What is a MultiRead DVD or CD drive?

You may encounter the term "MultiRead" when reading about CD drives or DVD drives. You may also see the MultiRead logo when shopping for a drive. What does this mean?

MultiRead basically is a compatibility logo program. It means the DVD or CD player in question can read all the physical CD formats: CD-ROM, CD-DA, CD-R, and CD-RW. MultiRead is like MultiPlay, except it is for computer DVD and CD drives (as opposed to the consumer drives, like the DVD player you connect to your home TV). So, if you want to know if that DVD player for your computer will play those audio tracks you burned onto CD-RW discs, look for the MultiRead logo.

Note that MultiRead only signifies compatibility with different CD formats. So the MultiRead logo on a consumer DVD player means it can read various CD formats -- it does not say anything about whether the DVD player can read various DVD formats (such as DVD-R, DVD+R, etc.).

The MultiRead specification is sponsored by the Optical Storage Technology Association (OSTA). Their website offers more information

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