ftp.cdrom.com/pub/cdrom//cdrom.tar/cdrom/cdpub/cdp9306.dig

Text File | 1993-09-25 | 30KB | 756 lines

CDPub Digest                Sun,  1 Aug 93       Volume   93: Issue   6

Today's Topics:
             Availability of High Sierra format document
                          Blank media prices
                         CD-R blanks pricing
                       CDPub FTP Site? (3 msgs)
                cdrom publishing news groups created.
                       cdrom security. (3 msgs)
                    comp.publish.cdrom.* (2 msgs)
                    Multiple Data Tracks (3 msgs)
                  Ok, this is from the CR-ROM list
                   Pioneer 600 cdrom audio drivers.
                       Recording music to CD-R
   Sony CDW 900e Mastering Unit capable of multi-session? (7 msgs)

                   M o n t h l y        A r c h i v e

                   o f

           CDPub, the CD-R & CD-Rom Publishing Discussion List

       Send Mail-Server commands to: [e-mail]

                Send submissions to: [e-mail]

----------------------------------------------------------------------

Date: Fri, 02 Jul 93 21:36:10 EDT
From: emory!kaikow.jvnc.net!kaikow (Howard Kaikow)
Subject: Availability of High Sierra format document
To: [e-mail], [e-mail]

As there is no "official" source for a copy of the High Sierra paper, I
suggested in another posting in CDROM-L that I could become the "official"
source as I wrote the paper.

    NOTE: For trivia buffs. Although the paper is dated 28 May 1986, it
          was actualy first distributed on 6 June 1986. In my haste to
          get it out the door, I forgot to change the date.

I can do this provided the first batch of requests consists of at least 2
requestors. I have received indications that this will be the case.

If there are at least two requests in the first batch, I can do this for $30
per copy, payable in US dollars (no purchase orders as the amount is too
small to justify the handling). The $30 price is subject to adjustment
anytime on or after 1 January 1994.

For non-USA/Canada/Mexico requests, an additional $6.00 is needed for airmail
or $2.50 for surface mail. Priority mail in the USA would be an additional
$2.90. These additional rates are subject to change if postal rates change.

Please send me an email message indicating that you will be making a request
so that I may inform you if the postal charges or the price per copy has
changed. For the first batch, please send me an email message anyway so I
know what to expect.

The first batch will be for all payments received by 19 July 1993. I will
then procees a batch of requests in two week intervals thereafter. This
schedule is subject to modification due to my travel requirements and any
unforeseen events such as illness and weather.

Make your check payable to Howard Kaikow and mail it to the following
address (include both the street and PO box lines, or omit the street line):

Howard Kaikow
65 Spring Cove Road
PO Box 1333
Nashua, NH 03061-1333
USA
voice: [phone]
fax: [phone]
email: [e-mail]

------------------------------

Date: 02 Jul 93 12:28:40 CDT
From: emory!sysa.c-engr1.siu.edu!TERRY
Subject: Blank media prices
To: [e-mail]

I would also like to know where you are getting those prices.

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 28 Jul 93 12:31:35 -0700
From: "Robert A. Bruce" <emory!cdrom.com!rab>
Subject: CD-R blanks pricing
To: [e-mail]

A company called "Laser Resources" is selling Mitsui Toatsu
CD-R blanks at pretty cheap prices

          1-9         10-99    100-999       1000+
63'       $18        $17.50     $16.50        call
74'       $20        $18.50     $17.50        call

Their phone number is [phone]x16, ask for Mike.

I have no interest whatsoever in Laser Resourses.  But these are the
lowest publicly quoted prices I have seen.  I will post again whenever
I find someone cheaper.

    -bob

------------------------------

Date: Fri, 9 Jul 93 08:54:27 PDT
From: emory!Kwantlen.BC.CA!donna (Donna Hrynkiw)
Subject: CDPub FTP Site?
To: [e-mail]

Hello all.

