Skipping vs. Drop Outs not "High School "

hey JB, since we've got you here, can i ask you a question ? Good and thanks : )

What do they use to "seal" CD's ? If you look at the edges of them, it almost looks like they put some type of varnish or lacquer type material on them. Sean
>

As a person that worked at a cd pressing plant for 5 years I know a little about cds and I have to say that when I worked there we played some cds that looked liked crap ( scratched , damaged , injection faults )and they all played fine . I think your problem is definitely the player . I have Toshiba DVD player and it never skipped on a cd but it does have some dropout problems with playing movies . I have been doing a little research and I have found that they say Panasonic players have a good reputation for being able to handle problem discs . My advice to you buy a better player and if anyone else reading this please contact me if you have any more info on a great DVD player . JB

Thanks all for the great advice!!!

Brad

Your CD player should have YEARS left in it. Like Bob mentioned, i would first try cleaning the lens and see if it helps. It also helps to inspect discs before putting them inside the player, as putting dirty / dusty discs inside the machine can only speed up the accumulation of "gunk" on the lense to begin with. Sean
>

Brad your laser lenz may simply need a cleaning; dust & dirt can build up on the lenz over time & usage. There are lenz cleaning CD's available that have a small brush built in; you follow the simple instructions & it's done in a jiffy. Audio Source is a good one - there are others a well. If that doesn't do the trick then you might consider an upgrade vs. repair, but it wouldn't hurt to get an estimate if you really like the player.

brad: AFAIK, "drop outs" are generally, if not always, recording or production faults present on the cd. they are manifested by a sudden drop in volume or an extremely short bit of silence where sound ought to be. "skipping," OTOH, can be caused by either the cd or the transport/laser mechanism onboard the player; it is manifested by a sort of aural stuttering equivalent of a dvd player's production of rapid flashes of digital junk on the monitor when it skips. you should be able to discern the differences between these phenomena, tho they may not be quite as apparent on some of the "old crap." -cfb