CD Burners

Before, owning a copy of your favorite artist would only mean buying either from a local music store or online music sites. And a copy with an average of 16-18 cuts would cost you at least $10. If you think this is reasonable, then consider yourself lucky. However, if you are one of those who cannot afford buying copies of their favorite artists and still would want to listen to them, all you can do is to wait until your local radio stations play their songs. If you have the computer and the Internet connection, you can go to online music sites with free radio like the Launchcast, Shoutcast, Live365, and MSN radio and hope that the song will be played.

Today, with several music download shareware programs it is possible to get your favorite song directly from other users without actually buying from them. These programs let you store the songs you have downloaded to your hard drive or transfer it to your portable MP3 player.

But for you who would like to keep a complete collection of the song by actually storing it to a disc for archiving or play it to your vehicle of home entertainment system, there is one piece of computer peripheral you need: CD burner.

If you know how CD player looks like (and I’m sure you do), you would recognize the CD burner.

CD burner comes into two forms: the “independent” and the “attached”. The independent CD burners or writable CD drives do not necessarily have to be permanently attached on the CPU. It could be connected through a USB port with its own power source. The other type of CD burner is the one that is attached to the CPU just like the CD ROM we know for quite some time.

Remember the times cassette players were only meant to play cassette tapes? Then came the cassette recorders that enabled users to copy the content of cassette tapes to a black one.

The same concept applies with the CD burner. It could copy from one CD to another or from a hard drive to a black CD and vice versa.

But to actually use your CD burner, you have to have software. Some of these softwares are available and downloadable for free online. Examples are ISO Recorder, DeepBurner, Burrrn, Windows Media Player, Xduplicator, Cheetah CD Burner, and more. Other CD burner softwares could be purchased. While those for free have the same burning capability, those that are sold give more features and flexibility.

CD burners are not limited to audio copying. It also can copy document files, programs, games, videos, MP3, WMA, and WAV files. Not only that, CD burner with DVD burning capability enables you to copy you favorite DVD collection to another CD if in case you would want to share it to a friend or keep it in case your original DVD is lost. You can also burn a DVD movie after you downloaded it through the Internet so that you could watch it on you television or your home theater.

Although many would argue that the release of the CD burner provides venue to produce uncopywrited CD’s whether audio or video, there is no question that CD burner brings the production technology within the reach of the consumers. And soon, as technology still progresses, there would be technology more advanced to cater the needs of music and video collectors and enthusiasts.

Robert Thatcher is a freelance publisher based in Cupertino, California. He publishes articles and reports in various ezines and provides CD burner resources on http://www.your-cd-burner.info

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Most people tend to think that a DVD Burner is a better option than a CD Burner for data back-ups either in the office or at home but once you look at the options you can see why CD Burners are still available in the market and is no-where near an era of old technology.

Before one goes out and purchases a CD Burner or DVD Burner the reason for having the Burner needs to be looked at allowing the best choice to be selected.

So what is a DVD Burner useful for?

A DVD Burner is useful for when you are looking to copy or duplicate a DVD disc or to burn video files into DVD Format so they can be played on a home DVD player. DVD discs allow Gigabytes of Data to be burned to the disc, in some cases a whole hard drive of data, making a tempting choice to use as a data back-up tool.

One needs to remember though that you will need a DVD-ROM to have the ability to read the data that was burned onto the disc, if you are in a office environment and need to use the disc on multiple PC’s then this may cause an issue as most PC’s in an office don’t come installed with a DVD-ROM – if they do then it’s a waste of money on the IT departments part.

DVD media has no advantage when it comes to burning Audio files such as MP3’s as DVD discs cannot be read on a normal CD-ROM or CD Player not leaving much of point on why you would burn audio to a DVD Disc.

So what is a CD Burner useful for?

Although CD Burners are somewhat slower than today’s DVD burners they do have more pros than con’s when comparing to a DVD Burner for data back-ups. Blank media Discs for CD Burners are either 650MB or 700MB in size, yes a lot smaller than that of a DVD disc.

CD-R discs can either hold data or audio and can be read in almost any CD-ROM and if the CD-R is made into an audio disc then its possible to read the disc in a Hi-Fi or a car CD Player – you will need to make sure the drive has the ability to read CD-R media, most newer models of CD-Players are compatible to read CD-R media.

Another pro of CD-R’s and CD-RW’s is the fact that you can burn video files such as MPEG or AVI onto disc so that they can be read in a home DVD player – most newer models of DVD players are mutli-read compatible meaning they can recognize CD-R’s or CD-RW’s.

So as you can see a back-up made with a DVD Burner is less compatible than a back-up made from a CD-Burner –Think wisely before purchasing any form of data back-up and ask yourself what is your need and how will be used.

Gavin Duncan is the editor and publisher of http://www.cd-burner-help.com, a site to help people facing problems with Burning CD’s.

