"Shaving" optical discs

[gene_stl]

I always enjoy Mat's videos anyway. The title of this one grabbed me and he shows the propaganda from a snake oil salesman who seems to be a biochemist who invented this system.

Edit: The name of the "biochemist" is supposedly Eric Schrott.
https://www.collinsdictionary.com/us/dictionary/german-english/schrottIt is not a joke , that actually is his name and he is real.

Naturally, it made the technologist in me wonder, if they were on to anything, though if what they are selling worked , the discs would be manufactured that way. In the first place.

Of course he compares two files and there is NO difference. If digital wasn't 100% accurate your bank would make mistakes. I have been using automatic teller machines since the late seventies and have NEVER had one make a misteak neither fer me nor agin me.

 

[fredblue]

love Techmoan, been following him for years, one of my favourite YouTubers, always such great content and i like his style of presentation etc and appreciate the work that must go into his stuff

bizarrely, there may yet be an unlikely (and infrequent!) application for that machine.. do you remember when Universal had a problem at the pressing plant and discs were coming out with kinda uneven burr on the edges etc.?
a certain number of the Blu-ray Audio of Quadrophenia was one such affected title iirc.

 

[Sonik Wiz]

I always enjoy Mat's videos anyway. The title of this one grabbed me and he shows the propaganda from a snake oil salesman who seems to be a biochemist who invented this system.

Naturally, it made the technologist in me wonder, if they were on to anything, though if what they are selling worked , the discs would be manufactured that way. In the first place.

Of course he compares two files and there is NO difference. If digital wasn't 100% accurate your bank would make mistakes. I have been using automatic teller machines since the late seventies and have NEVER had one make a misteak neither fer me nor agin me.

And wasn't it a thing in the early days of CD to run a green felt tip marker around the edges of the disc? Supposed to contain the laser beam or something like that. Started by Stereophile magazine IIRC.

 

[kfbkfb]

Actually, one new CD did get stuck in my slot load car CD player (CD made in Australia), there was something left over from manufacturing around the CD edge that caught in the slot.

I pushed the CD back in the slot and continued to play it (to keep from damaging the loading motor) and stopped at the nearest drug store and bought some tweezers, I was able to extract this CD with them and I keep tweezers in my car to this day (although the only CDs I play are newly purchased ones just after buying them, I nearly always play CD-Rs).


Kirk Bayne

 

[fredblue]

And wasn't it a thing in the early days of CD to run a green felt tip marker around the edges of the disc? Supposed to contain the laser beam or something like that. Started by Stereophile magazine IIRC.

yes and i have a used MFSL CD where a/the previous owner ever so thoughtfully painted a green ring round the edge of the disc!

 

[gene_stl]

Yes I had heard of that. It is concievable but very doubtful that all these considerations, could possibly make the error correction circuitry's job a little easier. But I doubt it. If any of this made the discs work better the manufacturer's would have glommed onto them and put hype stickers on their boxes.

"Now with green ring technology for more accurate reads"

 

[hafquark]

yes and i have a used MFSL CD where a/the previous owner ever so thoughtfully painted a green ring round the edge of the disc!

I bought a second-hand Classic DAD copy of Casino Royale and someone had done the magic marker thing to the rim and inside of the hub (don't remember if it was blue or green). The myth was that it reduced laser light scatter and somehow improved the sound.

I removed all of it with rubbing alcohol

 

[Doug G.]

Tag line: "Shave your CD's because green markers MAY not be enough!"

 

[JohnN]

Totally thick as a brick. At least the Brick was improved by shaving Peter Mew. (stop me, lol)

too green

 

[ArmyOfQuad]

Eh, why not? If you can shave an edison cylinder, why not shave a CD?

 

[4-earredwonder]

Actually, those green edge markers have been replaced by Black Permanent ink markers which are actually notched .... and they do work!

They're now distributed by Audience ......

In conjunction with ULTRA BIT DIAMOND + disc enhancer, every one of my optical discs including UHD4K look and sound better ..... and I'm ONE FUSSY BITCH!

 

[DuncanS]

And wasn't it a thing in the early days of CD to run a green felt tip marker around the edges of the disc? Supposed to contain the laser beam or something like that. Started by Stereophile magazine IIRC.

Yes, there were a lot of those pens being pushed, it was supposed to absorb light bouncing around the disc edge disturbing the disc read due to total internal reflection, total b*ll*cks! The clue as to why it wouldn't work was those words total, internal, and reflection i.e. no light gets past the inner surface as its reflected by it, so never sees the green ink! Plus, the lasers shone upwards and the % of light going sideways on a disc is not significant.

