CD-Rs, CD-RWs

[George Liquor <smeghead79@xxxx>]

[disengage lurk mode]

Hi, all!

Somebody earlier reported that there's no standard for CD-RWs and that's
why they can't be played in consumer-grade players. This is not true.

Although I'm not absolutely certain, if I remember correctly, the reason
is this: CD-RW's cannot be played in commercial CD players due to the
nature of the manufacturing and storing of information. CDs are thin
layers of silver encased in plastic. CD-Rs are manufactured by burning
holes in the silver (to read as 1's and 0's - binary digital format)
THROUGH the bottom layer of plastic. This is the reason that CD-Rs have
coloured plastic on the bottom as opposed to pressed CDs which are clear
all the way through. (The reason this works is because the coloured
plastic isn't susceptible to the frequencies this particular laser is
putting out.) CD-RWs, on the other hand, don't actually burn the layer
of silver. They burn another layer (this is where my memory gets fuzzy
- can't remember if it's plastic or silver), which cannot be seen by
consumer-grade players. This is why you'll notice CD-RWs feel slightly
heavier, and also have a different colour, and why computer users have
to be specific if they want a burner which will not only WRITE but also
REWRITE. It is also why CD-RWs are more expensive. Back when I was an
audio dealer, we had trouble with the early Pioneer CD recorders trying
to deal with "pro" and "rewriteable" discs. We'd put a blank in and it
would simply say "pro disc," and nothing would happen. For those
consumer-grade recorders, you have to get "music only" discs, which will
play in just about anything. For computers of course you don't have to
be so picky; just grab a spindle at Office Max and run with it. One
thing, though, is to make sure that there's enough texturing or paint on
the TOP of the disc to protect it (unless you're going to put paper
labels on them and be REALLY careful wtih labels). I bought some from
PNY and they didn't have any protection for the silver on the top. One
scratch and the disc is history. I now use the Verbatim ones with white
paint on the top. You can write on them (GENTLY) with a felt-tip pen
(hence no need for labels) and they silver is protected. Few people
know that the information in a CD-R is actually on TOP of the disc.

I haven't looked into this subject for a long time, so the information
may have changed. Feel free to check my explanation on some CD-R info
website if there is any.

Any CD player produced after 1985 with a suitably strong laser will be
able to handle CD-Rs, either "pro" or "music" discs. I played CD-Rs in
my 1984 JVC player just fine (until the DACs went bye-bye), and they
work in the Sony, Nakamichi, Arcam and Pioneer, and my friend's
Panasonic as well. One tip, though, if your equipment is sketchy: find
the CD-Rs with the lightest colour on the bottom (i.e. a light green
like Memorex as opposed to the dark blue Verbatim sometimes uses).

This really isn't something to worry about. Just don't bother with
RWs. As the other guy said, they're not worth the time and money. ...
Just for different reasons. :)

Have fun!

Another long-winded post from a guy who doesn't even OWN a DeLorean.

... yet. :)

Best regards,
Farrar Hudkins
New Orleans, LA
http://www.wwno.org/