Not just for pirates ~ cdcovers.cc (Other Website...)

Member Name: sandemp

Product:	Other Website...
Date:	29/03/05 (600 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: A vast range of DVD covers and more

Disadvantages: The pictures can be slow to appear, pop - up ads

Having a DVD recorder means that I regularly record films from the TV, and it can be hard to quickly identify them, if all you do is write the name on the disc. So how do I manage to make my discs look extra special and easy to identify? Well I visit a nice little site called cdcovers.cc, download a picture of the particular DVD and print it onto my home recorded printable DVDs, it's that simple.

~~~The website~~~

The website is of a simple enough design and the homepage loads quickly using a 1MB broadband connection and both Internet Explorer and Netscape, however there are a lot (and I mean a LOT) of pop-ups even when using a pop-up killer. But we must remember this is a free service and they have to pay for the site somehow.

The actual homepage is very well designed (simplicity is the key), and features links to the various sections of the site, along with links to their sponsors, who sell blank DVDs, and information on their upload competition (more about that later). There is a conveniently placed search function, which allows you to search for a particular cover within the site. The final important link on the page is for the download of their official cover software.

~~~Searching for a cover~~~

On a first visit you are most likely to have a particular film that you want a cover for, and logic would say that searching would be the easiest way to find it. So the question is, how powerful is the search engine. Well to test it out, I searched for the cover for a film that I've recently recorded “Bring it on again”. First I had to pick DVD covers from a drop down menu, that seemed overly long, and then entered my title in the text box, clicked on search and was almost instantaneously forwarded to my results which were extremely relevant. Unfortunately, clicking on the result took me to the entire list of DVD covers starting with B, so it's not actually worth using the search box.

~~~Covers~~~

There is an amazing range of covers available on the site, from CDs and DVDs to PC and video games. I personally only use the site for DVD covers so can't comment on the quality of any the other types. There are however hundreds if not thousands of different DVD covers arranged alphabetically in a variety of languages. Some will only be slip case covers, but the majority will feature slipcase covers and the actual printing on a DVD.
It is a very rare occurrence for me to not be able to find what I'm looking for, but it has happened a couple of times.

The quality of the pictures can vary, but the majority are of a very high quality. By downloading their own software you can simply click and drag the picture over and immediately print. This is fine for slip cases, but I've found that DVD's need to be cropped to get the best results, so I save these to my hard drive, edit and then load them into Epson print CD. A quick warning here, due to the quality and size of the files, they can be a bit slow in appearing on your screen even with a broadband connection, I would imagine that they would take ages on dial-up.

~~~The software~~~

The software that is available to download comes in two flavours, one that you pay for, and another free ad-supported version. I personally use the free version, for creating slip cases and it does the job perfectly well for standard size cases, but is uncustomisable, and therefore unsuitable if you are using 8 or 10 way cases.

~~~Cheats~~~

This section features cheats for various video games and hidden features on DVDs. There is not a huge variety here, and to be honest you would probably be better off looking at more specialist sites.

~~~Mobile~~~

This links to a range of ringtones, logos, wallpapers and games for your phone. These are NOT free, and as such I've never used them and therefore can't comment on either quality or whether you will receive them.

~~~Upload~~~

Fancy helping others find those all elusive covers, well here's your chance. It is here that you can upload your own content to the site. Uploading covers also gives you the chance to enter monthly competitions to win such prizes as DVD recorders. Sometimes it is the most prolific uploader that wins, but this month it will be judged in terms of quality. In either case, only upload covers that you've scanned at the highest possible quality.

~~~Forum~~~

There is a forum available which covers a range of subjects, including those related to the site, general topics and cover requests. Although you don't need to be registered to browse the forums, you do need to if you want to post. Registration is simple, as with most forums you will need to choose a user name and password along with your e-mail address.

Although I've registered, I don't actually use this forum, apart from a quick browse as I find it hard enough keeping up with other forums that I belong to.

~~~FAQs~~~

This is a new addition to the site, and extensively covers the different sections of the site. However, I find the site so simple to use, that I've never needed to get any help on using it.

~~~My overall opinion~~~

This is a brilliant site, that has a cover for virtually any DVD or CD that you can think of. And although it must seem at first glance to be a pirater's heaven, it also has many legitimate uses. Think about it, have you ever had a CD case damaged and wished you could replace the inlay, well with this site you can.

For me, it gives me the chance to make my home recorded DVDs instantly recognisable, and very nice looking. So much so that people have often commented on where I got them from.

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