I'm looking for a replacement CD/DVD drive for my desktop PC (so
standard height, 5.xxinch)
I'd like to be able to write Dual Layer DVD's, CD-R and CD-RW and also
to play audio CD's.

You'd think that any drive would play audio CD's, but I've seen reviews
of the Sony AWG170A that complain that it won't play audio CDs!
My Plextor PX-708A is starting to fail reading audio CD's, and from new
it locked up my PC for about 30 seconds every time I loaded an audio CD.

Any recommendations?

--
Steve Swift
http://www.swiftys.org.uk/swifty.html
http://www.ringers.org.uk

Steve Swift wrote:
I'm looking for a replacement CD/DVD drive for my desktop PC (so
standard height, 5.xxinch)
I'd like to be able to write Dual Layer DVD's, CD-R and CD-RW and also
to play audio CD's.

You'd think that any drive would play audio CD's, but I've seen reviews
of the Sony AWG170A that complain that it won't play audio CDs!
My Plextor PX-708A is starting to fail reading audio CD's, and from new
it locked up my PC for about 30 seconds every time I loaded an audio CD.

Any recommendations?


Not particularly. I find they're much of a muchness. I tend to look at
the reviews for the flavour of the month. For example:

http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/reviews/i...m?ReviewID=223

or:

http://www.cdrlabs.com/reviews/index...ge=Performance

I haven't seen anything about drives being unable to play CDs - copy
protected discs maybe. What you describe shouldn't happen on any drive -
sounds as though you've got some jam on the CD.

Also, you might want to think about having two drives - a reader and a
writer. It's useful for copying DVDs/CDs, and it's a habit I formed from
the days when writers were quite expensive.

Rob wrote:

I haven't seen anything about drives being unable to play CDs - copy
protected discs maybe. What you describe shouldn't happen on any
drive - sounds as though you've got some jam on the CD.

Rob

Some music cds are copy protected and will not always play on cd roms.

A search of Google for "copy protected" and "none red book"
Will give information on the subject.
There are also many links to how to play and copy, copy protected cds.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CD_copy_protection

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CD/DVD_copy_protection

http://www.cdmediaworld.com/hardware...tections.shtml

Red Book

The Red Book, written by Philips and Sony in 1982, contains standards for
the original compact disc (CD). It includes the physical characteristics of
the CD and CD-DA The Red Book standard defines the format in which an audio
CD must be recorded so that it will play correctly on a CD player. Red Book
is the basis for all later CD standards and specification documents


regards



--
Dave xxxxx

www.davewhitter.myby.co.uk

"Dave xxxx" wrote in message
.uk...
Rob wrote:

I haven't seen anything about drives being unable to play CDs - copy
protected discs maybe. What you describe shouldn't happen on any
drive - sounds as though you've got some jam on the CD.

Rob

Some music cds are copy protected and will not always play on cd roms.

A search of Google for "copy protected" and "none red book"
Will give information on the subject.
There are also many links to how to play and copy, copy protected cds.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CD_copy_protection

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CD/DVD_copy_protection

http://www.cdmediaworld.com/hardware...tections.shtml

Red Book

The Red Book, written by Philips and Sony in 1982, contains standards for
the original compact disc (CD). It includes the physical characteristics
of the CD and CD-DA The Red Book standard defines the format in which an
audio CD must be recorded so that it will play correctly on a CD player.
Red Book is the basis for all later CD standards and specification
documents


regards



--
Dave xxxxx

www.davewhitter.myby.co.uk

Any so-called CD that doesn't meet Red Book standard (e.g. Copy Protected
CDs) should not be called CDs, and you can get your money back under the
Trades Descriptions Act. I have only a couple of Copy Protected "CDs", and
they have changed the cover artwork so that it doesn't say anywhere that it
is a CD, doesn't use the CD logo, and refers to itself as a "recording" not
as a CD. Consequently what I bought wasn't a CD...it may look like a CD, it
may quack like a CD but it isn't a CD.....

S.

On Sun, 20 May 2007 09:56:21 GMT, Dave xxxx wrote:


Rob wrote:

I haven't seen anything about drives being unable to play CDs - copy
protected discs maybe. What you describe shouldn't happen on any
drive - sounds as though you've got some jam on the CD.

Rob

Some music cds are copy protected and will not always play on cd roms.

There is no copy protection possible with audio CDs. They are nothing but
a string of digitized values and a simple index.

Perhaps you're thinking of audio/data cds with a windows autostart program
which installs a malware to prevent reading the audio portions?

