MiniDVD
MiniDVD (also Mini DVD or miniDVD) is a DVD disc which is 8 centimetres (3.15 in) in diameter. It refers two separated formats as well. One is a pseudo-format that uses 80mm CD-R(W) to store contents with the same structure as the standard DVD-Video so that standalone DVD players can play it like standard DVD. The other format is a real DVD format, but in a smaller 80mm size, which holds 1.4 GB of data (there are also variants that can hold up to 5.2 GB).
The 8 cm optical disc format was originally used for music CD singles, hence the commonly used names CD single and miniCD. Similarly, the manufactured 8 cm DVDs were originally used for music videos and as such became known as DVD single.
MiniDVD is known also as "3 inch DVD", referring to its approximate diameter in inches.
MiniDVD capacities
Recordable 8 cm discs are commonly used in DVD-based camcorders. The most common MiniDVDs hold 1.4 GB of data, but there are variants that can offer up to 5.2 GB of storage space, through a combination of dual layers and sides. Mini DVDs are also available in +R, +R DS, +R DL, +R DL DS, +RW, +RW DS, -R, -R DS, -R DL, -R DL DS, -RW, and -RW DS variants, just like their full sized counterparts. (DL=Double Layer, DS=Double Sided)
Physical size | Single layer capacity | Dual/Double layer capacity |
---|---|---|
12 cm, single sided[1] | 4.7 GB | 8.5 GB |
12 cm, double sided[1] | 9.4 GB | 17.0 GB |
8 cm, single sided[2] | 1.46 GB | 2.66 GB |
8 cm, double sided[2] | 2.92 GB | 5.32 GB |
Variants of MiniDVD
Nintendo used a disc-based format for their GameCube system, which is a variant of an 8 cm DVD. This format is also supported by the pre-RVL-101 models on the Wii for backward compatibility with the GameCube.
See also
- Blu-ray Disc
- CD Video
- DVD
- DVD card
- HD DVD
- LaserDisc
- Nintendo optical discs
- GD-ROM
- Universal Media Disc (UMD)
- Video CD (VCD)
- VideoNow
References
- 120 mm DVD - Read-Only Disk (PDF) (Standard) (3rd ed.). ECMA. April 2001. p. 4. 267.
- 80 mm DVD - Read-Only Disk (PDF) (Standard) (3rd ed.). ECMA. April 2001. p. 4. 268.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to DVD. |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to compact disc. |