What is packet writing software?
Packet writing is an alternative to writing entire tracks or discs. With track-at-once recording there’s a maximum of 99 tracks per disc, a minimum track length of 300 blocks, and an additional 150 blocks of overhead for run-in, run-out, pregap, and linking. Packet writing allows several writes per track, with only 7 blocks of overhead per write (4 for run-in, 2 for run-out, and 1 for link). Since it’s possible to write packets that are small enough to fit entirely in the CD recorder’s buffer, the risk of buffer underruns can be eliminated. There are some problems with packet writing, mostly due to the inability of older CD-ROM drives to deal with the gaps between packets. CD-ROM drives can become confused if they read into the gap, a problem complicated by read-ahead optimizations on some models. There are two basic “philosophies” behind packet writing, fixed-size and variable-size. With fixed-size packets, the CD recorder writes data whenever it has a full packet. All packets in the
