# CD/DVD question

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cd-dvd-question/63648>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [April 28, 2001, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cd-dvd-question/63648 "2001-04-28T16:29:06Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Enola\_Straight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dec6dc/32.png) [@Enola\_Straight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enola_Straight)\
**Post date:** [April 28, 2001, 4:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cd-dvd-question/63648/1 "2001-04-28T16:29:06Z")

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Is it possible to make a double-sided CD or DVD, like they did with floppy disks?  
I mean…HEY! Twice as much Data!  
Just put a laser beam focusing on both sides of the disk and put in about a milisecond’s worth of data overlap for seamles data reading.

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**Author:** ![Crusoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/49beb7/32.png) [@Crusoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crusoe)\
**Post date:** [April 28, 2001, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cd-dvd-question/63648/2 "2001-04-28T16:34:39Z")

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A quick Google search reveals that double-sided DVDs are quite common:

[Google search results](http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=%22double+sided+DVD%22&hl=en&meta=)

The following threads have already discussed double-sided CDs and the lack of interest in them:

[http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=29506](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=29506)  
[http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=38557](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=38557)

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Enola\_Straight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dec6dc/32.png) [@Enola\_Straight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enola_Straight)\
**Post date:** [April 28, 2001, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cd-dvd-question/63648/3 "2001-04-28T16:51:15Z")

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What I meant to ask was whether or not the double sided disk could be read continuously, seamlessly, from one side to the other WITHOUT taking it out and manually flipping it.

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![Crusoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/49beb7/32.png) [@Crusoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crusoe)\
**Post date:** [April 28, 2001, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cd-dvd-question/63648/4 "2001-04-28T17:04:26Z")

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Okay. That’s an entirely different question, then.

Again, a quick search on Google suggests that double-sided DVD players are in the pipeline. [This FAQ](http://www.thedigitalbits.com/officialfaq.html), however, says:

> [@](#):
>
> All players and drives also play double-sided discs if you flip them over. No manufacturer has announced a model that will play both sides. The added cost is hard to justify since discs can hold over 4 hours of video on one side by using two layers. (Early discs used two sides because dual-layer production was not widely supported. This is no longer a problem.) Pioneer LD/DVD players can play both sides of an LD, but not a DVD.

And, as mentioned in the CD threads, there doesn’t appear to be industry interest in double-sided CD hardware. I’m sure it’s technically possible, but that doesn’t mean it’s worth doing.

Basically, the answer is yes, it is possible, but there’s little interest in it. The industry doesn’t think the market is out there. I’d have to agree - what’s the big deal in flipping a disk every few hours?

Hope that helps.