Problem with DVD-Rs skipping on standalone

[Richmix]

This problem doesn't make any sense at all to me. I just recently got an OptoRite burner, 8x DVD+-R, and used it with 5 Imation DVD+Rs at 8x speed. Great, wonderful, superb, but they were about $4 a disc - love those Christmas presents. Anyway, they worked fine. Then I ordered some 4x DVD-Rs. They are a brand called Matrix. Backed up Pirates of the Caribean with DVDShrink and burnt at 4x. It works fine. Now, however, I try to back up Terminator 2, The Shawshank Redemption, and X-Men. They skip about every 10 minutes on my Apex DVD Player (yes, the exact same standalone that played Pirates of the Carribean fine).

Now, I don't really get how or why. It still plays Pirates fine, or at least it did once. Keeping in mind that Pirates is burnt on the same media as the other 3, does anyone have any ideas why this problem may be surfacing on other movies?

Notes: I have tried ripping, reripping, rereripping, burning, reburning, burning at slower speeds (1x, 2x, 4x), and, basically, I've done everything I could and should know how to do using DVDShrink. All the movies work perfectly fine on a DVD-ROM computer drive. My Apex obviously supports DVD-R and DVD+R, as both Pirates and another movie I backed up (Matrix Reloaded) cover both of these bases with no problems. Discs are Matrix DVD-R (4x).

[Kedirekin]

This sounds like a media problem - your Apex doesn't like the matrix media.

I know you're thinking "but Pirates plays okay", but that's just a symptom of the problem. The problem with unreliable media isn't always that every disk is bad. Sometimes the problem is that the media is inconsistent, where some disk work okay and others don't.

You can do a search on matrix, but if you search all forums you're going to get 1,000 hits on The Matrix. Limit your search to the DVD Burning forum and you'll see people giving conflicting reports on matrix media. Just one more sign that the media might be inconsistent.

[Richmix]

Ehhh... the media was pretty cheap, but then again it was wholesale. I'll order some Ritek. I know they're good. Thanks for the response. Didn't wanna spend $50 again if I didn't have to :). I guess I'll save the Matrix stuff till I get a new standalone player. New ones may have better support. Thanks!

[JustinH]

my apex plays everything I throw at it.

I have an older philips dvd player that is fussy. I bought this samsung "BEall" media, and it works fine in the philips.

Sounds like a media problem to me.