Slashdot Mirror

← Back to Stories (view on slashdot.org)

The Ulltimate DVD Burner?

Posted by chrisd on from the take-my-sony-to-the-sony-to-pick-up-some-sony dept.

prostoalex writes "The DRU500A by Sony burns DVD-R/-RW, DVD+RW/+R, and even CD-R/CD-RW discs. The price sticker is relatively high, but for those worried about the compatibility issues of DVD burners this one looks like a solution." FYI: I recently ran a poll on this very topic.

81 of 194 comments (clear)

  1. So now.... by nigelthellama · · Score: 5, Funny

    you can piss of both the MPAA and RIAA at the same time. Simply beautiful!

    1. Re:So now.... by homer_ca · · Score: 5, Funny

      Yup, using a drive that's made by the same Sony that's a MPAA and RIAA member. Maybe we can get Sony to sue themselves.

    2. Re:So now.... by Neon+Spiral+Injector · · Score: 2

      That's exactly what I was thinking. Must have the MPAA/RIAA lawyers heads spinning so fast they are going to implode.

    3. Re:So now.... by coene · · Score: 2

      If you want todo that, just burn a DIVX of Glitter... Some think its a movie, most think its just some music with video attached ;)

  2. ok so what? by garcia · · Score: 2

    what about people (like me) that have two DVD players that do not play CDRs, CDRWs, or burned DVDs (both DVD players in this apt do not have this capability).

    So I not only have to pay steep prices for the burner, I also have to pay for a new DVD player? Bah humbug!

    Am I the only one?

    1. Re:ok so what? by NetJunkie · · Score: 2

      Go buy an Apex at WalMart that plays almost everything (if not EVERYTHING) for $69.

    2. Re:ok so what? by Cyno01 · · Score: 2

      get a $60 apex @ wal-mart, it plays just about anything, i'm thinking of replacing my first gen RCA RC5215P w/ one

      --
      "Sic Semper Tyrannosaurus Rex."
    3. Re:ok so what? by Cyno01 · · Score: 2

      yeah, my RCA wont play CD-R media, so being advertised as able to play mp3 cds and VCDs was kinda misleading, although i know you can buy vcds, http://coolvcd.com

      --
      "Sic Semper Tyrannosaurus Rex."
    4. Re:ok so what? by karnal · · Score: 2

      Just a helpful hint: Most DVD players will read CD-RW's, even if they bork on CD-R media.

      However, this doesn't help when you already have a copy of stuff on an R, and don't want to re-burn an RW....

      --
      Karnal
  3. All fine and good... by American+AC+in+Paris · · Score: 5, Funny
    Yes, yes, but does it come with implosion functionality built in?

    If not, I'll stick to my Pioneer drive, thank-you-very-much.

    --

    Obliteracy: Words with explosions

  4. Yes...it's all that and a bag of chips...but... by Cutriss · · Score: 3, Funny

    Does it explode discs at high-speed writing sessions? :D

    --
    "Mod, mod, mod...and another troll bites the dust."
  5. But it's Sony by Ma$$acre · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I love their monitors, but their drives? Worse than Western Digital. Their support truly sucks but the drive will be successfull and will trigger a flood from other manufacturers. So, wait it out for 2-3 months when other offerings at cheaper prices will abound.

    --
    Knowledge is of two kinds. We know a subject ourselves, or we know where we can find information upon it. -Samuel Johns
    1. Re:But it's Sony by indiigo · · Score: 2

      Fast Forward to 3 months from now:
      So, wait it out for 2-3 months when other offerings at cheaper prices will abound.

      --
      fslg503-985-8686503-985-8686503-985-8686503-985-86 8650 3-985-fdsg8686503-985-8686503-985-8686503-9
    2. Re:But it's Sony by rat7307 · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Fast Forward to 3 months from now:

      > So, wait it out for 2-3 months when other offerings at cheaper prices will abound.

      Hehehe... A guy I work with has been waiting for 2 years for a resonable priced digital camera, but the problem is he keeps waiting for the better models to get to his proce range, but then when it does he notices the newer cameras and waits for them to get to his price range...
      in the mean time i've purchase 2 cameras and had had good results from them both....and he's still waiting....

      --
      Burma?
  6. How fast? by Cyno01 · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I don't own one and i dont know anyone with one, how long does it take to burn a full DVD, is there a difference in between the standards, what's the write speed, average time, etc?

    --
    "Sic Semper Tyrannosaurus Rex."
    1. Re:How fast? by Oliver+Wendell+Jones · · Score: 3, Informative

      And just a reminder, that a 'full' recorded DVD is only half the size of a normal DVD movie (4.7 GB instead of 9.4 GB).

