I actually found a CD-RW that will read in my RCA 5500P player. The Memorex Platinum CD-RW seems to be working great so far with the stuff I've been experiementing with.

I have a silly question though. Since I started researching CD-R and CD-RW's that might work with my player (and so far, this one is it!), I've been hearing about some players that will actually damage the CD-R? Is this something I need to worry about with my CD-RW's with this player? Or should I back up all my movies and such with a CD-R and recopy them if something should happen.

Maybe I'm being paronoid, but some of this stuff is kinna unreplaceable and I just don't wanna find out someday my DVD player nuked it.

-- Frank Gregory (frankandmolly@sega.net), February 06, 2001

Answers

DVD set-tops have very precisely-set levels regarding their laser power output; it's highly unlikely one can ruin a CD-R. Semiconductor lasers can heat up when their output is cranked up and so in the factory, that is set to the lowest possible level that will reliably read 99% of all media it was intended for. CD-R drives have lasers that have higher power outputs so that they can indeed "burn" the media. Things get interesting here: damage to CD-Rs by suspect set- tops, I am told, come from those first-generation ones whose power levels were tweaked to enable CD-R playability. Without the proper equipment to monitor these levels it's probable they can be set high enough to cause damage to certain brands/types of CD-R media. Getting down to earth why don't you just replace that RCA with another brand/model?? If you do, the time and money presently spent sourcing CD-RWs can be used elsewhere more productive :P

-- Mehmet Tekdemir (turk690@yahoo.com), February 07, 2001.

I'd rather not replace the unit if I don't have to. I don't have THAT many disks that I want to make to justify the expence difference of 60 cents a disk or so. If the RW's have a low chance of being damaged, I probably won't back up anything that I can't get again. However, some of the stuff I know I'll never see again (like the Kenny Everret Show) I'll back up to be safe.

Besides that, besides the CD-R thing, the RCA 5500P has been a very good player for me. I guess I should just be happy it'll read a CD- RW at all.

-- Frank Gregory (frankandmolly@sega.net), February 07, 2001.