CD-ROM

From SPARK

A CD-ROM (Compact Disc Read-Only Memory) is a flat, metallicized plastic disc that can digitally store audio, data, and video files. It is readable only by computer (not by a CD player). The sound quality of CD-ROMs is much better than analogue cassette tapes.

It used to be that CDs were cheaper to produce and buy than DVDs, and DVD drives were new, expensive, and uncommon. Now DVDs are relatively inexpensive, and many new computers have a DVD drive that can both play and record DVDs in addition to CDs. Stand-alone DVD players are also more common now. Because DVDs have more storage space, CDs in the future will probably be replaced by the DVD.

A DVD will hold about six times the amount of information that a CD will hold. (A DVD holds 4.7 GB (gigabytes) of information, and a CD holds 700 MB (megabytes), which is 0.7 of a GB.)

Consider what media players are commonly used in the people group.

Consider the type and amount of data that needs to be stored. Audio usually goes on audio CDs, and videos usually go on DVDs.

Today many new computer DVD drives can record and play both CDs and DVDs. Some stand-alone DVD players may not be able to play audio CDs.

See DVD since it is a similar media type.