I'm looking for help in connecting to a site called cdrom.com. I
understand it might have information concerning CD publishing.

I can connect to the site, it asks for my username ("anonymous" or
"ftp", right?), and then hangs. Should I be using an archive
mail-server to retrieve the information? What am I doing wrong?

Donna Hrynkiw
[e-mail]

------------------------------

Date: Sun, 11 Jul 93 09:18:13 EDT
From: emory!standards.com!kaikow (Howard Kaikow)
Subject: CDPub FTP Site?
To: [e-mail]

It is my understanding that the site name was recently changed to
ftp.cdrom.com

>Date: Fri, 9 Jul 93 08:54:27 PDT
>From: [e-mail]
>Subject: CDPub FTP Site?
>Sender: [e-mail]
>To: CD-R & CDRom Publishing Discussion List <[e-mail]>
>Message-Id: <9307091554.AA14339@thor>
>Reply-To: CD-R & CDRom Publishing Discussion List <[e-mail]>
>Precedence: bulk

>Hello all.

>I'm looking for help in connecting to a site called cdrom.com. I
>understand it might have information concerning CD publishing.

>I can connect to the site, it asks for my username ("anonymous" or
>"ftp", right?), and then hangs. Should I be using an archive
>mail-server to retrieve the information? What am I doing wrong?

>Donna Hrynkiw
>[e-mail]

------------------------------

Date: Sun, 11 Jul 93 18:38:55 -0700
From: "Robert A. Bruce" <emory!cdrom.com!rab>
Subject: CDPub FTP Site?
To: CD-R & CDRom Publishing Discussion List <[e-mail]>

[e-mail] said...
>Hello all.
>
>I'm looking for help in connecting to a site called cdrom.com. I
>understand it might have information concerning CD publishing.
>
>I can connect to the site, it asks for my username ("anonymous" or
>"ftp", right?), and then hangs. Should I be using an archive
>mail-server to retrieve the information? What am I doing wrong?

Please use the address "ftp.cdrom.com".  Do not use "cdrom.com",
it will no longer work.

If your ftp still hangs, try using a hyphen '-' as the first
character of your password.  That will turn off the login messages
that may be confusing your ftp.

    -bob

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 28 Jul 1993 20:25:12 -0400
From: emory!yu1.yu.edu!manaster (Chaim Manaster)
Subject: cdrom publishing news groups created.
To: [e-mail]

Just in case some of you have not heard, the new cdrom publishing usenet
groups have been formed and should be available at most news feeds.
The groups are comp.publish.cdrom.{software, hardware, multimedia}.

Sincerely
Henry Manaster

------------------------------

Date: Thu, 29 Jul 1993 11:39:58 -0400
From: emory!yu1.yu.edu!manaster (Chaim Manaster)
Subject: cdrom security.
To: [e-mail]

I would like to start a discussion that needs much clarification.
It relates to the lack of any attention by the publishers of
authoring and text retrieval software to the important area of
security! That is: if I publish some full text data base, after
much effort in compiling and editing and improving it, how do I
insure that the data base won't be taken by some client who bought
the cdrom, and republished after (perhaps) some minor editing.
Keep in mind, that the attack could occur some years down the road,
thus security over a long period of time is at issue.

I know that there are various copyright (legal) protections that
can be invoked, but that is an expensive route to protect ones
rights, and in any case, copyright may not always apply.

So, I would like to see a thread (comments) about prevention of the
above by software (or hardware ?) technology, as a first line of
defense, such as encryption and /or compression or any other
methedologies such as output limitations or time loops or passwords
etc.
If any of the software publishers like Folio or KA etc care to
comment as to why they have neglected this area, that would be most
interesting. Or perhaps they might comment about how in fact they
DO meet this need of many cdrom publishers.