      Although there is software that lets you rip DVD movies to your PC and shrink them to fit on one DVD+/-Recordable disc, you can't make direct disc-to-disc copies of your favorite movies.

      --
      A computer once beat me at chess, but it was no match for me at kick boxing -- Emo Phillips
    2. Re:How fast? by Dudio · · Score: 5, Informative

      However, DVD and CD speeds are not directly comparable. According to this page, 1x in DVD terms is 11.08 Mb/s, while 1x in CD terms is a well-known (150 KB/s = 1.2 Mb/s).

      Assuming max burn speed, burn times for a full 4.7 GB DVD disc would translate as follows:
      11.08 Mb/s = 1.385 MB/s
      4,700 MB / 1.385 = 3393 seconds = 56.5 minutes @ 1x
      This gives us ~28 minutes to burn a full DVD-RW @ 2x, ~23 minutes for a DVD+R/+RW @ 2.4x, or ~15 minutes for a DVD-R @ 4x

      Translating the DVD speed ratings above into CD terms, we get the following CD-equivalent write speeds for the drive:
      22x DVD+R/+RW, 36x DVD-R, 18x DVD-RW, 73x DVD-ROM Read.

      Take these numbers with a grain of salt though. After calculating the above, I found this page which says 1x DVD = 1250 KB/s (= 10Mb/s using drive manufacturers' definition of 1MB = 1000KB). Whatever. Close enough.

    3. Re:How fast? by -=Izzy=- · · Score: 2
      I don't own one and i dont know anyone with one, how long does it take to burn a full DVD, is there a difference in between the standards, what's the write speed, average time, etc?


      I dont own one of these, but i do own a HP100i (i got screwed, and should have waited for the 200i)

      but i can burn a full dvd (2 hours) in approximately 20 minutes. im sure this burner is comparable.
    4. Re:How fast? by Nogami_Saeko · · Score: 3, Informative

      It's worth noting that not all "full" DVDs use 9.4gb dual-layer media, infact many will fit just fine on 4.7gb media (cheaper to master).

      --
      "Nothing strengthens authority so much as silence." - Charles de Gaulle
    5. Re:How fast? by singularity · · Score: 2

      Whoops, make that 2x for 3.2 gigs in 18 minutes.

      --
      - (c) 2018 Hank Zimmerman
  7. Sounds good... by shr3k · · Score: 4, Interesting

    Looks interesting. $350 isn't that bad considering what you're getting. But I want to wait and see if Plextor will make a similar drive. Plextor, from my experience, has always had a quality, albeit a little more pricey, showing with their drives.

    I hope that they are working on a similar product. This type of thing sounds like it would be right up their alley.

    1. Re:Sounds good... by sacremon · · Score: 2

      Plextor has only recently come out with DVD-ROM drives, and no burners. They seem to be slow to get into DVD burning, perhaps in part due to the lack of a uniform standard.

      --
      If you can't beat them, embrace and extend them.
    2. Re:Sounds good... by msobkow · · Score: 2

      How many disks did you burn with each drive before they died? The lasers used for burning do have limits on their lifespan. My old HP, for example, churned out around 500-800 CDRs before it died (2 years), but my Plextor 24/10/40A has burnt over 800 already and is still going strong.

      With the number of drives you've used, I have to wonder if the same burnout isn't happening in your case.

      Aside from that, you are the first person I've heard mention having multiple Plextor drives fail. Out of a few dozen owners at different sites with different Plextor models, I've only heard of one failure -- and that was after 2500 CDRs had been burnt with the unit.

      --
      I do not fail; I succeed at finding out what does not work.
    3. Re:Sounds good... by adolf · · Score: 2

      *shrug*

      They were also late to the CD-R party, waiting until media was less than $5/ea, and drives fell down to the few-hundred-bucks range.

      If history is any indication, this is about the right time for them to move in on the market.

      [an FYI: I paid >$400 for an 8x SCSI Plextor CD-R within the same week that it actually started shipping. It has made thousands of discs in the few years that I've had it, and doesn't mind being kept busy at near 100% duty for days at a time. I doubt I'll ever need to buy another CD-R drive.]

      --
      Kid-proof tablet..
  8. Fnck that by thatguywhoiam · · Score: 5, Funny
    I'll wait for the DVD+r+RW+CD-RW=CD+RW=R-Z+DVD-D burner.

    THAT's what I really want. If they manage to innovate the rest of the alphabet in there too, hot damn.

    aside: the acronym situation is totally out of control. It's an RIAA ploy. When we can't tell what we're buying anymore, suddenly the piracy will stop...

