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.

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

• The smallest commercial example of DBEM
• Total market failure with parent company going bankrupt the same year of release
• Very few devices utilized the format
• Only produced in a single capacity (500 MB) and only produced by one company (Imation)
• Outer Casing: 41 mm × 33.5 mm × 3 mm
• Phase-Change, Multi-session, and WORM

Unnamed Sony / Sharp Disk

• Jointly developed by Sony and Sharp¹⁾
• Not released commercially
• Capacity of 1 GB was shown in prototype stills, 2 GB and 4 GB versions were planned
• Very similar in appearance, medium size, and technology to the iD Photo disk
• Outer Casing: 58 mm × 54 mm × 4 mm
• Magneto-Optical, Rewritable

iD Photo

• Very small DBEM format focused on consumer camera market
• Market failure as they were quickly discontinued and only compatible with a single camera
• Only produced in a single capacity (730 MB)
• Outer Casing: 56.5 mm × 59.5 mm × 4.8 mm
• Magneto-Optical, Rewritable

Universal Media Disc (UMD)

• Fairly popular format, limited to early Sony PSP devices
• Partially enclosed casing, medium could be damaged if care wasn't taken with carts
• Single-layer (900 MB) and Dual-layer (1.8 GB) disks were produced
• Videogames, Movies, TV shows, and music videos were sold in the UMD format
• Outer Casing: 64 mm × 63 mm × 4.2 mm
• Pre-pressed, Read Only

MiniDisc (MD) Family

• Outer Casing: 70 mm × 67.5 mm × 5 mm

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

• Proprietary Sony format
• Similar in size to a 90 mm ISO disk
• Only available in 650 MB capacity
• Magneto-Optical, Rewritable

90 mm ISO

• The most common and widely adopted variant in the consumer market
• Typically used for storing computer files and backups
• More popular in Asian markets than in North America
• Available in capacities from 128 MB to 2.3 GB
• Magneto-Optical, Rewritable and WORM

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

• The most common and widely adopted variant in industrial and enterprise environments
• Typically used for storing documents, backups, medical information, and data libraries
• Available in capacities from 600 MB to 9.1 GB
• Magneto-Optical, Rewritable and WORM

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.

• Full Article — 12 in Disks

• The 2nd largest commercial examples of DBEM
• Many different manufacturers, formats, capacities, and recording technologies
• Typically for enterprise or medical facilities in the 1980s–1990s, with some examples still being produced in the 2000s

• Casing around ~13 in (330 mm) tall and wide
• May have large, metal shutter
• Material colors vary

• Outer Casing: ~330 mm × ~330 mm × ~20 mm
• Inner Media: 300 mm (12 inch)

• Various recording technologies
• Sometime rewritable, usually WORM