View source for DVD

{{Short description|Optical disc format}}
{{About|the disc format in general|the video recording format based upon DVD|DVD-Video|the audio storage format also based upon DVD|DVD-Audio|other uses}}
{{Redirect|MMCD|Sony's proprietary CD-ROM XA-based multimedia software format|Sony Multimedia CD-ROM Player}}
{{pp-semi-indef|small=yes}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2024}}
{{Infobox media
| title = DVD
| logo = [[File:DVD logo.svg|frameless|upright=0.7|class=skin-invert]]
| image = DVD-R bottom-side.jpg
| caption = The data side of a DVD manufactured by [[Sony DADC]]
| type = [[Optical disc]]
| encoding = 
| use = [[Home video]], [[Computer data storage]]
| capacity = {{Unbulleted indent list
  | 4.7&nbsp;[[gigabyte|GB]] (1&nbsp;side, 1&nbsp;layer)
  | 8.5&nbsp;GB (1&nbsp;side, 2&nbsp;layers)
  | 9.4&nbsp;GB (2&nbsp;sides, 1&nbsp;layer)
  | 17.08&nbsp;GB (2&nbsp;sides, 2&nbsp;layers)
  }}
| read = 650&nbsp;nm [[laser diode]], 10.5&nbsp;[[Megabit per second|Mbit/s]] (1×)
| write = 650&nbsp;nm laser diode, 10.5&nbsp;Mbit/s (1×)
| weight = {{Cvt|16|g}}
| dimensions = {{Unbulleted indent list
  | [[Diameter]]: {{Cvt|120|mm}}
  | Thickness: {{Cvt|1.2|mm}}
  }}
| standard = {{Unbulleted indent list
  | [[DVD Forum]]'s DVD Books<ref name = "dvd-book" /><ref name = "dvd-books" /><ref name = "dvd-books-overview" />
  | DVD+RW Alliance specifications
  }} 
| released = {{Unbulleted list
  | [[Japan|JP]]: {{start date|1996|11|1}}<ref name="faqjimtay">{{cite web|url=http://www.videodiscovery.com/vdyweb/dvd/dvdfaq.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19970329103433/http://www.videodiscovery.com/vdyweb/dvd/dvdfaq.html|title=DVD Frequently Asked Questions (with answers!)|access-date=August 20, 2019|first=Jim|last=Taylor|work=Video Discovery|date=March 21, 1997|archive-date=March 29, 1997|url-status=dead}}</ref>
  | Asia/[[Commonwealth of Independent States|CIS]]: {{start date|1997|1}}
  | [[United States|US]]: {{start date|1997|3|24<!-- DO NOT CHANGE THIS TO THE 26TH OR ANY OTHER DATE WITHOUT A SOURCE SAYING SO.-->}}<ref name="uslaunchdate">{{Unbulleted list citebundle|{{cite news |title=For the DVD, Disney Magic May Be the Key |author=Johnson, Lawrence B. |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=September 7, 1997 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1997/09/07/movies/for-the-dvd-disney-magic-may-be-the-key.html |access-date=May 25, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180729081959/https://www.nytimes.com/1997/09/07/movies/for-the-dvd-disney-magic-may-be-the-key.html |archive-date=July 29, 2018 |url-status=live }}|{{cite web|url=http://www.eonline.com/News/Items/0,1,841,00.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19970411035822/http://www.eonline.com/News/Items/0,1,841,00.html|title=Oscar Day Is Also DVD Day|access-date=August 21, 2019|first=Jeff B.|last=Copeland|work=E! Online|date=March 23, 1997|archive-date=April 11, 1997|url-status=dead}}|{{cite web|url=http://www.pcgamer.com/news/news-1997-03-24.html|title=Creative Does DVD|author=Staff|date=March 24, 1997|website=PC Gamer|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19980218070742/http://www.pcgamer.com/news/news-1997-03-24.html|archive-date=February 18, 1998|url-status=dead|access-date=December 5, 2019}}}}</ref>
  | [[Europe|EU]]: {{start date|1998|3}}<ref name="europelaunchdate">{{cite magazine |last=Andrews |first=Sam |date=March 28, 1998 |title=DVD Gets 'Soft Launch' In Britain |url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Billboard/90s/1998/BB-1998-03-28.pdf |magazine=Billboard |location=New York, NY |access-date=November 26, 2023}}</ref>
  | [[Australia|AUS]]/[[New Zealand|NZ]]: {{start date|1999|2}}
  }}
| owner = {{Hlist
  | [[Sony]]
  | [[Panasonic]]
  | [[Philips]]
  | [[Toshiba]]
  }}
| extended from = [[LaserDisc]]<br />[[Compact disc]]
| extended to = {{Hlist
  | [[DVD+RW]]
  | [[DVD-RAM]]
  | [[HD DVD]]
  | [[Blu-ray]]
  }}
}}
{{optical disc authoring}}
The '''DVD''' (common abbreviation for '''digital video disc''' or '''digital versatile disc''')<ref>''Popular Mechanics'', June 1997, p. 69;</ref><ref>Jim Taylor, ''DVD demystified'', McGraw Hill, 1998, 1st edition, p. 405</ref> is a [[digital media|digital]] [[optical disc]] [[data storage]] format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in [[Japan]]. The medium can store any kind of [[digital data]] and has been widely used to store video programs (watched using [[DVD player]]s), software and other computer files. DVDs offer significantly higher storage capacity than [[compact disc]]s (CD) while having the same dimensions. A standard single-layer DVD can store up to 4.7 [[Gigabyte|GB]] of data, a dual-layer DVD up to 8.5 GB. Dual-layer, double-sided DVDs can store up to a maximum of 17.08 GB.<ref>{{cite web|title=CD/DVD comparison chart|url=https://h71036.www7.hp.com/hho/cache/315534-0-0-225-121.html|access-date=January 26, 2022|website=h71036.www7.hp.com|archive-date=June 30, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220630133910/https://h71036.www7.hp.com/hho/cache/315534-0-0-225-121.html|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Prerecorded DVDs are mass-produced using [[Injection molding machine|molding machines]] that physically stamp data onto the DVD. Such discs are a form of DVD-ROM because data can only be read and not written or erased. Blank [[recordable DVD]] discs ([[DVD-R]] and [[DVD+R]]) can be recorded once using a [[Optical disc drive|DVD recorder]] and then function as a DVD-ROM. Rewritable DVDs ([[DVD-RW]], [[DVD+RW]], and [[DVD-RAM]]) can be recorded and erased many times.

DVDs are used in [[DVD-Video]] consumer digital video format and less commonly in [[DVD-Audio]] consumer digital audio format, as well as for authoring DVD discs written in a special [[AVCHD#AVCHD as distribution format|AVCHD]] format to hold [[High-definition video|high definition]] material (often in conjunction with AVCHD format [[camcorder]]s). DVDs containing other types of information may be referred to as DVD data discs.

== Etymology ==
The ''[[Oxford English Dictionary]]'' comments that, "In 1995, rival manufacturers of the product initially named digital video disc agreed that, in order to emphasize the flexibility of the format for multimedia applications, the preferred abbreviation DVD would be understood to denote digital versatile disc." The OED also states that in 1995, "The companies said the official name of the format will simply be DVD. [[Toshiba]] had been using the name 'digital video disc', but that was switched to 'digital versatile disc' after computer companies complained that it left out their applications."<ref>[[Oxford English Dictionary]], ''DVD''.</ref>

"Digital versatile disc" is the explanation provided in a DVD Forum Primer from 2000<ref>{{cite web|title=DVD Primer|publisher=DVD Forum|date=September 6, 2000|url=http://www.dvdforum.org/faq-dvdprimer.htm#1|access-date=December 14, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100609050219/http://www.dvdforum.org/faq-dvdprimer.htm#1|archive-date=June 9, 2010|url-status=live}}</ref> and in the [[DVD Forum]]'s mission statement, which the purpose is to promote broad acceptance of DVD products on technology, across entertainment, and other industries.<ref>{{cite web|title=DVD Forum's Mission|publisher=DVD Forum|date=January 14, 2010|url=http://www.dvdforum.org/about-mission.htm|access-date=June 11, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140510230628/http://www.dvdforum.org/about-mission.htm|archive-date=May 10, 2014|url-status=live}}</ref>

Because DVDs became highly popular for the distribution of movies in the 2000s, the term ''DVD'' became popularly used in English as a [[noun]] to describe specifically a full-length movie released on the format; for example the sentence to "watch a DVD" describes watching a movie on DVD.<ref>{{cite dictionary |url=https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/dvd |title=DVD noun |dictionary=Oxford Learner's Dictionaries |access-date=December 6, 2022 |archive-date=March 6, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230306065116/https://www.oxfordlearnersdictionaries.com/definition/english/dvd |url-status=live }}</ref>

== History ==
<!--  A possible rewrite may be coming soon. -->

=== Development and launch ===
[[File:schouhamerimmink.jpg|thumb|right|upright|[[Kees Schouhamer Immink]] received a personal technical [[Emmy]] award for his contributions to DVD and [[Blu-ray]] disc.]]
Released in 1987, [[CD Video]] used analog video encoding on optical discs matching the established standard {{convert|120|mm|abbr=on}} size of audio CDs. [[Video CD]] (VCD) became one of the first formats for distributing ''digitally'' encoded films in this format, in 1993.<ref>{{Citation | title = Super Video Compact Disc, A Technical Explanation | year = 1998 | publisher = [[Philips]] System Standards and Licensing | page = 2 | url = http://www.ip.philips.com/view_attachment/2450/sl00812.pdf | archive-url = https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20080528131354/http://www.ip.philips.com/view_attachment/2450/sl00812.pdf | url-status = dead | archive-date = May 28, 2008 | access-date = February 13, 2008 }}</ref> In the same year, two new optical disc storage formats were being developed. One was the Multimedia [[Compact Disc]] (MMCD), backed by [[Philips]] and [[Sony]] (developers of the CD and [[CD-i]]), and the other was the Super Density (SD) disc, supported by [[Toshiba]], [[Time Warner]], [[Matsushita Electric]], [[Hitachi, Ltd.|Hitachi]], [[Mitsubishi Electric]], [[Pioneer Corporation|Pioneer]], [[Thomson SA|Thomson]], and [[JVC]]. By the time of the press launches for both formats in January 1995, the MMCD nomenclature had been dropped, and Philips and Sony were referring to their format as Digital Video Disc (DVD).<ref>{{cite journal|title=WCES: The Calm Before the Storm |journal=[[Next Generation (magazine)|Next Generation]]|issue=3|publisher=[[Imagine Media]]|date=March 1995|page=18}}</ref><ref name="NGen6">{{cite journal|title=DVD Plagued by Double Standards |journal=[[Next Generation (magazine)|Next Generation]]|issue=6|publisher=[[Imagine Media]]|date=June 1995|pages=16–17}}</ref>

