Multimedia has created a system environment that needs a combination of diverse peripherals, faster I/O, and easier configuration. The sheer volume of data one can expect with multimedia hardware and applications storage systems of higher capacity and faster data transfer rate. Unlike the magneto-optical(MO)disk technology which uses bias magnetic field in writing, both the reading and the writing in the phase change (PC) technology are performed only by laser light. In PC optical media, an active layer is reversibly converted between amorphous state and crystalline state by changing irradiation conditions of focused laser beam. Thus, as compared with MO disk, the PC disk has such great advantages that signals can be reproduced by change of reflectance of laser beams in the same manner as the compact disc. The reflectivity of a phase-change spot can be altered in a single pass under the head only through modulation of laser power. The principles and the current status of phase-change optical recording media combined with possible applications are discussed in the present article.