compact disc rewritable (CD-RW)

The Compact Disc Rewritable(CD- RW) is a variant of the CD-ROM that is recordable and erasable using a CD writer or burner. This format is specified in the Orange Book and is also referred to as CD-EPROM.

Data and music can be stored on the CD-RW. They can be played via the CD drive of a computer. CD-RWs have pregrooves whose use is specified by the ATIP code, Absolute Time in Pregroove (ATIP). The CD-RW is similar to the CD-R (recordable). It is rewritable up to 1,000 times and uses the Universal Disk Format( UDF) cross- platform file system.

During the writing process, the laser heats the surface material selectively, creating different areas of crystalline and amorphous structure, which is expressed in the beam reflection during reading. The erasing process is performed by high temperature, which melts the substrate layer and makes it amorphous again.