GM Service Manual Online
For 1990-2009 cars only
Table 1: Radio Features
Table 2: CD Features
Table 3: MP3 Features
Table 4: XM Advisory Messages

Battery positive voltage is provided to the radio from the Radio (15A) fuse in the fuse block. The radio is grounded through a braided cable case ground. The radio is enabled/disabled by Class 2 messages from the body control module (BCM). The entertainment system on this vehicle is configured with a base and uplevel system. The base and uplevel systems contain a radio, antenna, speakers, and on some vehicles an audio amplifier.

The uplevel system differs from the base system by providing the customer with enhanced audio system features. Some of those features may include the radio data system (RDS), an audio amplifier, and programmable equalizer (EQ). Satellite digital radio (U2K) is available with the uplevel systems.

The following list shows the audio system RPOs available with this vehicle:

    • Base Radio (U1C) - AM/FM Stereo, CD
    • Uplevel Radio (UC6) - AM/FM Stereo, RDS, Multiple CD, EQ
    • Uplevel Radio (US8) - AM/FM Stereo, RDS, EQ, CD, MP3
    • Satellite Digital Radio (U2K)
    • Speaker system custom - 6 (UW6)
    • Speaker System premium - 7 (U65) - Includes subwoofer

Radio Features

Controls

Base U1C

Uplevel UC6

Uplevel US8

Power

Push PWR/VOL knob to turn radio ON.

Volume

The volume is adjusted by rotating the PWR/VOL knob.

Speed Compensated Volume

Press the AUTO VOL button.

Band

Push the BAND button.

Tune

Turn the TUNE/SELECT/RCL knob.

Seek

Momentarily press SEEK/SCAN button.

Scan

Hold SEEK/SCAN button for 4 seconds, until a single beep is heard.

Preset Scan

Press and hold SEEK/SCAN button for more than 4 seconds until a double beep is heard.

Presets

Six AM, Six FM1, and Six FM2.

Six AM, Six FM1, and Six FM2 (also six XM1 and six XM2 if equipped with U2K)

Preset Saving

Press and hold desired preset button until an audible beep is heard.

Preset Scan

Press SEEK/SCAN button for more than 4 seconds.

Set Clock

Press the CLOCK button to display the time, then again to enter the time set mode. Once the mode has been entered, use the ADJ knob to increment the hour. Then press the CLOCK button again to set the minutes, again using the ADJ knob. When the correct time has been entered, press the CLOCK button again to exit.

Recall

Push the DISP/ADJ knob.

Mute

Push the MUTE button on the steering wheel controls (if equipped with UK3 and U2K)

Fade/Balance

Press the BAL/FADE button to select and adjust with the SELECT knob. To center a setting, press and hold the BAL/FADE button with the desired range selected. To center all ranges, push and hold the BAL/FADE button once, without selecting a range.

Bass/Treble/Midrange

Press TONE button to select and adjust with the SELECT knob. To center a setting, press and hold the BAL/FADE button with the desired range selected. To center all ranges, push and hold the BAL/FADE button once, without selecting a range.

Programmable EQ (AUTO TONE)

Press AUTO EQ button.

CD Features

Controls

Base U1C

Uplevel UC6

Uplevel US8

Source

Press the source button to select CD (if a CD is loaded) or tuner (or XM if equipped with U2K).

Eject Single CD

Press the EJECT button.

Press the EJECT button. Select disc to eject.

Press the EJECT button.

Load Single CD

Press the LOAD button.

Press the LOAD button. Select CD slot to load.

Press the LOAD button.

Eject all CDs

N/A

Press and hold the EJECT button.

N/A

Load all CDs

N/A

Press and hold the LOAD button.

N/A

Fast Forward

Press and hold Fast Forward button.

Reverse

Press and hold Fast Reverse button.

Previous

Press the Previous Track button.

Next

Press the NEXT track button.

Random

Press the RDM button. Press again to cancel.

Press the RDM button to listen to tracks on selected CD in random order. Press and hold for more than 2 seconds to random play tracks on ALL CDs that are loaded. Press again to cancel.

Press the RDM button. Press again to cancel.

Repeat

Press the RPT button to repeat track that is currently playing. Press again to cancel.

Press the RPT button to repeat track that is currently playing. Press again to cancel. Press and hold RPT button for more than 2 seconds to repeat entire CD that is currently playing.

