Problem With CD-Rs in Factory Head Unit

[schwinn]

No issues here - with any of my burned CDs. I know you don't want to hear it, but the media can certainly be part of the issue. CDRs don't have as clear a signal output for all the 0s and 1s as a pressed CD. For this reason, you could certainly have a CDR that works fine for a while, then stops working on the same player. Obviously, this also means that some players can play it (those with more sensitive thresholds/brighter lasers) while others have issues. It could also be a weaker design in the car stereo... but considering the problem isn't that widespread (ie, we don't hear TONS of people with the same problem here) it could just be a defect in your stereo, or a defect in the media...

[windsurferLA]

Recently I've had problems getting the factory installed Subaru CD player in my 2005 Subaru Legacy to play some of the CD's burnt on computer with Windows Media Player. Those home made CDs would play just fine on a cheap CD player I have in the house. Store bought CDs worked in the car every time.

 

Research indicated that the store bought CDs often have a higher contrast signal pattern than those burnt on a computer because they are "pressed." Computer burnt CDs burn the pattern by activating a dye on the blank media. There are at least three different dyes, and supposedly some yield higher contrast results than others. Furthermore, some say the contrast of the signal pattern may depend on whether CD is written fast or slow.

 

I searched out blank media whose color was different than the ones I was using. They were slightly more expensive, but not priced like the "gold" media CDs. On first try, they worked. Bottom line. If the CDs you are writing will not work in the factory CD player, try a different brand of blank media.