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Ultra might be on the right track, but it may be a simpler answer...older (say 3+ years) DVD players may have problems reading some DVD-Rs just because DVD-Rs were not common (for home viewing use) when it was made. I have a relatively expensive Panasonic DVD player from 2002 and it had a ton of problems reading DVD-Rs but I picked up a $35 DVD player last year and it plays DVD-Rs with no problems...I have had a similar issue with my PS2s...my old style fat PS2 from 2002 was hit or miss (mostly miss) with DVD-Rs while my newer slim line PS2 from last year chugs through them with no problem.
Also have your friend try the disk on a computer to see if it can be read...If it can't, it might just be a bad disk.
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