N/A

Select Disc

N/A

Press the numbered push-button (preset button) that corresponds with the desired disc.

N/A

Song List (UC6 only)

The 6-disc CD changer has a feature called song list. This feature is capable of saving 20 track selections.

To save tracks into the song list, perform the following steps:

  1. Turn the radio ON and load it with at least one CD.
  2. Check to see that the CD changer is not in song list mode. S-LIST should not appear in the display. If song list mode is on, press the song list button to turn it OFF.
  3. Select the desired CD by pressing the numbered push-button and then use the SEEK left arrow to locate the track to be saved. The track will begin to play.
  4. Press and hold the song list button for 2 or more seconds to save the track into memory. When the song list button is pressed, a beep with be heard immediately. After 2 seconds of pressing the button, 2 beeps will sound to confirm that the track has been saved and TRACK (number) ADDED will appear on the display.
  5. Repeat Steps 3 and 4 for saving other selections.

SONG LIST FULL will appear on the display if your try to save more than 20 selections.

To play the song list, press the song list button. One beep will be heard and SONG LIST will appear on the display. The recorded tracks will begin to play in the order that they were saved.

Seek through the song list by using the SEEK arrows. Seeking past the last saved track will return you to the first saved track.

To delete tracks from the song list, perform the following steps:

  1. Turn the CD player ON.
  2. Press the song list button to turn song list on. S-LIST will appear on the display.
  3. Press either SEEK arrow to select the desired track to be selected.
  4. Press and hold the song list button for 2 seconds. After 2 seconds of continuously pressing the button, 2 beeps will be heard to confirm that the track has been deleted and TRACK (number) DELETED will appear on the display.

After a track has been deleted, the remaining tracks are moved up list. When another track is added to the song list, the track will be added to the end of the list.

To delete the entire song list, perform the following steps:

  1. Turn the CD player ON.
  2. Press the song list button to turn song list mode ON. S-LIST will appear on the display.
  3. Press and hold the song list button for more than 4 seconds. A beep will be heard, followed by 2 beeps after 2 seconds, and a final beep with be heard after 4 seconds. SONG LIST EMPTY will appear on the display, indicating that the song list has been deleted.

If a CD is ejected, and the song list contains saved tracks from the CD, those tracks are automatically deleted from the song list. Any tracks saved to the song list again are added to the bottom of the list.

To end song list mode, press the song list button. One beep will be heard and S-LIST will disappear from the display.

MP3 Features

Controls

Base U1C

Uplevel UC6

Uplevel US8

Next Track

N/A

Press the Next Track button

Previous Track

N/A

Press the Previous Tack button

Next Folder

N/A

Press the Next Folder button

Previous Folder

N/A

Press the Previous Folder button

Fast Forward

N/A

Press and hold the Fast Forward button

Fast Reverse

N/A

Press and hold the Fast Reverse button

Random

N/A

Press the random button to listen to tracks in selected folder in random order. Press and hold for more than 2 seconds to random play tracks in ALL folders. Press again to cancel. (RDM does not function with playlists.)

Recall

N/A

Press the DISP button

Info

N/A

Press the MSG button for artist, song, and album information, if available.

Each item in the following list represents topics covered in detail below:

   • 

AM/FM Reception

   • 

XM Reception

   • 

Antenna

   • 

Audio Amplifier

   • 

Theft Deterrent

   • 

Radio Data System

   • 

XM Satellite Radio

   • 

XM Advisory Messages

   • 

Radio Chime Level Adjustment

   • 

Tape/CD Player Errors

   • 

Technical Information for MP3 Player (US8)

AM/FM Reception

Radio Signal

The radio signal is sent from a broadcast station and is then received by an antenna. The strength of the signal received depends on the following:

    • The power output, or wattage, of the broadcasting station
    • The location of the vehicle, or receiver, relative to the broadcast tower.
    • Obstacles between the tower and the receiver
    • Atmospheric conditions
    • Which band, AM or FM, the station is broadcasting
    • Type of antenna and the ground plane

AM Reception

The AM band has a lower frequency range than the FM band. These longer wavelengths:

    • Bend around obstacles
    • Follow the curvature of the earth
    • May reflect, or skip, off of the ionosphere

The AM frequencies have longer range due to the ground wave. The ground wave follows the curvature of the earth and is affected by its conductivity. Greater conductivity equates to less signal loss, thus transmission over water is better than over land. The AM band has a range of 80-320 km (50-200 mi).