 

[4-earredwonder]

Yes, there were a lot of those pens being pushed, it was supposed to absorb light bouncing around the disc edge disturbing the disc read due to total internal reflection, total b*ll*cks! The clue as to why it wouldn't work was those words total, internal, and reflection i.e. no light gets past the inner surface as its reflected by it, so never sees the green ink! Plus, the lasers shone upwards and the % of light going sideways on a disc is not significant.

Interesting RUGBY FAN how the Japanese implemented their SHM~SACDs, SHM~CDs andf even the recent spate of MQA UHQ discs with that 'green ink'overlay and even apply it to the inner circumference of the CD .......

Those black ink pens which I've managed to purchase separately from the Audience GOOP are only US $5 each ...... and believe me, they DO work. Wouldn't waste my time ...nor $$$$...if they didn't.

And yes, it IS a fallacy that decorative garden gnomes do frighten away BADGERS!

 

[steelydave]

Actually, those green edge markers have been replaced by Black Permanent ink markers which are actually notched .... and they do work!

They're now distributed by Audience ......

In conjunction with ULTRA BIT DIAMOND + disc enhancer, every one of my optical discs including UHD4K look and sound better ..... and I'm ONE FUSSY BITCH!

Please explain (in as much technical detail as you like) how markers and disc enhancing "ointments" can make digital data sound better - data is either a 1 or a 0, there's no incremental quality increase to be had by any kind of topically applied solution to the playback medium.

If that was the case, what would happen if it was a data disc full of jpeg images, would the people look more attractive? If it were software, would it somehow make the program run better, or faster? This kind of thing is literally (literally!) impossible, because if even one bit or byte of a software program is changed, the file becomes corrupt and won't run.

 

[4-earredwonder]

Please explain (in as much technical detail as you like) how markers and disc enhancing "ointments" can make digital data sound better - data is either a 1 or a 0, there's no incremental quality increase to be had by any kind of topically applied solution to the playback medium.

If that was the case, what would happen if it was a data disc full of jpeg images, would the people look more attractive? If it were software, would it somehow make the program run better, or faster? This kind of thing is literally (literally!) impossible, because if even one bit or byte of a software program is changed, the file becomes corrupt and won't run.

I totally understand the concept of 1s and 0s and without supplying charts, graphs I can ONLY report what I SEE and HEAR. IMO, the ultra bit and black marker pen PERHAPS increases the reflectivity of the physical disc thus resulting in a more refined presentation to the optical laser .......

I always make it a point to play the discs untreated ... and then treated. Why would I waste my time and money on these tweaks if they didn't work. I'm not, repeat NOT a sadist! The treated disc definitely has better presence and increased bass response. And these tweaks are evident on receivers, high end separate components and even in my Mercedes car system.

Even my former high end dealer noticed the increased resolution and started treating his discs in store ....... IMO, Ultra Bit Diamond + is my favorite treatment so far and the black ink pens, IMO, bested those green pens and are easier to apply since the tip is notched!

Snake oil, HARDLY and besides I HATE SNAKES ... but not as much as SPIDERS!

Dave, send me one of your discs of which you have doubles and I will treat it for you.

 

[sjcorne]

Don't suppose you're familiar with the placebo effect...

 

[4-earredwonder]

Don't suppose you're familiar with the placebo effect...

Duh, yeah but I'm also familiar with the phrase TRY IT, YOU'LL LIKE IT ...but if you don't try what's to like?

 

[gene_stl]

I think we should let the man enjoy his hobby the way he wants to.
We probably all do individualized things. I know I do.

 

[4-earredwonder]

I think we should let the man enjoy his hobby the way he wants to.
We probably all do individualized things. I know I do.

MUCH APPRECIATED Gene and happy belated B~day!

 

[4-earredwonder]

As for my tweaks, GREAT case in point: Just received a 3D BD~V from Germany [Constantin Films] .... Put it into my OPPO 205 player UNTREATED. BLEH!

After 5 minutes of treatment, popped it in again and noticed immediately, the type face was sharpened on the titles, the contrast levels were improved and the sonics had more presence and bass. And incidentally, 3D on the OPPO/LG OLED 3D TV looks uncannily like a good UHD4K disc....and moreso with my tweaks!

PLACEBO EFFECT? ..... I REALLY DON'T THINK SO! So imagine what it can do for music ........ And a total waste of TIME and MONEY .... ONLY for dyed in the wool skeptics!