CDs and DVDs

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CDs and DVDs
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CDs and DVDs

• The following presentation is intended for the
  layperson who only wants to know how to use CDs
  and DVDs.
• The primary focus of this presentation will be
  CDs although DVDs will be briefly addressed.

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CDs and DVDs

• History
• The Compact Disc, and more specifically audio
  compact disc (CD-DA), was introduced to the
  market in 1982 (Japan) by the Philips and Sony
  Corporations as an alternative to the vinyl disc
  and audio cassette.
• Beethovens 5th Symphony established the capacity
  of the first audio CDs.

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CDs and DVDs

• History (conti.)
• In 1984 both companies extended the technology so
  it can be used to store and retrieve data and so
  the CD-ROM was born.
• In 1990 again Philips and Sony expanded the
  technology and created the recordable compact
  disc (CD-R). Up to then, the CD-ROMs were
  manufactured by industrial stamping with a master
  made from the original.

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CDs and DVDs

• History (conti.)
• In 1991 the Pioneer Corporation began development
  of a new Digital Video Disc format. During this
  time significant advances in software
  development, specialty compression algorithms for
  video applications were developed so that the CD
  disk size could be maintained.
• In 1995 Sony led a 9 company consortium to
  introduce a standard for recordable DVDs. Today,
  though, the DVD recordable is not standardized
  and two types of systems coexists DVD-R and
  DVDR.

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CDs and DVDs

• CDs and DVDs although they look the same they are
  all different.
• On each disk is a media descriptor that tells the
  computer what type of disk it is.
• CD-Rs technically WORMs (Write Once Read Many)
  are once written too and are read-only.
  Approximate capacity is 80 minutes of audio or
  700 MB of data.
• CD-RWs are read writeable (or reusable) and with
  proper software can be used like a floppy disk.
  Approximate capacity is 74 minutes of audio or
  650 MB of data.

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CDs and DVDs

• CD Formats
• CD-DA (Compact Disk Digital Audio), the
  original format, is a variable length file format
  and is used exclusively for audio.
• The files (Tracks) are a digital representation
  of audio.
• Its specification is defined in what is called
  the Red Book.

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CDs and DVDs

• CD Formats (conti.)
• CD-FS (Compact Disk File System) is also a
  variable length file format and is used to store
  computer data files.
• Its specification is defined in what is called
  the Yellow Book.

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CDs and DVDs

• CD Formats (conti.)
• CD-RW (Compact Disk Rewritable) disks, depending
  on how they are formatted, can be either a
  variable file length, as the CD-R, or a fixed
  file length (packet) as floppy disks.
• Its specification is defined in what is called
  the Orange Book.
• Other types of CD formats are VCD (Video CD), PCD
  (Photo CD), CD-I and other proprietary formats.

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• CD-RW disk formats
• CD-RW disks can be formatted two ways
• Streaming (variable length) files are added as
  in the same way as CD-Rs are. Only erasure of the
  entire disk is possible (reusable).
• Packet (fixed length) uses the same
  architecture as floppy disks and require packet
  writing software (UDF) such as Direct CD, CD-In.

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CDs and DVDs

• Equipment
• CD-R drives, the original, will only read CDs.
• CD-RW drives, besides reading CDs can also write
  to CDs. Making separate drives in a computer
  redundant.
• DVD-R drives will only read CDs and DVDs. Most
  drives will read both DVD standards.
• DVD-RW drives, will read and write to both CDs
  and DVDs.
• CD-RW/DVD combo drives, will both read and write
  to CDs as well as read DVDs.

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CDs and DVDs

• Equipment (conti.)
• When buying a CD burner or DVD burner make sure
  it is Burn Proof or has a write cache. This
  will minimize the making of coasters (unusable
  CDs). Also buy a good quality unit.

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CDs and DVDs

• Software
• Microsofts Operating System (XP) includes the
  software needed to read either CDs and DVDs.
• CD and DVD writing (burning) require special
  software. Such as
• Nero
• Easy Media Creator (formally known as Easy CD
  Creator.
• NTI