Scarecrow Man Posted July 9, 2004 Report Share Posted July 9, 2004 I've always wondered what the numbers on CD-ROM's meant, but never bothered asking anyone.Does anyone know what they mean? example: 40x12x48 means 40 write, 12 re-write and 48 read, but 40 what? 40 tracks / minute?I'd google it, but I'm busy right now and I know someone on here knows. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
catgate Posted July 9, 2004 Report Share Posted July 9, 2004 It is the marketing man's way of saying "This is justiification for us charging you more" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-pops- Posted July 9, 2004 Report Share Posted July 9, 2004 40 times the reading speed of an audio CD.Remember the CD was invented as a digital audio device, nothing to do with data storage at all - that was a much later use. The audio comparisons are probably retained to appear impressive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scarecrow Man Posted July 9, 2004 Author Report Share Posted July 9, 2004 I like catgates answer more, altough -pops-'s sounds more sophisticated :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
expertec Posted July 10, 2004 Report Share Posted July 10, 2004 On the back of a box of CD-Rs:The speed of a disc refers to the speed at which it can read/record data compared to a first generation/original disc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris Posted July 10, 2004 Report Share Posted July 10, 2004 I think that 1x is like 640KB/s Where as the drives now can read 7.5MB/s.But don't quote me on that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-pops- Posted July 10, 2004 Report Share Posted July 10, 2004 I think that 1x is like 640KB/sPretty sure that's right. I remember from the launch of the CD (back in spring 1983) that this was a astonishingly fast speed for any mechanical device. It sticks in my mind as the launch was on the then new innovative daytime TV program Breakfast with Frank Bough. Prior to this time, TV used to shut down during the day but, that is an aside. The disc was introduced as the best thing since the vinyl disc (or gramophone record) and was so robust you could spread marmalade on it and still get it to play. Guess what? They spread marmalade on it, stuck it in the machine and NOTHING :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AlanHo Posted July 11, 2004 Report Share Posted July 11, 2004 Guess what? They spread marmalade on it, stuck it in the machine and NOTHING :lol:I have a CD with Marmalade music on it and it plays fine Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-pops- Posted July 11, 2004 Report Share Posted July 11, 2004 Guess what? They spread marmalade on it, stuck it in the machine and NOTHING :lol:I have a CD with Marmalade music on it and it plays fine What, the sticky stuff made from citrus fruits that you spread on your toast? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madboy33 Posted July 11, 2004 Report Share Posted July 11, 2004 look hereHave you ever wondered what all those numbers mean when you go to buy a CD burner? When you see a configuration that looks like 12x2x24 (three numbers separated by the letter "x"), these numbers indicate the drive speeds of the CD drive. The "x" stands for the transfer of 150 KB of data per second, and each number represents a different action that the CD drive can take. A CD-R drive has two actions -- recording onto and reading from compact discs. A CD-RW drive has three actions -- recording, rewriting (erasing and recording over) and reading. When looking at the drive speeds, the first number ("12" in the above example) indicates the speed at which the CD drive will record data onto a CD-R compact disc. So, in the above example, the CD drive will record data at 12 times 150 KB/second. The second number ("2" in the above example) indicates the speed at which the CD drive will rewrite data onto a CD-RW compact disc. So in the above example, the CD drive will rewrite data onto the compact disc at 2 times 150 KB/second. Typically, the second number, the rewrite speed, is lower than the first number, the write speed, because rewriting is a slower process than writing. The last number ("24" in the above example) indicates the speed at which the drive will read data from a compact disc. So in the above example, the CD drive will read data from a compact disc at 24 times 150 KB/second. Source Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-pops- Posted July 11, 2004 Report Share Posted July 11, 2004 madboy's reply does not detract from my explanation - I just got the original speed wrong (well, powerless and me did.) The speed is still directly related to the original speed of the digital audio that the Compact Disc was invented for. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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