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It took some 20 years before CD duplication methods became efficient and cost-effective. From a single CD to thousands, better tools and devices have made it possible for anyone to duplicate CDs even in the comforts of their own homes. The end products are not too shabby, either. CDs duplicated using modern software and hardware can boast of top quality and reliability.

Years ago, CDs came mainly as readable discs but as more and more consumers began clamoring for the kind of quality usually only available in digital recordings, manufacturers began producing CDs that could be encoded easily. Called CD-Rs or CD-Recordable discs, these discs made it possible for anyone who can operate a computer to perform CD duplications.

What CD duplication means

CD duplication is, put simply, photocopying, since light (laser) is being used to produce a duplicate. Imagine taking a master disc and making copies of it in a short time. What you have is a number of CDs which are exact replicas of the master, containing the exact files and data that the master disc has.

What you need

For starters, you will need a reliable computer, a CD-writer or burner and a music- or data-management software. Depending on what kind of files you will be copying, you can choose ‘data CD’ or ‘music CD’. Most softwares will also allow you to choose which speed you want to use to burn the CD with. While faster speeds allow you to produce duplicates within a short time, slower speeds are less likely to produce errors.

What a CD burner does

A CD burner essentially functions as a photocopier. It is either a device that’s already built in to the PC or an external writable drive. These days, desktop and notebook computers already come with CD drives or burners as standards. Even music enthusiasts are hooking a separate CD burner to their audio and stereo systems to facilitate faster duplication.

The CD burner uses a moving laser much like a regular CD player, except that it not only has a ‘read laser’, it also has a ‘write laser’. The write laser interacts differently with the blank disc by producing a stronger light to change the disc’s surface and thus alter it.

How CD duplication is done

When people say they ‘burn’ CDs, they mean copying data from a master source – a hard disc, a floppy disc or another CD – to a blank CD. A blank CD is either a CD-R or a CD-RW or re-writable. A CD-R will allow you to copy data on it but not change it. Whatever data you have on the disc will remain unchanged; you cannot make modifications nor delete anything. With a CD-RW, however, you can erase data and copy over and over again.

A blank CD has a flat, smooth surface, made of a reflective metal layer. Another layer underneath this reflective metal is made of photosensitive dye. This dye is translucent when the CD is not yet encoded. But when the CD-writer begins to ‘burn’ data onto the disc, the dye later is heated using a particular frequency. This is where the dye layer turns opaque and this time, will not allow light to pass through.

What the blank CD now has is no longer a smooth, flat surface but a surface that has microscopically darker areas which contain a digital pattern ‘burned’ into them. The altered surface now contains data copied from the master source.

Speed matters

The rate at which CDs are duplicated will depend greatly on several things: the amount of data on the disc, the speed of the copy disc, the speed of the connection between your PC and CD burner and the speed of the CD burner itself. At a 1x speed for example, the disc will spin at the same rate it does when you put it in a CD player. So if you have a CD that contains 120 minutes of recording, you will be able to duplicate that CD in 120 minutes as well.

Bob Janeway is owner of http://cduplication.knowsmart.com/ which is an up-to-date CD duplication information site.

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When it comes to problems with CD Burners things can get ugly and users most of the time gives up hope of ever completing a successful CD Burning session. PC technology can be confusing as almost anything could cause a CD Burning problem such as software conflicts, faulty hardware and bad media brand of CD-R or CD-RW discs.

So where does one start when it comes to troubleshooting a CD Burning problem?

That’s easy, start looking at the hardware, the CD Burner itself and the motherboard – this way you are making sure the key piece of the CD Burning process is actually working.

Apply the most recent firmware for the CD-Burner as this will fix any bugs that your model of drive may have, make sure to check with the CD Burner manufacture before doing so.

Make sure the CD Burner drive is recognized in the BIOS and has the manufacture model listed. Install the latest BIOS update for the PC but again make sure to check with the OEM of the PC before installing.

Software conflicts can be caused by almost anything installed onto the Operating System such as anti-virus software, screen savers, drivers among other things. It’s important the System is free of any virus’s or spy ware software as these can cause major problems for the CD Burning session.

It’s advisable to troubleshoot any software problems in ‘Safe Mode’ of the operating system as this makes no programs have loaded during start-up.

Uninstall any programs that are no longer used making sure to free up more resources. Do the usual house-keep on your PC by deleting temp internet files, cookies etc and also defrag the system. It’s important for the CD Burning process that the system has the resources to support the session.

People seem to get hung up on what would be the best brand of CD-R or CD-RW disc. This could have a conflicting answer but from experience it all depends on the model of your CD Burner. Some drives take well to using TDK when others don’t, the same with Kodak and even unbranded discs. The best advice would be to purchase a number of different branded discs and find which one works best for your drive.

If problems still do occur during the CD Burning process then contacting technical support maybe required. You could also go in-depth by using valuable resources on-line that provide amazing technical guide.

