The drive can also record CD-R discs at quad speed (4X) as well as record CD-RW and CD-R discs at double speed (2X), and even record CD-R discs at single speed (1X).
The drive is a multi-function device. Since the drive is also capable of reading at up to 32X Max. (4,800 kilobytes per second) it is a good general use CD-ROM drive as well as recorder.
The speed at which a CD-ROM is written does not affect the speed at which that CD-ROM can be read. For example, a CD-ROM which was written at 2X can be read at 1X, 2X, 4X, 8X, 12X, 24X and so on.
Buffer
The Spressa CD-RW Recorder drive has a two or four megabyte data buffer, which reduces buffer underruns when writing to CD-RW and CD-R media with some software. Buffer underrun is a condition where the drive’s buffer runs out of data while the CD-R or CD-RW media is still being written. The recording of a CD is a system intensive process with some software, and the recorder needs a constant stream of data. A buffer underrun occurs when the data stream to the recorder is not fast enough to keep the recorder’s buffer full, causing the recording to abort.
CD Formats Supported
The drive records these popular CD formats:
•CD-Digital Audio; the format used for audio CDs, playable on audio CD players.
•CD Extra; Audio and data in multi-session format.
•CD TEXT; Audio CD with album name; song titles encoded. CD TEXT information is displayed on CD TEXT Compatible CD Players and CD-ROM drives.
•CD-ROM(Mode 1); the format used for most CD-ROM applications.
•CD-ROM XA (Mode 2 Form 1 and Mode 2 Form 2); CD-ROM Extended Architecture. This standard was created for smoother playback of multimedia content.
•CD-I*(Mode 2 Form 1 and Mode 2 Form 2), CD-I Ready; CD-Interactive is used for home entertainment systems.
•CD-G
•Karaoke CD
•†CD-Bridge; a format for a mixture of Kodak Photo CDs and Video CDs, playable on TV set top players and personal computers.
•†Photo CD (single and multisession); Kodak Photo CD.
•UDF
•†Video CD; playable on TV set -top video CD Players and most DVD systems.
*The drive does not have the necessary audio circuitry and decoding functions for CD-I playback, but can read and record.
†With additional software.
Recording Methods
The drive has the capability to use several different recording methods. The descriptions of these methods in this manual are overviews of the subject. The methods are covered in greater detail in the software documentation.
•Disc at Once; this is a recording method in which the entire disc is written in a single pass. Data cannot be added at a later time.
•Session at Once; a complete session is written in a single pass (one at a time). Multiple sessions are typically recorded in Track at Once mode, where the track is written first, then the session information.
•Track at Once; a track can be copied to the disc incrementally (one at a time).
•Multi–session; several sessions can be written to a disc. Each session has at least one track.
