Hardware Reference
In-Depth Information
firmware upgrade. Firmware upgrades can also help your drive recognize new types of faster media
from different vendors.
CD-R Media Recording Speed Ratings
With CD-R mastering speeds ranging from 1x (now-discontinued first-generation units) up through the
current 48x-52x rates, it's important to check the speed rating (x-rating) of your CD-R media.
Most branded media on the market today is rated to work successfully at up to 52x recording speeds
(some are limited to 48x). Some brands indicate this specifically on their packaging, whereas you
must check the websites for others to get this information. If necessary, install the latest firmware
updates to reach maximum recording speed.
See the section, “
Updating the Firmware in an Optical Drive
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Note
The 52x CD-R recording speed is the fastest speed available, but higher spin rates can result in
excessive vibration and even disc failure.
If speed ratings are unavailable for your media, you might want to restrict your burning to 32x or
lower for data. If you are burning audio CDs, you might find that some devices work better with
media burned at 8x or lower speeds than with media burned at higher speeds.
Tip
Most drives and mastering software support a setting that automatically determines the best
speed to use for burning a CD-R. Software that supports this type of feature analyzes the media
and adjusts writing methods and write speed during the write process to ensure the best results.
Using this feature with media with an unknown speed rating helps you get a reliable burn no
matter what the speed rating of the media is.
CD-RW
Beginning in early 1996, an industry consortium that included Ricoh, Philips, Sony, Yamaha,
Hewlett-Packard, and Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation announced the CD-RW format. The design
was largely led by Ricoh, and it was the first manufacturer to introduce a CD-RW drive (in May
1996). This drive was the MP6200S, which was a 2/2/6 (2x record, 2x rewrite, 6x read) rated unit.
At the same time, the Orange Book Part III was published, which officially defined the CD-RW
standard.
CD-RW drives rapidly replaced CD-R-only drives, and although rewritable DVD drives have
largely replaced CD-RW drives, any rewritable DVD drive can function as a CD-R/CD-RW drive.
Some low-cost systems include DVD combo drives, which combine DVD-ROM and CD-R/CD-RW
capabilities.
You can burn and write to CD-RW discs just like CD-Rs; the main difference is that you can erase
and reburn CD-RWs again and again. They are very useful for prototyping a disc that will then be
duplicated in less expensive CD-R or even stamped CDs for distribution. They can be rewritten at
least 1,000 times or more. Additionally, with packet-writing software (software that supports the
Universal Disk Format standard), CD-RWs can even be treated like giant floppy disks, where you can
