iSchoolMedia - CD Format

The various CD standards are listed out as follows:

Red Book -- Audio CDs (CD-DA)

Yellow Book -- Data CDs
Mode 1 -- Standard CD-ROM
Mode 2 -- utilizes larger sector size for data, but has no ECC (Error Correction Code)

Green Book -- CD-I (CD-Interactive)

Orange Book (Part II) -- Physical format for CD-Recordable discs

White Book -- Video CD (1.0 & 2.0)

Blue Book -- CD Extra (Enhanced CD, CD Plus)
This is an audio CD with a data track at the end that a PC will recognize, but an audio player will not.

CDROM/XA -- extended architecture, a bridge between yellow book and CD-I

ISO 9660 -- Standard file layout (readable by all platforms of computers)

Rock Ridge -- an extension of ISO 9660 to allow for long UNIX filenames.

CDR-UDF -- industry-standard incremental packet-writing file system.

CD-Text -- Philips standard for encoding disc and track data onto audio CDs.

Categorization of CD Formats

The following table is a categorization of the most common CD formats. These are "logical formats" irrespective of medium. Some formats are possible only on recordable disc, such as Blank or Data Mode 1 Multisession Open, that are open for recording.

Disc	Description
Blank	Any blank CD-R or CD-RW
Data CD-ROM	Data Mode 1, DAO (like most of the commercial CD-ROM for data or SW distribution)
Kodak Photo CD	Data Multisession. Mode 2 XA Mixed Form. TAO. Like the ones from the Kodak Photofinishers. As per Philips/Kodak specification.
Data Mode 1 Multisession Closed	Data Multisession. Mode 1, with the last session not appendable. TAO. It can contain 1 or more sessions, each containing Mode 1 data tracks.
Data Mode 1 Multisession Open	Same as above, but the last session is appendable. This the disc you obtain by default when mastering data with Adaptec Easy-CD or any Prassi mastering software.
Data Mode 2 Multisession Closed	Data Multisession. Mode 2, with last last session not appendable. TAO. It can contain 1 or more sessions, each containing Mode 2 data tracks.
Data Mode 2 Multisession Open	Same as above, but the last session is appendable. This the disc you obtain by default when mastering data with Adaptec Easy-CD Creator or other common consumer software.
Data Mode 2 DAO	It is like a standard stamped CD-ROM, but has been mastered as Mode 2. It is not very common, but some replicators starting from Toast end up producing this format.
CDRFS Packet Writing	A Fixed packet writing format for CD-R made by Sony and then abandoned.
Packet Writing	Fixed or Variable packet writing for CD-R or CD-RW. Made by Adaptec DirectCD, Prassi abCD and CeQuadrat.
Classic Audio Disc	Audio DAO Silver, like almost any commercial music disc, or Closed Gold.
Audio Disc not Closed	Audio Gold disc not closed (TAO or SAO)
1st Enhanced CD try	First Enhanced CD try, where the data was hidden in the Pre-Gap of the first track. Has been aborted for major incompatibilities with many CD-ROM.
CD Extra or Enhanced CD	A disc with a first Audio session with the music tracks and then a second session with a Data Mode 2 XA track.
Audio TAO not closed	Audio TAO tracks in a not yet closed session. This is an in progress audio disc, that can be played in a CD recorder but non in a consumer CD Player.
Classic Mixed-mode	A Data session containing a Data Track followed by one or more Audio tracks. This is the most common type of Mixed-mode. The audio player will not play the first (data) track or, occasionally, will make loud noise. The computer CD-ROM will see regularly the disk as a CD-ROM disc.
Mixed Mode TAO	As above, but made TAO. This is like the ones made by mane consumer mastering software, like Adaptec Easy-CD 16 or 32 bit.
Kodak Photo CD Portfolio	A Kodak Photo CD with an Audio Track with sound comments to the photo. As per Philips/Kodak specification.
Video CD	A standard XA disc with one or more Mode 2 data tracks in a XA session, but with additional logical information, as per Philips/Sony White Book specs.
CD-i	A special disc with a Session of the CD-i type and with mode 2 XA tracks inside. These disc were meant for interactive title playing in special set-top boxes. As per Philips Green Book specs.
Playstation	Sony Playstation disc.

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