Can CD32 playback backup CDs?

[Matt_H]

CD-Rs: there's no lockout mechanism, but you should burn at low speeds and use high-quality media to get them to work. Lenses of that era have trouble with CD-Rs, and the age of it at this point doesn't help either.

RGB monitor: CD32 has composite and S-Video out. If you have an SX-1 you'll also get an RGB port. SX-32 gives you a VGA port (but no scandoubling).

[Matt_H]

Not without an SX-1 - a stock CD32 doesn't have an RGB port. You could connect it to a 1084S via composite, though. With a 1084S you could also get an S-Video to Luma/Chroma cable, which would give you quality between composite and RGB.

[Matt_H]

This thing.

[Matt_H]

More importantly, CR-RWs have different optical properties and old drives generally can't read them at all.  No such problems with CD-Rs that I'm aware of.

Yes, CD-RWs are in the "almost certainly not to work" category. CD-Rs I've found to be more "YMMV" - they usually work, and I've found they're more likely to do so when burned at low speeds.