Media Descriptor File
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| MDF | |
|---|---|
| Filename extension |
.mdf |
| Magic number | MEDIA DESCRIPTOR |
| Type of format | Disc image |
| MDS | |
|---|---|
| Filename extension |
.mds |
| Magic number | MEDIA DESCRIPTOR |
| Type of format | Disc image |
An MDS/MDF file pair (Media Descriptor File) is a proprietary file format designed for the Alcohol 120% optical disc authoring program. MDF files contain a disc image with the contents of an optical disc such as a CD or a DVD.[1][2] An MDS accompanies each MDF file. It is an optional media descriptor file that contains metadata about the original media.[3][4]
MDS/MDF file pairs may be created by optical disc imaging applications such as Alcohol 120% and Daemon Tools. For a list of such software, see: Comparison of disc image software.
Details
MDF files are in practice the same as BIN files in the CUE/BIN format and as IMG files in the CCD/IMG format.[5] All of them are raw disc images of the binary contents of an optical disc.
Similar to CUE and CCD files, MDS files are descriptor files that accompany the raw disk image (MDF in this case). The MDS format is a binary file that contains metadata such as the position of the layer breaks or layer breach bit, a property of the copy protection feature of optical discs. Magic number "MEDIA DESCRIPTOR" appears at the beginning of the file.
References
- ^ ".MDF File Extension". FileInfo.com. 29 September 2009. Retrieved 11 December 2011.
- ^ "File extension MDF - Alcohol 120% disc image file format". File-Extensions.org. Retrieved 11 December 2011.
- ^ ".MDS File Extension". FileInfo.com. 17 September 2010. Retrieved 11 December 2011.
- ^ "File extension MDS - Alcohol 120% Image file (media descriptor file) format". File-Extensions.org. Retrieved 11 December 2011.
- ^ Media Descriptor File (MDF/MDS) file format
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