CD-R's are not that big of a deal on the PS2.....The PS2 doesn't seem to be as picky about the cd based media... They are FAR easier to read than a DVD-R, so you don't have to have the finest CD-R's.....
DVD-R on the other hand is a entirely different story.... Some PS2's will boot a certain brand, others will not.... Since DVD-R is harder to read than CD-R's, the conditon of your laser is EXTREMELY IMPORTANT.... Some people can get away with using cheap quality DVD-R's.... Others can only use the best quality media in their PS2's.....