On May 3, 1995, an [[ad hoc]], industry technical group formed from five computer companies (IBM, Apple, [[Compaq]], [[Hewlett-Packard]], and Microsoft) issued a press release stating that they would only accept a single format.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://product.info.apple.com/pr/press.releases/1995/q3/950503.pr.rel.cd.html|title=Requirements for Future High-Capacity Compact-Disc Format Announced by Computer Industry Technical Group|date=May 3, 1995|publisher=Apple Computer|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19981202113012/http://product.info.apple.com/pr/press.releases/1995/q3/950503.pr.rel.cd.html|archive-date=December 2, 1998|url-status=dead|access-date=December 1, 2021}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|title=Electronic Giants Battle On|journal=[[Next Generation (magazine)|Next Generation]]|issue=11|publisher=[[Imagine Media]]|date=November 1995|page=19}}</ref> The group voted to boycott both formats unless the two camps agreed on a single, converged standard. They recruited [[Lou Gerstner]], president of IBM, to pressure the executives of the warring factions. In one significant compromise, the MMCD and SD groups agreed to adopt proposal SD 9, which specified that both layers of the dual-layered disc be read from the same side—instead of proposal SD 10, which would have created a two-sided disc that users would have to turn over. Philips/Sony strongly insisted on the source code, [[EFMPlus]], that [[Kees Schouhamer Immink]] had designed for the MMCD, because it makes it possible to apply the existing CD servo technology. Its drawback was a loss from 5 to 4.7 Gbyte of capacity.<ref>{{Cite journal |journal=IEEE Transactions on Consumer Electronics|volume=CE-41 |date=1995|title=EFMPlus: The Coding Format of the MultiMedia Compact Disc |author=Kees Schouhamer Immink|author-link=Kees Schouhamer Immink |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/3179483|pages=491–497|quote=A high-density alternative to EFM is described.}}</ref><ref>{{US patent|5,696,505}}, EFMPlus Patent, applied in DVD, [[DVD±RW]], [[Super Audio CD|SACD]]</ref>

As a result, the DVD specification provided a storage capacity of 4.7 [[Gigabyte|GB]] (4.38 [[Gibibyte|GiB]]){{efn|name=GB|1 GB is one billion bytes}} for a single-layered, single-sided disc and 8.5 GB (7.92 GiB) for a dual-layered, single-sided disc.<ref>{{cite journal |page=189 |journal = [[Computer Shopper (US magazine)|Computer Shopper]] |date=March 1, 1996|volume=16|issue= 3|title=DVD: coming soon to your PC?}}</ref> The DVD specification ended up similar to Toshiba and Matsushita's Super Density Disc, except for the dual-layer option. MMCD was single-sided and optionally dual-layer, whereas SD was two half-thickness, single-layer discs which were pressed separately and then glued together to form a double-sided disc.<ref name="NGen6"/>

Philips and Sony decided that it was in their best interests to end the format war, and on September 15, 1995 agreed to unify with companies backing the Super Density Disc to release a single format, with technologies from both.<ref>{{cite press release|url=http://www.nokia.com/news/news_htmls/nokia_950926.html|title=Nokia Welcomes Single Standard for Next Generation High Density Optical Disc Format|date=September 26, 1995|publisher=Nokia|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19961220013314/http://www.nokia.com/news/news_htmls/nokia_950926.html|archive-date=December 20, 1996|url-status=dead|access-date=October 6, 2021}}</ref> After other compromises between MMCD and SD, the group of computer companies won the day, and a single format was agreed upon. The computer companies also collaborated with the [[Optical Storage Technology Association]] (OSTA) on the use of their implementation of the ISO-13346 file system (known as [[Universal Disk Format]]) for use on the new DVDs. The format's details were finalized on December 8, 1995.<ref>{{cite press release|url=http://www.toshiba.co.jp/about/press/1995_12/pr0802.htm|title=DVD Format Unification|date=December 8, 1995|publisher=Toshiba|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19970501192002/http://www.toshiba.co.jp/about/press/1995_12/pr0802.htm|archive-date=May 1, 1997|url-status=dead|access-date=October 6, 2021}}</ref>

In November 1995, [[Samsung]] announced it would start mass-producing DVDs by September 1996.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Souter |first1=Gerry |chapter=DVD: The Five-Inch Digital Video Disc |title=Buying and Selling Multimedia Services |date=2017 |orig-year=1997 |publisher=[[CRC Press]] |isbn=978-1-136-13437-1 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=NA04DwAAQBAJ&pg=PT181 |access-date=April 11, 2020 |archive-date=March 13, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230313111419/https://books.google.com/books?id=NA04DwAAQBAJ&pg=PT181 |url-status=live }}</ref> The format launched on November 1, 1996, in Japan, mostly with [[music video]] releases. The first major releases from [[Warner Home Video]] arrived on December 20, 1996, with four titles being available.{{efn|The four titles being ''[[The Fugitive (1993 film)|The Fugitive]]'', ''[[Blade Runner|Blade Runner: Director's Cut]]'', ''[[Eraser (film)|Eraser]]'', and ''[[Assassins (1995 film)|Assassins]]''.}}<ref name="faqjimtay"/> The format's release in the U.S. was delayed multiple times, from August 1996,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.iac.co.jp/~jpn/jan96/jp3.html|title=DVD Is Go!|date=January 17, 1996|website=Japan Press Network|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19990116230413/http://www.iac.co.jp/%7Ejpn/jan96/jp3.html|archive-date=January 16, 1999|url-status=dead|access-date=October 6, 2021}}</ref> to October 1996,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://e-town.myriadagency.com/news/articles/panasonicdvdlaunch.html|title=DVD Introduction Announced|last=Elrich|first=David J.|date=July 11, 1996|website=E-Town News|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19970213073811/http://e-town.myriadagency.com/news/articles/panasonicdvdlaunch.html|archive-date=February 13, 1997|url-status=dead|access-date=October 6, 2021}}</ref> November 1996,<ref>{{cite news|url=http://cnn.com/TECH/9608/31/newsreel/index.html|title=Matsushita Electronics to launch DVDs in November|date=August 31, 1996|website=CNN|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20000114144253/http://cnn.com/TECH/9608/31/newsreel/index.html|archive-date=January 14, 2000|url-status=dead|access-date=October 6, 2021}}</ref> before finally settling on early 1997.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.e-town.com/news/articles/dvd1119dea.html|title=Toshiba: DVD is here -- Almost|last=Elrich|first=David J.|date=November 19, 1996|website=E-Town News|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19990116230959/http://www.e-town.com/news/articles/dvd1119dea.html|archive-date=January 16, 1999|url-status=dead|access-date=October 6, 2021}}</ref> Players began to be produced domestically that winter, with March 24, 1997, as the U.S. launch date of the format proper in seven test markets.{{efn|These test markets were in Chicago, Dallas, Los Angeles, New York City, San Francisco, Seattle, and Washington, D.C.}}<ref name="uslaunchdate"/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.e-town.com/news/articles/warnerdvdthreat032197bgt.html|title=Warner's DVD Warning|last=Gerson|first=Bob|date=March 21, 1997|website=E-Town News|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19990117003437/http://www.e-town.com/news/articles/warnerdvdthreat032197bgt.html|archive-date=January 17, 1999|url-status=dead|access-date=October 6, 2021}}</ref> 
Approximately 32 titles were available on launch day, mainly from the [[Warner Bros.]], [[Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer|MGM]], and [[New Line Cinema|New Line]] libraries,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.laserviews.com/dvd/dvd-970321.html|title=DVD News for March 21|website=Laserviews|date=March 21, 1997|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19980206225122/http://www.laserviews.com/dvd/dvd-970321.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=February 6, 1998|access-date=March 24, 2022}}<br />'''DVD announcements:''' Now that we finally have ALL the information on the first 29 Warner, MGM and New Line DVD titles...</ref>{{efn|Three additional titles, including ''[[GoldenEye]]''; are not listed in this article but are mentioned in other launch-day sources, most of which are dead links.}} with the notable inclusion of the 1996 film [[Twister (1996 film)|''Twister'']].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0117998/trivia?ref_=tttr_ql_trv_1 |title=Twister (1996) - Trivia |website=IMDb |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230325035859/https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0117998/trivia?ref_=tttr_ql_trv_1 |archive-date=March 25, 2023 |url-status=live |access-date=August 9, 2023}}{{better source needed|date=August 2023}}</ref> However, the launch was planned for the following day (March 25), leading to a distribution change with retailers and studios to prevent similar violations of breaking the [[street date]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.e-town.com/news/articles/dvdstreet040797jbt.html|title=DVD Street Date Ignored|last=Bilzi|first=Jill|date=April 7, 1997|website=E-Town News|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19990116222940/http://www.e-town.com/news/articles/dvdstreet040797jbt.html|archive-date=January 16, 1999|url-status=dead|access-date=October 6, 2021}}</ref> The nationwide rollout for the format happened on August 22, 1997.<ref>{{cite press release|title=DVD Announcement|publisher=Warner Home Video|date=July 31, 1997|url=http://www.unik.no/~robert/hifi/dvd/warner1.gif|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19990219215356/http://www.unik.no/%7Erobert/hifi/dvd/warner1.gif|archive-date=February 19, 1999|url-status=dead|access-date=October 6, 2021}}</ref>{{better source needed|date=October 2021}}

