History (1997): MiniDVD-R

This article was published by the Museum of Obsolete Media.

MiniDVD-R (1997-2010)

The MiniDVD-R is a smaller (8cm) version of the DVD-R.

MiniDVD-R discs can be used in the same way as 12cm DVD-R discs to hold computer data, but their most common use was in DVD-based camcorders from around 2003 to the early 2010s.

A standard MiniDVD-R could hold 30 minutes of video, with double-layer discs offering 60 minutes (with a compatible camcorder).

The use of MiniDVD-R discs in camcorders made it easier to watch the resulting video on standard tray-loading DVD players (providing the disc was ‘finalised’ in the camcorder first).

Many DVD camcorders could also use other types of DVD discs, such as MiniDVD+R, MiniDVD-RW, MiniDVD+RW and MiniDVD-RAM.