Tell me about Get Digital.

Converting your music to MP3 format lets you enjoy your favorite songs anytime and anywhere—while you travel, exercise, work or simply relax at home. There's just one catch—converting all your CDs to MP3 format can take a long time. Enter Get Digital. Instead of spending dozens of hours converting your music collection into MP3s, you can arrange to have Get Digital do the work for you in a matter of minutes. You can even choose your MP3 and disc format.

How do I ship my CDs?

As soon as you submit your order, a prepaid shipping container will be sent to you. This package includes pre-paid containers for packaging your CDs. Pre-addressed return labels make this process easy. Inside you'll also find instructions with the number of your local FedEx location, making it easy to schedule a pickup. You can also drop off the package at the nearest FedEx location. All shipments are insured for $10 per CD, so you can send your music with confidence.

How long does it take?

Get Digital works quickly to get your music back to you. Most collections are processed in less than three days of the receipt of your shipment. Larger orders—over 200 CDs, for example—sometimes take a little longer. Providing consistent album information for more complex collections, such as classical music selections, may also require additional time.

How much does it cost?

Get Digital features tiered pricing. As you include more CDs in your order, the price to convert the music on each CD will drop. Prices are as follows:

At your request, Get Digital will load your MP3 player with your new collection at no extra cost. Please note that these prices do not include the cost of shipping and that, due to setup requirements, there is a minimum order size of 50 CDs.

What is bit-rate and how do I select this?

The MP3 compression format offers different bit-rates (measured in kilo-bits per second), which are the settings for quality. The higher the bit-rate, the higher the quality of the compressed file. Get Digital offers bit-rates of 128kbps, 192kbps, 256kbps and 320kbps. A 128kbps MP3 file is considered CD quality, and each higher bit-rate yields a more exact copy of the original CD. However, higher bit-rates translate to larger files. If you usually listen to music on an MP3 player, you may be more inclined to select 128kbps or 192kbps due to the limited storage space.

Does the bit-rate affect the storage size of the CD collection?

Yes. Quality and storage size directly affect each other. A collection of 300 CDs stored in 128kbps MP3 format typically takes up 15GB (gigabytes) of storage space. The same collection stored in 320kbps MP3 format takes up 37.5GB of storage space. By selecting a lower bit-rate, you can maintain CD sound quality while taking up less storage space. For this reason, 128kbps and 192kbps are very popular bit-rates for MP3 files.

Which formats are used to deliver the new MP3 collection?

Several delivery formats are available. The simplest and most cost-effective is the DVD, since a DVD can store about 100 CDs (in 128kbps MP3 format). Get Digital generally uses DVD-R discs, which are compatible with most DVD drives on newer PCs. If your drive does not support DVD-R but does support DVD+R, advise Get Digital so they can accommodate your requirements.

Can the MP3s be loaded directly onto iPods or other players?

Get Digital will load your MP3s onto your player—free of charge—so you can start enjoying your music right away. All standard USB and FireWire® MP3 players are supported. If you want Get Digital to load your player, let them know when you place your order. In addition to returning your fully loaded player, Get Digital will also include DVDs of your collection that you can place in your archives. Just don't forget to ship your player to Get Digital when you send your CDs.

Are MP3 jukeboxes also supported?

Get Digital supports MP3 jukeboxes such as those available from ReQuest Multimedia and Escient, as well as newer products from Thomson and Kenwood. Inform Get Digital of your requirements—they will work with you to determine the fastest and easiest way to load your jukebox.

Can I get a printed list of the albums and songs in my collection?

Binders with print outs of each CD and encoded song are available from Get Digital. These print outs are an excellent way to keep a record of the CDs that are archived on the DVDs.

Is cover art included?

Get Digital embeds cover art images into each track. These images will be recognized by any device or application capable of displaying cover art—including iTunes, iPod Photo, Sonos Digital Music System, Escient Fireball and most PC applications.

Can album information and cover art be added to CDs that have already been ripped?

Unfortunately, the process that encodes the album information and art cannot be used on collections that have already been ripped to CD. In order to provide the art and information, Get Digital must encode the entire CD.

Can copy-protected CDs be encoded?

Encoding copy-protected discs is a violation of the record company's copyright protection. Get Digital will not encode any copyrighted discs. Instead Get Digital will notify you of any discs with copyright protection. These discs will be set aside and returned to you with the rest of your collection—without charge.

Will Get Digital encode a custom CD that I've made myself or that someone has given me?

Get Digital will only copy original CDs—known as Redbook CDs. Any copied or mixed CDs that you provide will be set aside and returned without charge.

Can a DVD-Audio or SACD disc be encoded?

Both SACD and DVD-Audio discs feature the same copy protection that regular DVDs do. Any SACD, DVD-Audio or standard DVDs will be set aside and returned to you with the rest of your collection without charge.

Does Get Digital keep a copy of my collection?

No. This is illegal. Get Digital will return your original CDs, along with every copy of them that was generated during the process. You may choose to make additional copies yourself.

Can music on scratched or damaged CDs be encoded?

Get Digital checks for errors throughout the encoding process. If any disc scratches result in an audible skip, Get Digital will clean the CD and reprocess it. If the error can't be fixed with a surface cleaning, Get Digital will resurface the disc with the SkipDR™ scratch repair device. In cases where the disc is too damaged for resurfacing, Get Digital will be unable to encode the disc properly and it will be returned.

Can Get Digital convert casette tapes or LPs?

Get Digital is currently unable to convert cassettes or LPsto a digital format.

Why aren't jewel cases used for shipping?

Jewel cases are both heavy and fragile. So in order to prevent broken cases and reduce shipping costs, Get Digital provides spindle cases that minimize shipping weight and maximize protection. When your CDs are returned, Get Digital makes it easy to put them back into their cases—your discs will arrive in the same order in which they were sent.

Do any Circuit City stores offer this service?

Get Digital service is currently offered in more than two dozen Circuit City stores. Please click here to see if one of these stores is located near you.