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CD-ROM
Data Input Specifications:
This specification
describes acceptable formats and input media for most CD data
formats including CD-ROM, CD-I, and mixed mode CD-ROM. SPA
is capable of working with all CD formats and media types,
but because of the rapid change in the industry, all present
formats and media may not be listed. For questions or additional
information on CD formats or media not listed,
contact SPA.
Data Formats:
There are two methods of sending data to SPA. The first is
to send data as a CD image ready for mastering. This would
normally be an image file on either CD, CD-WO, or 8mm, 4mm
or 9-track tape. Data can also be sent to SPA in a "non-image
format" (i.e. hard drive backups on streaming (QIC) tape,
8mm, 4mm, or MO) ready for formatting or input media conversion.
SPA will create an image and place it onto the correct media
for mastering; Pre-Mastering charges will apply on all "non-image
format" data or any input media other than CD, CD-WO, 8mm,
4mm, or 9-track tape with CD images.
Image Format:
A CD data image is an identical copy of the data that will
be placed on a CD. CD images need to be supplied to SPA on
CD-WO, 8mm, 4mm, or 9-track tape. Blocking factors of 4096
or more are required for 8mm and 4mm tape. Please include
the total number of 2K sectors with your order. For other
input considerations, please contact
SPA Product Engineering.
Media types acceptable for image
input to SPA:
9-Track, 8mm and 4mm (DAT-DDS Format) Tape
Tape Labels:
- ANSI
Labeled*
- IBM
Labeled
- ANSI
Unlabeled (not recommended)
Block
Size for 9-track : Integral Number of 2048 bytes, not to exceed
8192. 8192 is recommended because it results in faster processing.
Block Size for 8mm: Integral Number of 2048 bytes between
8192 and 16384. 16384 is recommended because it results in
faster processing. Recording Density for 9-track: 1600 or
6250 Bytes Per Inch.
Compact Disc
CD-WO (one-offs) should not be confused with CD Glass Masters.
The mastering process is
still required and will incur mastering charges.
Non-Image Format
If you are unable to create a CD-ROM image, SPA will accept
your non-image format materials. These materials can be anything
from DOS backups on hard disk or streaming tape to PK Zip
files on floppies. These non-image materials will require
formatting and media conversion to put them into the correct
CD-ROM image and inputmedia format. SPA's Product Engineering
Department performs this service based on an hourly charge.
Media types acceptable for
"non-image" input to SPA:
- 9-Track,
8mm and 4mm (DAT-DDS Format) Tape
Tape Labels:
-ANSI Labeled*
-IBM Labeled
-UNIX TAR or customer supplied
-ANSI Unlabeled (not recommended)
- Hard
Disks
- HP
9145 QIC
- CMS
JUMBO QIC 40/80
- Floppy
Diskettes
- Syquest
Cartridges (44 and 88Mb)
- Magneto
Optical (MO) - Contact SPA's Product Engineering Department
*ANSI labeled tapes must conform to the "American National
Standard magnetic tape labels and file structure for information
exchange" (ANSI X3.27-1978).
Media Labeling
All input materials sent to SPA must be externally labeled
for identification. Each label should contain the following
information:
- Customer
Name
- CD-ROM
Title
- Origination
Date
- 9-track
recording density (1600 or 6250)
- Block
Size (2048, 4096, 6144, or 8192)
- 9-track
tape sequence # (i.e., volume 1 of n, 2 of n, ...)
- Total
number of 2K sectors
- FILE
FORMATS
ISO
9660
CD-ROM images may be in any file format recognized by the
customer's application retrieval software. ISO 9660 is a widely
used file format for CD-ROM. The ISO 9660 (formerly High Sierra)
standard defines a directory structure which has been accepted
by the International Standards Organization. This standard,
supported by Microsoft in the MS/DOS Extensions, allows ISO
9660 formatted CD-ROMs to be read like a DOS write-protected
hard disk. Formatting a CD-ROM to this standard will allow
CD-ROM interchange on any platform that supports the ISO 9660
standard.
ISO Naming Limitations:
ISO 9660 file names are limited to characters A-Z, 0-9, and
an underscore. File names may be eight characters followed
by a period and a three character extension (FFFFFFFF.EEE).
Directory names can have eight characters and no extensions
are allowed (DDDDDDDD). Volume labels may consist of thirty
two characters but only eleven characters will be displayed
in the DOS environment. SPA can convert your data to the ISO
9660 file format provided the following information is supplied
(all conversion services are based on an hourly charge):
Total Number of Files and
Subdirectories:
Norton Utilities FS/s/t can be used to obtain this information.
Apple HFS
CD-ROMs used in the Apple environment typically use the HFS
(hierarchical File System) format. HFS formatted CD-ROMs can
be identical to the hard disk used for development. Twenty
seven characters are allowed in HFS volume labels.
Mixed Mode CD-ROM
Mixed mode CD-ROM contains Computer readable data in track
1 and CD quality audio in tracks 2-99. Each audio track on
the CD must be a minimum of 4 seconds long and pauses between
CD audio tracks will be 2 seconds unless otherwise specified
by the customer. To insure the playability of each audio track,
SPA adds an additional 15 frames (5 SMPTE frames) of CD silence
to the beginning of a track. There are 75 CD frames per second
and 30 SMPTE frames per second.
SPA accepts customer audio data on DAT and 3/4 inch U-matic
video tape in the Sony 1610/1630 format. For other input considerations,
please contact SPA's Product Engineering
Department.
Recommendations
1.CD-WO and 8mm tape are the preferred input media for images
ready for mastering
2.Use new tapes of good quality.
3.Provide a duplicate set of tapes. Duplicate tapes are useful
if there is a problem reading the original tapes.
4.To avoid accidental data erasure, please write protect your
input before sending to SPA.
5.In the DOS environment, limit the number of files per subdirectory
to 250 to avoid performance degradation.
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