toshiba satellte p30 laptop with matshita dvd-ram uj-820s.Problem :will read vcds but not dvds - does this suggest dvd laser gone or is it a software problem .How can you tell & what is the fix

Hi Coline
Do music cd's work?
Are you trying to watch normal dvd's or scrappy pirate editions, it doesn't make any odds to me.

thanks for the reply.
yes it plays music cds & it won't play any dvds - normal or pirate.
Seemed a slow deterioration tho'i didn't realize it - would play some but not others now won't play any.
Matshita trouble shooter says no problems & yellow ligh tilluminates indicating it is trying to read the disc .
Only message i've got is: dvd video playable graph failed" but for the most part its - "no disc"

If it can read normal cd disks then its ok, refrain from using trash disks.
Is the drive an actual DVD RAM as opposed to dvd -r or +r ?

Matshita DVD-Ram
Device Type - DVD+/- /CD-ROM
it is a multi format (combo drive)
it is dvd - ram which can read dvd +/-