Why you’ll need a CD-writer

Digital Horizons - Brian Pereira

I remember reading an article about the CD manufacturing process, around the time the Compact Disc was introduced (1982). I discovered that CD manufacturing plants are similar to semiconductor fabrication units (fabs)—workers walk about in clean suits; CD plants maintain the same sterile environment; plants (and the equipment) cost just as much. Twenty years later technology has advanced so much that one can now set up a CD replication unit in one’s home! Indeed, desktop CD (and DVD) duplication machines are available in the market. Of course, a more affordable solution is a CD-writer.

If you’ve postponed the purchase of a CD-writer, this is the best time to go in for one. These devices are more affordable now (at just Rs 3,000 or so for current models) and the current generation of CD writers is quite fast too (you can burn a CD in three minutes flat).

There are a number of reasons why people go in for CD-writers. When it comes to back-up media, CDs have definitely replaced floppy disks. Compared to other media, CDs offer the lowest cost per megabyte for storage. The CD-R (record once) disks cost Rs 9 onwards while CD-RW (erasable and re-writeable) disks cost Rs 75-80. These days Adobe PDF documents and Power Point presentations have huge file sizes that often exceed 1.44 MB (the capacity of a floppy). And a hard disk could be prone to failure, so making back-ups/copies is imperative.

CDs have also become popular because the PC is now being used as a home entertainment device. Thanks to (free/bundled) media player software, CD-ROM drives now double as MP3 and VCD players. And with CD writing software you can make customised audio CDs and copies of VCDs—or just transfer your favourite MP3 songs on to CDs.

In addition, you can also make a bootable CD (if you have the original operating system CD). This can be used to boot the system when the hard disk crashes—or when a virus infects the system (in this case it’s called a ‘clean boot’.)

Doing all this might sound complicated, but it isn’t really. The CD-writing software has a simple interface, and with some basic knowledge you’ll be smoothly burning your own CDs at home [See box ‘Tips and tricks for burning CDs.’]

Brands/Types
The cost of CD-writers has fallen a lot over the last two years. You can now get an internal (IDE) drive for Rs 3,000. Popular brands in the Indian market are Samsung, LG, Iomega, BenQ, Asus, Yamaha, Sony, LiteOn, Plextor, and Krypton.

CD-writers are available in internal or external versions. The internal writers are cheaper (Rs 3,000 onwards) and connect to the motherboard directly via the IDE channel. External writers (Rs 8,000 onwards) connect to the PC via USB 2.0 or Firewire ports. If your PC does not have these ports, you’ll have to install a PCI card with such ports.

Speeds
The original and very first CD-ROM drive had a transfer rate of 150 MB/sec. Due to improved spin rates and enhanced buffering technologies, the transfer rate keeps increasing every few months. The fastest drives today have a read speed of 52x (1x = 150 MB/sec). But don’t be dazzled by higher numbers. CD-writer specifications actually indicate three speeds in this order: Write/Rewrite/Read (as in 24x/16x/40x). This specification determines how fast you’ll be able to burn a full CD, which can store 650-700 MB of data, 74 minutes of music, or 150-200 MP3 songs.

With a write speed of 24x you’ll be able to burn a full CD in three minutes. With the older 16x drives it took five minutes. A 52x writer can burn a complete CD in two-and-a-half minutes.

Buffer under-run
Buffer under-run means the CD-writer is not receiving enough data in its buffer memory during a burn session. This results in unreadable CDs.

During a burn session, the CD-writer must get a continuous stream of data (from the hard disk/memory), at the right transmission speed. If for any reason this is not so, the CD-writer will run out of data. Because the CD-writer cannot wait, this will cause gaps and noise in the music, or in the worst case, it will ruin the entire CD.

Buffer under-runs usually occur when there are many applications running concurrently and the CPU is multi-tasking. Naturally this causes breaks in data transmission, as the CPU tends to other tasks.

To counter this problem, most CD-writers today have buffer under-run-proof technology. Manufacturers either have their own technology for this or license it from others. You will encounter different names for this technology: Power Burn, BURN-Proof, Justlink, etc. Make sure the CD-writer you are buying has some kind of buffer under-run-proof

Technology
Having a larger buffer memory also helps in this case. CD-writers have an internal buffer memory, which is either 2-, 4- or 8 MB in size.

Bundled software
It’s really the software that has simplified the task of burning CDs. Make sure that the CD-writer you are buying is bundled with CD-writing software (apart from the drivers).

Depending on the features of the software, you can create copies of data CDs, create bootable CDs, audio CDs and VCDs. The software also lets you copy tracks from regular audio CDs to the hard disk (a process called ‘ripping’). The copied tracks can be converted to another sound format (like MP3). The software may also let you convert file formats: MP3 to WAV (and vice-versa), AVI to MPEG, etc. You can also create customised audio CDs (with about 12-15 tracks), by copying songs from the hard disk to blank CDs.

Most CD-writers are bundled with software like Nero, Easy CD Creator, etc. There’s also lots of shareware available from websites like Download.com.

Tips and tricks for burning CDs

Here are a few tips to make your CD-burning sessions error-free and enjoyable.

• Slower drives
  If you’re going to burn CDs occasionally, then you do not need to buy the fastest drive in the market. You can save a few hundred rupees by going in for a slower 32x or 24x drive (if still available). And it takes only a few minutes longer to burn CDs with these drives.
• Enable DMA
  Direct Memory Access minimises interruptions and improves access speed. With DMA disabled (by default), the CPU has to intervene each time the CD-writer attempts to access memory. And if the CPU is attending to other tasks, this could slow down reads or writes. So enable DMA, not just for the CD-writer, but also for the other drives in your system.

To enable DMA for the CD-writer perform the following steps:
1. Right-click the ‘My Computer’ icon on the Desktop and select ‘Properties’.
2. Click on the ‘Device Manager’ tab.
3. Click on ‘View Devices by Type’.
4. Locate the CD-writer in the list of devices and click once on its icon. Click on the plus sign next to this icon (if
present).
5. Right-click on the name of the CD-writer and choose ‘Properties’.
6. You will see the DMA setting. Click in its box to put a tick mark (to enable DMA).
7. Click ‘OK’.

• Close other apps
  Since the CD-Writer needs a continuous stream of data (and the CPU’s undivided attention), close all applications that aren’t involved in the burning process. Also disable screensavers, background programs (such as anti-virus monitors, task schedulers and instant messaging agents). These are displayed in the system tray (next to the clock on the task bar). Right-click on each application and choose ‘Disable’ or ‘Close’.
• Copy from hard disk
  Avoid copying directly from sources like the CD-ROM drive or external devices, as there might be inconsistencies in data flow to the CD-writer, due to problems like scratched media. It is advisable to copy the content (from the source) to the hard disk first. Then transfer from hard disk to a blank CD during a burn session.
• Prepare the hard disk
  This is related to the previous tip. Since you are copying content from the hard disk, there should be no interruptions due to disk error. To minimise errors, run the ‘Scan Disk’ and ‘Defrag’ Windows system tools (under Accessories) for the hard disk.
• Learn the basics
  Before buying/using a CD-writer, it’s advisable that you learn a few basic concepts. There are plenty of websites (like www.burnworld.com) that offer such information. You should also read articles in end-user computer magazines.