i serious doubt that is the issue as nothing has changed
Doesn't matter.
a) Poor quality blank media varies from disc to disc within the same spindle, and just because you bought something last time from X company doesn't mean X company actually makes the blank media--nor does it mean the next blanks you buy from the same company will even be produced by the same factory. Typically Memorex, Maxell, TDK, etc. outsource to a number of different companies. Memorex in particular outsources to the lowest bidder (they don't make their own stuff). That's why their blank media is so variable in quality (and why I state Memorex is mostly junk). Generic Maxell (that's not made in Japan), generic TDK, Memorex, Princo, etc. are not good quality blank media. Do yourself a favor and get some Taiyo Yudens (not valueline, trublue . . . I'm also not sure about Linkyo) from
www.supermediastore.com if you're in the U.S.--and don't burn at max.
b) All optical drives and dvd players slowly die over time
And if the backup plays in your laptop the issue is in fact between the standalone player and your backup. click
http://forum.slysoft.com/showthread.php?t=2516 and read fully.
Again, this isn't an Anydvd issue, and consequently, you've posted in the wrong forum.
By the way, it's very easy to check if Anydvd is the issue:
i) "rip video-dvd to hard drive" as you should be doing, and then select the
entire video_Ts folder as the source for playback (don't select individual .vobs) or select the video_ts.ifo file. If the rip plays fine, Anydvd isn't the issue
ii) With Anydvd running in the background, play the
original disc on your computer. If the original disc plays fine, Anydvd isn't the issue.
Anything else is a blank media compatibility, burn quality, not understanding how to use the burning software in question, or standalone dvd player issue (or any combination thereof).