DVDs – The Story, Tech and Legacy of a Format That Changed Everything
Once a cutting-edge innovation, now a nostalgic icon — the DVD has shaped how we collect, watch, and share visual media. Whether you remember queuing in HMV on release day, or burning your own discs in a home office, DVDs have earned their place in tech history. But their story is far from over.
What Exactly Is a DVD?
DVD stands for either Digital Versatile Disc or Digital Video Disc, depending on who you ask — and both are right. Designed to store video, data, and more, DVDs emerged in the 1990s as a major leap forward from VHS tapes and CD-ROMs.
Most standard single-layer discs hold around 4.7GB of data — enough for about two hours of high-quality video — but dual-layer and double-sided formats can squeeze in nearly 9GB. You’ll mostly find read-only discs (pre-recorded films), but there are also write-once (DVD-R) and rewritable (DVD-RW) versions for backing up files, burning video, or creating custom compilations.
For more on how DVD capacity evolved and how early formats worked, see our page on DVDs in the 1990s.
DVD vs. CD vs. VHS – A Format Built to Last
DVDs may look like CDs, but they store far more data — roughly 13 times more — thanks to a tighter laser wavelength (650nm vs. 780nm for CDs). That made DVDs perfect for full-length films, interactive menus, subtitles, bonus content, and surround sound.
Compared to VHS? No contest. DVDs don’t wear out with playback. They don’t tangle or degrade. They skip to the exact scene you want — no rewinding. And unlike VHS tapes, DVDs are immune to magnetic damage. It’s no wonder DVDs quickly overtook VHS in the late ’90s and early 2000s, with some titles like Finding Nemo selling over 38 million copies worldwide.
Want to see how DVDs wiped out VHS in real time? Read our full feature: DVDs in the 2000s – Peak Format, Box Sets and Blu-ray’s Shadow.
LaserDisc and the Road to DVD
While DVDs hit the market in the mid-1990s, the underlying tech was decades in the making. The idea of using a laser to read spinning discs dates back to the 1950s, and LaserDisc — DVD’s spiritual ancestor — debuted in the late ’70s. It offered better picture and sound than VHS but struggled with bulky size and cost.
DVDs solved those problems. Smaller, cheaper, and more versatile, they became the format that brought optical video to the masses. Two rival tech groups were developing disc-based video in the ’90s, but after witnessing the Betamax vs VHS war, they came together to avoid another costly format fight — and the DVD standard was born.
We unpack the full timeline on our DVDs in the 1980s page, including early prototypes and format negotiations.
Why DVDs Still Matter Today
While streaming dominates today’s media landscape, DVDs continue to serve an important role. For one thing, not everything is available to stream — especially older or niche films. Some titles only ever came out on DVD, and in a world of content licensing and disappearing libraries, owning a physical copy still counts for something.
Beyond films, DVDs remain a handy format for storing data, photos, home videos, and software. They’re also still used in classrooms, by filmmakers, and in local archives. The name “digital versatile disc” really does say it all.
Plus, there’s the legacy of devices like the PlayStation 2, which doubled as a DVD player for millions of UK households. That cross-functionality helped drive DVD adoption to record levels — by the early 2000s, DVD players were nearly as common as kettles.
How DVDs Are Made
Pre-recorded DVDs aren’t burned — they’re stamped. Using high-precision moulding machines, manufacturers press tiny pits into polycarbonate plastic, then seal the disc with a reflective layer and a protective lacquer. The result is a 1.2mm-thick disc that can last for decades if handled properly.
Some writeable DVDs can only be burned once (DVD-R), while rewritable ones (DVD-RW or DVD+RW) let you erase and re-record data multiple times — handy for backups and testing.
But Can I Still Use DVDs in 2025?
In short: yes — but not always out of the box. Many modern laptops and desktops no longer come with disc drives, but USB-powered external DVD drives are easy to find and affordable. Dedicated players are still available too, and older models often outperform cheap modern ones in terms of playback quality and compatibility.
Meanwhile, collectors still track down rare editions, old box sets, and region-specific titles that have never made it to Blu-ray — let alone streaming.
The DVD Isn’t Dead — It’s Evolving
Despite what the streaming age might suggest, DVDs haven’t gone extinct. In fact, as recently as 2021, over 1.2 billion physical video transactions were recorded worldwide — many of them DVDs. Collectors, archivists, and cinephiles alike continue to hunt for rare editions, director’s cuts, and forgotten releases.
At DVDTimes.co.uk, we celebrate that history — and the technology behind it. From deep dives into format evolution to nostalgic looks back at legendary releases, this site is for anyone who’s ever proudly built a shelf full of discs, lined them up by genre, and felt that satisfying clunk as a tray slid shut.
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