Mini CD - Formats

Formats

Amongst the various formats are the

• Mini CD single, a small disc. The format is mainly used for audio CD singles in certain regions (singles are sold on normal 120 mm CDs in many countries), much like the old vinyl single. An 80 mm disc can hold up to 24 minutes of music, or 210 MB (210 × 220 bytes) of data. They are often referred to as Maxi CDs in some countries.
  • The low density version holds 18 minutes, or 155 MB.
  • Other formats are 185 MB (21 mins), which has the same data density as a 650 MB full-sized CD, and 210 MB (24 mins), with the same data density as a 700 MB full sized CD, used for "Pocket" data storage. (see also miniDVD)
  • An enhanced density version of the 80 mm disc that holds 34 minutes, or 300 MB has been created but is not readily available.
• Business card CD (or "b-card"), a truncated (to the shape and size of a business card) 80 mm disc with a storage capacity from 30 MB to 100 MB.
  • The long axis is 80 mm while the short axis (from flat side to flat side) is generally between 58 and 68 mm
  • The disc may be rectangular with wings added on, to square off the rounded 80 mm disc.
• 60 mm disc, a round version of the business card, with comparable capacity (50 MB)

When Mini CDs were first introduced in the United States, they were initially marketed as CD3, in reference to their approximate size in inches; larger CDs were called CD5, despite the fact that both CD specifications are defined solely in terms of metric units.