What's CD-R? 

CD-R is short for "CD-Recordable". Recordable CD's are WORM (Write Once, Read Multiple) media that work just like standard CD's. The advantage of CD-R over other types of optical media is that you can use the discs with a standard CD player.

All CD recorders can read CD's and CD-ROM's, just like a standard CD-ROM drive. 

Are they identical to normal CD's? 

The CD's you buy in a store are pressed into the polycarbonate plastic from a metal stamper. CD-R's are burned with a laser. The may look different (often green, gold, or blue instead of silver), but the way the data is read and coded is the same. The truth is that the final result is the same with each. The process is just different.

There is another product called CD-RW. With a CD-RW the data (code) can be overwritten, but the tendency is for the data to become distorted, lost or the disc just unreadable. Therefore we just don't sell them.

Can I create new audio and data CD's? 

Yes. You can create CD-ROM's from the data on your (computer) hard drive, and you can create new audio CD's from anything you can record into a WAV or AIFF sound file.

The CD-ROM's you produce will play in ordinary CD-ROM drives, and the audio CD's you create will work in your home or car CD player. 

Writing to CD-R's and CD-RW's requires a special drive. You can't write CD's with an ordinary CD-ROM drive. 

Can I use it to copy my CD's? 

Yes, both audio and data CD's can be duplicated. You can even create audio CD's that are compilations of other audio CD's (perhaps a personal "best of" disc). 

Bear in mind that most CD's are protected by copyright laws. 

How much can they hold? 

About 74 minutes of audio, or about 650MB of data. 

Can I just copy files onto a CD-R like I would to a floppy? 

Yes and no. The process can be a bit more involved than that, and requires special software that (usually) comes bundled with the drive.

With "packet writing" software, and a recorder that supports it, you can treat a CD-R like a floppy. With the software and a good operating system (ie. Windows) you can send data to the CD-R from any program providing you have formatted the CD-R to do so.

With more traditional software -- necessary if you want the broadest possible compatibility -- you usually end up writing everything to the disc all at once. When you're doing the writing you can't interrupt the drive, and you can't reclaim the space you've used.

Can I copy DVD's with a CD recorder? 

Not directly. CD and DVD are very different formats, so you can't write DVD's with your CD recorder. You may be able to convert the contents into a lower-quality format though. 

Will a CD-R work in a DVD drive?

Most of the time. Although a CD-R and DVD are much different a CD-R will be read in a DVD drive. Conversly a DVD cannot be read in a CD-Rom drive.

What makes a good quality CD-R?

CD-R quality is measured by three things:

1. Reflectivity of the disc
2. Completeness of the burn process without errors
3. Quality of the dye used


1. Good CD-R's are comparable to a mirror on the data (non silver) side of the disc. Look at your reflection on the data side, bad CD-R's will have a foggy reflection. Good CD-R's will have a clear, crisp reflection.

2. CD-R's have the data coded into them from the burner in the form of pits and grooves. The data is encoded as binary from the inside out in a spiral fashion. Good CD-R's will allow the laser to complete the burn process without the interruption of the laser on/off process. Bad CD-R's interrupt the process and cut the laser completely off. The disc is rendered useless and you will have to start over with a new one.

3. CD-R's are blue, green, gold and several other colors, because a dye is added to them upon manufacturing. A good CD-R will hold the dye upon burning without coming off. With a bad CD-R the dye will come off upon burning and even cause your burner to become useless by plugging it up or trigger endless error codes.

The bottom line is that good quality CD-R's will actually save you money in the long run. Not to mention the amount of headaches you will save yourself!!