Audio CD vs. MP3 CD vs. Data CD

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Level 1

8 points

Audio CD vs. MP3 CD vs. Data CD

what are the differences between the three CD types? what are the advantages and disadvantages? as far as i can tell, the only think the audio cd has going for it is that you can burn music store songs onto them. let me know if theres something else!!

G4 Cube, Mac OS X (10.3.9), 20GB 1GB

Posted on Apr 20, 2006 4:51 PM

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Answer 1

Top-ranking reply

Michael Allbritton

Level 6

16,951 points

Apr 20, 2006 4:59 PM in response to ravenedit

I'm not really sure what information you're looking for, but here goes.

An audio CD is just that. A CD that is burned to the Redbook standard, and it is just like the CDs you buy in a store. It can be played on just about any CD player and is pretty much a universal format. For the best compatibility be sure and use only CD-R media. Many players won't play CD-RW media.

MP3 and Data discs are essentially the same thing. The only difference is that one contains only MP3 files and the other contains any kind of files. MP3 CDs can be played only in players that support MP3s. Data discs are generally used for transferring data between computers or backups.

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Answer 2

Apr 20, 2006 5:06 PM in response to Michael Allbritton

Building on that - You can burn mp3 tunes to yer average everyday bank cd, the same cd you'd use to burn tunes in aiff or apple lossless format. A blank CD holds roughly 80mins of audio.

You can also burn data to these same blank cds - The key is going to be Where you are going with your media as noted, not all players can handle all media.

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Answer 3

Apr 20, 2006 6:45 PM in response to ravenedit

You should keep in mind that AAC files, whether protected or not, can not be burned to an MP3 disc. Since the files are not MP3 files iTunes will squawk and not burn the disc.

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Answer 4

ravenedit Author

Level 1

8 points

Apr 20, 2006 5:30 PM in response to Michael Allbritton

Ok thanks, really i just want to know what difference I'm making when i choose between those three option in iTunes preferences. especially the data CD vs. MP3 cd.

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