If you are having difficulty playing back Recordable Compact Discs (CDRs) on your DVD player, you may be experiencing an incompatibility between CDR media and the DVD player you are using for playback.
DVD players need to be rated as "MultiRead" compatible -- specifically designed for CDR playback -- to guarantee performance with CDRs. This incompatibility does not affect every player and disc but does seem to be a recurring issue with many combinations. Standard mass-produced (replicated) CDs are not affected by this problem.
Technically, the problem occurs because DVDs use a smaller pit spacing than CDs, which requires the DVD playback laser to be tuned to a higher frequency. In addition, DVDs can be single- or dual-layer per side, which requires a different focusing mechanism than a CD player uses. DVD player manufacturers have compensated for these differences with CDs, but CDRs use a chemical-dye surface instead of an aluminum surface. The dye reflects light differently than the aluminum does and can cause an interference pattern with the playback laser, resulting in read errors.
Some manufacturers solve this problem by using dual playback lasers, others by using additional software in the player, but many players just can't handle the variation in media. If you are having trouble playing your CDRs on a DVD player try using a different model player (DVD-ROM drives appear to work better than DVD-Video units), or use a CD or CD-ROM player instead.
