Can I fool mym DVD player to play CD-R's?

[gabestang]

Okay here's my problem....I'm making VCD's and my player plays legit VCDS but it is not compatible with Burnt media even audio CD's will not be read by the player if they are burnt so it is not a format issue......THe issue is ..........

Is it possible to make the player think that my cd is a real cd(from the VCD manufacturer) and not a cd-r?

Any response is GREATLY appreciated but please realise I know it is not the VCD format it is the CD-R issue

th anks a ton

[ZippyP.]

Have you tried CD-RW's? I understand they're more compliant than CD-R's.

[txpharoah]

Usually no. Got a SONY don't you?

[Localboy8o8]

i had that problem with my old Panasonic...it would play bought vcds and the older cdrs( 12x 74 min CompUSAs, TDK, Memorex, etc.), wouldn't with the newer ones (any 80 min) but would play any CDRWs (74 min & 80 min)...so unless you can find old cdrs, your best bet is CDRW

[gabestang]

Sorry I should have mentioned CD RW's are not an option either........But as to buying junk I didn't choose this method the Player was excellent when I bought it (years ago) simply because it would play VCD's
But with the changes in technology I got pooch skrewed

But How do CD or VCD manufacturers make the player realise that the CD is real? If this is file oriented rather than an imprint on the actual disk the nthere must be a way to foool the player ...no?

[Earthbulb]

From what i understand it comes down to the lasers ability to read the less refelctive burnt disk... I seem to remember with the dreamcast you could change the calibration of the laser to read CD-RW ??? It was an open unit hardware hack, but it suggests that it could be possible.

[garryheather]

It's not a good idea to mess about with the service menus and trying to "recalibrate" the drive in your player - you run the risk of it not playing at all.

If your player supports this "feature" and you insist on using it, make sure you buy the correct test disc from the manufacturer. They are made to more exacting tolerances than the mass market discs you get in the high street, and may contain specific test signals that the player will look for and will simply not find on another disc - especially not a CD !

DVD players as a rule generally look at what sort of disc has been inserted by focusing on the disc and NOT seeing what's on it (this is why most players don't like Mini-DVD's, because they see a CD and don't expect to see things like IFO and VOB files, so don't look for them), so if it can't see your CD-R's now (don't forget the pickups can compensate across a range already, tweaking it won't improve the overall range or suddenly create a dual pickup head in your optical block out of nowhere), trying to recalibrate it is likely to be a futile exercise.

Plus, by the age of it, it sounds like this isn't a concern - but if you tweak the factory settings, say goodbye to any warranty you may have on the player. All a DVD player has to play is DVD's - if it says VideoCD it means the pressed variety. I have a Sony which plays certain brands of CD-R's (like Princo / some Datasafe, most CD-RW's) but it actually says in the manual that CD-R's are not supported.

Try changing the media, but be very careful about changing firmware settings unless you've got the manual and ALL the test gear it says you need in order to perform this operation.

[vitualis]

On many older DVD players, they don't contain a separate laser unit for reading CD-R media.

Remember, CD-R is designed to look like standard pressed CDs in a CD drive which uses an infra-red 780nm laser.

DVD players use a visible red laser at 635/650 nm and at this wavelength, they pickup CD-R media poorly. Unless the drive is designed to read CD-R media (with a second laser unit or a second optical unit), it will play CD-R discs sporadically/poorly/not at all.

There is no real way to adjust your player or your burning method into playing back CD-R discs if it wasn't designed to do so.

Experimenting with different brands of CD-R media will often yield some brands that seem to work better on your particular machine. In these particular DVD players, CD-RW discs often work better.

Realistically, I suggest that you purchase a new player and ensure that it is designed to read CD-R/W discs. Most newer players are.

Regards.

[gabestang]

Thanks To All those who actually made the effort to reply.....it was just simply that I didnt want to have to chuck the player if I didnt have to bu you may all be interested to know I have promptly heaved my player from the eighteenth floor of my building and I am currently seeking 2 new players

[Quigonsean]

You might try if you can find them those CDr's that have a silver write surface, some machines see those as pressed because they are silver like a pressed.

Sean

[Karate Media]

Thanks To All those who actually made the effort to reply.....it was just simply that I didnt want to have to chuck the player if I didnt have to bu you may all be interested to know I have promptly heaved my player from the eighteenth floor of my building and I am currently seeking 2 new players

Pleeease tell me you didn't actually trash a perfectly good DVD player just because it doesn't recognize CDRs! Next time, give it to someone who wants it! (or feel free to send it to me! )

[vitualis]

You might try if you can find them those CDr's that have a silver write surface, some machines see those as pressed because they are silver like a pressed.

Sean

Um, no.

There look like a pressed disc (sort of anyway) to your human eyes but they are no more compatible than any other sort of CD-R.

Regards.

[gabestang]

Sorry..........Indeed I did actually throw my DVD player from the eighteenth floor..........I was trying to make a statement against sony but.......I guess I got kinda extremist after that half a case o bear.......

sorry man when my new players become obsolete I'll be sure to give you a call .but you gotta unnderstand it's this wonderful CANADIAN beer that inspired me

anyway thanks all!!!