Hardware Reference
In-Depth Information
Some brands are listed with more than one color combination, due to production changes or different
product lines. You should check color combinations whenever you purchase a new batch of CD-R
media if you've found that particular color combinations work better for you in your applications.
Note
Original PlayStation games came on discs that were tinted black for appearance. Soon, blank
CD-R recordable discs were also available with this same black tint in the polycarbonate. The
black tint is purely cosmetic—it is invisible to the infrared laser that reads/writes the disc. In
other words, “black” CD-R discs are functionally identical to clear discs and can be made
using any of the industry-standard dyes in the recording layer. The black tint hides the
recording layer visually, so although the laser passes right through it, the black tint prevents
you from directly observing the color of the dye in the recording layer.
Ultimately, although the various color combinations have their advantages, the best way to choose a
media type is to try a major brand of media in your drive with both full-disc and small-disc recording
jobs and then try the completed disc in as wide a range of drive brands and speeds as you can.
Note
If you are planning to record music mixes for use in automobile-based or portable CD players,
be sure to test compatibility in these devices as well.
The perfect media for you will be the ones that offer you the following:
• High reliability in writing (check your drive model's list of recommended media)
• No dye or reflective surface dropouts (areas where the media won't record properly)
• Durability through normal handling (scratch-resistant coating on media surface)
• Compatibility across the widest range of CD drives
• Lowest unit cost
If you have problems recording reliably with certain types of media, or if you find that some brands
with the same speed rating record much more slowly than others, contact your drive vendor for a
