Query: What is a DVD?

[emet_sulk]

Type: Text
Sender ID: emet-sulk (Emet-Selch)
To: Public
Subject: Query: What is a DVD?
Warnings: None

As the title states, I would like to understand what exactly a 'dvd' is. I'm led to understand that it is similar to a vinyl record but attempts to clarify further (particularly on the material used and how it records data) were...futile.

If someone with a greater understanding of the technology could enlighten me, I would very much appreciate it.

Comments

text | un: astudyinviolet

[astudyinviolet]

What is a vinyl record?

[ Asks someone still using wax cylinders back home, and polyvinyl chloride has no commercial application yet. ]

[telepathicignorance]

You've got sort of the right idea. It's a lot more advanced and fragile than a vinyl record though.

They're usually used to store moving pictures instead of music. If someone wants to watch movies it'd probably be better to do old style film and projector stuff.

text: un;catsgothistongue

[catsgothistongue]

[Fun fact: DVDs were invented in 1995, and released in Japan in 1996. So Ranma... doesn't actually know what those are since he's from a year behind. But with the context, i.e. the similarity to vinyl records, he's assuming Emet-Selch's talking about CDs or LaserDiscs.]

Don't know much about the inner workings that goes into making them, but I do know they're supposed to be made out of some kind of plastic and metal. From what I understand, the discs have tiny markings engraved in them that if you run a light or laser through them, it plays whatever movie's stored on it. That's about all I know on them, you'll have to ask someone better suited in that stuff.

[Wasn't like they stumbled upon discs and a functioning CD player frequently during his time fending in the wilderness.]

[foolprove]

it's magic.

text / un: general-affairs

[general_affairs]

Ranma up there's about as close of an explanation as you're gonna find unless you know anyone else around here that's good with computers.

You're gonna need a computer to convert those signals into images and sounds, cause it's all stored as a bunch of 1s and 0s.