[[DTS (sound system company)|DTS]] announced in late 1997 that they would be coming onto the format.<!--Press release from 9/5/97 is currently dead, if possible find a copy--> The sound system company revealed details in a November 1997 online interview, and clarified it would release discs in early 1998.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dtstech.com/chat.html|title=Chat Transcript - Nov 5, 1997|website=DTS|author=DTS Staff|date=November 5, 1997|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19980206163459/http://www.dtstech.com/chat.html|archive-date=February 6, 1998|url-status=dead|access-date=March 24, 2022}}</ref> However, this date would be pushed back several times before finally releasing their first titles at the 1999 [[Consumer Electronics Show]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=CES Report, 1998 |url=https://hometheaterhifi.com/volume_5_1/cesreport98.html |access-date=January 3, 2023 |website=hometheaterhifi.com |archive-date=January 3, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230103190302/https://hometheaterhifi.com/volume_5_1/cesreport98.html |url-status=live }}</ref><!--TODO: Europe development-->

In 2001, blank DVD recordable discs cost the equivalent of $27.34 [[United States dollar|US dollars]] in 2022.<ref>Practical Television, November 2001 issue <!--https://worldradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-UK/Technology/Technology-All-Eras/Archive-Practical-Television-IDX/00s/Television-2001-11-OCR-Page-0006.pdf--></ref><ref>Calculated pound sterling inflation using {{cite web |url=https://www.bankofengland.co.uk/monetary-policy/inflation/inflation-calculator |title=Inflation calculator |publisher=Bank of England |access-date=July 21, 2022 |archive-date=October 5, 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181005211045/https://www.bankofengland.co.uk/monetary-policy/inflation/inflation-calculator |url-status=live }} 15 pounds in 2001 to 2021 = 22.74 pounds, then calculated exchange rate using Google</ref>

===Adoption===
[[File:PS2-Fat-Console-Set.jpg|thumb|[[PlayStation 2]], the first video game console to run DVDs]]
[[Movie]] and [[home video|home entertainment]] distributors adopted the DVD format to replace the ubiquitous [[VHS]] tape as the primary consumer video distribution format.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/3335984/DVD-kills-the-video-show-as-digital-age-takes-over.html|title=DVD kills the video show as digital age takes over|first=Robert|last=Uhlig|date=November 22, 2004|access-date=October 28, 2017|website=Telegraph.co.uk|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180216020619/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/technology/3335984/DVD-kills-the-video-show-as-digital-age-takes-over.html|archive-date=February 16, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref>

Immediately following the formal adoption of a unified standard for DVD, two of the four leading [[video game console]] companies ([[Sega]] and [[The 3DO Company]]) said they already had plans to design a gaming console with DVDs as the source medium.<ref name="NGen18">{{cite magazine|title=DVD Game Consoles? |magazine=[[Next Generation (magazine)|Next Generation]]|issue=18 |publisher=[[Imagine Media]]|date=June 1996|page=40}}</ref> Sony stated at the time that they had no plans to use DVD in their gaming systems, despite being one of the developers of the DVD format and eventually the first company to actually release a DVD-based console.<ref name="NGen18"/> Game consoles such as the [[PlayStation 2]], [[Xbox (console)|Xbox]], and [[Xbox 360]] use DVDs as their source medium for games and other software. Contemporary games for Windows were also distributed on DVD. Early DVDs were mastered using [[Digital Linear Tape|DLT]] tape,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hellmanproduction.com/dvd-authoring/what-is-dlt.html|title=DVD Authoring — What is DLT?|website=HellmanProduction.com|access-date=April 13, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190924120402/http://www.hellmanproduction.com/dvd-authoring/what-is-dlt.html|archive-date=September 24, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> but using DVD-R DL or +R DL eventually became common.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hellmanproduction.com/dvd-authoring/how-to-make-a-proper-dvd-master.html|title=DVD Authoring — How to make a proper DVD master |website=HellmanProduction.com|access-date=April 13, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190906210022/http://www.hellmanproduction.com/dvd-authoring/how-to-make-a-proper-dvd-master.html|archive-date=September 6, 2019|url-status=live}}</ref> [[Combo television unit|TV DVD combos]], combining a standard definition CRT TV or an HD flat panel TV with a DVD mechanism under the CRT or on the back of the flat panel, and [[VCR/DVD combo]]s were also available for purchase.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.cnet.com/reviews/toshiba-22dv615y-lcd-tv-dvd-combo-review/2/ |title=Toshiba 22DV615Y LCD TV/DVD Combo review |first=Alex |last=Kidman |date=October 21, 2010 |work=[[CNET]] |access-date=July 16, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200716141636/https://www.cnet.com/reviews/toshiba-22dv615y-lcd-tv-dvd-combo-review/2/ |archive-date=July 16, 2020 |url-status=live }}</ref>

For consumers, DVD soon overtook VHS as the favored choice for home movie releases. 
In 2001, DVD players outsold VCRs for the first time in the United States. At that time, one in four American households owned a DVD player.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bizjournals.com/sanjose/stories/2002/01/07/daily34.html|title=DVD sales top VHS sales for first time|date=January 9, 2002|work=San Jose Business Journal|access-date=May 15, 2022|archive-date=January 21, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220121210339/https://www.bizjournals.com/sanjose/stories/2002/01/07/daily34.html|url-status=live}}</ref> By 2007, about 80% of Americans owned a DVD player, a figure that had surpassed VCRs; it was also higher than personal computers or cable television.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://abcnews.go.com/Technology/TechOnDeck/story?id=3820318&page=1|title=Tech on Deck: The Decline of the DVD Player|website=[[ABC News (United States)|ABC News]]|author=Rubin, Ross|date=November 5, 2007|access-date=May 15, 2022|archive-date=May 15, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220515235110/https://abcnews.go.com/Technology/TechOnDeck/story?id=3820318&page=1|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Specifications==
[[File:Comparison disk storage.svg|thumb|Comparison of several forms of disk storage. Green denotes start and red denotes end of track.]]

The DVD specifications created and updated by the [[DVD Forum]] are published as so-called ''DVD Books'' (e.g. DVD-ROM Book, DVD-Audio Book, DVD-Video Book, DVD-R Book, DVD-RW Book, DVD-RAM Book, DVD-AR (Audio Recording) Book, [[DVD-VR]] (Video Recording) Book, etc.).<ref name="dvd-book">{{cite web|url=http://www.dvdfllc.co.jp/format/f_bconst.html|title=DVD FLLC – DVD Format Book|website=Dvdfllc.co.jp|access-date=October 28, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100425061731/http://www.dvdfllc.co.jp/format/f_bconst.html|archive-date=April 25, 2010|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="dvd-books">{{cite web|url=http://www.dvdfllc.co.jp/format/f_histry.html|title=DVD FLLC – DVD Format Book|website=Dvdfllc.co.jp|access-date=October 28, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100202031353/http://www.dvdfllc.co.jp/format/f_histry.html|archive-date=February 2, 2010|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="dvd-books-overview">{{cite web|url=http://www.mpeg.org/MPEG/DVD/General/Books.html|title=BOOKS OVERVIEW|website=Mpeg.org|access-date=October 28, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100501012533/http://www.mpeg.org/MPEG/DVD/General/Books.html|archive-date=May 1, 2010|url-status=live}}</ref> DVD discs are made up of two discs; normally one is blank, and the other contains data. Each disc is 0.6 mm thick, and they are glued together to form a DVD disc. The gluing process must be done carefully to make the disc as flat as possible to avoid both [[birefringence]] and "disc tilt", which is when the disc is not perfectly flat, preventing it from being read.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://electronics.howstuffworks.com/blu-ray2.htm |title=How Blu-ray Reads Data |first=Stephanie |last=Watson |work=[[HowStuffWorks.com]] |date=October 16, 2004 |access-date=April 21, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191220124440/https://electronics.howstuffworks.com/blu-ray2.htm |archive-date=December 20, 2019 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://electronics.howstuffworks.com/blu-ray1.htm |title=Building a Blu-ray Disc |first=Stephanie |last=Watson |work=[[HowStuffWorks.com]] |date=October 16, 2004 |access-date=April 21, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200115203736/https://electronics.howstuffworks.com/blu-ray1.htm |archive-date=January 15, 2020 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Some specifications for mechanical, physical and optical characteristics of DVD optical discs can be downloaded as freely available standards from the [[International Organization for Standardization|ISO]] website.<ref name="iso-free">ISO [http://standards.iso.org/ittf/PubliclyAvailableStandards/index.html ISO Freely Available Standards] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181026005055/http://standards.iso.org/ittf/PubliclyAvailableStandards/index.html |date=October 26, 2018 }}, Retrieved on July 24, 2009</ref> There are also equivalent [[European Computer Manufacturers Association]] (Ecma) standards for some of these specifications, such as Ecma-267 for DVD-ROMs.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ecma-international.org/publications/standards/Ecma-267.htm|title=Standard ECMA-267|website=Ecma-international.org|access-date=October 28, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130522113434/http://www.ecma-international.org/publications/standards/Ecma-267.htm|archive-date=May 22, 2013|url-status=live}}</ref> Also, the [[DVD+RW Alliance]] publishes competing recordable DVD specifications such as DVD+R, DVD+R DL, DVD+RW or [[DVD+RW DL]]. These DVD formats are also ISO standards.<ref>ISO [http://www.iso.org/iso/iso_catalogue/catalogue_ics/catalogue_detail_ics.htm?csnumber=52065 ISO/IEC 17344:2009, Data interchange on 120 mm and 80 mm optical disc using +R format – Capacity: 4,7 Gbytes and 1,46 Gbytes per side (recording speed up to 16X)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110429230326/http://www.iso.org/iso/iso_catalogue/catalogue_ics/catalogue_detail_ics.htm?csnumber=52065 |date=April 29, 2011 }}, Retrieved on July 26, 2009</ref><ref>ISO [http://www.iso.org/iso/iso_catalogue/catalogue_ics/catalogue_detail_ics.htm?csnumber=51140 ISO/IEC 25434:2008, Data interchange on 120 mm and 80 mm optical disc using +R DL format – Capacity: 8,55 Gbytes and 2,66 Gbytes per side (recording speed up to 16X)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110429230332/http://www.iso.org/iso/iso_catalogue/catalogue_ics/catalogue_detail_ics.htm?csnumber=51140 |date=April 29, 2011 }}, Retrieved on July 26, 2009</ref><ref>ISO [http://www.iso.org/iso/iso_catalogue/catalogue_ics/catalogue_detail_ics.htm?csnumber=52064 ISO/IEC 17341:2009, Data interchange on 120 mm and 80 mm optical disc using +RW format – Capacity: 4,7 Gbytes and 1,46 Gbytes per side (recording speed up to 4X)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110429230320/http://www.iso.org/iso/iso_catalogue/catalogue_ics/catalogue_detail_ics.htm?csnumber=52064 |date=April 29, 2011 }}, Retrieved on July 26, 2009</ref><ref>ISO [http://www.iso.org/iso/iso_catalogue/catalogue_tc/catalogue_detail.htm?csnumber=52066 ISO/IEC 26925:2009, Data interchange on 120 mm and 80 mm optical disc using +RW HS format – Capacity: 4,7 Gbytes and 1,46 Gbytes per side (recording speed 8X)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110429230312/http://www.iso.org/iso/iso_catalogue/catalogue_tc/catalogue_detail.htm?csnumber=52066 |date=April 29, 2011 }}, Retrieved on July 26, 2009</ref>

