Optical storage Optical storage Optical storage is the storage of data on an optically readable medium. Data is recorded by making marks in a pattern that can be read back with the aid of light, usually a beam of laser light precisely focused on a spinning optical disc. An older example of optical storage that does not require the use of computers, is microform. There are other means of optically storing data and new methods are in development. An optical disc drive is a device in a computer that can read CD-ROMs or other optical discs, such as DVDs and Blu-ray discs.
Optical disc drive maximum speed (56× for CDs or around 18× in the case of DVDs) at which drives can operate. Current optical drives use either a "tray-loading" mechanism, where the disc is loaded onto a motorized or manually operated tray, or a "slot-loading" mechanism, where the disc is slid into a slot and drawn in by motorized rollers. With both types of mechanism, if a CD or DVD is left in the drive after the computer is turned off, the disc cannot be ejected using the normal eject mechanism of the drive. However, tray-loading drives account for this situation by providing a