FM Reception

The shorter wavelengths of the higher frequency FM band:

    • Reflect off obstacles
    • Are absorbed by the ground
    • Penetrate the ionosphere

Broadcasts in the FM band are limited to "line of sight" reception which is typically 40 km (25 mi). Even when out of a direct line of sight, the signal may be reflected into areas that would be in a "shadow" otherwise. Factors which affect the line of sight include:

    • Height of the broadcast antenna
    • Height of the receiving antenna
    • Terrain and buildings in the broadcast path

XM Reception

XM satellite radio provides digital radio reception. The XM signal is broadcast from two satellites and, where necessary, terrestrial repeaters. The high power satellites allow the antenna to receive the XM signal even when foliage and other partial obstructions block the antennas view of the satellite. Terrestrial repeaters are used in dense urban areas. These repeaters will receive the satellite signal and re-broadcast them at much higher power levels in order to ensure reception in areas with densely packed tall buildings.

Antenna

The antenna is comprised of a fixed mast which is mounted on the body of the vehicle. Mast antennas are typically located on the fender or rear quarter panel of the vehicle.

Audio Amplifier

The purpose of the amplifier is to increase the power of a voltage or current signal. The output signal of an amplifier may consists of the same frequencies as the input signal or it may consist of only a portion of the frequencies of the input signal as in the case of a subwoofer or midrange amplifier.

When the radio is turned ON, it sends a voltage signal to the audio amplifier via the radio on signal circuit. The gain control signal circuit allows the radio to recognize that the amplifier is present. Once the radio detects the amplifier, the radio will output low-level signals to the amplifier. With the amplifier enabled, the signal that drives the speaker is now amplified.

Theft Deterrent

The "Theftlock" theft deterrent system is a feature on all base and uplevel radios. There is no need to program a security code into the radio as in past model years. The theft deterrent system now utilizes class 2 serial data to determine if the radio is in the appropriate vehicle. Each time the radio receives the "run" power mode message, it compares the VIN information it has stored to the VIN information received from a module on the class 2 serial data circuit responsible for transmitting that information. If a mis-match occurs, the radio display will indicate to the user the radio is locked. Once this takes place, a DTC will set, the radio will not respond to any button presses and become inoperative. The two scenarios able to cause this condition are:

    • A radio is installed from another vehicle.
    • A module which communicates on the class 2 serial data circuit which supplies VIN information to the radio is replaced and not properly setup with the correct VIN information for that vehicle.

The only way to unlock the radio is by using a scan tool. Always refer to the table in this section to diagnose the "Theftlock" DTC for further information.

Radio Data System (RDS)

All uplevel audio systems are equipped with technology known as the Radio Data System (RDS). RDS is a system that sends data along with the audio of the FM station you are currently tuned to. RDS is a standard that defines how a FM broadcast station may send digital data along with the audio program. Think of it as a one way wireless modem, allowing the broadcaster to send information about the program to your receiver.

RDS data is carried in what is known as a "subcarrier". A subcarrier is a frequency that the FM broadcaster is authorized to use to send data or other audio programs that are not audible in the main audio program. RDS information can be used to display program information and to control the radio.

To receive the RDS signal, all that is needed is an FM receiver with an RDS circuit. A special integrated circuit capable of dealing with the RDS signal is in the RDS circuit and passes it along to the receiver's microprocessor where it is decoded and acted upon.

RDS Basic Information

    • RDS functions are provided in the FM broadcast band only.
    • RDS functions will only work with FM broadcast stations that are broadcasting RDS data.
    • Not all FM Broadcast stations broadcast RDS data or offer all of the RDS services.
    • RDS functions may not work properly when reception is weak, reception is of poor quality, or RDS is not implemented properly by the FM Broadcaster.

In some cases, a radio station broadcasting incorrect information may cause the RDS features of the radio to appear to work improperly.

Displaying RDS Information

The RDS feature is always on. When tuned to a non-RDS station, the radio will display frequency information as you would normally expect. When tuned to an RDS station, the radio can operate as follows:

    • The radio will change from displaying the frequency of the FM station to displaying the call letters of the station or display the nickname of the station.
    • Display the type of program.
    • Display general information such as artist and song title, call in phone numbers, etc.

