Physical media refers to the physical materials that are used to store or transmit information in data communications. These physical media are generally physical objects made of materials such as copper or glass. They can be touched and felt, and have physical properties such as weight and color.[1] For a number of years, copper and glass were the only media used in computer networking.
The term physical media can also be used to describe data storage media like records, cassettes, VHS, LaserDiscs, CDs, DVDs, and Blu-rays, especially when compared with modern streaming media or content that has been downloaded from the Internet onto a hard drive or other storage device as files.