Some DVD specifications (e.g. for DVD-Video) are not publicly available and can be obtained only from the DVD Format/Logo Licensing Corporation (DVD FLLC) for a fee of US$5000.<ref name="dvdbook-subscribe">DVD FLLC (2009) [http://www.dvdfllc.co.jp/format/f_nosbsc.html DVD Format Book] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100404082456/http://www.dvdfllc.co.jp/format/f_nosbsc.html |date=April 4, 2010 }}, Retrieved on August 14, 2009</ref><ref>DVD FLLC (2009) [http://www.dvdfllc.co.jp/license/l_howto.html How To Obtain DVD Format/Logo License (2005–2009)] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100318053639/http://www.dvdfllc.co.jp/license/l_howto.html |date=March 18, 2010 }}, Retrieved on August 14, 2009</ref> Every subscriber must sign a [[non-disclosure agreement]] as certain information on the DVD Books is proprietary and confidential.<ref name="dvdbook-subscribe"/>

In January 2025, the DVD FLLC announced its own dissolution on January 31, 2025 (together with the DVD Forum itself, according to its charter<ref>{{cite web |title=THE DVD FORUM CHARTER |url=http://www.dvdforum.org/images/DVD_Forum_Revised_Charter_final_120227c.pdf |access-date=7 January 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241128000038/http://www.dvdforum.org/images/DVD_Forum_Revised_Charter_final_120227c.pdf |archive-date=28 November 2024 }}</ref>) and the deposit of the DVD specifications at the [[National Diet Library]] of Japan in early 2025.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Fukuoka |first1=Noriko |title=Importance Notice from DVD FLLC |url=https://www.dvdfllc.co.jp/notice.html#january |publisher=DVD FLLC |access-date=29 March 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250315192952/https://www.dvdfllc.co.jp/notice.html#january |archive-date=15 March 2025 |date=January 1, 2025}}</ref>{{Update after|2025|5|reason=After the books are published, specify how to get them/ISBN}}

As of March 2025, the specification documents are marked as "No Materials available" in the catalogue of the National Diet Library.<ref>{{cite web |title=Physical specifications Version 1.05 (DVD specifications for read-only disc; part 1) |url=https://ndlsearch.ndl.go.jp/en/books/R100000002-I033893139 |website=NDL Search |access-date=30 March 2025}}</ref>

=== Double-sided discs ===
{{Main|Double-sided disk}}
Borrowing from the [[LaserDisc]] format, the DVD standard includes DVD-10 discs (Type B in ISO) with two recorded data layers such that only one layer is accessible from either side of the disc. This doubles the total nominal capacity of a DVD-10 disc to 9.4 GB (8.75 GiB), but each side is locked to 4.7 GB. Like DVD-5 discs, DVD-10 discs are defined as single-layer (SL) discs.<ref name="iso-free"/>

=== Dual-layer discs ===
DVD hardware accesses the additional layer (layer 1) by refocusing the laser through an otherwise normally-placed, semitransparent first layer (layer 0). This laser refocus—and the subsequent time needed to reacquire laser tracking—can cause a noticeable pause in A/V playback on earlier [[DVD player]]s, the length of which varies between hardware.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.hometheaterhifi.com/cgi-bin/shootout.cgi?function=search&articles=all&type=&manufacturer=0&maxprice=0&deInt=0&mpeg=0#SamsungBD-P1000%20Blu-ray/DVD%20Player%20(HDMI) |title=DVD players benchmark |publisher=hometheaterhifi.com |access-date=April 1, 2008 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080313232626/http://www.hometheaterhifi.com/cgi-bin/shootout.cgi?function=search&articles=all&type=&manufacturer=0&maxprice=0&deInt=0&mpeg=0 |archive-date=March 13, 2008}}</ref> A printed message explaining that the layer-transition pause was not a malfunction became standard on DVD [[keep case]]s. During mastering, a studio could make the transition less obvious by timing it to occur just before a camera angle change or other abrupt shift, an early example being the DVD release of [[Toy Story]].<ref>{{Citation|title=DVD: The Death Knell of Laserdisc| date=March 18, 2018 |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cvwuAKi1ZB4 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211221/cvwuAKi1ZB4 |archive-date=December 21, 2021 |url-status=live|language=en|access-date=July 16, 2021}}{{cbignore}}</ref> Later in the format's life, larger [[data buffer]]s and faster [[Optical disc drive#Optical pickup system|optical pickups]] in DVD players made layer transitions effectively invisible regardless of mastering.{{citation needed|date=July 2022}}

Dual-layer DVDs are recorded using [[Opposite Track Path]] (OTP).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://documentation.apple.com/en/dvdstudiopro/usermanual/index.html#chapter=22&section=10&tasks=true|title=DVD Studio Pro 4 User Manual|website=documentation.apple.com|access-date=October 28, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130926075240/http://documentation.apple.com/en/dvdstudiopro/usermanual/index.html#chapter=22&section=10&tasks=true|archive-date=September 26, 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref>

=== Combinations of the above ===
The DVD Book also permits an additional disc type called DVD-14: a hybrid double-sided disc with one dual-layer side, one single-layer side, and a total nominal capacity of 12.3 GB.<ref name="DVD-14"/> DVD-14 has no counterpart in ISO.<ref name="iso-free"/>

Both of these additional disc types are extremely rare due to their complicated and expensive manufacturing.<ref name="DVD-14"/> For this reason, some DVDs that were initially issued as double-sided discs were later pressed as two-disc sets.

'''Note''': ''The above sections regarding disc types pertain to 12 cm discs. The same disc types exist for 8 cm discs: ISO standards still regard these discs as Types A–D, while the DVD Book assigns them distinct disc types. DVD-14 has no analogous 8 cm type. The comparative data for 8 cm discs is provided further down.''

==DVD recordable and rewritable==
{{Main|DVD recordable}}
[[File:Sony DVD+RW.jpg|thumb|Sony Rewritable DVD]]
[[File:Sony CRX310S-Internal-PC-DVD-Drive-Opened.jpg|thumb|right|A DVD-ROM drive for a PC]]
[[Hewlett-Packard|HP]] initially developed recordable DVD media from the need to store data for backup and transport.<ref>{{cite web|last=Watson|first=James|title=The recordable DVD clinic|url=https://www.theregister.co.uk/2001/10/15/the_recordable_dvd_clinic/|website=The Register|access-date=October 15, 2001|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170721101251/http://www.theregister.co.uk/2001/10/15/the_recordable_dvd_clinic/|archive-date=July 21, 2017|url-status=live}}</ref>{{Failed verification|date=December 2019}}  DVD recordables are now also used for consumer audio and video recording. Three formats were developed: [[DVD-R]]/[[DVD-RW|RW]], [[DVD+R]]/[[DVD+RW|RW]] (plus), and [[DVD-RAM]]. DVD-R is available in two formats, General (650&nbsp;nm) and Authoring (635&nbsp;nm), where Authoring discs may be recorded with [[Content Scramble System|CSS]] encrypted video content but General discs may not.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.taperesources.com/dvd_media.html#article2 |title=DVD Media / DVD-R Media |publisher=Tape Resources |access-date=August 9, 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110727112708/http://www.taperesources.com/dvd_media.html |archive-date=July 27, 2011 }}</ref>

