Video Playback / Recording Devices

My DVD player went from showing movies in color to now only showing them in black and white. What would cause this? I have checked all the cords. Would a magnet distort color?

When I put in a vcr tape the machine powers up,the counter comes on with all zeros but when I push play it runs for about 4 sec. and then shuts off.It does the same thing if I push FF or rewind

I am new to the world of DVD recording. I recently pruchased a SHARP DVD-R/VCR combo which uses DVD-R/-RW media. I have transfered a couple VHS movies onto DVD and finalized the DVD. The DVD will play back in the SHARP player however will not play in any other DVD player. How do i fix this problem???