Hardware Reference
In-Depth Information
•Clean the data side ofyourBDdisc. See the next section, “
Caring forOptical Media
,”
for details.
If you are able to read BD media, but can't play back BD movies, check the following:
• Replace drivers for your BD drive and video card. In most cases, newer drivers are
better.Notethatsometimesyoumightneedtouseolderdriversthanthoseinstalledfor
better results.
• Switch to a different BD media playback program. Use a trial version if available be-
fore purchasing a different program to assure compatibility.
Caring for Optical Media
Some people believe that optical discs and drives are indestructible compared to their
magnetic counterparts. Although optical discs are more reliable than the now-obsolete
floppydisks,modernopticaldiscsarefarlessreliablethanmodernharddrives.Reliability
is the bane of any removable media, and optical discs are no exceptions.
By far the most common causes of problems with optical discs and drives are scratches,
dirt, and other contamination. Small scratches or fingerprints on the bottom of the disc
should not affect performance because the laser focuses on a point inside the actual disc,
but dirt or deep scratches can interfere with reading a disc.
Toremedythistypeofproblem,youcancleantherecordingsurfaceofthediscwithasoft
cloth,butbecarefulnottoscratchthesurfaceintheprocess.Thebesttechniqueistowipe
thediscinaradial fashion,usingstrokesthatstartfromthecenter ofthediscandemanate
toward the outer edge. This way, any scratches will be perpendicular to the tracks rather
than parallel to them, minimizing the interference they might cause. You can use any type
of solution on the cloth to clean the disc, so long as it will not damage plastic. Most win-
dow cleaners are excellent at removing fingerprints and other dirt from the disc and don't
damage the plastic surface.
If your disc has deep scratches, you can often buff or polish them out. A commercial
plastic cleaner such as that sold in auto parts stores for cleaning plastic instrument cluster
andtail-lamplensesisgoodforremovingthesetypesofscratches.Thistypeofplasticpol-
ish or cleaner has a mild abrasive that polishes scratches out of a plastic surface. Products
labeled as cleaners usually are designed for more serious scratches, whereas those labeled
as polishes are usually milder and work well as a final buff after using the cleaner. Try us-
ing the polish alone if the surface is not scratched deeply. You can use the SkipDR device
made by Digital Innovations to make the polishing job easier.
Most people are careful about the bottom of the disc because that is where the laser reads,
but at least for CDs, the top is actually more fragile! This is because the lacquer coating