=== Dual-layer recording ===<!-- This section is linked from [[DVD-DL]] -->
Dual-layer recording (occasionally called double-layer recording) allows [[DVD-R]] and [[DVD+R]] discs to store nearly double the data of a single-layer disc—8.5 and 4.7 [[gigabyte]] capacities, respectively.<ref>{{cite web|title=DVDs|url=http://www.ncte.ie/documents/advicesheets/06DVDNov08.pdf|publisher=PDST Technology in Education|access-date=January 22, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131202232127/http://www.ncte.ie/documents/advicesheets/06DVDNov08.pdf|archive-date=December 2, 2013|url-status=dead}}</ref> The additional capacity comes at a cost: DVD±DLs have slower write speeds as compared to DVD±R.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Understanding DVD - Disc Size, Configuration and Capacity |url=http://www.osta.org/technology/dvdqa/dvdqa6.htm |access-date=January 3, 2023 |website=www.osta.org |archive-date=December 5, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221205172004/http://www.osta.org/technology/dvdqa/dvdqa6.htm |url-status=live }}</ref> [[DVD-R DL]] was developed for the [[DVD Forum]] by [[Pioneer Corporation]]; [[DVD+R DL]] was developed for the DVD+RW Alliance by [[Mitsubishi Kagaku Media]] (MKM) and [[Philips]].<ref name="Dual-layer-BurnWorld">{{cite web |url=http://www.burnworld.com/howto/articles/intro-to-dual-layer.htm |title=Understanding Dual Layer DVD Recording |publisher=BurnWorld.com |last=DeMoulin |first=Robert |access-date=July 6, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100421150137/http://www.burnworld.com/howto/articles/intro-to-dual-layer.htm |archive-date=April 21, 2010 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Recordable DVD discs supporting dual-layer technology are backward-compatible with some hardware developed before the recordable medium.<ref name="Dual-layer-BurnWorld"/>

==Capacity==
{| class="wikitable" style="margin:auto"
|+ Capacity and nomenclature<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.mpeg.org/MPEG/DVD/Book_A/Specs.html |title=DVD Book A: Physical parameters |publisher=Mpeg.org |access-date=August 22, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120117074555/http://www.mpeg.org/MPEG/DVD/Book_A/Specs.html |archive-date=January 17, 2012 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.avos.eu/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080528025547/http://www.cinram.com/dvd/tech/dvdindetail.pdf|url-status=dead|title=AVOS Companies – OSFAL Group|archive-date=May 28, 2008|website=www.avos.eu}}</ref><br /><small>SS = single-sided, DS = double-sided, SL = single-layer, DL = dual-layer</small>
!colspan="2" rowspan="2"| Designation
!rowspan="2"| Sides !!rowspan="2"| Layers<br />(total) !!rowspan="2"| Diameter<br />(cm) !!colspan="2"| Capacity <!-- raw or user data? exact number of sectors would be nice -->
|-
! ([[Gigabyte|GB]])
|-
| DVD-1<ref name="DVD Demystified">{{cite web|first=Jim |last=Taylor |url=http://www.dvddemystified.com/dvdfaq.html |title=DVD Demystifed FAQ |publisher=Dvddemystified.com |access-date=August 22, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090822172353/http://www.dvddemystified.com/dvdfaq.html |archive-date=August 22, 2009 }}</ref> ||title="single-sided, single-layer"| SS SL
| style="text-align:right;" | 1 || style="text-align:right;" | 1 || style="text-align:right;" | 8 ||  style="text-align:right;" | 1.46
|-
| DVD-2 ||title="single-sided, double-layer or double-sided, single layer"| SS DL
| style="text-align:right;" | 1 || style="text-align:right;" | 2 || style="text-align:right;" | 8 || style="text-align:right;" | 2.65
|-
| DVD-3 ||title="double-sided, single-layer"| DS SL
| style="text-align:right;" | 2 || style="text-align:right;" | 2 || style="text-align:right;" | 8 || style="text-align:right;" | 2.92
|-
| DVD-4 ||title="double-sided, double-layer"| DS DL
| style="text-align:right;" | 2 || style="text-align:right;" | 4 || style="text-align:right;" | 8 || style="text-align:right;" | 5.31
|-
| DVD-5 ||title="single-sided, single-layer"| SS SL
| style="text-align:right;" | 1 || style="text-align:right;" | 1 || style="text-align:right;" | 12 || style="text-align:right;" | 4.70
|-
| DVD-9 ||title="single-sided, double-layer"| SS DL
| style="text-align:right;" | 1 || style="text-align:right;" | 2 || style="text-align:right;" | 12 || style="text-align:right;" | 8.54
|-
| DVD-10 ||title="double-sided, single-layer"| DS SL
| style="text-align:right;" | 2 || style="text-align:right;" | 2 || style="text-align:right;" | 12 || style="text-align:right;" | 9.40
|-
| DVD-14<ref name="DVD-14">{{cite web|title=DVD-14|publisher=AfterDawn Ltd.|url=http://www.afterdawn.com/glossary/terms/dvd-14.cfm|access-date=February 6, 2007|archive-date=March 3, 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070303075804/http://www.afterdawn.com/glossary/terms/dvd-14.cfm|url-status=live}}<!--there should be a better source--></ref> ||title="double-sided, double- and single-layer"| DS SL+DL
| style="text-align:right;" | 2 || style="text-align:right;" | 3 || style="text-align:right;" | 12 || style="text-align:right;" | 13.24 
|-
| DVD-18 ||title="double-sided, double-layer"| DS DL
| style="text-align:right;" | 2 || style="text-align:right;" | 4 || style="text-align:right;" | 12 || style="text-align:right;" | 17.08
|}<!-- CD/DVD hybrid discs not included-->

<div style="text-align: center;">All units are expressed with [[International System of Units|SI]]/[[International Electrotechnical Commission|IEC]] prefixes (i.e., 1 Gigabyte = 1,000,000,000 bytes).</div>

[[File:Dvdpencilrsizecomparison.png|thumb|Size comparison: a 12&nbsp;cm [[DVD+RW]] and a 19&nbsp;cm [[pencil]] ]]
[[File:Dvd-burning-cutaway3.JPG|thumb|right|DVD-RW Drive operating (performing a burning (writing) operation) with its protective cover removed]]
{| class="wikitable" style="margin-left:auto; margin-right:auto; margin-top:1em;"
|+ Capacity and nomenclature of (re)writable discs
!colspan="2" rowspan="2"| Designation
!rowspan="2"| Sides !!rowspan="2"| Layers<br />(total) !!rowspan="2"| Diameter<br />(cm) !!colspan="2"| Capacity <!-- raw or user data? exact number of sectors would be nice -->
|-
! (GB)
|-
|DVD-R  || SS SL (1.0) || 1 || 1 || 12 || 3.95
|-
|DVD-R  || SS SL (2.0) || 1 || 1 || 12 || 4.70
|-
|DVD-RW || SS SL || 1 || 1 || 12 || 4.70
|-
|DVD+R  || SS SL || 1 || 1 || 12 || 4.70
|-
|DVD+RW || SS SL || 1 || 1 || 12 || 4.70
|-
|DVD-R  || SS DL || 1 || 2 || 12 || 8.50
|-
|DVD-RW || SS DL || 1 || 2 || 12 || 8.54
|-
|DVD+R  || SS DL || 1 || 2 || 12 || 8.54
|-
|DVD+RW || SS DL || 1 || 2 || 12 || 8.54
|-
|DVD-RAM || SS SL || 1 || 1 || 8 || 1.46*
|-
|DVD-RAM || DS SL || 2 || 1 || 8 || 2.47*
|-
|DVD-RAM || SS SL (1.0) || 1 || 1 || 12 || 2.58
|-
|DVD-RAM || SS SL (2.0) || 1 || 1 || 12 || 4.70
|-
|DVD-RAM || DS SL (1.0) || 2 || 1 || 12 || 5.15
|-
|DVD-RAM || DS SL (2.0) || 2 || 1 || 12 || 9.39*
|}

<div style="text-align: center;">All units are expressed with [[International System of Units|SI]]/[[International Electrotechnical Commission|IEC]] prefixes (i.e., 1 Gigabyte = 1,000,000,000 bytes).</div>

{| class="wikitable" style="margin-left:auto; margin-right:auto; margin-top:1em;"
|+ Capacity differences of writable DVD formats<!--DVD-5 and DVD-9 should be listed for comparison-->
! Type || Sectors || Bytes || [[Kilobyte|kB]] || [[Megabyte|MB]] || GB
|- style="text-align:right;"|
| DVD-R SL || 2,298,496 || 4,707,319,808 || 4,707,320 || 4,707 || 4.7
|- style="text-align:right;"|
| DVD+R SL || 2,295,104 || 4,700,372,992 || 4,700,373 || 4,700 || 4.7
|- style="text-align:right;"|
| DVD-R DL || 4,171,712 || 8,543,666,176 || 8,543,666 || 8,544 || 8.5
|- style="text-align:right;"|
| DVD+R DL || 4,173,824 || 8,547,991,552 || 8,547,992 || 8,548 || 8.5
|}

<div style="text-align: center;">All units are expressed with [[International System of Units|SI]]/[[International Electrotechnical Commission|IEC]] prefixes (i.e., 1 Gigabyte = 1,000,000,000 bytes).</div>

== DVD drives and players ==
{{See also|Optical disc drive|DVD player}}
DVD drives are devices that can read DVD discs on a computer. [[DVD player]]s are a particular type of devices that do not require a computer to work, and can read [[DVD-Video]] and [[DVD-Audio]] discs.

