How Optical Storage Works
Computer Science: OCR A Level, topic 1.3.6
How Optical Storage Works
Optical storage uses laser light to retrieve data from the surface of optical media. Optical storage is often used to deliver multimedia content such as video.
Storing a bit
- Each 1 or 0 (value of a bit) is represented as a microscopic hole (called a pit) or a flat surface (called a land) on the surface of the disk.
Accessing data
- A laser is shone on the disk surface.
- If the laser hits a land, it will be reflected into a sensor.
- If the laser hits a pit, then it will be reflected elsewhere.
- These can be used to represent our 1 and 0.