Chapter 1

Will DVD Replace VCR?
Chapter 2
DVD’s Relationship
to Other Products
and Technologies
Eventually. DVD player sales exceeded VCR sales in 2001. DVD recorders
are also available (refer to “Can DVDs Record from VCRs, TVs, and So On?”
in Chapter 1, “General DVD”) and will hasten the death of VCRs once the
price difference is small enough. DVDs have many advantages over VHS
tapes, such as no rewinding, quick access to any part of a recording, and
fundamentally lower technology costs for hardware and disc production.
Some projections show DVD recorder sales passing VCR sales in 2005. By
2010, VHS may be as dead as vinyl records were in 2000.
Will DVD Replace CD-ROM?
Most CD-ROM drive manufacturers plan to cease CD-ROM drive production
at some point, in favor of DVD-ROM drives. Because DVD-ROM drives
can read CD-ROMs, a compatible forward migration path exists. CD-ROM
discs will continue to be used in cases where the extra capacity isn’t
needed, because they cost less to make than DVD-ROM discs.
Can CD-R Writers Create DVDs?
No, because DVDs use a laser with a smaller wavelength to allow smaller
pits in tracks that are closer together. The DVD laser must also focus
more tightly and at a different level. In fact, a disc made on a current
CD-recordable (CD-R) writer may not be readable by a DVD-ROM drive
(see “Is CD-R Comatible with DVD”). It’s unlikely that CD-R drives will be
upgraded to DVD-Recordable (DVD-R) drives, because this would cost
more than purchasing a new DVD-R drive.
Copyright 2004 by Jim Taylor. Click Here for Terms of Use.