Some software programs only stay with us for a few years. Others become a piece of computer history. CDRWIN definitely belongs to the second category.
For more than 30 years, the name has stood for reliable copying, reading, and burning of optical media. Now a new generation is emerging: CDRWIN 11 will be released in a few months - for Windows and for the first time also for macOS.
A history that began in the mid-nineties
The origins of CDRWIN date back to the mid-nineties. At that time, the software was developed together with Golden Hawk Technology. The Windows version emerged from the collaboration between Engelmann Software and Jeff Arnold of Golden Hawk - although Jeff actually preferred to stick with DOS.
CDRWIN also led to the creation of the Cuesheet format .cue. It describes the structure of a CD and developed into a standard that is still supported today by burning programs, emulators, audio tools, and archiving software.
After the end of Golden Hawk, Engelmann Software continued the product line. CDRWIN 10 was released more than ten years ago. Since then, Windows has undergone several transformations, new processor architectures have been added, and Blu-ray has finally matured.
So it was time for a new version.
Why a new CDRWIN?
Optical media is no longer part of everyone's daily computer life. Nevertheless, there are still many CDs, DVDs, and Blu-rays whose content needs to be preserved, copied, or analyzed.
Old data carriers are stored in private collections and company archives. Audio CDs are to be backed up without loss, historical images reopened, and important data permanently archived. In addition, there are professional applications in digitization, forensics, and media restoration.
CDRWIN 11 is being developed precisely for these tasks: not as an arbitrary burning program, but as a powerful tool for people who want to do more with optical media.
Under the hood: RecDev
The technical heart of CDRWIN is the burning engine RecDev. This library has been developed since 1998 and is being comprehensively re-engineered for CDRWIN 11.
RecDev handles direct communication with drives and media. The engine supports, among other things, raw access to sectors and subchannel data, reading audio CDs with jitter correction, and processing of image formats ISO, CUE/BIN, NRG, MDS, and XMD. In addition, it can analyze drive and media properties in detail.
RecDev is available for Windows and macOS and can also be integrated as an SDK into proprietary software solutions. This is particularly interesting for archiving and digitization service providers, manufacturers of forensic tools, media restoration, or providers of disc publisher hardware.
If you would like to use RecDev in your own application, please contact us.
What's new in CDRWIN 11
CDRWIN 11 receives a modern technical foundation and numerous new features:
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Support for Windows 10 and Windows 11 including ARM
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First version for macOS
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Full Blu-ray support
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Support for UDF up to version 2.60
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Distribution of large archives across multiple discs
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Optional compression and password protection
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Automatic data verification after burning
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PDF logs with checksums
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Reliable M-DISC detection
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Ripping audio CDs to FLAC, ALAC, and Opus
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Modern retrieval of audio metadata as a replacement for the discontinued freedb service
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Command-line control for automated processes – in the tradition of BatchDisc
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User interface in eleven languages
What remains
CDRWIN 11 will be more modern, but without losing the special capabilities for which the program has been valued for decades.
These include raw access to data carriers and subchannel data, support for Mode 2, ISRC and MCN, and compatibility with older image formats such as CUE/BIN, NRG, MDS, and XMD. The detailed sector view in the hex editor also remains.
Thus, CDRWIN 11 combines modern operating systems and current archiving functions with features that are no longer found in many current programs.
A classic returns
CDRWIN 11 is not intended to be a short-lived product. It is created for users who want to buy their software instead of subscribing to it – and who value reliability, control, and long-term compatibility.
CDRWIN copies and burns like hell again – now in its eleventh generation.
