Strange warnings in tiny fine print in the DualDisc packaging say that the audio side is "non-standard" -- huh?. What does that mean and, if it's not standard "Compact Disc", is it still a "CD?? The warning says -- in tiny, tiny print that you may never notice, much less spot before you leave the store -- that it may not play in "some" CD players. I'd read that as meaning "not gonna work in yours".

Sure enough. It wouldn't play in my old standby Sony portable CD player. I'll disclose that this Sony is very, very old in CD years, but it is very, very reliable. (See my note below on this, please.)

In my computer drives we did get the CD side of the DualDisc to work OK. In one CD-ROM drive refused at first to read at all, but after several retries the drive was able to identify the disk and read it. In the other, newer, CD-RW drive the Dual Disc was read with no trouble on the first try, but then didn't work on a second try but then was OK again on a third try. Go figure. Sometimes the DualDisc CD side is read OK and others it is not. Just keep trying and you may get lucky? Not really what you want from a CD, especially if, say, you're in your car with only a CD player available.

Good news after this though. Once the CD side was read by the player, it played flawlessly. I guess the player has to figure out where the parts of the "CD" are but then, once that's done, all is OK.

(Thanks Sony. That portable CD player that I rely on is a D-180K that must be at least 15 years old -- maybe older and still works perfectly. I don't take it out anymore, but instead have it hooked up in my office to a Sony HP-188 "Stereo Music System". Just that name should give you a hint how old that baby is. Has to be 40 years at least. Sounds like another "This'll Work" item. Hmmm.)