Aaaaaaaah Sinala1
You could well be right!
After many years of telling my studes to RTFM & RTFQA mebbe the "biter has been bit"(ten)
I cannot honestly recall what the compatibility indicators were on the problem machines - for that matter, I hadn't realised that there was a significant difference between SVCD and VCD! Lesson learnt!
Just to update, the problem got the pragmatist's treatment - I took one of the working machines to the lady's house and plugged it into her TV and voila - happy 90 year old lady!!
Now then, why is this £*^!** ing machine taking so long to boot
Exit left, grumbling