Sincerely
Henry Manaster

------------------------------

Date: Fri, 30 Jul 1993 13:16:06 -0400 (EDT)
From: emory!hq.nasa.gov!JVOGEL
Subject: cdrom security.
To: [e-mail]

Folio, for example, does have security built in.  One can refuse printing as
a right so that, while a user can screen print, he can't block the entire
document and copy that to disk.
In reality, I think you have to expect your atorneys to protect you -- just as
with print, very few books have been copied and republished even in the age of
xerox machines.

------------------------------

Date: Sat, 31 Jul 93 10:12:29 EDT
From: Gess Shankar <[e-mail]>
Subject: cdrom security.
emory!hq.nasa.gov!JVOGEL writes:

> Folio, for example, does have security built in.  One can refuse printing as
> a right so that, while a user can screen print, he can't block the entire
> document and copy that to disk.

If it can be displayed or printed one screen at a time, a determined
pirate can extract the information. As always, encryption and copy
protection etc. probably hurt the legitimate users more than the
determined pirate.

> In reality, I think you have to expect your atorneys to protect you -- just a
> with print, very few books have been copied and republished even in the age o
> xerox machines.

Electronic publishing rights will be a big issue in the coming years
(if not already). Proper legal protection (where available) will probably
be the only recourse available. But piracy is going to be a fact of life,
as in software, videos, music etc... which are easier and cheaper to
reproduce than books.

GeSS
--
Gess Shankar      |<><>| Internet: [e-mail]               |<><>|
CDPub List Admin. |<><>| {rutgers,ogicse,gatech}!emory!uumind!knex!gess |<><>|
What is a CDRom?  |<><>| 3 billion pits arranged in a 3 mile spiral!    |<><>|

------------------------------

Date: Mon, 5 Jul 1993 11:47:41 -0400
From: emory!yu1.yu.edu!manaster (Chaim Manaster)
Subject: comp.publish.cdrom.*
To: [e-mail]

Many of you may be wondering what ever happened to the three new newsgroups
for which I ran a vote over a month ago.

First as I announced over this list server (and others) at that time, the
vote was successful and I posted the result to news.announce.newgroups at that
time. I then expected the rest of the procedure  in creating the new
newsgroups to follow automatically; i.e., the 5 day wait followed by the
creation message fron the moderator to the usenet sites.

I had to be out of town (read, away from the internet) immediately after the vote,
and have been away for over a month and have just returned. When I got back,
I checked for the new groups and found that they had not yet been created!
I then emailed the moderator of news.announce.newgroups for info, as to
why they had not yet been created.
He responded, saying that he had not posted the results, since my
RESULT posting was not in "correct format"?? I had posted that
RESULT posting to this list-server as well as to others, not
realizing that the moderator would not post the "official RESULT."

Now that I am back, I am trying to find out what the moderator
feels is the "correct format" for the RESULT posting, and will
get the process going again as quickly as possible.

Sorry for any inconvenience.
Henry Manaster

------------------------------

Date: Thu, 8 Jul 1993 13:43:33 -0400 (EDT)
From: David S Fenichel <emory!world.std.com!dsf>
Subject: comp.publish.cdrom.*
To: [e-mail]

On Mon, 5 Jul 1993 [e-mail] wrote:

>
> Many of you may be wondering what ever happened to the three new newsgroups
> for which I ran a vote over a month ago.

When more information is available, please advise what newsgroups these are.

Thanks.

------------------------------

Date: Thu, 29 Jul 93 13:00:22 EDT
From: Gess Shankar <[e-mail]>
Subject: Multiple Data Tracks
I came across a Microsoft CD-Rom (Viewer Toolkit), which appears to have
two data track and one CD-DA track. Generally most CD-Roms have one
data track and if they are mixed mode CD-Roms, they may have one or more
CD-DA tracks following the data track.

I found it strange for this CD to have 2 data tracks and 9 second
audio track (had a classical music fragment). I am somewhat hazy about
what the standards say about this... 2 data tracks. I know XA specs
recommend a single XA track, but does allow more than one provided they
are grouped together.

