(n.) A physical indentation in the information layer of a CD or a laser disc. Pits determine how a laser beam is reflected. In transmissive discs, pits either block the beam or allow it to pass through the disc. Pits on JVC laser discs cause a detectable change in electrical capacitance. The ones on a CD-R differ from those on a mastered disc because CD-R pits are actually mounds that the laser beam creates in the dye polymer layer. A pit may also be referred to as the space between “lands” along the data spiral of a CD.
pit
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