The reason that the TotalSpace of a CD-R is set to maximum 659 Mb is because most CD-Writers are not able to write more than this value to a CD-R (because of mechanical or firmware shortcomings). Thus bigger CD-R's are useless for these CD-Writers. Only a few CD-Writers can go beyond this 659 Mb boundary, the most common are mentioned below.
A CD-R is in fact recordable up to the end of the physical pre-groove which contain information so the recorder can position the laser for recording, normally somewhere in the 77 minutes.
To be able to OverSize CD-R's the Disc-At-Once (DAO) mode of the CD-Writer is utilized. DAO mode, instead of TAO, must provide it's own lead-out (which now can be moved to the very end of the CD-R).
Disc-at-Once has only been added/available with the recent generation of CD recorders and recent firmware upgrades. At the moment about 95% off all CD-Writers support DAO but not all of them support OverSizing!
In DAO mode the CD-R software sends a CUE Sheet (TOC) to the CD-Writer, this CUE Sheet holds information needed for the leadin area (tracksizes & more). A CD-Writer which is not able to OverSize will reject the CUE Sheet when it contains track information which ends past the blank media reported length. The length is read from the pre-groove of the blank media and specifies the last possible position where DATA can be safely written to. A CD-Writer which is able to OverSize will just ignore this length and will try to burn the blank media up to the end of the pre-groove.
Keep in mind that OverSizing is not totally without risk. OverSizing is writing DATA to a place which is outside the original CD-R specifications. This can result that some CD readers (Audio & Data) can have problems reading the last 90 seconds of an OverSized CD-R. There is no guarantee that the quality of the pre-groove, dye and reflective layer, past the reported length, is as good as it is before!
A few CD-Writer software packages warn you that it is possible to damage your CD-Writer when trying to oversize a CD-R. At the moment there is totally no evidence supporting this warning. They just put it in their software just in case it happens and they then can say that you have been warned!
Just take the following in consideration when OverSizing a CD-R:
There is a possibility that it can damage the CD-Writer.
Some CD-Writers can't physically move the carriage up to the end of the pre-groove and so can't overburn up to the quantity of the blank.
Some CD-ROM player can't move their carriage far enough too play an OverSized CD-R.
The quality of media can be lower than in the normal part of the CD-R.
Pre-Groove Information
Every blank CD-R has important information encoded on the CD-R itself. This information is called the pre-groove or ATIP and without it no recording is possible.
The following information is stored in the pre-groove:
The capacity of the disk
The manufacturer of the disk
The formulation of the disk
The type of disk (for example the audio CD-R's for audio CD recorder)
The supported writing speed
Hint at each speed for the recording algorithm to use
Absolute time from the start of the disk
last possible address where data can be written (TotalSpace)
last possible address for the last lead out.
This is the last possible address/position where a lead out can start (from this point on, a complete lead out can be written on the CD-R).
Only a CD-Writer can read the pre-groove, a CD-ROM drive usually can't (as it doesn't need this info to play/read a CD).
80 Minutes CD-R's
80 minutes CD-R's can also be OverSized upto 83:30 minutes DATA (= 734 Mb DATA & 842 Mb AUDIO)! For an explanation of the difference between DATA & AUDIO sizes checkout the CD-R Technical Information page.
More info on 80 Minutes CD-R's can be found on the 80 Minutes CD-R page.
Important Terms
OverSize Write DATA past the physically set TotalSpace, this is accomplished by shortening the lead-out area and using this area for DATA.
This feature can only supported by a few CD-Writers.
OverTime This term has nothing to do with OverSizing, it is used in EasyCD Creator (3.5) to define the time between 74 minutes and the TotalSpace time.
For normal 74 minutes CD-R's the Overtime is maximum 1 minute, for 80 minutes CD-R's it is around 6 minutes.
This "feature" can be used by any CD-Writer.
DAO Disc-at-Once is a method of writing in which one or more tracks are written in a single operation. The laser will not stop until the whole CD-R recording is finished and the CD-R is closed. Hence no Run blocks and no clicks between audio tracks.
TAO Track At Once is a method of writing where the laser beam stops at the end of each track and then restarts. This can cause a glitch when playing audio CDs recorded in this way. Track-At-Once is generally used to create multisession and ISO CD's.
