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I'm not an engineer, but while lasers are used to read both CD's and DVD's, the required laser is different. I suppose it is due to the frequency that the laser is reading. Anyway, DVD's are about 3 times tighter packed than CD's, so the CD's laser can't focus in on the data. This is why if you tried to store a movie on CD (using the CD-i format, for example), you would end up with 3 or 4 CD's compared to one DVD.
Wiki User
∙ 19y ago
Wiki User
∙ 15y agoData on CDs and DVDs is written in rings, much like the grooves on an old phonograph record. The rings on a DVD are much narrower than the ones on the CD, so the laser in a CD drive can't read them.
Wiki User
∙ 14y agoA DVD disc uses a different wavelength and the laser is thinner than a CD drive one making it incompatible with current CD drives as their lasers cannot read the information on them. Although you can read a CD on a DVD-ROM drive because they are backward compatible.
Wiki User
∙ 11y agoThere are a number of possible reasons for a DVD not to play on a DVD player. In an effort to reduce piracy, DVDs and DVD players are designed for a group of large geographical zones, and a DVD intended for the European zone will not play on an American DVD player. Aside from that, the DVD could be damaged, or the DVD player could be damaged. Or not plugged in.
Wiki User
∙ 13y agoDVD drives can only read DVDs not CDs because of the way they are programmed. It is supposed to read DVDs which is why it is not used to reading CDs.
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Are CD's and DVD's magnetic?
CD's and DVD's are not magnetic. They are optical storage devices that are read with LASER beams.
Can you play a Scottish DVD game CD in Indian drive?
no, although the nationality of the devices do not matter you will need a DVD drive to read a DVD
Can DVD's be used in CD devices?
Sometimes. There are multi-use DVD/CD drives in some PC's, but that drive must be specially configured in order to play a DVD. Interestingly enough, most DVD players can already play a CD.
CD and DVD drives are examples of?
CD & DVD are examples of Secondary Storage Devices.
Difference between cdrom DVD ROM?
CD Roms can only Read CD's such as VCD, Audio CD, mp3 CD.DVD Roms can read any CD's such as VCD, Audio CD, mp3 CD and also read DVD's such as DVD Video, DVD Audio & DVD mp3's.
How do you reinstall CD and DVD devices on a laptop?
Cd and DVD are auto detect by operating system.
What are CD DVD writers?
They are devices which you can use to write data on CD or DVDs. You can of course read the data they have. They are called as well CD/DVD burners, because the "burn" the discs. Note: The CD/DVDs you want to write must be writable, or else you won't be able to write on them.
What are hardware devices?
Hardware devices are devices like pen drives, DVD, CD ect!!
Can you watch CD on a DVD player?
yes every DVD player can read CD ... therefore you can watch cd on a DVD player
Can a CD or DVD drive properly read a CD or DVD when the drive is standing vertically?
Yes it can
What are the types of storage devices that are read by lasers?
CD (Compact Disks) DVD (Digital Versatile Disks) Blu-Ray optical disk
What devices use laser technology to read and write data on silver platters?
A CD-RW drive or DVD-RW drive.
