Comparing audio and data CDs

Windows Media Player banner art

Comparing audio and data CDs

The following sections explain the differences between using the Player to create audio and data CDs.

Audio CDs

The Player creates (burns) audio CDs according to the Red Book audio format. (Audio CDs are also known as Red Book CDs because of the way information is arranged on the disc.) These audio CDs can be played back in any CD-ROM drive and in most home and car CD players. However, not all CD players can play compact disc-recordable (CD-R) and compact disc-rewritable (CD-RW) discs.

Volume leveling (also known as normalization) is applied to all tracks that the Player copies to audio CDs. This may cause the CD creation process to take longer, but it results in a more even volume level for all the tracks copied to the CD and prevents some tracks from sounding louder than others.

Note that the application of volume leveling when creating audio CDs is only available on select versions of Windows. For more information, see Special features.

To create an audio CD, the Player automatically converts Windows Media Audio, .wav, and .mp3 files into .cda files before copying them to CD.

A two-second gap is added between each CD track.

Data CDs

The Player creates data CDs according to the Joliet format. A data CD is a CD that contains compressed files and a file structure. A data CD may simply contain compressed audio files, but the files are typically much smaller than typical audio files. Therefore, a data CD may contain more audio files than an audio CD, depending on the type and the compression level of the audio files. Most computers and some CD players can play back the compressed audio files contained on a data CD.

A data CD may or may not contain audio or video content. For example, the CDs used to install an operating system or programs are data CDs. If the data CD contains audio files with a file type that is supported by the Player, such as files with a .wma, .wav, or .mp3 extension, you can use the Player to play the files.

When you create a data CD using the Player, files are copied to the root of the CD in a directory named playlist. The files are converted if necessary (for example, if a specific bit rate is selected). You can copy both playlists and digital media files to a data CD. The Player copies the files in the order that they are listed in the Items to Copy pane and in the playlists that you copy. The organization of the playlist is preserved. Media information, with the exception of album art, is also copied to the data CD.

By default, the Player creates a playlist with a .wpl extension that contains the files as they are listed in the Items to Copy pane. You can also have the Player create a playlist with an .m3u extension so that devices that use .m3u playlists can play the files.

By default, the name of data CDs is the date (for example, Sept 04 02) that you created the CD. The date changes if you copy more files to the CD.

Even if you use a compact disc-recordable (CD-R) to create a data CD, you can copy files to the CD at another time as long as the disc is not full. This is because the disc is never closed, meaning that more data can always be written to the CD as long as the disc is not full. Note that data CDs may not play in CD players that require closed compact discs.

Note Image Notes

To create a data CD that contains a hierarchy with folders, subfolders, and a file structure, you can copy (write) the files to the data CD by using My Computer in Windows XP Home Edition and Windows XP Professional or by using another program.
The ability to create data CDs is only available on select versions of Windows. For more information, see Special features.