Viewing and Selecting RDS Information for Display

Press the TUNE knob once for less than 2 seconds when the radio displays the program service (PS) name and the frequency of the station will be displayed. Press the knob again, and the program type (P-Type) will be displayed. Pressed again, and the program type (PTY) name will be displayed, if the broadcaster is broadcasting one. The PTY name is an eight-character name that the broadcaster may use to further identify the type of programming currently being broadcast. Should you decide that Frequency, P-Type or PTY name is more desirable to display when tuned to an RDS station than the PS name, press the TUNE knob until the desired information is displayed, then press and hold for more than 2 seconds. A beep should be heard and the radio will now display the selected information whenever tuned to an RDS broadcaster. The radio will display frequency for all non-RDS broadcast stations.

Using RDS Program Types to Tune Radio

Listed are several ways on how to tune your radio using RDS program types.

The radio will now be configured to tune based on RDS data rather than frequency.

A Fast Way to Find a RDS Station In Your Listening Area

  1. Press the PROG TYPE or P-TYPE button, the radio displays the current P-Type to search for.
  2. Rotate the TUNE SELECT RCL knob until the radio displays "ANY TYPE". Press the SEEK SCAN button again and the radio will now seek the first RDS Broadcaster of any kind that it can find in the FM band.

Finding a RDS Station By Specific Program Type

  1. Press the PROG TYPE or P-TYPE button, the radio will display the current P-Type to search for.
  2. Rotate the TUNE SELECT RCL knob until the desired program type is shown in the display.
  3. Press the SEEK SCAN button and the radio will now seek the first RDS Broadcaster of the selected P-Type.

If the radio cannot find the desired P-Type, the radio displays "NOT FOUND" and will return to the last station you were listening to.

Using the INFO Feature

When the INFO icon appears in the radio display, a new text message is available for viewing. These text messages are from the RDS broadcaster to the listening public and may be general information such as artist and song title, call in phone numbers, etc.

How to View the INFO Message

    • To view the message when the INFO icon appears, press the INFO button to display the text message. If you do not press the INFO button again, the text message will automatically be displayed 8 characters at a time, 3 seconds between updates.
    • To view the text message faster, press the INFO button for less than 1 second to scroll through the message at your own speed.
    • The INFO icon disappears as soon as you press the INFO button. The INFO icon will appear when a new different message is received.
    • To view the most recent received message, press the INFO icon at any time, even if the icon does not appear in the display.

Controlling the Radio

RDS can control the radio when data the receiver can use responds to timely information performing the following:

    • Interrupt the playback of your cassette or CD for traffic or emergency bulletins.
    • Search for stations by type of program.
    • Automatically follow networked programming from transmitter to transmitter as you travel from one listening area to another.
    • Set your clock to the time that the RDS broadcast station broadcasts.

Using the RDS Traffic Feature

Some RDS broadcasters may carry traffic information programming to inform you of current traffic conditions in your listening area and is indicated by the TRAF icon in the radio display. RDS enables the broadcaster to get this information to you even when you are listening to a tape or compact disc. This feature can be enabled or disabled by the listener. Press the TRAF button to find a station that claims to carry traffic information. You may do this even when playing a cassette tape or compact disc. This action will operate in the background without interrupting the current playback. If the radio is not currently tuned to an RDS traffic station, the radio will immediately seek an RDS traffic station. If the radio finds an RDS traffic station, the "TRAF" icon will appear on the radio display as will brackets around the [TRAF] icon. If the radio cannot find an RDS traffic station after searching through the entire FM band, the radio will display "NO TRAFFIC".

Traffic Interrupt Feature

Whenever the TRAF icon is displayed, the current FM station may also broadcast traffic announcements. Traffic announcements are reports of the current traffic conditions in the listening area of the tuned FM broadcasters.

Your radio can interrupt the playback of a cassette or compact disc by use of the traffic interrupt feature. The traffic interrupt feature is enabled when the TRAF icon is displayed.

If the broadcaster sends out a traffic announcement while you are listening to FM or in the playback mode, "TRAFFIC" will be displayed on the radio and the audio from the broadcaster will be heard. At the conclusion of the traffic announcement, the radio will return to the previous playback mode.

