QCDFreedDB

FreeDB is an alternative to CDDB to query CDs from the Internet.
Check www.freedb.org for more details. The QCD Plugin allows you to query the database online (on the Internet) as well as offline (on your hard disk).
It also supports the use of cdplayer.ini. This is a file used by several Windows applications to find details about a CD.

As well as querying, you can submit new CDs to the database, either online or offline.

Online Freedb

You need to setup the Freedb server in the settings. It is also a good idea to enter your email if you are going to submit albums to the online database. The email is used to notify you that your submission has gone through (or not).

Offline Freedb

You can download a version of the Freedb database for use on your hard disk. This comes in two formats, due to limitations with the Windows file system. The QCD Freedb plugin only supports what is called the "Windows Alternate Format". Make sure you download the right file.
Because the database is quite large (about 750 Mb as of Feb 2003), the QCD Freedb plugin allows you to compress the database to about 1/3 of its original size.
Pros: less disk space wasted.
Cons: Slightly slower access, incompatibility with other applications that support offline freedb.
As a rule, this is what I recommend :

- You are using FAT(16 or 32) and you will only be using offline Freedb with QCD -> COMPRESS

- You are using FAT(16 or 32) and you will be using offline Freedb with other applications -> DO NOT COMPRESS

- You are using NTFS : use the "compressed" file attribute to compress the data. This file attribute is only available to NTFS partitions and is transparent to applications.

CDPLAYER.INI

cdplayer.ini is used by many applications like the Windows cdplayer to store information about CDs. Lots of other programs are using it, so it is a good idea to make the QCD Freedb plugin use it, especially for new CDs. It is also a lot quicker than the offline database. I would recommend enabling it in the plugin settings.

Submitting Data

You can submit new CDs to the database. As a rule, try not to include your home made compilations ! Also, make sure you have entered all the track details, and checked for spelling. A useful function is the ability to import playlists to fill in the track details : useful if you make your own compilations from playlists (NERO and other packages allow you to burn CDs from a playlist).