ISO IEC 26925-2009 PDF

Full title and description

Information technology — Data interchange on 120 mm and 80 mm optical disk using +RW HS format — Capacity: 4,7 Gbytes and 1,46 Gbytes per side (ISO/IEC 26925:2009). The standard specifies mechanical, physical and optical characteristics, signal quality, data format and recording methods for +RW HS (High Speed) rewritable optical discs (120 mm and 80 mm) to enable reliable interchange between drives and systems.

Abstract

ISO/IEC 26925:2009 defines two related types of +RW HS optical disc (120 mm and 80 mm) including capacities and dual-sided/dual-layer variants, the required environmental and test conditions, mechanical and dimensional characteristics for interchangeability, logical and physical data layout (tracks, sectors, ECC and coding), and signal recording/readback characteristics to ensure cross‑device compatibility.

General information

• Status: Published International Standard (2nd edition).
• Publication date: 10 June 2009.
• Publisher: ISO/IEC (published via ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 23; available from IEC/ISO webstores).
• ICS / categories: 35.220.30 (Optical storage devices).
• Edition / version: Edition 2.0 (2009).
• Number of pages: 133 pages.

Details above are taken from the ISO/IEC product catalogue and IEC webstore entries for ISO/IEC 26925:2009.

Scope

Specifies the mechanical, physical and optical requirements and test conditions for interchange of data on +RW HS format optical discs (120 mm and 80 mm). It covers the physical disc construction and dimensions, optical and recording signal characteristics, formatted data layout (track/sector geometry, coding and error correction), conformance conditions and recommended environments for operation, testing and storage. An annex provides parameters specific to the smaller (80 mm) disc form factor.

Key topics and requirements

• Mechanical and dimensional specifications to ensure physical interchangeability between drives and discs.
• Optical and recording signal parameters (laser focus/track tolerances, modulation and reflectivity requirements).
• Logical and physical data format: track and sector layout, channel coding, ECC (error correction) and addressing schemes.
• Conformance criteria and test procedures for recorded and unrecorded signal quality.
• Environmental conditions for operation, testing and storage (temperature, humidity, handling considerations).
• Specific parameters for 80 mm discs provided in an annex (scaling of dimensions and tolerances).
• Support for +RW HS media capacities and higher-speed recording (specified recording speed up to 8× for the HS variant).

Typical use and users

Primary users include optical media manufacturers, optical drive and recorder manufacturers, firmware and device test laboratories, conformity assessment bodies, data archivists and large-scale data interchange or duplication service providers. The standard is used to design and validate media and drives for cross-vendor compatibility, to prepare test specifications and to support archival/data‑migration planning where +RW HS media are part of a preservation or distribution workflow.

Related standards

ISO/IEC 26925:2009 is part of a family of optical‑disc interchange standards. Related and complementary standards include ISO/IEC documents for +R and +RW formats and dual‑layer variants (for example ISO/IEC 17344, ISO/IEC 29642 and other JTC 1/SC 23 deliverables), plus test and lifetime estimation standards such as ISO/IEC 16963 / ISO/IEC 10995 and data‑migration guidance like ISO/IEC 29121. These documents together cover alternate recordable/read‑only formats, double‑layer variants, test methods and archival migration practices.

Keywords

+RW HS, optical disc, DVD+RW HS, data interchange, 120 mm, 80 mm, rewritable media, recording speed 8×, track/sector format, ECC, optical storage, ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 23.

FAQ

Q: What is this standard?

A: ISO/IEC 26925:2009 is an international standard that defines the mechanical, optical and logical characteristics required for data interchange on +RW HS rewritable optical discs (120 mm and 80 mm), enabling reliable read/write interoperability between drives and media.

Q: What does it cover?

A: It covers disc construction and dimensions, optical and recording signal specifications, formatted data layout (tracks, sectors, coding and error correction), test and conformance conditions, and environmental/handling conditions; an annex addresses parameters unique to 80 mm discs.

Q: Who typically uses it?

A: Media and drive manufacturers, firmware developers, test laboratories, conformity assessors, archivists and organizations that require guaranteed cross‑vendor interchange of rewritable optical media.

Q: Is it current or superseded?

A: ISO/IEC 26925 was published as the 2nd edition on 10 June 2009 and replaced the 2006 edition. As of 2 March 2026, ISO and IEC catalogue entries and product pages list ISO/IEC 26925:2009 as the published (second) edition; we did not find an ISO/IEC replacement published after 2009 in the ISO/IEC public catalogue during this check. Users should check the official ISO or IEC catalogue or national standards body for the absolute latest status before procurement or certification.

Q: Is it part of a series?

A: Yes — it is part of a suite of ISO/IEC and ECMA standards addressing DVD and optical data interchange formats (separate documents address +R, +RW, +R DL, +RW DL, other physical formats, and test/migration methods). Implementers often consult multiple related standards from ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 23 when designing media, drives or archival processes.

Q: What are the key keywords?

A: +RW HS, rewritable optical disc, DVD+RW, 120 mm, 80 mm, data interchange, track/sector format, ECC, recording speed 8×, ISO/IEC JTC 1/SC 23.