Would there be any reason an American audio CD would not work in Italy. I have a cousin in Italy who I sent some CD's to and she says they didn't Play on her computer (she has a Dell) and would not work in her DVD player (wich should play audio CD's). I will be traveling there in two weeks and she asked me to bring more CD's. I know it's probably something stupid that's keeping her from playing them and I will check it out when I get there but before I spend more $$ on CD"s, what other reason could there be for them not to work.
RIAA has "nobbled" them... It is a common occurrence with Audio CDs nowadays. The Big Corporations as represented in the RIAA are putting "Anti-Piracy" measures on the CDs, meaning it is difficult (but not impossible) to rip/listen to Audio CDs on PC based drives (as in lots of DVD players nowadays), as well as lots of in-car players. They invariably work perfectly in Audio players. To date, there have been a number of legal cases heard OUTSIDE of the USA dealing with this issue, in general the rulings have been that the RIAA member companies, in incorporating that protection, have "broken the rules" (disk does not meet the standards, so should not have the CD Logo on it). There are some E.U. countries (and Australia) where anyone who purchases one of these "Enhanced" or "Protected" CDs can claim their money back or claim an "En-Enhanced" or "Un-Protected" CD - we just take it back to the retailer (in the U.K. Consumer Protection Laws are strong, and on the side of the purchaser) The backlash of it is, customers are complaining because it is tantamount to the RIAA saying that you can only play the CD you have bought on equipment that "they" allow - they do not want you to play it on equipment or in a manner that "you" choose. Only in the Good 'Ol USA(tm) could that viewpoint have the backing of Law.... Byeeee....
Thanks for the reply drchips. Maybe before I go, I'll make her back-up's (since it's not impossible) even if I have to go analog.
Thank you tigre for that very informative info. Looks like I have a few options to try if I run into any problems.I am trying to make her a copy of the music that she will be able to play in any drive/standalone that she wants. I will give her the originals and the back ups in case she again has trouble playing the originals. I will try them this week as soon as I purchaes the CD's that she wants and will post on how I made out.
I'd definitely do as drchips suggests, and tell her to get a refund. An audio CD that will not play in a DVD/PC drive is not true CD-Audio, but a CD-ROM and should be labelled as such. With those kind of CP measures it has become, effectively, software. It certainly should NOT have the CD Digital Audio logo on it, as it violates the licensing agreement with Philips. Maybe a letter to Philips would help, as they are very protective (and rightly so) of their logos and trademarks. At the very least a refund is due.
