Re: [AV Media Matters] Refurbished CD-R Drives

[smolians@erols.com]

This question ties in with some thoughts I've been having as well.

I think we all agree that a CD made on one machine play on all
others, as far as we can tell.

I hear many complaints that CD-Rs made on one system will playback
on some and not play back on others.

Rumor has it that the cause may not be the CD burners but older
playback devices, a serious percentage of which have problems with
non-commercial CDs.  Others claim that the cause is a) the way the
disc is made, b) the way the disc is burned c) the length of time
recorded on it (I've encountered this issue in the past- one player
handled 69 minute long discs but couldn't handle one 72+ minutes),
d) the player was facing the wrong corner of the room.

This problem needs to be solved before investing in an older burner.
It should have been resolved by now anyhow.  Has it been?

Steve Smolian

  ----- Original Message -----
  From: sgreen@westernfolklife.org
  To: AV Media Matters
  Greetings all,

  Various online auction sites (eBay for instance)
  feature numerous sellers who appear to be buying up lots of "refurbished"
  computer equipment and unloading them to bidders.  In recent days I've
  been perusing the CD-R drives being offered and almost every Yamaha drive on
  eBay fits this description.  Often the seller will have elabaorate lists
  of features and even diagrams or pictures of the units, and I assume most of
  this information is cribbed from the Yamaha website or some other retailer's
  site.  But in fine print, units that appear to be new are invariably
  labeled "this is a refurbished product."

  My question to the list is: what can anyone say
  about the advisability of investing in such equipment?  My own
  inclination is to steer clear, but I'm hard pressed to give an explanation of
  why buying a factory reburbished unit that carries a warranty is
  inadvisable.  I thought perhaps someone out there would be familiar with
  with where these units come from, how they make their way on to the market,
  and what the advantages and disadvantages might be of picking up something
  like a CD-R drive that's been refurbished.

  About a year ago I bought a Yamaha CD-R drive on
  eBay that was new and still in the original packaging.  It has performed
  beautifully so of course I was a happy camper about it.  In looking for a
  similar deal nowadays, eBay is flooded with these refurbished units and I see
  almost no new units in original packaging.  There are some that appear to
  come in Yamaha packaging and others that come in a plain brown
  box.

  Any comments, cautions, etc. from the List, aside
  from advising against dealing with less than reputable sellers?