The simple solution is not to use windows, or to turn the autorun feature
off. Frankly, it is insane to use an OS that can be destroyed by the mere
act of inserting a data CD.

AZ Nomad wrote:
On Sun, 20 May 2007 09:56:21 GMT, Dave xxxx wrote:


Rob wrote:
I haven't seen anything about drives being unable to play CDs - copy
protected discs maybe. What you describe shouldn't happen on any
drive - sounds as though you've got some jam on the CD.

Rob

Some music cds are copy protected and will not always play on cd roms.

There is no copy protection possible with audio CDs. They are nothing but
a string of digitized values and a simple index.


Sorry, yes, I suppose the correct term is 'CDs with copy protected audio
data'.

Perhaps you're thinking of audio/data cds with a windows autostart program
which installs a malware to prevent reading the audio portions?


Nope - Norah Jones, Feels Like Home. Looks like an audio CD. Closer
inspection, and no logo (etc) and a panel on the back 'Copy Controlled
Content ... may not play back on some equipment'.

The simple solution is not to use windows, or to turn the autorun feature
off. Frankly, it is insane to use an OS that can be destroyed by the mere
act of inserting a data CD.

I use a Mac. I made a specific guess relating to the OP's problem.

Rob

Dave xxxx wrote:
Rob wrote:
I haven't seen anything about drives being unable to play CDs - copy
protected discs maybe. What you describe shouldn't happen on any
drive - sounds as though you've got some jam on the CD.

Rob

Some music cds are copy protected and will not always play on cd roms.

A search of Google for "copy protected" and "none red book"
Will give information on the subject.
There are also many links to how to play and copy, copy protected cds.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CD_copy_protection

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CD/DVD_copy_protection

http://www.cdmediaworld.com/hardware...tections.shtml

Red Book

The Red Book, written by Philips and Sony in 1982, contains standards for
the original compact disc (CD). It includes the physical characteristics of
the CD and CD-DA The Red Book standard defines the format in which an audio
CD must be recorded so that it will play correctly on a CD player. Red Book
is the basis for all later CD standards and specification documents


regards


Thanks Dave - I've fallen foul of these pesky things. I wasn't aware
that some computer DVD writers wouldn't read ordinary audio CDs though.

Rob

Also, you might want to think about having two drives - a reader and a
writer. It's useful for copying DVDs/CDs, and it's a habit I formed from
the days when writers were quite expensive.

I was contemplating this. The PC isn't mine, it is supplied by my
employer. I don't mind changing things, the CD drive, for example. One
solution that appealed to me was to put the original drive back in my PC
(replacing the ailing Plextor) and then get my R/W capabilities with an
external USB2 drive - there's no room in the PC - it's one of these
new-fangled "mini" desktops. I suspect the consumer reviews claiming
that the Sony AWG170A wouldn't play audio CD's were the result of some
other problem.

--
Steve Swift
http://www.swiftys.org.uk/swifty.html
http://www.ringers.org.uk

On Sun, 20 May 2007 19:23:32 +0100, Steve Swift
wrote:

Also, you might want to think about having two drives - a reader and a
writer. It's useful for copying DVDs/CDs, and it's a habit I formed from
the days when writers were quite expensive.

I was contemplating this. The PC isn't mine, it is supplied by my
employer. I don't mind changing things, the CD drive, for example. One
solution that appealed to me was to put the original drive back in my PC
(replacing the ailing Plextor) and then get my R/W capabilities with an
external USB2 drive - there's no room in the PC - it's one of these
new-fangled "mini" desktops. I suspect the consumer reviews claiming
that the Sony AWG170A wouldn't play audio CD's were the result of some
other problem.

In the days when writers (and media) were expensive I developed a rule
of not attempting on-the-fly copies. Only having one drive enforces
this rule, if nothing else :-)

I have had, shall we say, mixed experiences with USB burners.

There is no copy protection possible with audio CDs. They are nothing but
a string of digitized values and a simple index.

Some audio CD's are created with an eccentric spiral track pattern.
Domestic CD players are supposed to tolerate this; some don't. PC CD
drives are supposed to fail on these; most don't. It's a primitive copy
protection mechanism, defeated mostly by the economics.

It's also the difference between cheap writeable blank CD's and their
more expensive "Audio" versions - the audio versions have the eccentric
pattern, so are less likely to work in other PC's.


--
Steve Swift
http://www.swiftys.org.uk/swifty.html
http://www.ringers.org.uk