Newbie here. I've burned several CDs (Nero bundled with burner, PC, Win98SE) that won't play on my home stereo but play in my car. I THINK I'm doing everything right: burning at 4x, shutting off progs that might interfere, and I use just the burner drive so stuff must be being copied to and from my HD. (Nero doesn't 'splain stuff real well; most user-hostile documentation ever written.) I've actually had some CDs play once or twice in my home stereo and refuse to play later (stereo's about 6 years old, I cleaned the lens). This makes me think that the problem is the stack of Memorex CD-Rs I bought -- 30 for $15, silver on both sides. [bold]Have you guys found CD-R quality to be a hugely serious problem that could result in semi-playable CDs?[/bold] If so, which brands do YOU use to get reliable results? I've read elsewhere to stick with companies that manufacture their own CD-Rs: Fuji, Maxell, Mitsui, TY, Verbatim, there are probably others. At my (half)wit's end -- Leigh
I can't find any other reason for your question that your stereo doesn't support cd-r medias, if your car stereo plays them well. Ofcourse you can always try some other disc, but I don't believe that it would help any. This is strange 'cause I have always considered that older cd-players are more suitable for cd-r medias. You didn't mention if the cd's play well in your computer?
Heh, no need to be at your half wits end... I would be 90% sure that your CD's will play back in your computer, which leaves the finger pointing at the stereo. We've all had them; stereo's that "sometimes" play "some" CDR's "if its not cold" and "you dont try to skip tracks" At the end of the day, I think you'll just have to get a new Cd Player
Thanks, folks -- although thinking I might have to buy a new stereo is probably the last thing I wanted to hear. ::deep sigh:: Napalm -- the CDs play fine in the computer. The stereo has always played burned CDs other folks have given me, and plays SOME of the ones I've made. Buuut... Some of mine seem to be "confusing" the stereo. The other night it wouldn't play one I'd just burned, I switched to a regular commercial music CD, and it wouldn't play THAT on several tries. It would play after I shut off the stereo and let it alone for a little while. @#$%!, it's gotta be the stereo. Odd story: A friend has burned me several CD mixes. All of them play fine in my stereo except one, which will play only in my car. My boombox at work can't even read it. It happens to be a compilation of songs about cars and driving. ::cue Twilight Zone theme::
lol. The cosmic joker is at play. Actually I bet all thats needed is a slight adjustment to the laser focus gain pots on your CD Player... ask about, you'll probably know someone who knows someone who can adjust it for you. I managed to make two real old cd players play CDR's by trial and error. Note: Non Endorsing of taking lid of CD Player and fiddling about inside it if you totally dont know what to do
I will say that I have some Verbatim that have gone stone cold dead for no apparent reason. I don't trust them, period! I also agree that the stereo is the culprit as the "brain" chip is probably freakin' on your CD's - copied or not. As the Doors sang "the end is near"
Holy boogers, mhoope... Laser focus gain pots??? Yikes. I freak out when I gotta throw oil in my car's crankcase. It is something I'll ask about. The stereo's an Aiwa, which is probably Japanese for "planned obsolescence." I'll save the money I'd have put into pricey CD-Rs forever and put it toward a new CD changer. Nothin' else is sane around here, why should my stereo's "brain chip" be any different? Ell Oh Ell. Thank you folks, gobs. May all your data be forever readable any ol' place.
Just get some Taiyo Yuden media. It costs less than your memorex discs and it should work (very high quality). http://www.riverproaudio.co.uk/acatalog/CATALOGUE_HOME_Taiyo_Yuden_CD_R_Media_337.html
You don't say what burner you are using BUT Memorex discs are NOT among the better brands of discs out there. In fact, all of their products are barely any better than generic no-name junk. I don't know how they manage to keep people buying their stuff year after year. Try Mitsui, Fuji, Taiyo Yuden, (basically anything with a Japanese-sounding name), etc. If these don't work, I'd say the burner is the problem.
[bold]THAT[/bold] is one of the best ever comments on the topic of Media I have ever heard. It should be in big letters at the top of every thread in this forum
Thank you both. I'd pretty much already decided to do just that. I think Memorex et al. sells so many disks because they convince everybody from Walmart to Eckerd Drugs to stock the durn things, whereas I suspect the better brands are only in office supply stores or off the Net. I'm going to buy some TY's, and if THOSE will play on my stereo, I'll start a new topic and pass on the experience to other folks who might have snatched themselves bald over the same problem.
In summary to How important is CD-R quality, really? Answer: Very. CD's can be dead upon burning, or very much alive with no C2 error's 7 years on
