Information is imprinted onto a disc in a series of indentations. On one side of the disc, these appear as grooves; on the other side, they stick out as bumps. A DVD has millions of bumps spiraling out from the centre of the disc to the edge. Behind the bumps in the disc, there is a reflective layer of aluminium.

A DVD player has three parts: the laser, the drive motor, and the tracking mechanism. The drive motor spins the disc. The laser “reads” the bumps, and the tracking system adjusts the laser to focus on the string of information.

The laser reads the information on the DVD by focusing a beam on the series of bumps in which the information is encoded. The beam then bounces off the reflective aluminium layer and back to a sensor. The sensor records the position of the beam.

The information reported back by the laser is then translated into binary code, which is then translated to an analog signal. Your television converts this signal into picture and sound.

When it’s working right, you barely notice your playerâ€"you just put in your favorite movie and hit “play.” But now that you know how the information gets from the disc to your television, you may just have a better appreciation of your favorite movies.