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ECMA-240

Data interchange on 120 mm optical disk cartridges using phase change PD format - Capacity: 650 Mbytes per cartridge

1st edition, June 1996

This Ecma Standard specifies the characteristics of 120 mm Optical Disk Cartridges (ODCs) with a capacity of 650 Mbytes using Phase Change PD format. The present Ecma Standard specifies two related, but different implementations of such cartridges, viz.

Type R/W
Provides for data to be written, read and overwritten many times over the whole recording surface of the disk using the phase change recording and read-out method.

Type WORM
Provides for data to be written once and read many times over the whole recording surface of the disk using the phase change recording and read-out method.

Type R/W and Type WORM are also referred to as “rewritable” and “write-once” respectively.

This Ecma Standard specifies:

  • the conditions for conformance testing and the Reference Drive;
  • the environments in which the cartridges are to be operated and stored;
  • the mechanical and physical characteristics of the cartridge, so as to provide mechanical interchangeability between data processing systems;
  • the format of the information on the disk known as the PD format; including the physical disposition of the tracks and sectors, the error correction codes, and the modulation method used;
  • the characteristics of the embossed information on the disk;
  • the phase change recording characteristics of the disk, enabling data processing systems to write data onto the disk;
  • the minimum quality of user-written data on the disk, enabling data processing systems to read data from the disk.

This Ecma Standard provides for interchange between optical disk drives. Together with a standard for volume and file structure, it provides for full data interchange between data processing systems.

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Classification

CategoryData interchange – optical disks and cartridges

SubcategoryOptical disks and cartridges

Technical CommitteeTC31

ISO/IEC number15485