HP G62 CD distortion on certain discs

[BadObsession]

Hi there,

hoping someone can point me in the right direction of some more diagnostic tests I could try and/or if this was a known issue with a fix? I've seen reference to some other Windows7 users with issues on G62 and Toshiba/Dell laptops.

Most CDs will play and rip fine in several media players (eg. WMP, iTunes).

However, playback is distorted for some CDs, which seem to be Warner/Atlantic discs. I've tried different copies of the same disc (eg How The West Was Won - Led Zeppelin) and different media players (namely WMP12 and iTunes 10.5) and all have the same problem.

I'm on a 64bit Windows 7 SP1 HP G62. 

Is there any firmware updates for the CDROM drive that would help? Any advice greatly appreciated....

Thanks

[tonemog]

I have a G72 and i am having exactly the same problem it will play and record the discs but they come out distorted. Can anyone help?

[domgriff]

I have the same problem - my post is here: http://h30434.www3.hp.com/t5/Sound-and-Audio/Sound-distortion-muffling-when-playing-or-ripping-CDs-w...

So I borrowed an external dvd drive - an HP one, and it plays and imports the CDs perfectly via the laptop. This means, I think, that the DVD drive itself is faulty, though it still makes no sense. I still have some warranty left so phoned HP today and they are going to replace the optical drive for me - didn't ask too many question so this might be a common problem.

If you are out of warranty then you can buy a new G72 DVD drive on Ebay for US$40. Replacing it is easy. Hope this helps. 

[tonemog]

Hi are your cds warner bros discs if they are then there is a problem with certain HP drives not working with them. I have had a huge arguement with HP about this and they insist WB are responsible  and  not them good luck. I am now proceeding with legal action against HP let me know how you get on.

Tony.

[domgriff]

Hi, 

Yes, I was going to add that! I checked and the CDs are Warner Bros discs so there is something wrong with the HP drive. The CDs play perfectly in other drives. I phoned HP and the same day I was phoned by the service depot in Auckland for a courier to come collect the laptop. So, so far so good - seems like they are going to repair it. 

[tonemog]

Well maybe you will have better luck with HP than me.

I didnt know you are in Auckland i was born there.

Tony.

[golfingdude]

Just to let everyone know, the trouble you are experiencing is not a hardware or software problem.  Though you might find an optical drive that will playback the cd without distortion.  I know the cd's will playback correctly on any cd-r only drive, and probably will not on 98% of all "read and write" drives.  I will wager the cd's with the trouble are all Warner Brother products.  I have been researching this problem for a couple of years, and I tell you all the fixes and voodoo that are supposed to work, don't.  I will further venture to guess the cd's were purchased from one of Amazon's third party vendors at a really great price, Movie Mars is one of those vendors notorious for selling these items.  The cd's you are having trouble with are European pressings, and if you do a very laborious search of the cd label and jewel case inserts you will see Germany or France printed somewhere.  Apparently it is okay to "copy protect" audio cd's in Europe, but in the United States it is a violation.  Trust me I purchased 3 copies of Ry Cooder's Paradise and Lunch to make absolutely certain the problem was the cd and not equipment or software.  Two copies when played were so distorted they were unrecognizable, both of these had same insert on the backside of jewel case, stating the cd's were made in Germany.  Both received from Movie Mars, and when I told them the problem they offered to replace the cd, and than sent the same exact cd I had already.  Finally I purchased a second-hand copy from a different vendor, the jewel case insert was different, no mention of Germany or France, bar-code id was different, and so was the playback result.  The cd plays back flawlessly.  The problem is with the cd you are trying to playback, it is copy protected and you should return it for your money back or a different cd.  Than buy a used copy from a different vendor.  I no longer buy those ultra low priced "new, factory sealed" cd's from Amazon's third party vendors since they tend to be European pressed and could be problematic.

[BadObsession]

Hi golfingdude,

I agree that a different pressing of the Cd might resolve the problem, but this doesn't change the fact that the exact same cd will play on other computers and devices, indicating that some hardware supports these CDs and some doesn't. Software cannot be entirely ruled out but tests with diff software and same software on diff machines seem to indicate that this isn't a software issue.

Hth

[golfingdude]

I guaranty that the issue, if it is a Warner Brothers cd is a copy protection issue.  The cd's will playback on any device that is "read only" without the distortion problem 100% of the time.  There are a very few, and I mean very few "read and write" DVD players that might playback the cd without distortion but I have yet to find one.  I have read on the multiple forums addressing this issue of this being true, but I tried 3 different makes and models of DVD players and never had success.  There is absolutely no doubt the problem cd's have some sort of copy protection on them, and whether or not one or two "read/write" players can successfully play them without distortion is really not relevant.  What is important, to the many customers buying these expense coffee coasters, is they are not what they paid for.  In the United States when we buy an audio cd, we are buying a product that comforms to the industries "Redbook" standard specifications which guaranties the product will be rendered free of any kind of protection that will prohibit proper playback.  Unless, we the consumers, make the sellers of these protected cd's stop selling them - or making the seller replace them - the problem will continue and it will be our own fault for accepting them without complaint.  So though you might be correct in saying that some DVD units will play the cd's correctly, it doesn't change the fact that the cd's are copy protected and should be replaced by the vendors responsible for selling them.

[Citizen2000]

I agree totally with Golfing Dude. This is not a hardware problem but a problem with certain (not all) Warner Brothers discs, and also extends to some Atlantic CDs. I discovered this problem about a year ago trying to rip my CD's as flac files to Media Monkey. I run Windows XP on a self-built computer. I have stupidly invested in three different internal SATA drives to try and cure the problem (Toshiba, Sony and Creative), and have also tried a USB external drive (Samsung) and the problem persists. The best solution I have found is to rip the offending CD using EAC (Exact Audio Copy). It will take up to an hour to convert the first track - which I guess is where the copy protection is embedded - then the remaining tracks will rip at normal speed. On playback track one will still distort (usually) but the other tracks will play OK. Re-rip track one (sometimes this needs to be done more than once) and it should play fine. It's not an ideal solution but I've not found another way 'round this one. In future , as Golf Dude suggests, I will be v careful about CD's bought from Amazon market place.