# What color is the laser in a DVD player?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-color-is-the-laser-in-a-dvd-player/216041>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [November 30, 2003, 9:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-color-is-the-laser-in-a-dvd-player/216041 "2003-11-30T09:02:32Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Ranchoth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ranchoth/32/1066_2.png) [@Ranchoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ranchoth)\
**Post date:** [November 30, 2003, 9:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-color-is-the-laser-in-a-dvd-player/216041/1 "2003-11-30T09:02:32Z")

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…The color of the LIGHT coming FROM the laser, I should say.

I…think that’s about it.

::shuffles feet::

I just didn’t feel like prying open a DVD player, and staring straight into the laser beam to find out for myself. (Those players cost money, doncha know. And having my retina cooked inside my eye socket didn’t sound like much fun.)

😉

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**Author:** ![Desmostylus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c57346/32.png) [@Desmostylus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Desmostylus)\
**Post date:** [November 30, 2003, 10:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-color-is-the-laser-in-a-dvd-player/216041/2 "2003-11-30T10:39:23Z")

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650 nanometres, which is red, although all but the first generation tend to have dual wavelength so that they can also read CDs at 780 nanometres, which is infrared.