Installation & Registration
After installing the software, you can test your drive to see if it is capable of reading ISRC codes (see Compatible Drives). Once you are convinced that your drive can read ISRC codes, you must register the software in order to use it.
The Test! command in the main menu, will cause the drive to report whether it is capable of reading ISRC codes. This test is not reliable though, as some drives will report erroneously. It is best to insert a disc with known ISRC so the program can read the codes.
Selecting Register in the main menu will open a pop-up window that will allow you to register your software. You will receive a License Code by e-mail, which you then enter into the box in the registration window.
Compatible Drives
This software is designed to work with all CD or DVD drives that are capable of reading ISRC codes. This software requires Windows 7 / Vista / XP / 2000.
This software will control all CD / DVD drives installed in your PC. Most, but not all drives are capable of reading ISRC codes. You can test your drive before registering your software by inserting an audio disc with known ISRC codes.
Depending on the condition of the disc, ISRC may be mis-read occasionally. If you do not get the expected results, try loading the disc again.
There are so many models of drives that it is impossible to test them all. Please contact support@cloversystems.com and let us know what model of drive did not work.
There are some drives that read ISRC incorrectly. Here are some of the drives that are known to read ISRC incorrectly:
- LITE-ON DVDRW SOHW-1693S KS0B (wrong MCN, no ISRC)
TSSTCorp CD/DVDW SH-S183A SB03 (good MCN, wrong ISRC)
TSST corp CDDVDW SH-S203D (wrong ISRC)
Samsung SH-S202H, SH-202N does not read the correct ISRC
Plextor PX-850A the ISRC codes are wrong; confirmed firmware bug
Typically, these drives garble the first 5 characters, and the last 7 are OK. It looks like they all use the same bad firmware. If your drive fails to read ISRC correctly, use a different drive, or check to see if there is a firmware update available.
All drives do not return the Table of Contents information in the same format. ISRCView attempts to detect how the information is returned and adapt accordingly. If you get error messages or garbled results, please let us know.
Disc Information
Disc Type
This can be CD-DA, CD-ROM, CD-ROM-XA, CD-I, CD-R, CD-RW or DVD
Format
The format of the data on the disc. It can be one of the following:
- Audio
Mode 1 Data
Mode 2 Data
Mixed Mode
Multi-Session Audio
Multi-Session Data
Enhanced CD
Blank
Mixed Mode discs have both audio and data tracks. Multi-Session discs are formatted as if they were two separate discs. CD-Enhanced discs have one session with audio tracks, and a second session with data tracks.
Number of Sessions
The number of complete recording sessions on the disc.
Number of Tracks
The total number of music or data tracks on the disc.
Sector Size
The number of user bytes in each sector of a data disc. This can vary, depending on the format of the disc.
UPC/EAN Code
Universal Product Code; usually implemented as bar code on a package, it can also be encoded into the disc Table of Contents.
Disc ID
The Disc ID edit box in the main window is provided for the user to enter some name, work order, comment, or other means of identifying this disc. The Disc ID will be saved with the results and printed on the report.
The Status Bar
The status bar at the bottom of the main window shows the drive status, and progress of the ISRC reading.
Format Controls
MSF Button
Causes the START and LENGTH to be displayed in Minutes, Seconds, and Frames.
Sectors Button
Causes the START and LENGTH to be displayed in Physical Sectors (see Logical Blocks and Sectors).
Drive Selection
ISRCView can work with any CD/DVD-ROM drive in your system. All installed drives are displayed in a list box in the toolbar. The default selection is the drive with the lowest drive letter. You can select a different drive by selecting from the drop-down list.
Table of Contents
This shows the starting time (or sector) for each track, the track length, the track type, copy permit status, and ISRC codes for audio tracks. Use File | Print or the Print button in the toolbar to print the Table of Contents.
You can also copy the contents of the window to the clipboard, then paste the results into another application: Select all or part of the TOC list with the mouse or keyboard, then press the COPY icon in the toolbar (or press CNTRL-C).
The Table of Contents also shows three indicators that are embedded in each track:
Type is either data or audio. Data tracks do not have ISRC codes.
Copy is a copy prohibit flag that is intended to prevent copying of the track. This scheme proved ineffective, and is not used by any computer drives.
Pre indicates that the music on this track is recorded with pre-emphasis. This is recognized by the player, and the player then de-emphasizes the high frequencies, resulting in lower noise.
ISRC Codes
The program will read and display the ISRC codes if present, when a disc is loaded. This applies to audio discs and CD Enhanced discs only, as ISRC codes are used to identify the copyright owner of music selections. This information is not contained in the Table of Contents, but rather within the music selection itself, so the drive must scan each music track to read the codes.
The first two characters identify the country of the copyright holder. The next three characters identify the owning company or organization. The next two digits are the year of copyright, and the final 5 digits identify a particular song.
Loading the Disc
Insert a disc in the normal fashion. The BUSY light will come on for a few seconds as the drive reads the Table of Contents. The Drive Status display will show “Read TOC”, then “Read ISRC”.
Saving the Data
The data can be saved by selecting File | Save in the main menu. A new dialog box prompts for a filename. Data files use the default file extension “.tcv” but you can use another file extension if you wish. You can also enter a comment or identification string in the Disc ID edit box in the main window. This is a text string that is printed on the printout, and can be used to identify the disc.
Loading Saved Data
Data that has been previously saved can be loaded back in to display and print. Select File | Open from the main menu. Enter the name of the file you want to load, or select from the list. The loaded data will overwrite any current data.
Printing the Results
The results can be printed using the File | Print command in the menu, or the Print button in the toolbar. All information is contained in the printout.
Customer Service
Please send questions and comments to:
Tel: +1 949.598.0700
Email: support@cloversystems.com
Web: http://www.cloversystems.com/
#Logical Blocks and Sectors
Data discs are arranged in sectors, so that the data can be randomly accessed. These sectors are always of a fixed size, but the amount of user data may vary. Also, each sector may contain additional parity bytes for error correction, depending on the mode.
Audio discs have no sectors; the data is a continuous stream of music. However, they do have time code that can be correlated to sectors. The size of a subcode frame is the same as the size of a sector on a data disc. Therefore, it is possible to convert between Atime and sector number.
Physical sector numbers start at the beginning of the disc, and continue to the end. However, the first 150 sectors (minimum) of a disc are used for pre-gap, and contain no information. Therefore, the information area begins at physical sector 150, and is called Logical Block 1. Logical Blocks (abbreviated LBA for Logical Block Address) are the same thing as physical sectors; the only difference is that they are numbered beginning at physical sector 150. This software uses only physical sectors.