Cornish Jack,
I can tell you two things.....
Images are cross platform, and the common image formats (jpg, png etc.) even more so (i.e. not requiring anything special).
I frequently write CDs with my data and share between PCs and Macs and it's never a problem.
So I would summise thus ...
(1) No need to "speak mac"
(2) No major cross-platform issues to consider these days, especially in what you are seeking to achieve
(3) Have you tried re-burning the CD ? Perhaps at lower speed ?