Compact Disc Audio
Compact Disc Audio (CDA for short) is the file name extension commonly used under Microsoft Windows for displaying individual audio tracks on audio CDs .
If an audio CD is inserted on a Windows computer and the corresponding drive is opened in the file manager, consecutively numbered entries with the file extension “.cda” (Track01.cda, Track02.cda…) appear there. However, these apparent files contain no audio material, which can be recognized by their small file size (1 kilobyte or 44 bytes, depending on the Windows version), and they all have the same time stamp (January 1, 1995, 1:00 a.m.). In fact, these apparent files are just jump labels to the corresponding tracks on the CD.
An audio CD does not have a file system and therefore does not contain any individual files. It only outputs a single, continuous stream of data divided into tracks. The display of these tracks as virtual cda files makes it possible to jump to any track directly from the file manager. However, it is not possible to copy these cda files and play them later without the associated CD, as the jump labels are worthless without the associated CD. In order to really copy audio material, the individual tracks on the audio CD must be ripped , i.e. read out and saved as audio files.
Individual evidence
- ↑ Information on file.org , accessed March 7, 2017