I bought a new Toshiba SD 3109 DVD player that plays VCDs. I tried burning a test VCD and it wouldn't even load properly. Then I tried a straight music CD from my PC. It wouldn't play either! I burn them with EZ CD Creator Pro v4 on my HP 8100+ Writer. They work fine in my car CD player and my old Sony player. Suggestions?

-- Dan (oddbod@usa.net), December 25, 1999

Answers

I also have the Toshiba 3109 and had problems with the VCDs that I burn here at home. However, I did find that it would play the VCD that i burned on a CDRW disc!!! I think it has something to do with the color on the back of the CD. The closer it is to silver the better. I'll be testing this out tomorrow night after I get a couple of silverbacks.

-- Bill (geraden@usa.net), December 25, 1999.

If you had at least bothered to go back on a few entries in this forum under playing VCDs you might have formed the idea that the Toshiba 3109, or for that matter ANY Toshiba DVD set-top past and present, DO NOT read CD-R media. This topic has been talked time and again and has been proven countless times that Toshiba, along with Panasonic and others, absolutely do not care whether or not their DVD set-tops are able to reliably read CD-Rs. Sometimes you might be lucky and indeed find a certain brand/model of CD-R media, or better CD-RW, will be seen by the player but this is no guarantee it will be seen all the time. Perhaps if you read the instruction manual closely, in the fine print, you will see that said player was never meant to play CD-R media, which, for example Pioneer in its first- generation models was very explicit with. While on this you might want to know that first and second generation Sony DVD set-tops could reliably play CD-Rs, but the latest models resolutely won't. Pioneer is reversed; all its latest models are able to read CD-Rs reliably, like the DV-525 (the cheapest in the heap at $250, with component outputs at that if you shop carefully). Philips models has always been able to read CD-Rs. Toshiba, Panasonic, Sharp, RCA, and most others do not care either way. The CDs you created are probably okay; if you are serious about doing more of them, get rid of that Toshiba and get something that your created VCD will play in. As a test take that VCD to a hi-fi shop and check all set-tops you'll find there. Be surprised at what you see.

-- EMartinez (epmartinez@hotmail.com), December 25, 1999.

Thanks for the info. I've tried both CDR and CDRW with a silver back, neither worked. Oh well. I guess I may have to send the Toshiba back and get something else. I like it otherwise, as it has lots of nice features...

-- Dan (oddbod@usa.net), December 25, 1999.

EMartinez - FYI - I have a Toshiba SD2108 and all the manual says to do with VCD is that it supports it. Nothing in fine print, especially about not being able to read CDRs. I have read all of articles to do with Toshiba on this board BUT haven't been able to work out whether it does or doesn't - SOME HAVE HAD SUCCESS WITH CDRs, but it does look like the majority haven't. So don't abuse or belittle them. They are trying to find out something, you had soemthing to contribute, so you shouldve just been polite about it. Why were you visitng this page then???????

Good luck Dan!

-- james (wysmoiity@hotmail.com), December 11, 2000.

I have a toshiba 3109 too. Tried so many different brands of cd's. None worked. If any one knows the cd brand. I would prefer to know.

-- Zwinflame (zwinflame@yahoo.com), March 26, 2002.

Toshiba DVD players (I have confirmed this with the 3109) will playback CD-R VCD if they are burned on "PRINCO" brand media. I have no idea where to buy them as I found a 10-pack a while back and they are the ONLY media to ever work on my 3109 DVD player... They are 100% silver which may explain why they work...

-- Tech Support (techtech@hotmail.com), June 05, 2002.

I have a Toshiba 2109 that plays all the CD-R's I have recorded no matter what brand of blank disk. I cannot however get it to play a VCD of any sort. I recently recall reading about a code to turn on the function of reading VCD's. I just can't recall the code. Any help would be appreciated.

-- manwithfinger (manwith_d_finger@hotmail.com), November 18, 2002.

i have a toshiaba and when i try to play a vcd it keeos saying disc error what could be wrong

-- brian (besling1@earthlink.net), November 27, 2002.

I got a Memorex CD-RW to work fine in my Toshiba. Didn't ever get any brands of CD-R to work. I used the newest version of Nero to burn it as well. Hope this helps

-- Mike (mrrasmussen@hotmail.com), January 21, 2003.

I too have a Tosh 3109 and have tried to burn a VCD using, Nero, Memorex, Sony and TDK CD-R's and I have had no luck, I have not yet tried a CD-RW but I will try soon. None of them have played on an alternative Samsung 909. Both of these DVD players are fairly early models for the UK and probably don't fully support VCD even though they are supposed to.

Regards Mark

-- Mark Hartley (mark_hartley@yahoo.com), January 27, 2003.