Your birth year
2006
DVD
19961990s
DVD is 10 years older than you
It's from 1996, before you were born.
- Maker
- Sony, Philips, Toshiba, Panasonic
- Type
- Optical video disc
- Debuted
- 1996
- Note
- ~7x the capacity of a CD
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About
As of 2026, it's 30 years old.
The DVD debuted in 1996, packing a feature film, crisp digital picture, and surround sound onto a disc the same size as a CD — and mercifully sparing everyone from ever having to rewind a tape again.
It killed the VHS, birthed the holy ritual of the 'special features' menu, and introduced 'bonus deleted scenes' as a reason to buy the same movie twice. Be Kind, Rewind never recovered.
Shinier, sharper, and rewind-free, the 1996 DVD is the disc that retired the videotape and made the phrase 'now with director's commentary' a genuine selling point.
