Hardware Reference
In-Depth Information
Figure 11.6. CD-R media layers.
The drive reading the disc is fooled into thinking a pit exists, but no actual pit exists—there's simply
a spot of less-reflective material on the ridge. This use of heat to create the pits in the disc is why the
recording process is often referred to as burning a CD. When burned, portions of the track change
from a reflective to a nonreflective state. This change of state is permanent and can't be undone,
which is why CD-R is considered a write-once medium.
CD-R Capacity
All CD-R drives can work with the original 650MiB (682MB) CD-R media (equal to 74 minutes of
recorded music), as well as the now-standard higher-capacity 700MiB (737MB) CD-R blanks (equal
to 80 minutes of recorded music).
Some drives and burning software are capable of overburning, whereby they write data partially into
the lead-out area and essentially extend the data track. This is definitely risky as far as compatibility
is concerned. Many drives, especially older ones, fail when reading near the end of an overburned
disc. It's best to consider this form of overclocking CDs somewhat experimental. It might be useful
for your own purposes if it works with your drives and software, but interchangeability will be
problematic.
Some vendors sell 90-minute (790MiB) and 99-minute (870MiB) media to make overburning easier.
Most standard CD-RW drives can reliably burn up to 89:59 of music onto the 90-minute media, and
the resulting CD-R can be played on a variety of late-model auto and home electronics players.
CD-R Media Color
There has been some controversy over the years about which colors of CD-R media provide the best
performance. Table 11.6 shows the most common color combinations, along with which brands use
them and some technical information.
Table 11.6. CD-R Media Color and Its Effect on Recording
 
 
Search WWH ::




Custom Search