    --
    If Jesus wants me it knows where to find me.
    1. Re:Fnck that by unicron · · Score: 2

      Clean your shit up, jeez.

      @piratedmediums=qw(DVD, RW, CD-RW, DVD-D);

      --
      Finally, math books without any of that base 6 crap in them.
    2. Re:Fnck that by NanoGator · · Score: 2

      "I'll wait for the DVD+r+RW+CD-RW=CD+RW=R-Z+DVD-D burner."

      Dude, it's Sony. What they'll come out with is a DVD + Triangle, Circle, X, Square, Circle, Circle, X.

      --
      "Derp de derp."
    3. Re:Fnck that by jgerman · · Score: 2

      Might want to try dropping the commas, that's not going to give you what you want. ;)

      Hey if I didn't say it someone else would have.

      --
      I'm the big fish in the big pond bitch.
  9. "The price sticker is relatively high" by briglass · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Yet it is one hundred dollars cheaper than the very first 4-speed CDR burner I bought.

    --

    ----
    "Those who quote others are more likely to one day be quoted" -Tom Planter
    1. Re:"The price sticker is relatively high" by Amazing+Quantum+Man · · Score: 4, Funny


      You had a CD-ROM drive? Why, back in the day, we had to run a pin over the CD and count the pits and gaps! And we were glad to have 'em too!
      </RANT>

      --
      Fascism starts when the efficiency of the government becomes more important than the rights of the people.
    2. Re:"The price sticker is relatively high" by User+956 · · Score: 2

      Bah, it's cheaper than the first 2x CDROM drive I bought! Kids these days, don't know how easy they got it....

      2x CDROM? When I was a kid, all we had was a 1x CDROM with a caddy.

      --
      The theory of relativity doesn't work right in Arkansas.
    3. Re:"The price sticker is relatively high" by asv108 · · Score: 2

      Amen, I remember purchasing my first CDR drive from Pinnacle Micro, the company which was really the first to offer such drives. $1200 for a 1x external SCSI drive. At least it looked good which burning a disc for an hour.

  10. Pricey? by Green+Light · · Score: 3, Informative

    The supplied link leads to a Sony-page with a $349 (USD) price tag. I'm not sure that is "pricey". If it really reads/writes all of the formats, then this is just what many people are waiting for, at a decent price.

    Plus, this drive may be so new that they have tested it with high-speed media, and it will not burst into flames 8^)

    Being from Sony, though, I would be cautions about any DRM features that the drive may have hidden deep inside that firmware...

    --
    "Send an Instant Karma to me" - Yes
  11. Compatibility by Junior+J.+Junior+III · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Compatibility isn't just about what I can read on my device(s), it's about what other people can read on their devices.

    Sure, maybe I can write a DVD-R, DVD+R, DVD-RAM, DVD-RW, etc. etc. etc. but if I don't know what my contacts can read, it won't help me any unless I want to send them redundant copies in every format I can think of.

    It'd be nice if they could just come up with one standard and make it universal, or at least compatible with other standards.

    --
    You see? You see? Your stupid minds! Stupid! Stupid!
    1. Re:Compatibility by Sancho · · Score: 2

      It's not a standards problem, though. It's a problem with the end manufacturer not using the best quality lasers and readers (wrt burned DVDs) and not including a certain amount of flexibility in the decoder (wrt SVCDs and VCDs). The video discs you write with DVD-R is standards compliant. The laser your DVD player uses to read the disc is the issue.

    2. Re:Compatibility by Junior+J.+Junior+III · · Score: 2

      In order to be able to do that, I need to know what formats people can read, right? If *I* can write in many formats, but my contacts can only read in one or perhaps two, and they're not necessarily the *same* one or two, then it's a problem. I have to track what formats each contact can read data in. It's a pain once the number goes higher than maybe a half dozen.

      --
      You see? You see? Your stupid minds! Stupid! Stupid!
  12. Call me the wet blanket... by d.valued · · Score: 5, Informative

    However, don't expect it (or the available software) to be either as simple or as nice as the iDVD interface and layout.

    (One thing the Macintosh people have down pat is interface. My GOD! it's easy!)

    Linux comaptibility is most likely trivial, though, on the upside. Just treat it as a CDRW that has a 4.7 GiB capacity and write to it in UDF packets instead of a Rock Ridge or Joliet stream, it should work.

    Don't expect any firmware cracks for this beast either. Sony hardware is pretty hard to crack (Techtronics, probably the best site for getting modded DVD players, has to go and do chip replacement and other nasty-level cracks on standalones.) Besides that, I would presume (since Sony is one of the core members of DVD Forum) that this will automagically region code any video-format DVDs' you create, unless such coding is already required in the writable DVD specifications.