Lead Out Every CD-R manufacturer has to put at least 90 second of pre-groove past the reported length because the standards say there should be a
lead-out of 90 seconds past the end of user data.
Maximum OverSize Capacity using Feurio!
Feurio! can be used to get the OverSize capacity for every CD-R without damaging it. It will try to write, in test-mode, as much DATA to the CD-R as possible until no space is left on it, this is the maximum OverSize capacity. This information is then stored in a local database.
Be aware that an OverSizing CD-Writer is needed to get the real information.
This test can be done on any CD-Writer only if the result is a negative value or a value that is smaller 665 Mb then this means that the writer is NOT capable to OverSize a CD-R. Feurio waits for the writer to return an errorcode when it reaches the end of the spiral, many writers just don't return a valid errorcode (firmware limitation).
Get OverSize Information (for both the German & English version)
Perform the following steps, using Feurio!, to get the OverSize information from a CD-R:
Startup Feurio! CD-Writer.
From the action-bar select Extras and then select Rohling-Kapazität testen.
In the Rohling Kapazität Test window click [Test Starten].
Wait until the Kapazität-Test beëndet window appears. Enter additional information so to recognize the same type of CD-R the next time.
When ready click [OK (in Datenbank aufnehmen)] this will save the information to the Feurio! Rohling database (ROHLING.DAT).
View OverSize Information
Perform the following steps to see an overview of all known OverSize CD-R's:
Startup Feurio! CD-Writer.
From the action-bar select Extras and then select Rohling-Datenbank anzeigen.
This will open the Rohlings-Datenbank window.
Here is the ROHLING.DAT (25-06-1999) that is used to get our information. Just copy it in the Feurio directory (or append it to the existing ROHLING.DAT file). Keep in mind that the info was extracted with a Yamaha CRW4260 CD-Writer. It is possible that it won't detect the info on other CD-Writers (like the Philips 2000/2600 & HP4020/6020).
All known OverSize values are also stored in our CD-R Media List.
NOTE: While testing one batch of the same CD-R's it resulted in very different OverSize values (differences up to 30 seconds where measured). So the measured values in the CD-R Media List can differ from your measured values. Also keep in mind that the values will differ from batch to batch
Here
A CD-R is in fact recordable up to the end of the physical pre-groove which contain information so the recorder can position the laser for recording, normally somewhere in the 77 minutes.
To be able to OverSize CD-R's the Disc-At-Once (DAO) mode of the CD-Writer is utilized. DAO mode, instead of TAO, must provide it's own lead-out (which now can be moved to the very end of the CD-R).
Disc-at-Once has only been added/available with the recent generation of CD recorders and recent firmware upgrades. At the moment about 95% off all CD-Writers support DAO but not all of them support OverSizing!
In DAO mode the CD-R software sends a CUE Sheet (TOC) to the CD-Writer, this CUE Sheet holds information needed for the leadin area (tracksizes & more). A CD-Writer which is not able to OverSize will reject the CUE Sheet when it contains track information which ends past the blank media reported length. The length is read from the pre-groove of the blank media and specifies the last possible position where DATA can be safely written to. A CD-Writer which is able to OverSize will just ignore this length and will try to burn the blank media up to the end of the pre-groove.
Keep in mind that OverSizing is not totally without risk. OverSizing is writing DATA to a place which is outside the original CD-R specifications. This can result that some CD readers (Audio & Data) can have problems reading the last 90 seconds of an OverSized CD-R. There is no guarantee that the quality of the pre-groove, dye and reflective layer, past the reported length, is as good as it is before!
A few CD-Writer software packages warn you that it is possible to damage your CD-Writer when trying to oversize a CD-R. At the moment there is totally no evidence supporting this warning. They just put it in their software just in case it happens and they then can say that you have been warned!
Just take the following in consideration when OverSizing a CD-R:
There is a possibility that it can damage the CD-Writer.
Some CD-Writers can't physically move the carriage up to the end of the pre-groove and so can't overburn up to the quantity of the blank.
Some CD-ROM player can't move their carriage far enough too play an OverSized CD-R.
The quality of media can be lower than in the normal part of the CD-R.
