An audio CD, like a music CD that
you buy in a store, can be played on any standard CD player. Music is stored on Audio CDs
as uncompressed
digitally encoded files. When compressed audio
files (RealAudio, MP3, etc.) are transferred to an audio CD, RealPlayer
makes temporary uncompressed copies of each song before the CD is burned.
This increases the time it takes to create the CD and requires up to 700Mb
of free hard drive space.
You can confidently burn Audio CDs only
onto CD-R media. While some CD players can read CD-RW discs,
not all are capable. You can use CD-RW with RealPlayer, but you should
check with the manufacturer of your home or car CD player before burning
CD-RWs for
use in any of these devices.
A data disc is similar to a CD or DVD used to install software on your computer: it is just data files. Use this feature to backup or store your media files. You can burn RealPlayercompatible files (RealAudio, MP3, etc.) from your local drives directly onto a data CD. During burning, the files are copied to the disc just as they are, without conversion or modification.
Data discs may be created using CD-R or CD-RW media.
An MP3 CD is a specialized type of data disc. All files copied to an MP3 disc will be converted to MP3 format (if needed). Like the Data CD, files can be organized into folders. Media files on the MP3 CDcan be accompanied by M3U formatted playlists, which are used by some portable players to play the MP3 files on the disc. When placed in an MP3 compatible CD or DVD player, MP3 discs are played like any audio CD.
MP3 Discs can be created using CD-R or CD-RW media.
Video CD (or VCD) stands for "Video Compact Disc." It is a standard digital format for storing video onto compact discs. VCDs are playable in dedicated VCD players, nearly all personal computers, most modern DVD players, and some video game consoles. VCD displays less video resolution quality than SVCD, but holds more content per disc than SVCD.
Super Video CD (SVCD) stands for "Super Video Compact Disc." This format is essentially identical to VCD, but in terms of technical capability and picture quality SVCD falls between VCD and DVD. SVCD displays less video resolution quality than DVD, but noticeably greater resolution than VCD. SVCD holds less content per disc than VCD.
DVD ("Digital Versatile Disc" or "Digital Video Disc") is a format that can be used for data storage, including movies with high video and sound quality. DVDs have a storage capacity several times greater than CDs. A DVD reader or writer can usually read CDs.
AVCHD stands for Advanced Video Coding High Definition, a type of format for recording and playing high-definition video. When high-definition video is created and burned onto a standard DVD, the result is an AVCHD disc designed to be compatible with Blu-ray format. An AVCHD disc can be burned on a standard DVD burner, but played only on Blu-ray disc players.
Note: Not all services and features are available in all countries. Services and features will be added as they become available.
© 2011-2012 RealNetworks, Inc. All rights reserved.