===Transfer rates===
{{See also|DVD recordable#Transfer rates|CD and DVD writing speed#CD, DVD and Blu-ray writing speeds}}
[[File: Dismdvd.jpg|thumb|right|Internal mechanism of a DVD-ROM Drive. See text for details.]]
Read and write speeds for the first DVD drives and players were 1,385&nbsp;[[kilobyte|kB]]/s (1,353&nbsp;[[kibibyte|KiB]]/s); this speed is usually called "1×". More recent models, at 18× or 20×, have 18 or 20 times that speed. For CD drives, 1× means 153.6&nbsp;kB/s (150&nbsp;KiB/s), about one-ninth as swift.<ref name="DVD Demystified"/><ref name=OSTA-speeds>{{cite web |url=http://www.osta.org/technology/dvdqa/dvdqa4.htm |title=Understanding DVD -Recording Speed |publisher=[[Optical Storage Technology Association]] |access-date=August 9, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040611013745/http://osta.org/technology/dvdqa/dvdqa4.htm |archive-date=June 11, 2004 |url-status=live }}</ref>

{| class="wikitable" style="margin:auto;"
|+ DVD drive speeds
!rowspan="2"| Drive speed (not rotations)
!colspan="2"| Data rate
!colspan="2"| ~Write time (minutes){{efn|The write time is wildly optimistic for higher (>4x) write speeds, due to being calculated from the maximum drive write speed instead of the average drive write speed.{{Citation needed|date=April 2010}}}}
!rowspan="2"|Revolutions per minute ([[constant linear velocity]], CLV)<ref>{{cite web| url=https://hypertextbook.com/facts/2003/ClerbieMontilus.shtml| title=Angular speed of a DVD| first=Clerbie| last=Montilus| year=2003| website=The Physics Factbook| editor-last=Elert| editor-first=Glenn| accessdate=January 21, 2022| archive-date=May 28, 2019| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190528202622/https://hypertextbook.com/facts/2003/ClerbieMontilus.shtml| url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://cdpage.com/DVD-ROM/dvdrom.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030808234424/http://cdpage.com/DVD-ROM/dvdrom.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=August 8, 2003|title=DVD-ROM|date=August 8, 2003}}</ref>{{efn|Due to the data track circumference of 12cm discs being 2.4 times as long at the outer edge as at the innermost edge of the data area, a [[constant angular velocity]] number equals the physical rotation speed the disc has when accessed with the same [[constant linear velocity]] number at the outermost edge. This means that the listed CLV (constant linear velocity) speeds at the outer edge equal the same number of rotations per minute as the same CAV (constant angular velocity) rating number.}}
|-
! [[Mbit/s]]!![[MB/s]]!!Single-Layer!!Dual-Layer
|- style="text-align:center"
! 1×
| 11 || 1.4 || 57 || 103||1400 (inner) 580 (outer)<ref name=OSTA-speeds />
|- style="text-align:center"
! 2×
| 22 || 2.8 || 28 || 51|| 2800 (inner) 1160 (outer)
|- style="text-align:center"
! 2.4×
| 27 || 3.3 || 24 || 43|| 3360 (inner) 1392 (outer)
|- style="text-align:center"
! 2.6×
| 29 || 3.6 || 22 || 40|| 3640 (inner) 1508 (outer)
|- style="text-align:center"
! 3×
| 33 || 4.1 || 19 || 34|| 4200 (inner) 2320 (outer)
|- style="text-align:center"
! 4×
| 44 || 5.5 || 14 || 26|| 5600 (inner) 2900 (outer)
|- style="text-align:center"
! 6×
| 67 || 8.3 || 9 || 17|| 8400 (inner) 3480 (outer)
|- style="text-align:center"
! 8×
| 89 || 11.1 || 7 || 13|| 4640 ([[constant angular velocity|CAV]]; no longer uses pure CLV)
|- style="text-align:center"
! 10×
| 111 || 13.9 || 6 || 10|| 5800 
|- style="text-align:center"
! 12×
| 133 || 16.6 || 5 || 9|| 6960 
|- style="text-align:center"
! 16×
| 177 || 22.2 || 4 || 6|| 9280 
|- style="text-align:center"
! 18×
| 199 || 24.9 || 3 || 6||  10440
|- style="text-align:center"
! 20×
| 222 || 27.7 || 3 || 5|| 11600
|- style="text-align:center"
! 22×
| 244 || 30.5 || 3 || 5|| 12760
|- style="text-align:center"
! 24×
| 266 || 33.2 || 2 || 4|| 13920
|}
DVDs can spin at much higher speeds than CDs – DVDs can spin at up to 32000 [[rotations per minute|RPM]] vs 23000 for CDs.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.smh.com.au/technology/life-in-the-fast-lane-can-be-a-disc-shattering-experience-20021209-gdfxwp.html|title=Life in the fast lane can be a disc-shattering experience|date=December 9, 2002|website=The Sydney Morning Herald|access-date=September 7, 2020|archive-date=October 3, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201003084139/https://www.smh.com.au/technology/life-in-the-fast-lane-can-be-a-disc-shattering-experience-20021209-gdfxwp.html|url-status=live}}</ref> In practice, they are not spun by optical drives anywhere close to these speeds to provide a safety margin. DVD drives limit reading speed to 16× (constant angular velocity), which means 9280 rotations per minute. Early-generation drives released before the mid-2000s have lower limits.<ref name=Pioneer-Archive /><ref name=TSST-Manuals /><ref>[http://osta.org/technology/dvdqa/dvdqa4.htm Understanding DVD -Recording Speed]</ref>

DVD recordable and rewritable discs can be read and written using either [[constant angular velocity]] (CAV), [[constant linear velocity]] (CLV), [[Partial constant angular velocity]] (P-CAV) or [[Zoned constant linear velocity|Zoned Constant Linear Velocity]] (Z-CLV or ZCLV).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.osta.org/technology/dvdqa/dvdqa4.htm|title=Understanding DVD -Recording Speed|publisher=[[Optical Storage Technology Association]]|access-date=July 24, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040611013745/http://osta.org/technology/dvdqa/dvdqa4.htm|archive-date=June 11, 2004|url-status=live}}</ref>

Due to the slightly lower data density of [[#Dual-layer discs|dual layer]] DVDs (4.25 GB instead of 4.7 GB per layer), the required rotation speed is around 10% faster for the same data rate, which means that the same angular speed rating equals a 10% higher physical angular rotation speed. For that reason, the increase of reading speeds of dual layer media has stagnated at 12× ([[constant angular velocity]]) for [[Optical disc drive#Form factors|half-height]] optical drives released since around 2005,{{efn|The first optical drive model from a major optical drive vendor that achieved ×12 speeds on DVD-ROM Dual Layer was the [[Pioneer Electronics|Pioneer]] ''DVR-107'' (2004).<ref name="DVR-107">{{cite web |title=DVR-107D, DVR-107BK General Specifications |url=https://www.pioneerelectronics.com/pio/pe/images/portal/cit_3424/63510151DVRx07_GSpec.pdf |website=[[Pioneer Electronics]] USA |access-date=July 31, 2020 |date=2004 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040529003739/https://www.pioneerelectronics.com/pio/pe/images/portal/cit_3424/63510151DVRx07_GSpec.pdf |archive-date=May 29, 2004 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref name=DVR-A06-brochure>[https://www.pioneerelectronics.com/pio/pe/images/portal/cit_3424/2370275DVR-A06_brochure.pdf Pioneer DVR-A06 brochure] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201019221506/https://www.pioneerelectronics.com/pio/pe/images/portal/cit_3424/2370275DVR-A06_brochure.pdf |date=October 19, 2020 |url-status=dead }} (2003)</ref> Later optical drives such as the [[HL data storage]] ''GSA-H10N'' (2006)<ref>{{cite web |title=GSA-H10N, H10L, QSG-1008S (owner's manual) |url=http://gscs-b2c.lge.com/downloadFile?fileId=KROWM000121334.pdf |publisher=[[Hitachi-LG data storage]] |access-date=August 17, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200817212943/http://gscs-b2c.lge.com/downloadFile?fileId=KROWM000121334.pdf |archive-date=August 17, 2020 |page=3 |date=September 1, 2006}}</ref> have also achieved 12×(CAV) reading speeds on [[DVD recordable|recordable]] dual-layer media ([[DVD-R DL]], [[DVD+R DL]]), and [[TSSTcorp]] ''SH-S202/S203/TS-H653B'' (2007) achieved writing speeds of 12×(CAV) and 16×(CAV) on [[DVD-R DL]] and [[DVD+R DL]] respectively, on quality media from selected vendors.<ref>{{citation|date=2007|title=Super -writemaster DVD Writer SH-S203B(TS-H653B)/ SH-S203D(TS-H653D)|publisher=[[Samsung Electronics]]|language=ko|type=User manual}}</ref> }} and [[Optical disc drive#Form factors|slim type optical drives]] are only able to record dual layer media at 6× (constant angular velocity), while reading speeds of 8× are still supported by such.<ref name=HL-DT-ST-Discontinued>{{cite web|url=https://www.lg.com/us/burners-drives/discontinued|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200817211930/https://www.lg.com/us/burners-drives/discontinued|title=View All Discontinued LG Burners & Drives|website=LG USA|archive-date=August 17, 2020|access-date=August 11, 2020|url-status=deviated }}</ref><ref name=TSST-Manuals>{{Cite web|url=http://www.tsstodd.com/manual-2/|title=Manual|access-date=August 11, 2020|archive-date=September 4, 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180904033921/http://www.tsstodd.com/manual-2/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name=Pioneer-Archive>{{Cite web|url=https://www.pioneerelectronics.com/PUSA/Computer/ch.Computer+Drives.Archived|title=Computer Drives|website=Pioneer Electronics USA|access-date=August 11, 2020|archive-date=July 15, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210715215100/https://www.pioneerelectronics.com/PUSA/Computer/ch.Computer+Drives.Archived |url-status=dead}}</ref>

=== Disc quality measurements ===
[[File:QPxTool DVD error rate graph.png|thumb|Error rate measurement on a DVD+R. The error rate is still within a healthy range.]]
{{main article|Optical disc#Surface error scanning}}
The quality and [[data integrity]] of optical media is measureable, which means that future data losses caused by [[disc rot|deteriorating media]] can be predicted well in advance by measuring the rate of correctable data errors.<ref name=qpx>{{cite web|url=https://qpxtool.sourceforge.io/faq.html|title=QPxTool – check the quality|website=qpxtool.sourceforge.io|access-date=July 30, 2020|archive-date=August 6, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200806024813/https://qpxtool.sourceforge.io/faq.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

