Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Why does my master audio cd copy work on all my CD players (even those in my computer or car) but the manufactured discs work on my PC and on only some of my cd players and not in my car?

To make an exact copy of your audio cd, you would have had to send it to us  for setup where we make an exact copy.

If you just copied mp3 files or wav files into a zip file, and your trepstar.com project is set as a data cd project, it's not made as a true audio cd.   Computers and modern cd players, car cd players, and even dvd players and game systems like ps3 or xbox 350 will correctly interpret your mp3 and wav files as music and play them because they are "smart" enough to read them as data cds..  However, only a true audio CD format can be read in all cd players (from the past when mp3 files were not even invented yet).  There are numerous software programs like NERO (google it)  that will help you master an audio CD.
Here is a video about audio cd preparation.

keywords, music cd,audio cd, car stereo, not playing,play,data cd, audio cd

Why does my audio CD or video DVD have skip, pop, or glitch during playback, or customers are saying it's a bad disc or won't play or work properly?

Normally, this happens if there is a skip/glitch/pop in your master or the defect was introduced when you copied it for us to import/setup, or during the time you prepared the files for upload to Trepstar.com  This can be  due to a scratched or dirty original, cheap blank media you used for your copy, or a CD/DVD drive that may be failing or having trouble reading parts of your disc.  You can confirm and compare whether the problem is with your original source dvd/cd or one we made. Do a "scan" of each sector of your original disc and do the same for ours.  If every sector is readable, then there is no manufacturing or product media defect. Use a free software utility such as NERO ScanDisc (google it) and test this. We manufacture an exact replica of your original source disc so likely, the problem is with the master.  If there were problems with the original, or during the copy step when you made a disc for us to import, or when you made the zip files, our system has no choice but to duplicate that.

It's up to you to make sure you send us a clean copy of your master for setup, or you use a clean copy and are very careful when you make the  .iso file for your dvd, or the .gi file for your audio cd.

Make sure any discs you send us are free of scratches, fingerprints, or any other smudges.

If you prepared the iso or gi files and uploaded them, or zipped up your mp3 or wav files, you need to upload it, then you should download them from the server, unzip them, and make a cd or dvd from those files.  Then carefully test  THAT fully because that's what we burn.   We burn exactly what you give us.

We provide a free website to upload your project.   Create your project, order a copy, and when you receive that copy, you must test it in as many devices as possible.  We do not finesse or modify or author content in any way (or additional charges apply).  We copy what you give us so make sure you understand what you're giving us for duplication and manufacture.

* Here is an article on  DVD Authoring
* Watch video about Audio CDs
* Watch video about preparing DVDs
* Reduce errors and save trouble by sending us a clean copy of your discs.


If you have customers that tell you their disc "wont play" or "has problem xxx", it may be a flaw in your original OR possibly, a manufacturing flaw, but that is quite rare.   

Normally, manufacturing defects are rare.  We burn each disc using computers and robots (fully automated) and after each burn, the computer does a "verify step" that reads every bit of the information again, and compares that to the original files.  The disc is rejected and nothing is printed on the disc surface if any single bit is wrong.  We throw those away.   In some rare cases, the verify may make a mistake which happens in less than one out of every 25,000 discs made (based on data from our internal numbers).  We do not offer refunds unless the customer clearly tells us exactly what's wrong, at which part of the disc and then they must send us the defective disc in the mail, so we can check it.  We have found customers either don't know what they are doing, the disc was scratched or smudged by them and they did not clean it properly, the disc was authored (by you) improperly.  We want the disc back so we can tell if it's truly an error, or just a scratch or smudge on the disc vs. a manufacturing error.  If we find the error is truly with the disc, we will send a free replacement.  Most of the time, the problem is that the customer does not know how to use the disc, or it's authored by you in a way that makes it hard for them to play on whatever system they are using.   You should ask them to try it on several different players and computers and/or download and try VLC media player to see if that can load the disc. 

To save you and your customer the hassle, you are free to simply order a new copy for your customer again.   If you have many customers telling you they have problems, it's because your master was defective or not tested and compatible with the most common devices.


Keywords: skips,glitch,glitches,pop,pops,skip,won't play,bad disc,vlc

Why does the DVD play on some DVD players and not on others?

There are a few reasons:

1  Some older DVD players will not play duplicated DVDs or not play DVD-R media (which is what we use).  This might occur 1/2% of the time (1 on 200 dvd players) as of 4/12/2011 when this article was written.   As time goes by, less and less dvd players have this issue.

2) Your DVD must be authored properly and not include any extra folders or files such as pdf, text, or other content.  Your master dvd may have played in YOUR dvd player at home, or on a computer but that does NOT mean it's truly compatible with ALL dvd players.   Learn more about  "dvd authoring".

3) The total  max combined bit rate should not exceed 6.4 megabits per second.


4) Some dvd players can not properly reproduce MPEG audio.  Its best to author your DVD using Dolby Digital (AC-3).


5) In some countries the video format is PAL and in others it is NTSC.  Make sure you author a DVD for both regions, or remove region coding (google it) when you author your dvd

If you sent us your disc for import/setup, we make an exact image file of what you sent us.  If you did not carefully verify and test your disc, or used cheap blank media, our system has no choice but to duplicate any flaws on the disc.  It's up to you to test what you send us and what we produce and send to you before you order lots of quantity for other people.


keywords: not play,some players,some, not all dvd players

Saturday, April 9, 2011

Set Volume Name

You can now edit your project and specify the volume name.  

The volume name is shown when you view the cd/dvd on a computer.  For example, on a PC, if you open Windows Explorer, the "Volume Name" is shown next to the drive letter.  In the example below, the volume name was set to "A1Monitor" in the TrepStar.com project file. 


Historically, our system just set the volume name to a mixture of your project title and it could never be changed.  

Edit your TrepStar.com project, scroll to near the bottom, and type in the volume name of your choice.  Only 11 Alpha-Numeric characters are allowed- this is a limit of how computers store and display the volume information.

TrepStar.com cdDVDfulfillment FAQ Help and Search

FAQ Help & Search
We produce your CD/DVD/USB Flash drive at order time.
These "On Demand", "Just in Time", "one off", "short run", CDs or DVDs or USB thumb drive products will be mailed directly to your customers (normally the next business day), in any quantity, and shipped to anywhere in the world with a USPS address.