Now the question. If there is more than one data track, how does one
access the second track. Does the directory record for the file point
to the second track? Can MSCDEX etc. (in MsDos) access the data in
track # 2?

Second question to CD.GEN users (if any): How can one create multiple
data tracks with the Philips CDD521? Or are there premastering software
which allows laying multiple data tracks?

[Incidentally: I am guessing that creation of a directory entry pointing
to the CD-DA sectors is some sort of copy protection scheme. I don't
think that the 9 seconds of music is very relevant to the above cd.]


GeSS
--
Gess Shankar      |<><>| Internet: [e-mail]               |<><>|
CDPub List Admin. |<><>| {rutgers,ogicse,gatech}!emory!uumind!knex!gess |<><>|
What is a CDRom?  |<><>| 3 billion pits arranged in a 3 mile spiral!    |<><>|

------------------------------

Date: Fri, 30 Jul 1993 10:08:14 -0400 (EDT)
From: emory!sscl.uwo.ca!DOUG (Doug Link)
Subject: Multiple Data Tracks
To: [e-mail]

>Second question to CD.GEN users (if any): How can one create multiple
>data tracks with the Philips CDD521? Or are there premastering software
>which allows laying multiple data tracks?

The Philips drive allows you to write multisession discs which are
what you call multiple data tracks. Each data track is like a completely
self-contained cd-rom, its own lead-in, data section, lead out, toc etc.
CD-GEN software caters to this and also provides a ultility called PICKCD
which allows you to select the data session when you use the drive as a
simple reader. I haven't tried this utility on different drives so I
can't vouch for its diversity as yet.

A typical mixed mode disc has one data track and one audio track. For
example, the Groliers Multimedia Encyclopedia disc is a mixed mode disc.
You can actually stick that disc in your audio player and play track two.
What you get is classical music out one channel and animal sounds out the
other. They obviously packed all their audio clips and filled both
channels with what would have otherwise been stereo sound.

Doug Link

------------------------------

Date: Sat, 31 Jul 93 10:05:15 EDT
From: Gess Shankar <[e-mail]>
Subject: Multiple Data Tracks
emory!sscl.uwo.ca!DOUG writes:

> >Second question to CD.GEN users (if any): How can one create multiple
> >data tracks with the Philips CDD521? Or are there premastering software
> >which allows laying multiple data tracks?
>
> The Philips drive allows you to write multisession discs which are
> what you call multiple data tracks. Each data track is like a completely

I was NOT referring to multisession as multiple data tracks. I was talking
about multiple data tracks within the same session. I do create multisession
discs and know the difference.

> self-contained cd-rom, its own lead-in, data section, lead out, toc etc.
> CD-GEN software caters to this and also provides a ultility called PICKCD
> which allows you to select the data session when you use the drive as a
> simple reader. I haven't tried this utility on different drives so I
> can't vouch for its diversity as yet.

I have since talked to CD.Rom Strategies (CD.GEN vendors) and have been
informed that the CDD521 will in fact make multiple data tracks (within
one session) by writing more than one Virtual CD images without fixing
and closing the session. When the CD is fixed, the TOC is updated and
presto... you have multiple data tracks. How to read the second data
track in whole another issue, however.
>

GeSS
--
Gess Shankar      |<><>| Internet: [e-mail]               |<><>|
CDPub List Admin. |<><>| {rutgers,ogicse,gatech}!emory!uumind!knex!gess |<><>|
What is a CDRom?  |<><>| 3 billion pits arranged in a 3 mile spiral!    |<><>|

------------------------------

Date: Thu, 01 Jul 93 22:20:46 -0700
From: "Robert A. Bruce" <emory!cdrom.com!rab>
Subject: Ok, this is from the CR-ROM list
To: CD-R & CDRom Publishing Discussion List <[e-mail]>

[e-mail] said...
>> : You'll need the DRD608.SYS device driver (download it from Pioneers
>> : support system). It assigns one drive-letter to the complete sixpack.
>> : With a little program you can switch 'the active' disc.
>
>Does anyone have the phone number of Pioneer's support system ?

