#1 Burning Software

Hi,

maybe you can answer a question I have on those CD-ROM modes/forms.

cdrfaq.org summarises the modes and forms like this:



Based on the other information I have found on the internet "CD-ROM/XA" is not actually widely used. For example, Wikipedia states:



and http://www.ardenwoodsnd-dvd.com/glossary/glossary_c.html#cd-rom%20xa says:



Yet, you write in the ImageBurner docs:



So in other words: All data is written as Mode2 (XA)/Form1, even though the XA format doesn't seem to be of any significance.
Then again, you also write:



Why burn as XA if it causes compatibility problems? Can you explain this to me please?

CDROM XA is used for extended capacity when burning video tracks (Video CD & Super Video CD). For MODE1 and MODE2/Form1 there's no difference to the user, payload is still 2K, it's only raw sector format is different (the one you don't see).

Sorry, but I still do not understand.

Why has CDROM/XA (Mode2/Form-2) an extended capacity? Wouldn't just Mode2 have this as well?

If Mode1 and Mode2/Form-1 is basically the same, why is there an "XA" Parameter that suggests that StarBurn uses the less compatible Mode2/Form-1 mode instead of Mode 1?

Please be a bit more specific, I won't stop asking anyway if you do not precisely answer my questions

B/c raw sector format is 2448 bytes and you use only 2048 bytes for user data in case of data, 2324 bytes for video content and 2352 for audio (both later ones has no ECC/EDC recovery).

I did not say MODE2/Form1 is less compatible them MODE1.

You didn't, but the docs say so. Why?



So is video Mode2/Form-2 (XA) and audio Mode2 (CDDA)? Is that the difference between the usage of XA and non XA? Still, why use XA for data and not Mode1?
I hate to say that, but so far you didn't actually answer my questions.

When you burn Video CD first track is always data, it's written in MODE2/Form1 (as the whole disc is CD-ROM XA) and second (and other) tracks are MODE2/Form2. So you can assume pure MODE2/Form1 disc as Video CD w/o main MPEG track.

OK, and what about the docs? Why does it say that one mode is less compatible?
And if data == IsXA, are all data discs (putting special cases like VCDs aside) XA? And if so, is Mode1 used for anything at all?

B/c MODE1 was first and MODE2/Form1 is it's successor.

Yes.

So if I understand you correctly, your documentation is wrong about this one?

If there's no need to burn in MODE2/Form1 - burn in MODE1.

Here are some old discussions:

http://www.cdrlabs.com/forums/mode-versus-mode-discs-t8075.html

MODE1 is always supported but I can bet all the hardware imcompatible with MODE2/Form1 is dead for ages

Thanks, seems like we are getting closer.
For now, one last question: If XA is basically "better" or just as good as Mode1/Mode2, is there any reason to set the IsXACDROM property of the AudioBurner class to false? (Or true?) What difference does it make for audio discs in particular? Does it only matter for mixing audio tracks with data tracks?

For Audio CD it does not matter at all

Then...why does this option actually exist? At some point I suppose someone requested that feature because he wanted to do {X} which is only possible with XA (or without). I mean, if I expose this option in my GUI (I do), I should be able to explain why someone would need that. But right now, I can't.

B/c it's general option for Track-At-Once burning. And it's set in the "write parameters mode page" for all of the possible write types: data, audio & video. For data & video it make sense for audio it's simply ignored.