What Is the Difference Between DVD Burners and DVD Writers?

Disc burning drives allow computer users to author CDs and DVDs.

As the use of DVD burning tools increases, so has the terminology used to describe it. While the terms "burning" and "writing" seem to refer to different things, these words are both used to explain the process of authoring DVD discs.

Misconceptions

DVD burners and writers are not separate devices. A burner is one type of optical drive that uses lasers to write files onto a disc. Since the process involves heating the disc, it is also referred to as "burning."

Optical Media

The surface of a DVD disc has flat and notched sections, which are interpreted as ones and zeros by the laser in a computer drive or DVD player. These numbers, known as binary code, allow DVD devices to read the information encoded onto the disc.

Burning

Initially, recordable and rewritable DVDs have a reflective chemical surface without any grooves. A DVD writer translates specified files into binary code and uses a laser to heat the chemicals on the disc and burn the corresponding marks into the DVD surface.

Writing

The term "writing" is most often used when referring to data files, rather than video DVDs. This is most likely because rewritable DVDs and multi-session recordable discs are used to create data compilations, in which new files are continually being added to the list.

Multi-Session Recording

In multi-session recording, files are written in segments, leaving certain sections of the disc unmarked (or "unwritten") until capacity is reached.

References

• Panther Products: How does a CD Burner Work?
• PC Stats: Beginner's Guide: Optical Drives and Recording Formats