Optical disc drive

This is an electromechanical device intended to read and write information from and to optical discs using a laser.

How it works

There is a spindle electric motor in the middle of the drive which rotates the drive and a drive lever with a read/write head for reading or writing data.

A SATA connector is used to connect the optical drive.

It is a plastic case that houses the laser system. There are two copper coils next to the case. These coils are used to create a magnetic field that allows the laser unit to float above the surface of the disk.

The laser diode and sensors for reading, writing, and deleting data are hidden under the lens.

Drive Classification

• CD-ROM drive reads CDs only;
• CD-RW drive write to CD-R/RW discs only;
• DVD-ROM drive is for reading DVDs;
• DVD/CD-RW drive is the same as DVD-ROM but can record on CD-R/RW discs (combo-drive);
• DVD-RW drive is a drive that is able not only to read DVDs but also to write to them;
• DVD-RW DL drive can burn dual-layer optical DVD media;
• Blu-ray drive (BD-ROM). This is an advanced optical media technology that is based on the use of a 405-nanometer violet laser. These discs are designed to record high-resolution digital video. For example, a single-sided single-layer disc can record up to 2 hours of HDTV video at video streaming rates of up to 54 Mbps;
• BD-RE drive reads and writes to Blu-ray discs;
• HD DVD drive is a new generation of optical discs, which are designed primarily for storing high-definition movies (HDTV). The new media format allows you to record three times as much data as a DVD. Single-layer HD DVDs have a capacity of 15GB and dual-layer discs have a capacity of 30GB. Generally, an HD DVD drive can read all DVD and CD formats;
• HD DVD-ROM drive reads HD DVDs;
• HD DVD/DVD-RW drive able to record and read such disc formats as DVD-R, DVD+R, DVD-RW, DVD+RW, CD-R, CD-RW;
• GD-ROM drive;
• UMD drive;
• DVD-RW drive that supports M-DISC recording can only record M-DISC of the DVD format, and BD-RE drive that supports M-DISC recording can record M-DISC of DVD and Blue Ray formats.