The CD-ROM was later designed an extension of the CD-DA, and adapted this format to hold any form of digital data, with an initial storage capacity of 553 MB.

The result was the Compact Disc Digital Audio (CD-DA), defined on 1980. Key work to digitize the optical disc was performed by Toshi Doi and Kees Schouhamer Immink during 1979–1980, who worked on a taskforce for Sony and Phillips. The LaserDisc was the immediate precursor to the CD, with the primary difference being that the LaserDisc encoded information through an analog process whereas the CD used digital encoding. In particular, Gregg's patents were used as the basis of the LaserDisc specification that was co-developed between MCA and Philips after MCA purchased Gregg's patents, as well as the company he founded, Gauss Electrophysics. The earliest theoretical work on optical disc storage was done by independent researchers in the United States including David Paul Gregg (1958) and James Russel (1965–1975). High-Definition Versatile Multilayer Disc (HD VMD).HD DVD: HD DVD-R, HD DVD-RW, HD DVD-RAM.Blu-ray Disc ( BD): BD-R & BD-RE, Blu-ray 3D, Mini Blu-ray Disc.DVD: DVD-R, DVD+R, DVD-R DL, DVD+R DL, DVD-R DS, DVD+R DS, DVD-RW, DVD+RW, DVD-RAM, DVD-D, DVD-A, HVD, EcoDisc, MiniDVD.Compact disc ( CD): CD-DA, CD-ROM, CD-R, CD-RW, 5.1 Music Disc, Super Audio CD ( SACD), Photo CD, CD Video ( CDV), Video CD ( VCD), Super Video CD ( SVCD), CD+G, CD-Text, CD-ROM XA, CD-i, MIL-CD, Mini CD.

Cd rom reader lens