CD and DVD - that's the difference

When buying storage media, you often have to choose between a CD or DVD, so it is good to know the difference. In our practical tip you can read how a CD and a DVD differ.

CD and DVD: Same appearance, but still big differences

• Storage: The biggest difference is the storage space. A standard CD has a storage space of 700 MB. A DVD usually has 4.7 GB of storage space. Accordingly, it holds an average of six times as much data compared to a CD.
• Age: The DVD is the successor to the CD. The DVD was introduced in 1996 so that more files could be saved on a data carrier. The CD was launched four years earlier.
• Play: You need a DVD drive to play a DVD. You cannot play the DVDs with a CD drive. However, you can usually play CDs in a DVD drive.