| CD | SL DVD | DL DVD | Toshiba HD-DVD (SL/DL) | Sony Blu-ray DVD (SL/DL) | |
| Capacity | 650/700MB | 4.7GB | 8.5GB | 15GB | 27/54GB |
| Format | CD-R/CD-RW | DVD+/-R, DVD+/-RW | DVD+/-R | DVD-R | DVD-R |
| Laser color | Red | Red | Red | Blue | Blue |
| Laser wavelength | 780 nanometer | 650 nanometer | 650 nanometer | 405 nanometer | 405 nanometer |
| Cost per disc ($) | 0.2 | 0.35 | 5 | ??? | ??? |
| Availability | now | now | now | end of 2005 | end of 2005 |
| SL = Single-layer | |||||
| DL = Dual-layer | |||||