Pre-Groove Information
Every blank CD-R has important information encoded on the CD-R itself. This information is called the pre-groove or ATIP and without it no recording is possible.
The following information is stored in the pre-groove:
The capacity of the disk
The manufacturer of the disk
The formulation of the disk
The type of disk (for example the audio CD-R's for audio CD recorder)
The supported writing speed
Hint at each speed for the recording algorithm to use
Absolute time from the start of the disk
last possible address where data can be written (TotalSpace)
last possible address for the last lead out.
This is the last possible address/position where a lead out can start (from this point on, a complete lead out can be written on the CD-R).
Only a CD-Writer can read the pre-groove, a CD-ROM drive usually can't (as it doesn't need this info to play/read a CD).
80 Minutes CD-R's
80 minutes CD-R's can also be OverSized upto 83:30 minutes DATA (= 734 Mb DATA & 842 Mb AUDIO)! For an explanation of the difference between DATA & AUDIO sizes checkout the CD-R Technical Information page.
More info on 80 Minutes CD-R's can be found on the 80 Minutes CD-R page.
Important Terms
OverSize Write DATA past the physically set TotalSpace, this is accomplished by shortening the lead-out area and using this area for DATA.
This feature can only supported by a few CD-Writers.
OverTime This term has nothing to do with OverSizing, it is used in EasyCD Creator (3.5) to define the time between 74 minutes and the TotalSpace time.
For normal 74 minutes CD-R's the Overtime is maximum 1 minute, for 80 minutes CD-R's it is around 6 minutes.
This "feature" can be used by any CD-Writer.
DAO Disc-at-Once is a method of writing in which one or more tracks are written in a single operation. The laser will not stop until the whole CD-R recording is finished and the CD-R is closed. Hence no Run blocks and no clicks between audio tracks.
TAO Track At Once is a method of writing where the laser beam stops at the end of each track and then restarts. This can cause a glitch when playing audio CDs recorded in this way. Track-At-Once is generally used to create multisession and ISO CD's.
Lead Out Every CD-R manufacturer has to put at least 90 second of pre-groove past the reported length because the standards say there should be a
lead-out of 90 seconds past the end of user data.
Maximum OverSize Capacity using Feurio!
Feurio! can be used to get the OverSize capacity for every CD-R without damaging it. It will try to write, in test-mode, as much DATA to the CD-R as possible until no space is left on it, this is the maximum OverSize capacity. This information is then stored in a local database.
Be aware that an OverSizing CD-Writer is needed to get the real information.
This test can be done on any CD-Writer only if the result is a negative value or a value that is smaller 665 Mb then this means that the writer is NOT capable to OverSize a CD-R. Feurio waits for the writer to return an errorcode when it reaches the end of the spiral, many writers just don't return a valid errorcode (firmware limitation).
Get OverSize Information (for both the German & English version)
Perform the following steps, using Feurio!, to get the OverSize information from a CD-R:
Startup Feurio! CD-Writer.
From the action-bar select Extras and then select Rohling-Kapazität testen.
In the Rohling Kapazität Test window click [Test Starten].
Wait until the Kapazität-Test beëndet window appears. Enter additional information so to recognize the same type of CD-R the next time.
When ready click [OK (in Datenbank aufnehmen)] this will save the information to the Feurio! Rohling database (ROHLING.DAT).
View OverSize Information
Perform the following steps to see an overview of all known OverSize CD-R's:
Startup Feurio! CD-Writer.
From the action-bar select Extras and then select Rohling-Datenbank anzeigen.
This will open the Rohlings-Datenbank window.
Here is the ROHLING.DAT (25-06-1999) that is used to get our information. Just copy it in the Feurio directory (or append it to the existing ROHLING.DAT file). Keep in mind that the info was extracted with a Yamaha CRW4260 CD-Writer. It is possible that it won't detect the info on other CD-Writers (like the Philips 2000/2600 & HP4020/6020).
All known OverSize values are also stored in our CD-R Media List.
NOTE: While testing one batch of the same CD-R's it resulted in very different OverSize values (differences up to 30 seconds where measured). So the measured values in the CD-R Media List can differ from your measured values. Also keep in mind that the values will differ from batch to batch
Here
