CDRs Won't Play In Car

[jamesmaya]

Hi Folks,

I've never had any problems burning CD's from my computer and playing them back in my car...until just recently when I switched to a new batch of Memorex CDRs. They play just fine in my computer and other CD players. When I load them into my car player, it appears to be "reading" the index for each track that I recorded...BUT THERE'S NO AUDIO OUTPUT. No problem playing CDRs that I burned prior to the new Memorex batch. Any thoughts on what the problem might be? Thanks in advance.

Jim W.

BTW, the CDRs that I burn are solely for my private and personal use.

[Jamie Tate]

I've always had problems with Imation CDRs. No matter what burner I used they just won't play in my car stereo.

[Gary Freed]

Hi Jim,

Sorry to hear that you're having problems. I'd take then back to where you purchased them and have them give you a new batch or another brand.

You could also check with the manufacturer to see if they meet Orange
Book II specifications.

[Ed Bishop]

Originally posted by yesman
I've always had problems with Imation CDRs. No matter what burner I used they just won't play in my car stereo.

That's why I've started to use Maxell's for a change of pace. The Imations play fine in the burner and my home players, but when I used them in a boombox or loaned them out for DiscMan use, they would tend to skip.
Hard to say why, but enough problems, I just broke down and tried a name brand, and things seem to be improved.

BTW, Jamie, an unusual, non-Harpo avatar. Anybody I know? Looks very familiar....

ED:cool:

[Dave]

Ed,

Which Maxell's, made in Japan or made in Taiwan?

[Ed Bishop]

Originally posted by Dave
Ed,

Which Maxell's, made in Japan or made in Taiwan?

Japan. Okay or not? I'm still new at this brandname game.

ED:cool:

[Dave]

You've got the right ones Ed.;)

It was admitted to me by the local Maxell wholesaler that the QC is far better on the Japan versions at times.

[Jamie Tate]

Originally posted by Ed Bishop
BTW, Jamie, an unusual, non-Harpo avatar. Anybody I know? Looks very familiar....

ED:cool:

It's Joe Meek. I'll get back to Harpo eventually.

I've switched to using Taiyo Yudens. Haven't had a problem since. it was a lot cheaper then buying a new car stereo.

[Ed Bishop]

Originally posted by Dave
You've got the right ones Ed.;)

I feel better already:thumbsup: . Thanks, Dave. When I was in WallyWorld this morning on my weekly sojourn(mandated by others), I decided to check out the CD-R section. I looked over many brands, but I remembered enough from the previous CD-R thread that Japan was generally the way to go. Since the Maxell 30-pack listed Japan, I hoped I was safe.

ED :cool:

[Dave]

We do aim to please here at Steve's, Ed.;)

[Ed Bishop]

Originally posted by Dave
We do aim to please here at Steve's, Ed.;)

Indeedy you do, friend. Indeedy...;) :)

ED:cool:

[jamesmaya]

Thank you one and all for your helpful advice.

Jim W.

[jroyen]

Have you tried forcing the cdrs to burn at a lower speed, like 1X?

Because beyond lowering the speed, I'd say that the laser in your car cd player doesn't have a wide enough range to optimally read that particular cdr.

Josh

[jamesmaya]

Thanks, I'll experiment with that. Might be kinda challenging for someone with a very short attention span, though. :sigh:

Jim W.

[Grant]

I've never had a problem playing any brand of CD-R at least playing in anything I throw it in.

I'm thinking that your burner has issues with that batch of Memorex blanks.

But, if you are getting a track and no sound, it tells me that you could have accidentally done something that you usually don't. On the other hand, I experienced this when I burned a CD on a friend's PC using CD Creator 5 running on a Gateway with WindowsXP. I used Sony blanks. The disc would not play on his Sony mega-changer CD player.

Burning a CD-R that is rated for higher than 12x or 16x at 1x will produce more jitter and a higher error rate. The old rule about burning at 1x just doesn't hold anymore. You just can't find blanks that are optimised for 8x or lower anymore.

[Sckott]

There are many car radios that do not play CDRs very well. My head unit that plays discs is far more sensitive about bad CDRs than the trunk player. Go figure.

But I have no problem with any blanks in either the head unit or the trunk unit I own.

[jamesmaya]

Thanks again Folks. And I will re-check my CD-burning technique, Grant. But all signs seem to point to getting a new batch of CDRs.

Jim W.

[-=Rudy=-]

I wonder if that new Yamaha AMQ drive has a better chance of being read in marginal players?

I would like to try the Yamaha, but I know a few friends who've had mechanical problems with Yamaha drives...I'm very reluctant to gamble on it.

[jroyen]

In older players, newer CDR dye formulations could pose a problem. And in combination with a burner having an inaccurate laser, real problems can start to develop above 1x speed: different BLER values, uneven spacing etc. Incidentally, there are still plenty of mastering houses running everything at 1x, some on request.

So depending on the strength and sensitivity of the player's laser, size of the buffer, support of C2, drive quality etc. it might choke if there are too many non-recoverable errors - even refusing to play certain brands. Keep in mind, compatibility can often change depending on the age and specifications of the technology used.

As for burning at 1x - or even using AMQ, as Rudy suggested - it wouldn't hurt to try. It helped alleviate a problem that my friend had with reading a particular batch of CDRs in his car’s player.

Josh

[jamesmaya]

Originally posted by jroyen
In older players, newer CDR dye formulations could pose a problem. And in combination with a burner having an inaccurate laser, real problems can start to develop above 1x speed: different BLER values, uneven spacing etc. Incidentally, there are still plenty of mastering houses running everything at 1x, some on request.

So depending on the strength and sensitivity of the player's laser, size of the buffer, support of C2, drive quality etc. it might choke if there are too many non-recoverable errors - even refusing to play certain brands. Keep in mind, compatibility can often change depending on the age and specifications of the technology used.

As for burning at 1x - or even using AMQ, as Rudy suggested - it wouldn't hurt to try. It helped alleviate a problem that my friend had with reading a particular batch of CDRs in his car’s player.

Josh

Good points. My car player is less than 4 years old and my CD burner not quite 3 years old. Talk about "planned obsolescence"!

Jim W.