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[I hate to start an old thread, but...] Ae's "Incunabula" has a total running time of 77 minutes and 58 seconds. Isn't there a limited time span of 74 minutes on a (normal) cd? Just curious... Pietro. _______________________________ Pietro Da Sacco, mbm@netcore.ca The Circular Cosmic Spot http://www.sdriver.com/spot

quoted 6 lines [I hate to start an old thread, but...]

> [I hate to start an old thread, but...] > > Ae's "Incunabula" has a total running time > of 77 minutes and 58 seconds. Isn't there > a limited time span of 74 minutes on a (normal) > cd?

I think an old Redbook standard stated that, but it seems that nowadays, you can go as high as 80 minutes. One of the first few Trance Europe Express compilations had a disc that was 79:58. Just remember, length of the disc seems to have little to do with the creature it creates for Monster Rancher. Sorry.

On Tue, 26 Jan 1999, Andrew Hime wrote:

quoted 7 lines Ae's "Incunabula" has a total running time

> > Ae's "Incunabula" has a total running time > > of 77 minutes and 58 seconds. Isn't there > > a limited time span of 74 minutes on a (normal) > > cd? > > I think an old Redbook standard stated that, but it seems that nowadays, > you can go as high as 80 minutes.

Perhaps it's an urban myth, but I seem to recall hearing/reading somewhere that the reason the 74 minute limit came about was because it was the length of the president of Phillips' favorite recording of a certain symphony (something by Beethoven or Mozart, I think). So while it was technically feasible to cram more onto the disc, they chose 74 minutes as a standard, but 80 minutes seems to be the "real" limit - I have yet to see a disc longer than 79:58 or so. Greg

CD technical trivia; delete now if uninterested. On Tue, 26 Jan 1999, `Pietro wrote:

quoted 2 lines of 77 minutes and 58 seconds. Isn't there a limited time span of 74

> of 77 minutes and 58 seconds. Isn't there a limited time span of 74 > minutes on a (normal) cd?

The manufacturing cost would be higher and/or the pressing plant couldn't offer the same guarantees if you want to press a disc longer than 74 minutes. The percentage of rejects goes up, because it is more difficult to keep the outer edges of the discs uniform enough. However, as with everything else related to CDs, they are getting better at it. The absolute limit is about 80 minutes. Normal CD-Rs can hold a few seconds more than 74 minutes. Ones which hold more are available at a significant premium and they are not a common sight. My understanding is conductor Herbert von Karajan was asked how much music a CD should hold. He thought a performance of Beethoven's Symphony No. 9 should fit on a single CD. (He might have had a particular performance in mind. If so, probably one in which they did not do the repeat in the 4th movement I think it is.) One for the FAQ if it isn't in there already. And if there is a FAQ at all...? (Yeah, I know, check the FAQ for the answer... :-) --Mark __ Burning Rome : SENSELESS CD on Mindfield Records MindCD03 Cathartium 14 > Distributed by Dutch East India Trading, Com Four, and Carrot Top < < http://www.xnet.com/~mkolmar/BurningRome > < MP3 & RealAudio tracks >