Voice: 408-988-1702
BBS:   408-748-2150

If you go to the trouble of downloading this driver, or any other
redistributable files related to CDROM, please upload it to
cdrom.com:/cdrom/incoming/misc so that we can make it available
by anonymous ftp.

    -bob

------------------------------

Date: Thu, 22 Jul 1993 11:42:58 -0400
From: emory!yu1.yu.edu!manaster (Chaim Manaster)
Subject: Pioneer 600 cdrom audio drivers.
To: [e-mail], [e-mail], [e-mail]

Sorry if this is not the precise topic of the list.

I have a Pioneer DRM-604x cdrom drive. The player comes supplied
 with a program (MPC.EXE) that can play the audio disks from any
 one of the six slots in the magazine. Unfortunately,

    1) The program is flakely and often hangs the system
    2) The program only works with the Pioneer supplied driver
       but not with any other driver (which I need to use).
    3) The program will not work in Windows, only DOS.
    4) MS Media Player (Windows) only can access one of the six
       slots (the one you select at set up) but no other, thus
       effectively reducing the drive to a normal (single)
       cdrom drive.

Can anyone direct me to an ftp site (or other source) where I can
get other software that will play audio on the Pioneer cdrom drive
that does not have these limitations and can access any of the 6
slots at will. I could use such software both for Windows and for
DOS as well as OS/2 2.0.

Hopefully the software is as full featured as possible (or is that
to much to hope for). BTW, I am aware of the player in CORELSCSI
software, but am loath to by it just for the audio player, as I
don't need any of the drivers at all).

Thank you very much for the help.
Henry Manaster

------------------------------

Date: Thu, 29 Jul 93 15:15:38 BST
From: S_J_Brownlee <emory!raesp.mod.uk!scosjb>
Subject: Recording music to CD-R
To: [e-mail]

I have a Phillips CDD521 connected to a Mac Quadra and using MAC-ON-CD
software (from CeQuadrat).  I want to convert audio from tape (my friends
band).  The software will write out AIFF or WAVE files but these need to be
recorded in 16bit stereo at 44.1Khz.

Does anyone know of any suitable Mac software that will record direct to disc
at this rate.  Otherwise does anyone know any details about the Mac sound
input (programming from C ?).

Any information gratefully received.

Simon Brownlee  ([e-mail]-farn)
Image Data Facility
Defence Research Agency
Farnborough
England

------------------------------

Date: 27 Jul 1993 10:31:47 +0800
From: "Martin Hill"  <emory!icarus.curtin.edu.au!Martin>
Subject: Sony CDW 900e Mastering Unit capable of multi-session?
To: [e-mail]

G'day again peoples,

I've had worrying information that the Sony CDW 900e Desktop CD Mastering
system is not physically capable of mastering multi-session CDs.  This of
course means that a software upgrade alone would be unable to give it this
functionality.

This conflicts with discussions I had with a representative of CD-Technology
at the Apple WorldWide Developer Conference in May.  He indicated a software
upgrade would be all that'd be needed.

Can anyone shed any light on the subject of desktop Multi-Session CD-R
recording?  Are any of the other units (JVC, Philips etc) capable of it?

-Mart

----------------------------------------------------------------------
Martin Hill            Internet:  [e-mail]
Multimedia Consultant  QuickMail: Martin_Hill@3517415
Computing Centre       AppleLink: AUST0176
Curtin University      GPO Box U 1987,
Ph:[phone]        Perth 6001,
Fax:[phone]       Western Australia
----------------------------------------------------------------------

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 28 Jul 1993 9:00:36 -0400 (EDT)
From: emory!sscl.uwo.ca!DOUG (Doug Link)
Subject: Sony CDW 900e Mastering Unit capable of multi-session?
To: [e-mail]

I selected the Philips CDD521 over the Sony CDW-900E for this very reason
when I was making my own purchasing decision. Sony has certain advantages
over Philips but what swayed me to Philips was Sony's inability to do
multi-session.

