Phase-change Dual
Encyclopedia
Phase-Change Dual is a rewritable optical disc
format introduced by Panasonic
in 1995. Much like CD-RW
, PD uses a phase change layer that can be overwritten in a single pass of the read/write head. A PD disc has a capacity of 650 MB, can be rewritten 500,000 times and is enclosed in a protective cartridge. PD discs are compatible with PD drives and first generation Panasonic
DVD-RAM
drives while PD drives can read and write PD discs as well as read CD-ROM
s.
Optical disc
In computing and optical disc recording technologies, an optical disc is a flat, usually circular disc which encodes binary data in the form of pits and lands on a special material on one of its flat surfaces...
format introduced by Panasonic
Panasonic
Panasonic is an international brand name for Japanese electric products manufacturer Panasonic Corporation, which was formerly known as Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd...
in 1995. Much like CD-RW
CD-RW
A CD-RW is a rewritable optical disc. It was introduced in 1997, and was known as "CD-Writable" during development. It was preceded by the CD-MO, which was never commercially released....
, PD uses a phase change layer that can be overwritten in a single pass of the read/write head. A PD disc has a capacity of 650 MB, can be rewritten 500,000 times and is enclosed in a protective cartridge. PD discs are compatible with PD drives and first generation Panasonic
Panasonic
Panasonic is an international brand name for Japanese electric products manufacturer Panasonic Corporation, which was formerly known as Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd...
DVD-RAM
DVD-RAM
DVD-RAM is a disc specification presented in 1996 by the DVD Forum, which specifies rewritable DVD-RAM media and the appropriate DVD writers. DVD-RAM media have been used in computers as well as camcorders and personal video recorders since 1998.-Design:DVD-RAM is one of three competing...
drives while PD drives can read and write PD discs as well as read CD-ROM
CD-ROM
A CD-ROM is a pre-pressed compact disc that contains data accessible to, but not writable by, a computer for data storage and music playback. The 1985 “Yellow Book” standard developed by Sony and Philips adapted the format to hold any form of binary data....
s.