Tech: New CD format?

Subject: Tech: New CD format?
From: Gurney
Date: 26 Dec 09 - 06:36 PM

One of the CDs we received won't play on our 2 CD players, or the old Amiga CD32 games machine which is the main player. My son thinks it is in a new format which the players don't recognise.
Any info about this, or is he mistaken?

I burned a copy on my (new) computer which works fine, and the CD plays on new CD players. It seems not to spin up fast enough on the old ones.

Subject: RE: Tech: New CD format?
From: olddude
Date: 26 Dec 09 - 06:42 PM

DVD format in non dvd player perhaps make sure it is a CD-R disk you burned

Subject: RE: Tech: New CD format?
From: olddude
Date: 26 Dec 09 - 06:46 PM

is it music .. if so make sure you burned in audio format and didnt just burn the mp3's

Subject: RE: Tech: New CD format?
From: Jack Campin
Date: 26 Dec 09 - 06:47 PM

If it has the "Compact Disc" logo it should play on anything. No logo, no promises.

Computers can often copy buggered discs since they don't have to read them in real-time and can apply slower and more thorough error correction. But if it has the logo and doesn't play on a regular CD player it *is* buggered.

Subject: RE: Tech: New CD format?
From: John on the Sunset Coast
Date: 26 Dec 09 - 07:02 PM

You didn't mention if these were commercial CDs or ones copied from an original. Off the top of my head I would guess there are no new CD format; technology has overtaken the technology in favor of DVD and BluRay. Dude may have steered you right.

Subject: RE: Tech: New CD format?
From: Gurney
Date: 26 Dec 09 - 07:02 PM

It is a John Williamson CD disk marked 'CD/DVD-V/DVD-A/SACD Players.' However, the small print proclaims 'Playback problems may be encountered with some equipment.'
Not a pirate, a purchased copy. When we checked it, the computers were all it would play on. About 10 other gift CDs played on the same players OK.

As the king of Siam said, "It's a puzzlement!'

Subject: RE: Tech: New CD format?
From: Gurney
Date: 26 Dec 09 - 07:05 PM

Oh, I didn't say: We took the original back to the shop, and it plays OK on a cheapo mini-system there, and on their computer too.
Just us!

Subject: RE: Tech: New CD format?
From: Jack Campin
Date: 26 Dec 09 - 07:13 PM

If it doesn't have the "Compact Disc" logo it isn't claiming to be a real CD and there is no guarantee that any specific piece of hardware will be able to play it.

If you've managed to make a playable copy, you don't have a problem, surely?

Subject: RE: Tech: New CD format?
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 26 Dec 09 - 07:47 PM

Have you tried running a cleaning disc through the CD player? Some CDs seem a lot more worried by a laser lense with a bit of dust on it than others.

Subject: RE: Tech: New CD format?
From: Simon G
Date: 26 Dec 09 - 08:48 PM

I suspect your "CD" actually has multiple formats of the audio on it and maybe some video. Fundamentally this means is isn't a CD although most CD players can figure out what is theirs to play and ignore the rest, clearly your CD players and Amiga can't. I suspect they all pre-date the shops mini-system by many years.

As for the CD logo anyone can download it and put it on a CD -- it means nothing. The clue is in the statemenr "CD/DVD-V/DVD-A/SACD Players." there is no reason to say this if the content is purely CD and all of these can play CD anyway.

Subject: RE: Tech: New CD format?
From: Gurney
Date: 26 Dec 09 - 11:53 PM

Well, Simon, some years anyway!
Our 2y.o. 'shop' clock-radio-CD player plays the original CD. Telefunken, trayloader. Sees spasmodic use.
Our 7y.o.'bedroom' clock-radio-CD player won't play it. Teac, toploader. Rarely used on CD.
Our 13y.o. Amiga CD32(was a)games machine won't play it. Toploader, seen a LOT of work, utterly reliable. Our main CD player.
The 3y.o. TV DVD player plays the original until the end, then tries to play a numbered track it thinks is on there. Then it crackles until you take it off. No DVD shows.

Both computers play the original disk. Other new-ish trayloaders play it, older toploaders don't play it.
As McGrath suggested, I cleaned the lasers on the ones that didn't, no difference.
I suspect that all respondents are correct, and so are Simon and my son. There comes a new file format from EMI Australia, land of Galahs. It might even bring an advantage, as Jack implies, as I used to tape favourite LPs to save wearing them out. Burned copy, same idea. (Not sure of the endurance of CDs though, even if you don't play them.) Thanks, guys.

Subject: RE: Tech: New CD format?
From: Jack Campin
Date: 27 Dec 09 - 06:23 AM

As for the CD logo anyone can download it and put it on a CD -- it means nothing.

It's a registered trademark, and it means that if you infringe it by applying it to something that doesn't have the standard CD format you can end up in serious trouble with the law. In practice most people putting out non-standard discs don't misrepresent what they're doing, since most of their target market doesn't care.

Subject: RE: Tech: New CD format?
From: treewind
Date: 27 Dec 09 - 03:05 PM

"CD/DVD-V/DVD-A/SACD" doesn't make a lot of sense.

It's most likely a Hybrid SACD, which has a CD layer that can be played on a normal CD player and also a high density layer with DSD audio on it, which is played instead on equipment that can read that layer.

Alternatively it's actually a DVD, in which case no CD player can play it, except that maybe "CD players" can read DVDs for some purposes as well.

It can't be both.

Anahata

Subject: RE: Tech: New CD format?
From: Gurney
Date: 27 Dec 09 - 11:28 PM

Copied verbatim, Anahata. But I'm from Barcelona, I know nothing.