On the other hand, Sony can write PCM audio whereas Philips must have it
in a special form before it can write it. There are other trade-offs
between the two systems, price is another (Philips is cheaper by a few
thousand dollars). Philips also makes the Kodak PCD writer, same box
actually with a special modification for reading the Kodak bar coded discs,
i.e., the bar code is right in the gold reflective layer on the inner
most circumference away from the data areas. Hope this helps. Doug

Douglas G. Link                             E-Mail [e-mail]
Social Science Computing Laboratory         Phone  [phone]
University of Western Ontario               FAX    [phone]
London, Ontario
N6A 5C2

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 28 Jul 93 08:27:55 EDT
From: emory!suvm.acs.syr.EDU!ingerman(Bret Ingerman 315-443-1114)
Subject: Sony CDW 900e Mastering Unit capable of multi-session?
To: CD-R & CDRom Publishing Discussion List <[e-mail]>

>I've had worrying information that the Sony CDW 900e Desktop CD Mastering
>system is not physically capable of mastering multi-session CDs.  This of
>course means that a software upgrade alone would be unable to give it this
>functionality.


   I too have been told (by OMI and other vendors) that the SONY is
physically incapable of multisession.   Therefore, we have purchased the
Phillips unit which is capable of multisession (I have also heard that
there is a new Phillips unit that can do both single and double speed
recording).

 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
  Bret Ingerman                        internet:  [e-mail]
  Manager, Advanced Applications Group   bitnet:  ingerman@suvm
  Computing Services
  Syracuse University                     phone:  [phone]
  105 Archbold                              fax:  [phone]
  Syracuse, NY 13244-1140
  USA
 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 28 Jul 1993 08:39:52 -0400
From: Tom Lathrop 588-0677 <emory!sector.Kodak.COM!tgl>
Subject: Sony CDW 900e Mastering Unit capable of multi-session?
To: [e-mail]

Martin Hill said:

> Can anyone shed any light on the subject of desktop Multi-Session CD-R
> recording?  Are any of the other units (JVC, Philips etc) capable of it?

The Philips CDD521 and the Kodak PCD Writer 200 will both do multi-session,
with appropriate authoring software.

Tom Lathrop
[e-mail]

------------------------------

Date: Wed, 28 Jul 93 22:56:17 EDT
From: Gess Shankar <[e-mail]>
Subject: Sony CDW 900e Mastering Unit capable of multi-session?
emory!sscl.uwo.ca!DOUG writes:
  [....]

> On the other hand, Sony can write PCM audio whereas Philips must have it
> in a special form before it can write it. There are other trade-offs

Exactly what modifications are needed? Is there any published
specification to do the translation from pcm to the philips format?
I use CDGen from CD-Rom Strategies, which does provide a translation
tool to convert pcm to the philips format. But I would like to investigate
writing some in-house tools to do the same.

In the same vein: Has anyone been able to read CD-DA sectors from music
CDs and write to the Philips CDD521. I lack details on exactly what
reading the audio sectors using drives such as the Toshiba 3401 exactly
provide?

What is involved in reading from a music CD and writing to a CD-R?
Bob Bruce had raised a similar query before (wanted to make same custom
CDs by selecting cuts from various CDs for personal use). Anyone care
to elaborate on this?

GeSS
--
Gess Shankar      |<><>| Internet: [e-mail]               |<><>|
CDPub List Admin. |<><>| {rutgers,ogicse,gatech}!emory!uumind!knex!gess |<><>|
What is a CDRom?  |<><>| 3 billion pits arranged in a 3 mile spiral!    |<><>|

------------------------------

Date: 30 Jul 1993 12:20:11 +0800
From: "Martin Hill"  <emory!icarus.curtin.edu.au!Martin>
Subject: Sony CDW 900e Mastering Unit capable of multi-session?
To: [e-mail]

Thanks for your responses regarding the lack of multi-session support with
the Sony CDW 900e.  We've cancelled our order and now need to decide which
to go for instead.