During the time the radio displays "TRAFFIC", you can adjust the volume of the traffic announcement. This will be the volume at which all future traffic announcements will be heard until the volume during another traffic announcement.

You can also interrupt a traffic announcement interrupt by pressing the TRAF button.

RDS Program Type Interrupts

When the Program Type feature is on, all program types may be selected as interrupts. Perform the following to select a program type as an interrupt.

  1. Turn ON the radio.
  2. Select the program type.
  3. Press and hold the program type button, labeled PROG TYPE or P-TYPE, for 2 seconds while the program type is displayed.

When an interrupt is set, the display shows the program type followed by an asterisk and the brackets around the [P-TYPE] icon are illuminated.

To turn an interrupt off:

  1. Select a program type marked as an interrupt.
  2. Press and hold the program type button, labeled PROG TYPE or P-TYPE, for 2 seconds. The program type will be unmarked by turning off the asterisk. If no other program type interrupts are set, the brackets around the [P-TYPE] icon are also turned off.

When a Program Type Interrupt is set, the radio will wait for the current FM RDS station to change its program type to one of those selected as an interrupt. When the station program type changes to a program type interrupt setting then the interrupt is activated. If the radio is in a playback mode, an interrupt will cause the radio to switch to the FM band, display the program type followed by "INT", and adjust the volume to the last active interrupt volume. If the radio is in the FM mode when an interrupt occurs, only the volume will change. The radio resumes the mode that was active prior to the interrupt, when an interrupt ends. An interrupt in progress may be canceled by pressing the program type button or a mode button.

During a national or local emergency, a special program type interrupt message "ALERT!" is displayed. This special announcement will cancel all other RDS features that are in progress, such as a traffic announcement.

Alternate Frequency (AF) Switching

RDS permits broadcaster's to send information to the radio that allows the radio to automatically switch frequency to the best quality station in that broadcaster's network.

Since the radio is displaying the broadcaster call letters or nickname, the listener will not see the frequency during an AF switch unless you have changed the default display to be frequency instead of Program Service name.

To enable or disable AF switching perform the following:

    • Press and hold the AM/FM or BAND button for two seconds or more.
    • The radio will display "AF ON" or "AF OFF" depending on the current condition of AF and a confirmation beep will be heard.

When AF is enabled and you recall an RDS station stored on preset, the radio determines if the station stored is of acceptable quality. If not, the radio checks all available AF's for your station. If the radio fails to locate your program, "AF SEARCH" will be displayed as the radio scans across the band looking for your program or an affiliated network. If the radio cannot find the original station or an acceptable alternate frequency "NOT FOUND" will be displayed and the radio returns to the original frequency for the preset.

RDS Clock Time

Broadcasters can choose to send clock time information in the RDS data. This information can be used to update the clock time on the radio. RDS clock time is broadcasted once a minute. To set the clock using RDS clock data perform the following:

    • Press and hold the clock button for two or more seconds to update the time.
    • The display will show "UPDATED" after receiving the broadcasted time data.
    • If the broadcaster is not broadcasting the time data, the radio will display "NO UPDATE" and the time remains unchanged.

XM Satellite Radio

XM is a national satellite radio service that offers up to 100 coast to coast channels including music, news, sports, talk and children's programming. XM provides digital quality audio and text information, including song title and artist name. A service fee is required in order to receive the XM service. For more information, contact XM at www.xmradio.com or call 1-800-852-9696.

Digital Radio Receiver

The radio controls communicate with the digital radio receiver via the class 2 communication circuit. The digital radio receiver sends remote radio audio signals to the radio.

Viewing Messages

Press the DISP or RCL button while in XM mode to view various pieces of information related to the current song or channel. By pressing and releasing the DISP or RCL button, you may view four different categories of information: Artist Name/Feature, Song/Program Title, Channel Category, and other Additional Information that may be broadcast on that channel. Additional Information messages may not always be available. If an Additional Information message is being broadcast on the tuned channel, the INFO icon will appear on the display. Each of the four information types may have multiple pages of text. To reach a category, press and release the DISP or RCL button consecutively until the desired type is displayed. If there are multiple pages of text for the selected information type, the radio will automatically display all the pages for that type at a rate of approximately one page every three seconds before timing out and returning to the default display. You may override this feature by pressing the DISP or RCL button to review all of the pages at your own pace.

