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Configuring CD Audio options

Use the CD Audio tab to configure playback, copy, and archive settings for Windows Media Player.

To access the CD Audio tab

The following options are listed on the CD Audio tab.

Digital playback

Specifies whether to use digital or analog playback. Select this check box to send digital audio to your speakers. Clear the check box to send analog audio to your speakers. If your hardware does not support digital playback, analog audio might be used even if the Digital playback check box is selected. When analog audio is used, visualizations do not work, and your equalizer and SRS WOW settings do not affect the analog audio.

SRS WOW is a technology that enables you to enrich your listening experience. For more information about SRS WOW technologies, see the SRS Web page if you are connected to the Internet. To access the page from Windows Media Player, click the Now Playing feature. On the View menu, point to Now Playing Tools, and then click SRS WOW Effects. Click SRS to open the Web page.

Note   You must select the Digital playback check box for visualizations to work when playing a CD track.

Use error correction

Protects digital playback when listening to music from a CD by attempting to correct for anomalies in the playback. Using error correction helps to minimize any minor noises that you can hear as Windows Media Player plays music from a CD.

Copy music at this quality

Adjusts the compression quality when you copy audio from a CD to your computer. The better the quality, the more disk space required. As you compress the audio you lose quality. The following table shows the range of quality settings for copying music:

Quality Bit rate Disk space*
Smallest size 64 Kbps 28 MB
Medium 96 Kbps 42 MB
High 128 Kbps 56 MB
Best quality 160 Kbps 69 MB

*Refers to the amount of disk space required if you copy an entire CD according to quality level.

Digital copying

Specifies whether to use digital copying or analog copying.  If you notice hiccups or pops in the copied audio files, and your CD drive is a slower CD drive (single or double speed), turn Digital copying off by clearing the check box.

Note   If you want to listen to your CD while you are also copying the tracks, make sure that you have Digital Copying turned on (the Digital Copying check box is selected). If you do not have Digital Copying turned on, your computer will use analog copying. Depending on how your CD player is configured, there is a chance that you will not be able to listen to your CD while you are recording the tracks, especially if you have digital speakers.

Your hardware (CD-ROM drive and speakers) determines whether you are able to copy and listen to music using a digital or analog audio. You should select the settings that work best with your hardware.

If analog copying is used to record CD tracks, background sounds may berecorded.

Use error correction

Specifies whether to use error correction when copying a CD to Media Library. The error correction feature attempts to fix problems that are caused when copying music to a file. You may notice scratchy audio or pops in the files that you record. Select this check box to help reduce this noise in the music.

Enable Personal Rights Management

Select this check box to enable a personal licensing feature for all files that you copy from CD. Each CD track that you copy will have a license created for it, which deters people from stealing or copying the file. However, if you use Windows Media Player to transfer a file that has a license from your computer to a portable device, a copy of this license is also transferred to your portable device so you can play the file on it. If you clear this check box and disable Personal Rights Management, you might not be able to play some music files on a Secure Digital Music Initiative (SDMI)-compliant portable device.

Note   You should back up your licenses to a floppy disk periodically. If you reinstall or upgrade the operating system, your licenses could be lost. For more information about how to back up licenses, see Related topics.

Archive

Specifies the location on your computer where audio files are stored when you copy them from a CD. By default, your files are stored on the drive where Windows Media Player is installed. Click the Change button to specify another location.

Related topics


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