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CD-R

(1) (Call Detail Reporting) See call accounting. (2) (Common Data Rate) The standard 13.5 MHz sampling rate for 480i and 576i digital video systems. See ITU-R BT.601 and CIF. (3) (Compact...

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Dictionary

Definition: CD-R

(1) (Call Detail Reporting) See call accounting.

(2) (Common Data Rate) The standard 13.5 MHz sampling rate for 480i and 576i digital video systems. See ITU-R BT.601 and CIF.

(3) (Compact Disc-Recordable) A type of CD disc that can be recorded, but not erased. Used to back up and transfer data and to master CD-ROMs, CD-R discs can be written ("burned") and read by most CD/DVD drives. The phrase "burn a CD" really means "burn a CD-R."

Capacities
The most common CD-R formats hold 650MB (74 minutes) of data or 700MB (80 min.). Also available are 550MB (63 min.), 790MB (90 min.) and 870MB (99 min.), the latter two being non-standard. The higher capacities are achieved by reducing the distance between tracks (track pitch). To record a full 650MB disc takes only a couple minutes using 40x recorders. For speed ratings of drives, see CD-ROM drives.

Change the Reflectivity
The binary 0s and 1s in CDs and CD-ROMs are actual pits (or lack thereof called "lands") stamped into the media. CD-Rs create the equivalent of pits and lands by altering the reflectivity of a dye layer. Different dyes are used, including cyanine (green), pthalo-cyanine (yellow-gold) and metal-azo (blue). See CD-RW, multisession, disc-at-once, track-at-once, CD UDF and optical disc.

CD-R

CD-R Layers
Fresh out of the box, a CD-R disc is entirely reflective, because the dye layer is transparent. In order to create the equivalent of a CD or CD-ROM pit, the laser deforms the dye, making it darker and less reflective. In contrast, CD and CD-ROM pits are molded into the plastic and covered by an aluminum reflective coating (for more details, see CD-ROM).

CD-R

A Partially Burned Disc
Recording starts at the center and spirals outward. To tell if a CD-R was burned, look for the slight change in reflectivity on the recording side. In this example, only 6% of the disc has been written, and the arrows point to the end of the recorded area (look carefully).

CD-R

Burning a CD-R
To \"burn\" a CD-R, the files are dragged and dropped into a recording window as in this Easy CD Creator example. Most software supports audio and data CDs and may also print the cover and inside jacket of the jewel case.

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Additional Results

How safe are your CD-Rs?

Going back through his old CD-Rs and transferring the data to hard disk, Adrian Wong of TechARP experienced a failure rate of nearly 10% for discs recorded some 7 to 9 years ago and kept under...

Blog posts | July 20, 2009 10:57am PDT
Prices to rise for CD-R discs

Wholesale prices for CD-recordable discs will spike this summer, a new report asserts, though the effects should be short-lived. The wholesale price of CD-R discs is expected to as much as triple...

News items | May 10, 2001 12:00am PDT
Prices to rise for CD-R discs

Wholesale prices for CD-recordable discs will spike this summer, a new report asserts, although the increase should be short-lived.

News items | May 9, 2001 9:45pm PDT
TDK to introduce 2GB CD-R drive

This fall, TDK plans to introduce a rewritable CD drive using multilevel technology in its VeloCD family of drives. The first of its kind, the drive uses special multilevel technology to read and...

News items | February 16, 2001 12:00am PST

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