Many different implementations of Disc-Based Enclosed Media (DBEM) have been developed over the previous decades; some achieved fairly high market share, while others barely made it to production. These devices range in size from just over an inch (~30 mm) to over 12 inches (~300 mm), with the smaller formats typically used for consumer electronics and home computers, while the larger formats were primarily utilized in medical, industrial, and other enterprise contexts. The below sections group the various formats based on the diameter of the inner recording medium, as is the convention.
| Format | Medium Size | Max. Capacity | Year Introduced | Typical Use Case |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DataPlay | 32 mm (1-1/4 in) | 500 MB | 2002 | Portable Music & Media |
| Unnamed Sony / Sharp Disk | 50.8 mm (2 in) | 1 GB | 1995 | Unknown |
| iD Photo | 730 MB | 2001 | Digital Photography | |
| Universal Media Disc (UMD) | 60 mm (2-3/8 in) | 1.8 GB | 2004 | Portable Media & Videogames |
| MiniDisc (MD) | 64 mm (2-1/2 in) | ~160 MB | 1992 | Portable Music & Audio |
| MD Data (MDD) | 140 MB | 1993 | ||
| MD Data2 | 650 MB | 1997 | ||
| Hi-MD | 1 GB | 2004 | ||
| DVD-RAM (80 mm) | 80 mm (3-1/8 in) | 2.92 GB | 2000 | Digital Videography |
| Sony HS | 88 mm (3-1/2 in) | 650 MB | 1995 | General File Storage |
| 90 mm (3.5 in) ISO | 90 mm (3-1/2 in) | 2.3 GB | 1991 | |
| Phase-change Dual | 120 mm (4-3/4 in) | 650 MB | 1995 | General File Storage |
| DVD-RAM | 9.4 GB | 1996 | ||
| Sony Professional Disc | 128 GB | 2003 | Digital Videography | |
| Panasonic ADA | 50 GB | 2009 | Medical File Storage | |
| 130 mm (5.25 in) ISO | 130 mm (5-1/4 in) | 9.1 GB | Enterprise File Storage | |
| Sony Writable Disk | 300 mm (8 in)+ | 12 GB |
Micro disks have a recording medium with a diameter of significantly less than 90 mm (3-1/2 in). These disks are mostly found in the consumer electronics and portable media industries, with some gaining wide appeal in their respective markets, while others faded into obscurity just as soon as they entered the market.
DataPlay
Unnamed Sony / Sharp Disk
iD Photo
Universal Media Disc (UMD)
MiniDisc (MD) Family
Small disks consist of a number of formats, all with a recording medium of around 90 mm (3-1/2 in). Most formats had similar dimensions to a 3-1/2 in floppy diskette, but were usually thicker. While some of the formats were used in various enterprise, industrial, and medical fields, they were most often used by consumers for general file storage.
Sony HS
90 mm ISO
Medium disks all have a recording medium with a diameter of around 130 mm (5-1/4 in) with many different form factors, recording technologies, and niches. Formats such as DVD-RAM, Sony PD, and Panasonic ADA use a 120 mm (4-3/4 in) disc, but their similarly dimensioned disks and drives mean they are usually grouped in with 130 mm disks. Capacities grew from roughly 600 MB in early generations to 9.1 GB for the ISO format, 128 GB for Sony PD, and 300 GB for InPhase Tapestry disks. Many of these formats were used in workstations, document imaging systems, and automated optical libraries (i.e., “jukeboxes”), where many cartridges were managed by robotics for enterprise archiving. Others were used in film production, general file storage, or in the medical industry.
Phase-change Dual (PD)
DVD-RAM
Panasonic Advanced Disc for Archive (ADA)
130 mm ISO
Large disks are any format with a recording medium of 200 mm (8 in) or larger. The vast majority are around 300 mm (12 in), although formats with 355 mm (14 in) recording mediums were also present.