Convert BIN to CDI

Dreamcast software, older disc-burning workflows, or a specific emulator may require a .cdi image when the available dump is a .bin/.cue set. The conversion repackages the disc’s track layout for software that recognizes Padus DiscJuggler images; it does not improve or repair the underlying data.

What a BIN file represents

.bin is a generic extension for binary data, so not every BIN file is an optical-disc image. In CD imaging, a BIN file usually contains raw disc sectors; a companion .cue sheet describes the tracks, their order, sector modes, audio or data types, pregaps, and the filenames of all track files.

BIN/CUE is used by CD ripping, disc-burning, preservation, and emulation software. A multi-track disc can have several BIN files, often one per track. Do not convert only the largest BIN file when a CUE sheet is present, because that can omit audio tracks or use the wrong track layout.

What a CDI file represents

.cdi is the proprietary DiscJuggler disc-image format created by Padus. It can hold CD tracks, sessions, sector information, and related image metadata in a format used by DiscJuggler and supported by parts of the Dreamcast ecosystem.

CDI is common among older self-booting Dreamcast releases because it packages a prepared CD image into one file. It is not a preservation format and does not make a game self-booting, remove copy protection, improve audio or video, or turn a GD-ROM dump into an accurate CD-R-compatible image. For archival Dreamcast dumps, retain the original .gdi or BIN/CUE files; use CHD only when the intended emulator supports it.

Creating a CDI image

1. Keep the original files unchanged. Place the .cue file and every BIN track in one folder.
2. Open the CUE sheet in a text editor. Confirm that every FILE entry matches the actual filename and extension, and that track numbers and modes have not been edited incorrectly.
3. Use Padus DiscJuggler, the native CDI authoring application, on Windows. It is discontinued, so obtain it only from a trusted, licensed source and use it on a compatible system.
4. Create a new CD image project and use the CUE-defined source layout. If the installed DiscJuggler version cannot open the CUE sheet directly, mount the .cue file with a virtual-drive application that supports BIN/CUE, then create an image from that mounted disc. Select .cdi as the destination format.
5. Preserve the CUE sheet’s exact track order, track types, and sector modes. For manual projects, a data track entered as audio, or a Mode 1 track entered as Mode 2, can produce an image that mounts but fails during use.
6. Open the finished CDI in the target emulator, loader, or DiscJuggler before deleting the source files. For games, test booting, streamed audio, video playback, and areas reached later in play.

Use a manual DiscJuggler project only when the source CUE is missing or invalid and the original disc layout is known. A converter cannot reliably infer pregaps, CD-audio tracks, or sector modes from an arbitrary raw BIN file.

Tool and compatibility limits

ImgBurn is useful for inspecting or burning BIN/CUE images, but it does not create CDI output. IsoBuster is primarily an extraction and recovery tool, while AnyToISO produces ISO-oriented output; neither is a dependable BIN/CUE-to-CDI solution. Archive utilities such as IZArc should not be used to author optical-disc images because they do not preserve CD track semantics.

Online conversion is usually unsuitable. Public services commonly accept one BIN file rather than a CUE sheet and all referenced tracks, rarely offer CDI as an output format, and may upload large or copyrighted disc images to third-party servers. Use a desktop tool when the track layout matters.

CDI compatibility is not universal. Modern Dreamcast emulators may support CDI, GDI, BIN/CUE, or CHD, while hardware optical-drive emulators can require a different format. Check the target’s supported formats before converting. A CDI made from a correctly authored BIN/CUE set can preserve its usable tracks, but it cannot restore subchannel data, copy-protection information, or tracks that were absent from the original dump.