CD BURNER REALLY BURNS

Burning a CD has become commonplace with most computer users these days. You can burn CDs to reliably store your computer data, burn a CD to hold your favorite music selections in the order you want to hear them, store still and moving images, the list goes on and on. And after you've burned your disk, there are ways to create nice looking labels that add a professional touch to your creations. But I'm always on the lookout for something different and it looks like Yamaha has just introduced a novel approach to their line of CD burners that just might give them an edge over the competition. And when I say an "edge" I mean that literally since you can now burn a label along the edge of a CD.

Yamaha's DiscT@2™ Laser Labeling System which is being offered with their latest line of CD recorders is an innovative process that lets you burn a CD and its label directly into the CD itself without having to remove the CD from the drive. Today's consumer labeling systems typically require you to first print to a special round label in a printer, peel off the adhesive backing and then physically press the label to the disk. But applying such a label can be a little tricky and sometimes due to an improper application may not be perfectly aligned to the disk itself. If that happens, part of the label could lap over the edge of the CD while the other side remains exposed causing it to appear lopsided. Other application mishaps include wrinkling or capturing an air bubble beneath the label. If improperly applied, stick on labels can make a CD spin unevenly and can even cause a tracking problem.

But Yamaha's DiscT@2 literally etches a label into the surface of the CD itself. The result is a highly professional appearing disk that bears a distinct and indelible identification. There's also no cost of disposables. The only downside to this system is that it literally is on the downside of the disk itself. The technology uses the same laser that reads and writes the data on the downside of the disk and therefore can only etch the playing surface instead of the top on which labels are usually affixed. And since the etched label would interfere with any playable areas, you can only print on the part that won't be played. But that's not too much of a problem according to Yamaha. First of all, many don't realize that CDs store and play their data in the exact opposite manner of traditional records. Records play from their outer to the inner edge. CDs record and then play from the inner to the outer edge. And since Yamaha says that most CDs we burn typically only hold around 350 megabytes or 60 minutes of audio, there's plenty of room remaining along the outer edge for a label to be printed. And even if you leave only around 50 megabytes blank, that still gives you about a quarter of an inch band around the CD on which to print text or images. The included software lets you compose and place text and graphics anywhere on the CD. How cool will your CDs look with your signature burned around the entire circumference of the CD? Very cool.

The fist model to incorporate the DiscT@2 technology will be the CRW-F1 and will range in price from $180 to $350 depending on which interface is used to connect the drive to your computer. Versions include internal and external models for Windows and Macintosh systems using USB 2.0, Firewire and SCSI.