"Disc Error" on Toshiba SD-1600

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I purchased 3 Hong Kong films on VCD, and none will play on my Toshiba SD-1600 DVD player. The display flashes 'loading' but then 'disc error' comes up on the display. This happens with all 6 discs. The instruction manual doesn't mention VCDs on either its list of playable or incompatable discs. I have seen two lists of DVD players on the internet, and both say this model is capable of VCD playback.

Also, the discs won't play on my Mac. When I insert a DVD, play begins automatically, but the VCDs won't play no matter what I've tried. Is there special software needed for VCDs that's different from that for DVDs?

-- Allen Pasternak (allen214@houston.rr.com), January 11, 2002

Answers

Toshiba is notorious, along with other major manufacturers, for making DVD players that don't support CD-R media at all. Did you purchase bootleg VCDs? If they are burned to CD-R media, they're bootlegs. Commercial VCDs are pressed on silver blanks similar to what audio CDs use and they reflect back at a different wavelength than CD-R media. It's a long story, but basically anything that plays CD-R media usually has a 2nd laser beam specifically designed to play CD-R and CD-RW media. Most Toshiba's lack this 2nd laser. There is a DVD player compatibility list at www.vcdhelp.com. You might check to see what it says about your player. I would bet you that the problem is not that it doesn't play VCD, it's that it doesn't play CD-R. My best friend told me last year "My Toshiba is great. It will play anything." Well, it won't play CD-R and within 2 weeks of making that statement, he bought another brand of DVD player that did support CD-R. If you don't know if your VCDs are on CD-R or not, look at the back. If it looks blue or green instead of solid silver, it's CD-R.

I have no Mac experience. VCDs just need something that can play MPEG-1 video. If you have DVD player software on the Mac, see if it has a file load option. If so, trying directly loading the *.dat file(s) from the MPEGAV directory on the VCD and see if that plays it.

-- Jason (Jason.Shumate@equant.com), January 11, 2002.


There is a slight possibility those VCDs are damaged. Tried playing them on another set-top??

-- Mehmet Tekdemir (turk690@yahoo.com), January 12, 2002.

I bought a Toshiba DVD player on ebay. It was delivered today; I tried to play it, and yep, same problem: "disc error." First I thought I got ripped off; Then I looked up the problem on the web. Samething as you guys: I tried to play a CD-Rom. Oh well! Listen, the DVD player was cheap; $25 plus $15 shipping. for $40 I can watch movies, but no CD roms I guess.

-- Marc Smilen (benny86@webtv.net), September 24, 2003.

The player needs a firmware upgrade to operate properly. Toshiba may not admit this, as in my case. They upgraded my machine, but, could not explain why or what the upgrade was for. They also claimed the machine did NOT need any upgrade whatsoever and that the upgrade was not the "cure" for the problem, but could not tell me what problem the upgrade addressed. I was charged for the repair. Avoid Toshiba products until they get their act together.

-- Rob Mac (spunout@altavista.com), November 13, 2003.

The second time I called Toshiba, I was put through to a technical rep who immediately said I was in need of a firmware upgrade. Toshiba would pick up the tab, but I needed to ship the player to the nearest, authorized service center 400 miles away. The service center completed the upgrade and called saying I was required to pay a hefty fee for return postage. When I asked if the player was now capable of playing VCDs, the repairman had no idea what a VCD was. As expected, when the player was returned, it still wouldn't play VCDs or CD-Rs. I called Toshiba again, and the technical rep I got this time told me of course it won't play VCDs -- the SD-1600 doesn't have this capability. He couldn't explain why the previous representative had ordered and authorized payment for the firmware upgrade.

I have since purchased a Malata player on eBay and am able to play VCDs and CD-Rs as well as PAL and other region DVDs.

-- Allen Pasternak (allen214@houston.rr.com), November 13, 2003.



I have the Toshiba SD-1600 and it worked great until I bought a dvd on ebay and the guy sent some used dvd. Or rather a BOOT LEG BLUish tinted disc. Now all i get is DISC ERROR. Ive manually opened up the dvdd player and took out the disc since it wont eject. Put in a usable disc and still it wont eject. It just says LOADING & then DISC ERROR ..I am so pissed off at this jerk for sending me some bullcrap that screwed up my player.

-- Steve Bingo (fasterturtles@aol.com), February 09, 2004.

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