DISC LINK Platinum

What DISC LINK Platinum is for

The question is whether you still have discs you need to reach from an Android device, and whether you have a portable DVD writer to read them with. DISC LINK Platinum is the Android side of that setup. It explores the files on a disc, plays or copies them, rips audio CDs and burns discs. The listing says it works with both internal and external storage, so files can move from disc to device, and from device to disc through the burning features.

The app depends on one piece of hardware. Every function needs a supported portable DVD writer connected to the Android device over USB On-The-Go. Without the writer, the app has nothing to read.

It suits someone with an archive of discs, a shelf of audio CDs, or a need to write a disc that another system can read. It does not handle every kind of disc, and the limits are set out in the sections below.

Reading discs and copying files

Tapping a file on a disc or on the device either sends it to a player or copies it across. The disc types it reads are CD-ROM, DVD-ROM, CD-R, DVD-R and DVD-R DL, and DVD+R and DVD+R DL. Disc contents are read through the ISO9660 with Joliet and UDF file systems, UDF versions 1.50 to 2.01.

For video, the listing recommends the VLC player. DVD Video is a separate case: playing it needs an extra app called TrueDVD, supplied with the supported writer models. CPRM discs, Video CD and CD-TEXT are not supported for playing or copying.

Two notes affect video playback. Playback of MP4, MOV and MPG files, and some AAC audio, may have compatibility problems depending on the player used, and playback can stall or lag. To eject a disc during playback, close the player first, then press the eject key on the writer.

Ripping and burning audio discs

Ripping pulls the tracks you select off an audio CD and saves them to a folder called DiscLink on the device. Track names can be edited before ripping starts. Output is FLAC, M4A, WAV or MP3, and the bitrate can be set to variable.

The burner works in the other direction. It takes audio files and writes them to a CD-R, and the album cover image can be edited before the disc is burned. Accepted formats are FLAC, M4A, WAV, OGG, AAC and MP3.

Burning cannot be cancelled once it has started. High-resolution files such as 24-bit or 32-bit audio have a bitrate above the CD standard, and the listing warns that these may play back abnormally from a burned disc.

Backing up files onto a data disc

Data backup burns selected files onto CD-R, DVD-R or DVD+R. The listing says the resulting disc can be read on all systems. A single backup can hold up to 1000 files.

Two limits shape how it is used. Nothing can be added to a disc once the backup is written, so a later backup needs a fresh disc. The backup also cannot be cancelled while it runs.

Connecting a portable DVD writer

First, connect the supported writer to the Android device with a USB OTG cable, following the writer's manual. Next, a pop-up asks which app should handle the USB device. Choose OK, and DISC LINK Platinum opens and completes the connection.

The listed writer models are KP95, KP95+, KP96, KP99, GP95, GP96, GP78Y and DVRP-UT8ATV. Other apps that recognise USB devices can claim the writer first. If that happens, the notes say to turn off launch by default for those apps in the device's Settings. TrueDVD and ES File Explorer are given as examples.

Finally, pulling the cable out during an operation stops the writer from working correctly. Keep it connected until the job finishes.