Can You Burn an Audio CD on a DVD?

by Tom McNamara
DVDs can store any type of digital data, including audio files.

DVDs can store any type of digital data, including audio files.

CD's image by Andrew Buckin from Fotolia.com

Making copies of audio CDs provides a backup in case the originals are lost, damaged or stolen. If you have the right equipment, you can copy an audio CD to a blank DVD instead of a blank CD.

DVD Basics

As long as you have a DVD burner and its accompanying software, you have the tools you need. In the United States, you generally may make one copy of a copyrighted music CD for personal use.

Format Shifting

Some legal jurisdictions, however, put limitations on "format shifting," which is what happens when you extract music from your CD to another format, such as an MP3 file on your computer.

Multiple Drives

If you have multiple optical drives, you can copy the music data from the CD to the blank DVD and avoid format shifting.

Compatibility

Car stereos and dedicated CD players typically cannot recognize music DVDs. A DVD requires a different laser to "read" its surface.

Considerations

If your concern is being able to fit a large number of songs onto an optical disc, you can extract audio from a CD and convert it to MP3 files. As long as your music-playing device can recognize MP3 files -- and many car stereos do -- then you can burn those MP3 files onto a blank CD and listen to them.

About the Author

Thomas McNamara is a technology and entertainment writer whose work has appeared in several magazines and websites over the years, including PC Gamer, Maximum PC, IGN, Yahoo! Games, and GamePro. He currently lives in the San Francisco bay area. He enjoys long walks on the beach and rocking to the sounds of rock.

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