1. Normally when I buy blank CDs one side is writeable (ie burnable) and the other side is silkscreened so you can write on the surface with pen or marker.

I just picked up a stack of Kodak CD-Rs which are shiny on both sides -- the only way to tell the sides apart is to look at the tiny writing in the center... "CD-R" reads properly when you are looking at the "bottom" and reads mirrored when looking at the "top".

The "bottom" seems to always burn OK, while the "top" is recognized by the drive about 3/4 of the time and seems to burn OK when it is recognized.

What's the deal here ? Was the silkscreen omitted, or are these supposed to be double-sided ?

2. I have owned various versions of EZ CD Creator since it was an Adaptec product, but they all stopped working when I upgraded to XP at home. I picked up Roxio Easy DVD Copy rather than the latest Creator (or Nero, or whatever) since all the CD Creator packages had morphed into big expensive packages full of things I didn't need like video editing and another stinkin' "manage your photos" tool.

I have started burning my CD collection onto blank CDs to go in the megachanger so I can keep the originals upstairs and use on the bedroom system. I'm finding that Easy DVD Copy doesn't seem to have a way to enter and burn the CD and/or track titles when copying a CD which does not already come with them (99% of my CDs do not have title info). I know the title info is stored outside of the normal track data but I've gotten a bit rusty on CD formats so not sure if I can easily edit the data into an image (will hex edit if necessary ) or whether I just bought the wrong package.

Any advice appreciated.

Thanks,
John

John, I don't know if this will help, but I've been copying cd's and converting my cd's to mp3's via Itunes. Itunes utilizes an online service (CDCC or something like that) to find the album title and selections online. You could use Itunes to copy. It works for me.

I suppose you could try burning stuff on the other side...maybe they are double-sided. Otherwise, you can buy a pack of CD labels, stick 'em on, then write on them.

You can buy CD labels ? D'oh !!

That's why I love this board

Thanks !!

You can, but you run risks putting them in players. If it sticks on, it can come off. And you really don't want to put that stuff in slot load players. It also makes the disk thicker, which can cause problems.

Very true. If you buy labels, it's not a bad idea to get an "applicator", like a CD Stomper. They look cheap and hokey, but they work. They help to keep your fingers off of the sticky side as much as possible, minimizing the risk of peeling. Also, they get the labels centered, which is kinda important, too.

And don't cheap out on no-name labels. As with most things in life, you get what you pay for.

(As I typed that, I was surprised that I haven't come across "Monster CD Labels"...yet...)

"(As I typed that, I was surprised that I haven't come across "Monster CD Labels"...yet...)"

Shhhh.... Dont give them any ideas.

i think the radio shack labels are fine.. no need to waste your money on the 'designer' ones!!

bigjohn

yeah but the monster ones will make your music sound SOOOOO much better!

Do they have a special reflective underside to assist in reflecting the laser back to the pickup? And are they made of special vibration-damping material to reduce jitter?

But I think they require a break-in period...

>>John, I don't know if this will help, but I've been copying cd's and converting my cd's to mp3's via Itunes

Pmbuko ;

Just remembered -- I was about to download ITunes a couple of months ago but I was told that it could *not* copy CDs. I aborted the download and went out to buy Easy DVD Copy instead. Maybe I didn't need to ;(

Just to confirm, are you running the iTunes SW on a PC ?

Thanks,
JB

I was about to download ITunes a couple of months ago but I was told that it could *not* copy CDs.

That was untrue. It absolutely can copy CDs - Win or Mac version of the software does this (I have both, as we have PCs and Macs in our home).

Engine Joe, it is true that iTunes can copy the songs off CDs, but it's not as straighforward as a dedicated CD copier. Here's the process, more or less.

1. Change your import file format to AIFF or WAV. (You don't want to encode them as MP3s and lose quality.)
2. Import the CD
3. Create a playlist containing the newly imported tracks. Give it the same name as the CD
4. Burn the tracks onto a new CD

Does anybody have any experience with HP's Lightscribe technology?

http://h30015.www3.hp.com/hp_dec/lightscribe/index_FL.asp

True pm, it's basically a manual process (since this is what dedicatd CD copiers do behind the scenes anyway). But of course, it's also free.

Thanks Peter, you beat me to the proper reply. That's exactly how I handle copying CD's via Itunes.

Curtis,

I checked it out at their MacWorld booth last month. I was very impressed with the quality of the printing. The resolution is as good as the best laser printers. It IS a laser printer. (duh)

Then I asked the rep how long it takes the burner to create the high-res full disc image I was looking at. He told me about 40 minutes. !!!

I'm just not that patient.

>>Engine Joe, it is true that iTunes can copy the songs off CDs, but it's not as straighforward as a dedicated CD copier.

OK, *that* level of "complex" I can deal with. Thanks, guys !!

More on lightscribe:

There's supposed to be a 50% image-burning speed increase coming this quarter. Requires compatible media.

That's still 20 minutes....I would end up using a marker unless it was something I really wanted to make nice.

The other question would be how much more the media costs.