There's actually a plug-in for Windows Media Player:
http://www.hydrogenaud.io/forums/index.php?showtopic=56780
I've used it for years, it works pretty well.
Also, some drives do read CD-Text, but it's not a sure thing. I always go to the trouble of putting
CDText in when I author with Sony CD Architect and also with old XP version of Roxio. dbPowerAmp
seems able to find CDText on most drives. It looks for other sources first but then looks for info
on the CD if it craps out on the interwebs.
CD Text is one of the greatest un-used resources of the digital era. Here the record companies had a
chance, from the get-go, to standardize metadata, and to impose standards. The AES and RIAA should
have taken this up from Day 1 and metadata standards should have become part of the Red Book
standard. But no, they squandered the chance and we have a total "group source" Amateur Hour in
Siberia cluster-f where almost all metadata retrieved from the likes of freedb and gracenote must be
hand-edited. This is especially true with classical music.
-- Tom Fine
----- Original Message -----
From: "Alex Tomlin" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Wednesday, May 28, 2014 4:16 AM
Subject: Re: [ARSCLIST] Weird cd text problem
> Hi Goran,
>
> Most dvd writers has cd text enabled and you can check this via nero etc. But you're right that
> cd text is not a true standard and setup for all units. Mostly its there but no method to display
> it.
>
> In computers the online databases essentially use the cd frames as reference and not the cd text.
> Eclipse made a very light piece of xp software that would show the cd toc and cd text which is
> very handy.
>
> There is an itunes script too that can look up the cd text on the disc too.
>
>
> Sent from my BlackBerry® smartphone on O2
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: "[log in to unmask]" <[log in to unmask]>
> Sender: Association for Recorded Sound Discussion List <[log in to unmask]>
> Date: Wed, 28 May 2014 08:43:33
> To: <[log in to unmask]>
> Reply-To: Association for Recorded Sound Discussion List
> <[log in to unmask]>
> Subject: [ARSCLIST] Weird cd text problem
>
> Shai Drori:
>
>> The problem is this. On some of the cd text capable
>> players the info doesn't show. On some it does. On 3 different
> computers
>> running either XP or win7 the info does not show (one computer
> actually
>> showed the disc as empty and ready to burn). WTF?
>
> No computer optical drive will display CD text because CD text is not
> read at all afaik.
>
> The only way to see this information on the computer is to upload the
> information to the free databases out there.
>
> And without internet access nothing can be seen.
>
> CD Text only works in dedicated players, mostly car type CD players,
> and there is no way to know if the implementation is correct.
>
> Thus what can be seen goes from nothing to everything being displayed
> correctly.
>
>
> --
> Best regards,
>
> Goran Finnberg
> The Mastering Room AB
> Goteborg
> Sweden
>
> E-mail: [log in to unmask]
>
> Learn from the mistakes of others, you can never live long enough to
> make them all yourself. - John Luther
>
> (\__/)
> (='.'=)
> (")_(") Smurfen:RIP
>
>
