digital versatile disc read and write (DVD-RW)
The DVD- RW, lead developed by Pioneer, is a rewritable DVD that can be written and erased at least 1,000 times. The format is supported by most suppliers.
The DVD-RW is designed as a rewritable variant of the DVD-R and corresponds as a type to the DVD-5 with a storage volume of 4.7 GB. The data structure is comparable to the DVD-R in terms of pit size and track pitch. With the DVD-RW, all data is written to the groove. Addressing is done via so-called pre-pits, which are predefined labels in the land.
Data is stored using a phase-change process. A spiral-shaped data track is applied to the transparent substrate layer. The data is applied in a sequence of pits and lands in the recesses between the individual turns of the data track. The DVD-RW has two write modes for optimized use of the storage area and reduction of access times. The writing speed for burning a DVD-RW are 6x.
There are two different DVD-R media, the DVD-R General for home recorders and the DVD-R Authoring for professional applications. Since the DVD-RW uses different substrate material for the recording layer, it cannot be used in every DVD drive because of the different reflective properties.