The types of errors that can occur on a DVD are a PIE (Parity Inner Error), 8PIE (Parity Inner Sum Eight Error), PIF (Parity Inner Failure), POE (Parity Outer Error), and POF (Parity Outer Failure), the last of which indicates data loss. Too many small errors within a small space create a POF condition. The difference between POE and POF is that a POE is generated on a first failed read attempt whereas a POF indicates an uncorrectable error after repeated attempts to read the data.<!--No exact number of retries specified, see page 25 in the 2008-07-14 source.--><ref name=QPx-Glossary /><ref>{{cite book |last1=Wells |first1=Daniel Patrick |title=Predicting the Longevity of DVDR Media by Periodic Analysis of Parity, Jitter, and ECC Performance Parameters |work=Theses and Dissertations |date=2008-07-14 |publisher=Brigham Young University |pages=25,26,44 |url=http://hdl.lib.byu.edu/1877/etd2526}}</ref>

Support of measuring the disc quality varies among optical drive vendors and models.<ref name=QPx-Glossary>{{cite web |title=QPxTool glossary |url=https://qpxtool.sourceforge.io/glossar.html |website=qpxtool.sourceforge.io |publisher=QPxTool |access-date=July 22, 2020 |date=August 1, 2008 |ref=QPx-Glossary |archive-date=August 1, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210801053045/https://qpxtool.sourceforge.io/glossar.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name=LightByte>{{Cite web|url=http://www.lightbyte.com/DVD_Sector_2.doc|title=One DVD "DATA" Sector – LightByte|access-date=July 30, 2020|archive-date=October 3, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201003071535/http://www.lightbyte.com/DVD_Sector_2.doc|url-status=live}}</ref> Unreadable data can be found using any drive using general-purpose tools like [[badblocks]].

== DVD-Video ==
{{Main|DVD-Video}}
DVD-Video is a standard for distributing video/audio content on DVD media. The format went on sale in Japan on November 1, 1996,<ref name="faqjimtay"/> in the United States on March 24, 1997, to line up with the [[69th Academy Awards]] that day;<ref name="uslaunchdate"/> in Canada, Central America, and Indonesia later in 1997; and in Europe,<ref name="europelaunchdate" /> Australia, and Africa in 1998. DVD-Video became the dominant form of home video distribution in Japan when it first went on sale on November 1, 1996, but it shared the market for home video distribution in the United States for several years; it was June 15, 2003, when weekly DVD-Video in the United States rentals began outnumbering weekly VHS cassette rentals.<ref>{{cite web |first=Anna |last=Bakalis |title=It's unreel: DVD rentals overtake videocassettes |work=[[The Washington Times]] |date=June 20, 2003 |url=http://washingtontimes.com/business/20030620-113258-1104r.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070526003110/http://www.washingtontimes.com/business/20030620-113258-1104r.htm |archive-date=May 26, 2007 |url-status=live }}</ref>
DVD-Video is still the dominant form of home video distribution worldwide except for in Japan where it was surpassed by [[Blu-ray Disc]] when Blu-ray first went on sale in Japan on March 31, 2006.{{citation needed|date=July 2022}}

===Security===
{{Main|Content Scramble System}}
The purpose of CSS is twofold:
# CSS prevents byte-for-byte copies of an [[Moving Picture Experts Group|MPEG]] (digital video) stream from being playable since such copies do not include the keys that are hidden on the lead-in area of the restricted DVD.
# CSS provides a reason for manufacturers to make their devices compliant with an industry-controlled standard, since CSS scrambled discs cannot in principle be played on noncompliant devices; anyone wishing to build compliant devices must obtain a license, which contains the requirement that the rest of the DRM system ([[DVD region code|region codes]], [[Macrovision]], and [[user operation prohibition]]) be implemented.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dvd-copy.com/reference/IEEE-doc-copyproc.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090318151452/http://www.dvd-copy.com/reference/IEEE-doc-copyproc.pdf|url-status=dead|title=IEEE – Copy Protection for DVD Video p.2|archive-date=March 18, 2009}}</ref>

==Successors and decline==
In 2006, two new formats called [[HD DVD]] and [[Blu-ray|Blu-ray Disc]] were released as the successor to DVD. HD DVD competed unsuccessfully with Blu-ray Disc in the [[format war]] of [[High-definition optical disc format war|2006–2008]]. A dual layer HD DVD can store up to 30 GB and a dual layer Blu-ray disc can hold up to 50 GB.<ref>{{cite web |title=What is Blu-ray Disc? |publisher=Sony |url=http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CategoryDisplay?catalogId=10551&storeId=10151&langId=-1&identifier=S_BrandShowcase_Blu-ray |access-date=November 25, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091203110942/http://www.sonystyle.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CategoryDisplay?catalogId=10551&storeId=10151&langId=-1&identifier=S_BrandShowcase_Blu-ray |archive-date=December 3, 2009 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=DVD FAQ: 3.13 – What about the new HD formats? |url=http://www.dvddemystified.com/dvdfaq.html#3.13 |access-date=November 25, 2008 |date=September 21, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090822172353/http://www.dvddemystified.com/dvdfaq.html#3.13 |archive-date=August 22, 2009 |url-status=dead }}</ref>

However, unlike previous format changes, e.g., vinyl to Compact Disc or VHS videotape to DVD, initially there was no immediate indication that production of the standard DVD will gradually wind down, as at the beginning of the 2010s they still dominated, with around 75% of video sales and approximately one billion DVD player sales worldwide as of April 2011. In fact, experts claimed that the DVD would remain the dominant medium for at least another five years as Blu-ray technology was still in its introductory phase, write and read speeds being poor and necessary hardware being expensive and not readily available.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.movieweb.com/dvd/news/20/26720.php |title=High-Definition Sales Far Behind Standard DVD's First Two Years |publisher=Movieweb.com |date=February 20, 2008 |access-date=August 22, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080914030503/http://www.movieweb.com/dvd/news/20/26720.php |archive-date=September 14, 2008 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Blu-ray takes 25% Market share|url=http://www.blu-raystats.com/MarketShare/index.php|access-date=June 28, 2011|date=September 21, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110623032411/http://blu-raystats.com/MarketShare/index.php|archive-date=June 23, 2011|url-status=live}}</ref>

Consumers initially were also slow to adopt Blu-ray due to the cost.<ref>{{cite web |last=Martorana |first=Robert |url=https://seekingalpha.com/article/171207-slow-blu-ray-adoption-a-threat-to-hollywood-s-bottom-line |title=Slow Blu-ray Adoption: A Threat to Hollywood's Bottom Line? |work=Seeking Alpha |date=November 4, 2009 |access-date=August 9, 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304035936/http://seekingalpha.com/article/171207-slow-blu-ray-adoption-a-threat-to-hollywood-s-bottom-line |archive-date=March 4, 2016 |url-status=live }}</ref> By 2009, 85% of stores were selling Blu-ray Discs. A high-definition television and appropriate connection cables are also required to take advantage of Blu-ray disc. Some analysts suggested that the biggest obstacle to replacing DVD was due to its installed base; a large majority of consumers were satisfied with DVDs.<ref>{{cite journal |url=http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/04_16/b3879008_mz001.htm |title=Gates And Ballmer On "Making The Transition" |journal=BusinessWeek |date=April 19, 2004 |access-date=August 22, 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090826072638/http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/04_16/b3879008_mz001.htm |archive-date=August 26, 2009 }}</ref>
[[File:DVDs on Library Shelves.JPG|thumb|A [[library]] offering [[physical media]] including DVDs]]
DVDs started to face competition from [[video on demand]] services around 2015 or 2016.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/are-dvds-becoming-obsolete.htm|title=Are DVDs becoming obsolete?|date=November 1, 2014|website=Electronics.howstuffworks.com|access-date=December 30, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150405065830/http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/are-dvds-becoming-obsolete.htm|archive-date=April 5, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.amazon.com/forum/movie?_encoding=UTF8&cdForum=Fx2E577OZX17PPI&cdThread=TxQZAH1GWRJW8V|title=Amazon.com: Customer Discussions: When will DVDs be obsolete?|website=Amazon.com|access-date=December 30, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160305105306/http://www.amazon.com/forum/movie?_encoding=UTF8&cdForum=Fx2E577OZX17PPI&cdThread=TxQZAH1GWRJW8V|archive-date=March 5, 2016|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://screencrush.com/dvd-sales-decline-study/|title=Is the DVD Becoming Obsolete?|publisher=ScreenCrush|last=Romano|first=Nick|date=June 5, 2014 |access-date=December 30, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150412025847/http://screencrush.com/dvd-sales-decline-study/|archive-date=April 12, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cinemablend.com/new/DVD-Going-Way-VHS-2016-43349.html|title=DVD Going The Way Of VHS In 2016 – CINEMABLEND|date=June 6, 2014|website=Cinemablend.com|access-date=December 30, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150412082730/http://www.cinemablend.com/new/DVD-Going-Way-VHS-2016-43349.html|archive-date=April 12, 2015|url-status=live}}</ref> With increasing numbers of homes having high speed Internet connections, many people had the option to either rent or buy video from an online service, and view it by streaming it directly from that service's servers, meaning they no longer need any form of permanent storage media for video at all. By 2017, digital streaming services had overtaken the sales of DVDs and Blu-rays for the first time.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2017/jan/05/film-and-tv-streaming-and-downloads-overtake-dvd-sales-for-first-time-netflix-amazon-uk|title=Film and TV streaming and downloads overtake DVD sales for first time|first=Mark|last=Sweney|date=January 5, 2017|access-date=October 28, 2017|website=Theguardian.com|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180103030245/https://www.theguardian.com/media/2017/jan/05/film-and-tv-streaming-and-downloads-overtake-dvd-sales-for-first-time-netflix-amazon-uk|archive-date=January 3, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref>