Gavin Duncan is the editor and publisher of http://www.cd-burner-help.com , a site to help people facing problems with Burning CD’s.

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CD duplicating technology has been used for various reasons. These include creating personal music CDs, making copies of DVDs and using CDs as business cards. It can be expected that new uses for this technology will spring up in the near future. However, people or companies who wish to use this technology for their own purposes would do well to have a certain amount of knowledge about the current technology and systems used to make CD duplicating possible. This is because having the most up-to-date information can enable them to take advantage of modern innovations that can help them with their business needs.

Current systems used in CD duplication

The current hardware or systems used to duplicate CDs range from the most simple machines to some of the most complicated hardware and software. Apart from the usual CD burner that can be installed on personal computers, some of the more traditional CD duplicating machines are CD Copiers. CD copiers are machines that are attached to a computer through a SCSI port. These copiers are used together with CD copying software and they are best used for producing small quantities of CDs. Some of the more modern CD copiers are stand-alone copiers, which do not need to be attached to computers. These copiers can make multiple copies in one session since these machines are in tower format and they contain several CD writers stacked one above the other.

For larger quantity requirements, automated CD copiers are now being used. These machines have input and output spindles. Blank CDs are stacked on the input spindles. These machines also have robotic arms that select the CD from the input spindle and send it to the drive for copying. When copying is done, the CD is automatically placed on the output spindle.

There is a wide range of systems or hardware that is being used to duplicate CDs for various purposes. For small quantity requirements, simple and more traditional machines such as CD burners can be used. On the other hand, more modern and automated machines are used for duplicating larger quantities of CD copies.

CD Duplication provides detailed information on CD Duplication, CD Duplication Services, Business Card CD Duplications, CD Duplication Systems and more. CD Duplication is affiliated with CD Copier Software.

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Some people think with the standardization of DVD burners on new computer systems, CD burners have become obsolete. Most people with CD burners will tend to disagree, as do I.

Before going out and purchasing a CD Burner or DVD Burner the requirements of the individual need to be determined allowing the best choice to be selected.

A DVD Burner is used for copying or duplicating a DVD disc or to burn video files into DVD Format so they can be played on a home DVD player. DVD discs allow Gigabytes of Data to be burned to the disc, in some cases a whole hard drive of data, making a tempting choice to use as a data back-up tool.

We need to remember that to be able to read the DVD, a DVD ROM is required. If you are in an office environment and need to use the disc on multiple computers then this may cause an issue as most computers in an office don’t come installed with a DVD-ROM – if they do then it’s a waste of money on the IT departments part.

Although CD Burners are somewhat slower than today’s DVD burners they do have more pros than con’s when comparing to a DVD Burner for data back-ups. Blank media Discs for CD Burners are either 650MB or 700MB in size, yes a lot smaller than that of a DVD disc.

CD-R discs can either hold data or audio and can be read in almost any CD-ROM and if the CD-R is made into an audio disc then its possible to read the disc in a Hi-Fi or a car CD Player – you will need to make sure the drive has the ability to read CD-R media, most newer models of CD-Players are compatible to read CD-R media.

DVD burners only have the advantage of size of CD burners. Now that DVD burners are becoming more and more popular, the prices of CD burners and media are dropping dramatically making them a very cost effective purchase.

For more great technology related articles and reviews visit http://www.technologyslice.com

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These days, music sharing can be done instantly and in real time. You can share music through the internet–through streaming audio or MP3s; you can burn thousands of songs in one disc, swap songs through USB or bluetooth, or record your own music using as much tracks as you want–burn it, stream it, email it, upload it, download it, or transfer it to your ipod. You can even go a step further and distribute your music to all your friends, your neighbors, your relatives, or even your entire school–distributing CDs of your music at a very minimal cost, just with the use of CD duplicators.

What’s the difference?

So, okay, the initial cost of CD duplicators is not that minimal, compared to, say, a computer CD burner; in fact, it’s a lot more costly. So why bother when you can copy as much CDs as you want with a burner? Creating two to three CD copies with CD burners is fine, but if you need to copy by the hundreds, you can find it frustrating, tedious, and a waste of time. CD duplicators are designed to create multiple CD copies from a single source or master CD. They are stand-alone devices that do not need a computer to operate. They operate at very high speeds, reproducing CDs up to sixteen (or more) CDs. Some can stack up hundreds of CDs, operating without the need for supervision.

Types of CD duplicators

There are two types of CD duplicators: tower and automated. Tower CD duplicators are just like standard CD drives, except they form a series of drives, including a master disc drive. These are arranged vertically like a CPU. They connect to a computer via USB or FireWire for authoring a file transfer. Automatic CD duplicators has an automated handling system that loads, feeds, and retrieves CDs by itself. They have CD ays that can stack up to 600 CDs, making them ideal for large-scale overnight reproductions.

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

A complete guide to CD duplicators is available in Picky Guide, one of the fastest growing online magazines giving free consumer advice and product information.

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