I was told many of the cheaper CD-R mastering units have an unacceptably
high frisbee-to-CD ratio.  :-}
Was I just talking to a very Sony-biased person?

The very cheap JVC unit for instance has only a very small buffer meaning
the slightest interuption in data throughput can corrupt the CD so I've been
told.  Has anyone had these sorts of problems with their non-Sony units?
(Phillips, Kodak, JVC etc)?

ps. I've only just subscribed to this list.  I've mailed off a request for
archives of the last three months articles on this list, but we need to
order ASAP, so I apologise if any of this old hat.

Thanks in advance
-Mart

----------------------------------------------------------------------
Martin Hill            Internet:  [e-mail]
Multimedia Consultant  QuickMail: Martin_Hill@3517415
Computing Centre       AppleLink: AUST0176
Curtin University      GPO Box U 1987,
Ph:[phone]        Perth 6001,
Fax:[phone]       Western Australia
----------------------------------------------------------------------

------------------------------

Date: Sat, 31 Jul 93 09:33:05 EDT
From: Gess Shankar <[e-mail]>
Subject: Sony CDW 900e Mastering Unit capable of multi-session?
emory!icarus.curtin.edu.au!Martin writes:

> Thanks for your responses regarding the lack of multi-session support with
> the Sony CDW 900e.  We've cancelled our order and now need to decide which
> to go for instead.
>
> I was told many of the cheaper CD-R mastering units have an unacceptably
> high frisbee-to-CD ratio.  :-}
> Was I just talking to a very Sony-biased person?
>

I have been using Philips CDD521 for many moons and I am yet to produce
a single frisbee   :-(  May be I am doing something wrong. I will call
Sony and find out how to make frisbees. :-)

> The very cheap JVC unit for instance has only a very small buffer meaning
> the slightest interuption in data throughput can corrupt the CD so I've been
> told.  Has anyone had these sorts of problems with their non-Sony units?
> (Phillips, Kodak, JVC etc)?
>

On board buffering is in fact important, as the recording has to be
continuous. As long as you are able to deliver the data rate required by
the recorder, there should be no problem. In most cases (especially in
the IBM PC compatible world), you have a dedicated PC, with a fairly
fast hard disk and CPU, which can deliver the data. Multitasking set-ups
and networked units may have problems, though.

The Philips unit is normally run on a dedicated SCSI Bus [not sharing
with any other peripheral], which ensures that consistant data rates
can be assured. For a double speed write operation, it requires slightly
more than 300kb/sec and it should not be difficult to keep filling the
256KB buffer....

Here is a feature comparison between the Philips & Sony Units. [Extracted
from the FAQ List - in the making for the past six months ... :-( Expect
to release first version 0.0 in early August]

==========================================================================
Features                  Philips CDD521             Sony CDW-900E
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
Writing speed?            Double                     Single & Double
Supports Multisession?    Yes                        No
Can be used as a reader?  Yes [s..l..o..w]           No
Can be daisy-chained      No                         Yes, up to 16!
Buffer size               256KB                      4MB
Recorder & Source Drive
  on same SCSI Bus?       No                         Yes
Accepts PCM audio         No                         Yes
Can add track at a time?  Yes                        No. All tracks must
                                                     be written at once.
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GeSS
--
Gess Shankar      |<><>| Internet: [e-mail]               |<><>|
CDPub List Admin. |<><>| {rutgers,ogicse,gatech}!emory!uumind!knex!gess |<><>|
What is a CDRom?  |<><>| 3 billion pits arranged in a 3 mile spiral!    |<><>|

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