XM Advisory Messages

Radio Display Message

Condition

Updating

Updating encryption code

No Signal

Loss of signal

Loading XM

Acquiring channel audio (after 4 second delay)

CH Off Air

Channel not in service

CH Unavail

Channel no longer available

No Info

Artist Name/Feature not available

No Info

Song/Program Title not available

No Info

Category name not available

Not Found

No channel available for the chosen category

No Info

No text/informational message available

XM Locked

Theft Lock active

Radio ID

Electronic serial number (ESN) channel 0

Unknown

Radio ID not known (should only be if hardware failure

Chk XMRcvr

Hardware failure

Radio Chime Level Adjustment

Important: Radio chime level adjustment is only available on radios equipped with RDS.

The radio is the vehicle chime producer. The chime is audible from the driver's side front door speakers.

To adjust the chime level louder.

  1. Turn ON the ignition.
  2. Turn OFF the radio.
  3. Press and hold preset button 6.

The chime volume level will change from the normal level to loud. The radio displays "LOUD".

To change back to the default or normal setting follow the previous steps. The chime volume level will change from the loud level to normal. The radio displays "NORMAL".

Each time the chime volume is changed, the radio sounds three chimes as an example of the new volume selected.

Tape/CD Player Error Messages

The radio displays an error when any of the following occurs.

    • The radio will display error codes for the tape player and integral CD player.
    • The radio will display the following tape player error codes for tight tape, broken tape, and wrapped tape. If these conditions are detected, the radio will switch to the radio mode and eject the tape. The error code will be displayed for 5 seconds, followed by the tuner display, then the default.
       - E10 or TIGHT TAPE-Tight tape
       - E11 or BROKEN TAPE-Broken tape
       - E14 or WRAPPED TAPE-Wrapped tape
    • The radio will display the following integral CD player error codes. If one of these problems is detected, the unit will switch to the radio mode and eject the CD. The display will show TOD, if the unit is off, or display the radio frequency for 5 seconds, then the default, if the unit is on.
       - E20 or CHECK CD-Optics focus error, maybe due to moisture
       - E21 or CHECK CD-Optics loss of tracking control, maybe due to blemishes on disc
       - E22 or PLAYER ERR-Load/Unload motor problem
       - E23 or PLAYER ERR-Communication problem

Technical Information for MP3 Player (US8)

The US8 radio will play both standard audio CDs and CD-Rs. The CD-Rs may contain standard audio format (*.cda) or compressed audio in the *.mp3 format.

Customers who make their own music CD-Rs should be aware of the following:

    • The files can be recorded on a CD-R disc with a maximum capacity of 700 MB.
    • The MP3 files must be recorded onto the disc in either a fixed bit rate (32 kbps, 40 kbps, 48 kbps, 56 kbps, 64 kbps, 80 kbps, 96 kbps, 112 kbps, 128 kbps, 160 kbps, 192 kbps, 224 kbps, 256 kbps, and 320 kbps), or in a variable bit rate.
    • Discs recorded in either one session or in multiple sessions will play. Playlists, such as those created with popular MP3 software, are also supported.
    • ID3 tag information is available during playback, providing the information was recorded with ID3 tags, version 1 or version 2. CD text information is not available with the US8 radio.
    • The radio does not play mixed media CDs (those that contain files in both the *.mp3 and the *.cda format).
    • The radio will not play CD-Rs that contain formats of compressed audio other than *.mp3 (such as *.wma, *.asf, or *.aac).
    • The radio will support a maximum of 50 folders, 50 playlists, 10 sessions, and 255 files. If the information on the disc exceeds these numbers, anything over the maximum allowable will be ignored. Files that are not in the *.mp3 format will not play, but do count toward the maximum number of files.
    • The files or playlists can be arranged in folders, up to 11 layers deep (folders within folders, within folders, etc.). Anything more than 11 layers deep will be ignored.
    • Long names (on files, folders, playlists) or combination of large number of folders and files or playlists may cause player not to be able to read up to the max numbers of folders, playlists, files, or sessions, due to memory limitations. Customers are encouraged to keep shorter names and minimize folder depth for ease of operation.

If these guidelines are not followed, a customer recorded CD may not play. Note that the radio has no ability to record *.mp3 files or any audio to a CD-R, it has only the ability to read information on a CD-R.