Put To The Test: The GameDr AutoMax Motorized Disc Repair System
(By Digital Innovations)
By: Brian K. Neal
For the record, I have never been a huge fan of disc repair systems. Why not? Well, after trying several disc repair methods, I often found that they were under-delivering on performance; and often over-promised by the manufacturer. I also felt that previous disc repair methods took too much time for a single repair, mainly because everything had to be done manually, often turning me off from repairing another. After learning that Digital Innovations introduced a motorized disc repair system, I decided to put my outlook on disc repair systems aside for a second and give it a try, or spin per say. Does it work? And not just work, but does it work well? Read on.
I confess: "I am a disc junkie". No lie, you name it, I have it. CD's and DVD's for both general playback, as well as videogames, I own it all. After having some of my favorite media unwillingly undergo some unfortunate circumstances, I decided to put the new GameDR AutoMax Motorized Disc Repair System to the test. Digital Innovations claim the GameDR AuotMax:
Fixes scratches that can cause discs to skip, freeze, and fail to play
Repairs ANY disc - music, games, photo and data
Is completely automatic- the device automatically turns on, repairs disc and ejects
when complete
Is easy-to-use: just spray, spin and shine.
Takes just about a minute to fix scratched discs
It was now time to test my unfortunate media.
First up: Faith Evans self-titled debut: Faith Evans. I love Faith. This CD has been in heavy-rotation since I purchased it in 95', and I've played it so much (and dropped it accidentally a few times), that the second half of the CD became unplayable. Digital Innovations claim that the GameDR is easy to use was accurate. I simply sprayed the CD with the chemical-free Resurfacing Liquid, inserted the play-side of the CD into the top-loading slot next to the Resurfacing Wheel, and let the GameDR work its magic. A repair LED indicates the repair stage, and after about a minute or so, the disc stopped spinning; and gently ejected from the machine. Using the supplied drying cloth, I wiped off the excess moisture; placed the disc on a flat surface; and buffed the disc thoroughly with the supplied Felt Buffing Square. The drying cloth and buffing square store conveniently in the unit once used. The moment of truth came when I had to test the disc in a few CD ROM-capable playback devices. My computer, DVD player, portable disc-player, Playstation2, and Xbox all gave the same results: complete listening playback from track 1 to 15, and best of all skip-free. I can't wait to bump this classic on my way up to the Hamptons next month.
The next two discs: horror flick Friday the 13th Part VII and Playstation 2
videogame Final Fantasy X, both in the DVD-ROM format and among my list of
favorite things, were actually returned to me damaged. Heavily scratched,
Friday the 13th would frequently skip throughout the entire movie, making it
virtually impossible to watch, and Final Fantasy would hang and freeze half-way
through the game. After using the GameDR on both discs, I was pleasantly
surprised that their deficiencies were remedied, and I was able to enjoy both
until the end.
The only downfall I found with the GameDr is that I could not test any of my Nintendo Gamecube discs, as they are smaller than the standard CD at 3", and simply don't fit. The GameDR is powered by either 6AA batteries, or an optional DC adapter; both sold separately. The Resurfacing Wheel can repair up to 50 discs, with additional wheels available for purchase. There is a manual version of the GameDR available, but I recommend this automatic version, as it is only $10 more at $39.99. The GameDR DID NOT remove all the heavy scratches from either DVD, nor did it remove all the abrasions from the Faith CD, but it did live up to Digital Innovations claim that it would REPAIR the scratches, resulting in skip-free playback. All said and done, the GameDR AutoMax Motorized Disc Repair System from Digital Innovations is a great product. I highly recommend it.
You can purchase the GameDR AutoMax Motorized Disc Repair System and accessories here.
http://www.digitalinnovations.com/skipdr/GameDR_AutoMax.html
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