Until the end of the 2010s, manufacturers continued to release standard DVD titles, and the format remained the preferred one for the release of older television programs and films. Shows that were shot and edited entirely on film, such as ''[[Star Trek: The Original Series]]'', could not be released in high definition without being re-scanned from the original film recordings.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.aintitcool.com/display.cgi?id=24344 |title=Kirk/Spock STAR TREK To Get All-New HD Spaceships |website=Aintitcool.com |access-date=August 22, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121209225024/http://www.aintitcool.com/display.cgi?id=24344 |archive-date=December 9, 2012 |url-status=live }}</ref> Shows that were made between the early 1980s and the early 2000s were generally shot on film, then transferred to video tape, and then edited natively in either NTSC or PAL; this makes high-definition transfers impossible, as these SD standards were baked into the final cuts of the episodes. ''[[Star Trek: The Next Generation]]'' was the only such show that had a Blu-ray release, as prints were re-scanned and edited from the ground up.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.denofgeek.com/us/dvd-bluray/star-trek/261992/star-trek-ds9-voyager-hd-blu-ray-will-likely-never-happen|title=Star Trek: DS9 & Voyager HD Blu-Ray Will Likely Never Happen|first=Kayti|last=Burt|date=February 6, 2017|website=Den of Geek|access-date=January 12, 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181017133029/http://www.denofgeek.com/us/dvd-bluray/star-trek/261992/star-trek-ds9-voyager-hd-blu-ray-will-likely-never-happen|archive-date=October 17, 2018|url-status=live}}</ref>

By the beginning of the 2020s, sales of DVD had dropped 86% with respect to the peak of DVD sales around 2005, while on-demand sales and, overall, [[List of streaming media services|subscription streaming]] of TV shows and movies grew by over 1,200%. At its peak, DVD sales represented almost two thirds of video market in the US; approximately 15 years later, around 2020, they fell to only 10% of the market.<ref>{{cite web |last=Witten |first=Sarah |title=The death of the DVD - Why sales fell more than 86 percent in 13 years |url=https://www.cnbc.com/2019/11/08/the-death-of-the-dvd-why-sales-dropped-more-than-86percent-in-13-years.html |website=CNBC |date=November 8, 2019 |access-date=March 15, 2023 |archive-date=March 29, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200329212906/https://www.cnbc.com/2019/11/08/the-death-of-the-dvd-why-sales-dropped-more-than-86percent-in-13-years.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

By 2022, there was an increased demand of high definition media, where [[Ultra HD Blu-ray]] and regular Blu-ray formats made up for almost half of the US market while sales of physical media continued to shrink in favor of streaming services.<ref>{{cite web |last=Svetlik |first=Joe |title=DVD and Blu-ray sales continue to nosedive |url=https://www.whathifi.com/news/dvd-and-blu-ray-sales-continue-to-nosedive |website=What Hi-Fi |access-date=March 15, 2023 |date=July 27, 2022 |archive-date=March 15, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230315205237/https://www.whathifi.com/news/dvd-and-blu-ray-sales-continue-to-nosedive |url-status=live }}</ref>

The decline continued further  into the 2020s with the closure of [[Redbox|RedBox]] in 2024, Best Buy and Target stopped selling DVDs in 2023, and the cease of by mail service by Netflix in 2025.{{citation needed|date=April 2025}}

==Longevity==
Longevity of a storage medium is measured by how long the data remains readable, assuming compatible devices exist that can read it: that is, how long the disc can be stored until data is lost. Numerous factors affect longevity: composition and quality of the media (recording and substrate layers), humidity and light storage conditions, the quality of the initial recording (which is sometimes a matter of mutual compatibility of media and recorder), etc.<ref name="NIST-final"/> According to [[NIST]], "[a] temperature of 64.4&nbsp;°F (18&nbsp;°C) and 40% RH [Relative Humidity] would be considered suitable for long-term storage. A lower temperature and RH is recommended for extended-term storage."<ref>{{cite web |first=Wo |last=Chang |url=http://www.itl.nist.gov/iad/894.05/docs/disccare.html |title=NIST Digital Media Group: docs/disccare |publisher=National Institute of Standards and Technology |date=August 21, 2007 |access-date=December 18, 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130104223809/http://www.itl.nist.gov/iad/894.05/docs/disccare.html |archive-date=January 4, 2013 |url-status=live }}</ref>

As with CDs, the information and data storage will begin to degrade over time with most standard DVDs lasting up to 30 years depending on the type of environment they are stored and whether they are full with data.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.makeuseof.com/tag/cds-truth-cddvd-longevity-mold-rot/#:~:text=Generally%20speaking%2C%20discs%20with%20recorded,of%2020%20to%20100%20years |title=How Long Do CDs/DVDs Last? The Truth About Lifespan, Mold, and Rot |publisher=Makeuseof.com |date=July 14, 2021 |accessdate=July 19, 2022 |archive-date=July 18, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220718063955/https://www.makeuseof.com/tag/cds-truth-cddvd-longevity-mold-rot/#:~:text=Generally%20speaking%2C%20discs%20with%20recorded,of%2020%20to%20100%20years |url-status=live }}</ref>

According to the [[Optical Storage Technology Association]] (OSTA), "Manufacturers claim lifespans ranging from 30 to 100 years for DVD, DVD-R and DVD+R discs and up to 30 years for DVD-RW, DVD+RW and DVD-RAM."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.osta.org/technology/dvdqa/dvdqa11.htm|title=Understanding DVD – Disc Longevity|website=Osta.org|access-date=October 28, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100502085258/http://www.osta.org/technology/dvdqa/dvdqa11.htm|archive-date=May 2, 2010|url-status=live}}</ref>

According to a NIST/[[Library of Congress|LoC]] research project conducted in 2005–2007 using [[accelerated life testing]], "There were fifteen DVD products tested, including five DVD-R, five DVD+R, two DVD-RW and three DVD+RW types. There were ninety samples tested for each product. ... Overall, seven of the products tested had estimated life expectancies in ambient conditions of more than 45 years. Four products had estimated life expectancies of 30–45 years in ambient storage conditions. Two products had an estimated life expectancy of 15–30 years and two products had estimated life expectancies of less than 15 years when stored in ambient conditions." The life expectancies for 95% survival estimated in this project by type of product are tabulated below:<ref name="NIST-final">[https://www.loc.gov/preservation/resources/rt/NIST_LC_OpticalDiscLongevity.pdf Final Report: NIST/Library of Congress (LC) Optical Disc Longevity Study] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170228225405/http://www.loc.gov/preservation/resources/rt/NIST_LC_OpticalDiscLongevity.pdf |date=February 28, 2017 }}, Loc.gov, September 2007 (table derived from figure 7)</ref>{{dubious|DVD lifetime|date=December 2013}}

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! Disc type !! 0–15 years !! 15–30 years !! 30–45 years !! over 45 years
|-
| DVD-R || 20% || 20%|| 0% || 60%
|-
| DVD+R || 20% || 0% || 40% || 40%
|-
| DVD-RW || 0% || 0% || 50% || 50%
|-
| DVD+RW || 0% || 33.3% || 33.3% || 33.3%<ref name="NIST-final"/>
|}

{{ #invoke:Chart | bar chart
| height       = 250
| width        = 400
| stack        = 1
| group 1      = 20 : 20 :  0 : 0
| group 2      = 20 :  0 : 0 : 33.33
| group 3      = 0 :  40 : 50 : 33.33
| group 4      = 60 :  40 : 50 : 33.33
| colors       = red : maroon : green : lime
| group names  = 0–15 years : 15–30 years : 30–45 years : over 45 years
| units suffix = percent
| x legends    = DVD-R : DVD+R : DVD-RW : DVD+RW
}}

== See also ==
{{div col|colwidth=20em}}
*[[Glossary of computer hardware terms]]
*[[Book type]]
*[[Comparison of popular optical data-storage systems]]
*[[Digital video recorder]]
*[[Hard disk drive performance characteristics]]
*[[DVD authoring]]
*[[Ripping]]
*[[DVD region code]]
*DVD TV game – [[Interactive film]]
*[[Professional Disc]]
*DVD single – [[Music video]]
*[[M-DISC]]
{{div col end}}

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

==References==
{{reflist}}

==Further reading==
{{refbegin}}
*{{cite web | first=Hugh | last=Bennett | title=Understanding Recordable and Rewritable DVD | work=Optical Storage Technology Association | date=April 2004 | url=http://www.osta.org/technology/dvdqa/ | access-date=December 17, 2006 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120204073515/http://www.osta.org/technology/dvdqa/ | archive-date=February 4, 2012 | url-status=live }}
*{{Cite book | last=Labarge | first=Ralph | title=DVD Authoring and Production | location=Gilroy, California | publisher=CMP Books | year=2001 | isbn=1-57820-082-2}}
*{{Cite book | last=Taylor | first=Jim | title=DVD Demystified | edition=2nd | location=New York | publisher=[[McGraw-Hill]] Professional | year=2000 | isbn=0-07-135026-8 | url-access=registration | url=https://archive.org/details/dvddemystified00tayl }}
{{refend}}

==External links==
{{wikibooks|Inside DVD-Video/MPEG Format}}
*{{wikibooks inline|All About Converting From Several Video Formats To DVD}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20090822172353/http://www.dvddemystified.com/dvdfaq.html Dvddemystified.com:  DVD Frequently Asked Questions and Answers]
*[https://www.burnworld.com/howto/articles/intro-to-dual-layer.htm Dual Layer Explained]&nbsp;– Informational Guide to the Dual Layer Recording Process

{{commons category|DVD|<br />DVD|position=left}}

{{DVD}}
{{Video storage formats}}
{{Sony Corp}}
{{Lasers}}
{{Authority control}}

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