and videos they grew popular because of the quality they maintained while accessing and producing results.

The DVDs have excellent quality and can store data permanently.

5. Portable

The major advantages of DVDs are that they are portable and can be carried from one place to another with ease.

The data present inside the DVD can be copied to another location easily.

6. DVD-RW

The data inside DVDs can be read and accessed with the help of DVD-RWs which are also cheap and can be purchased from the local store.

DVD-RW is easily available in the market with a variety of manufacturer providing their products in competitive prices.

Demerits and Disadvantages of DVD

1. Dependency.
2. Storage.
3. Read Only.
4. Data Safety.
5. Easily Get Damaged.

1. Dependency

This DVD can be read-only when your computer or laptop has a DVD-RW installed on it

So this disk has major restrictions and according to me, it’s one of the important disadvantages of the DVDs.

2. Storage

Although the storage capacity of the DVDs is good the amount of data and information is played by the users is enormous.

Therefore the DVDs lack the space to store the data. The games and software these days are so huge that modern DVDs are not capable of handling this data.

And hence modern storage devices like hard disks and pen drives have replaced them comfortably.

3. Read Only

The normal DVDs are read-only in nature which means once the data is recorded or burned into the DVDs it cannot be replaced deleted or updated.

Yes, of course, there are some DVDs that are reusable available in the market which offers that they can delete, and update data after storing and can be used multiple times.

These DVDs are very costly and cannot be used daily.

4. Data Safety

This is considered to be the major disadvantage of DVD as the data present in the disk can be easily copied and one can make as many copies as he wishes.

The data violation can happen when you lose your disk.

5. Easily Get Damaged

The DVDs are made of thin plastic-like material which can break easily. These disks when used for a long can have scratches on their surface which makes this disk not read the data properly.

Frequently Asked Questions

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