    It sucks that for DVD's there won't be a company that can readily capitalize on the market and the product like MP3.com did with music.. then again, music is easier to forge than movies are...

    --
    I used to be someone else. Now I'm someone better.
    Real life is underrated.
    1. Re:Call me the wet blanket... by d.valued · · Score: 2

      As I mentioned in the post,I was working off an assumption. This is good news to me, since my sis is a fledgling filmmaker and plans to burn DVD copies of movies on commodity hardware.

      Still, RPC 2 drives suck.. In order to play EU DVD's on mu laptop, for example, I have to get a second DVD drive. (Granted, I got it off eBay for less than fifteen bucks, but it's still a pain because the firmware's a bitch to crack.)

      --
      I used to be someone else. Now I'm someone better.
      Real life is underrated.
  13. More Burning Options by Waffle+Iron · · Score: 5, Funny
    The DRU500A by Sony burns DVD-R/-RW, DVD+RW/+R, and even CD-R/CD-RW discs.

    At $349, you'd be wasting your money. I paid only $249 for a Sunbeam Gas Grill. At 40,000 BTU/hour, it will easily burn DVD-R/-RW/+RW/+R/ROMs, CD-R/CD-RW/CD-ROMs, floppies, Zip disks, Jaz disks, books, magazines, motherboards, DVD/CD drives, keyboards, hotdogs, steaks, dead rodents, old shoes ... just about anything.

    And if you get tired of all the burning, you can choose to turn it down a bit and go with golden brown.

    1. Re:More Burning Options by Tattva · · Score: 2

      Now that's something I would like to buy: a scanning laser grill. Cook with light. Perfectly even cooking. Just don't override the door close sensor.

      --
      personal attacks hurt, especially when deserved
  14. Not news... by WetCat · · Score: 2, Funny

    A cigarette lighter burns everything! CDR, CD-RW
    even ordinary CDs!

    1. Re:Not news... by sharkey · · Score: 2

      It can burn tanks, too.

      --

      --
      "Outlook not so good." That magic 8-ball knows everything! I'll ask about Exchange Server next.
  15. Not that expensive...at first... by cowboy+junkie · · Score: 5, Interesting

    $349 is not terribly expensive by DVD recorder standards. But having recently bought a recorder, one thing I'd really caution folks about is buying one to create video dvd's without really researching it. Most software that comes with burners is complete crap. MyDVD, which came with my Pioneer and is also bundled with the Sony, is a good example of this. It is incredibly limited in terms of adding basic functionality like chapters or even customized menu design. So if you don't want to create something that looks like 'Bobby's first DVD', you are quickly looking at software packages that cost more than the recorder itself (and they still don't have a lot of the functionality you'd expect at that price). Add to that the fact that you need heinous amounts of hard drive space and CPU to work on this stuff, the total price tag quickly jumps way beyond the initial investment.

    1. Re:Not that expensive...at first... by swb · · Score: 2, Insightful

      You're right, doing anything that looks halfway professional with computer-based video isn't cheap or easy.

      But do most people care? Considering that they can barely edit at all with a tape-based medium and that most home movies I've seen have a good 4-5 minutes of an extreme close-up of some guy's crotch and "IS THIS FUCKING THING ON?!?!?!?!?!" coming over the speakers, I'd bet that just being able to snip shit out and stick it straight on DVD without the animated, made-in-hollywood DVD menuing is good enough for most people.

    2. Re:Not that expensive...at first... by cowboy+junkie · · Score: 2

      Unfortunately, from what I understand, iDVD doesn't let you create and access chapter points either (it can break up a video into several 'chapters' but they don't play seemlessly).

    3. Re:Not that expensive...at first... by Polo · · Score: 2

      I recommend pinnacle studio. The new verion is version 8 and it now understands DVD's with menus (even with motion). I don't know that it supports this drive (yet), but it does a pretty good job of editing your video. It's easy to use (which I can't say of the high-end stuff like adobe premiere), and it has all the codecs built in already to do mpeg1/vcd, mpeg2/scvd and dvd. It can even do windows media and real media, not that I've ever used them.

  16. Bah! by Rayonic · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Where is my dual layer support? Until I can write a full 9.6GB standard DVD, I'll be wary of buying any DVD±RW drive. I don't know what I'd put on a 9.6GB DVD right now, but I want it just the same.

    --
    [PowerPoint] is a tool for capitalist presentation
  17. Add to Cart and Get Availability... by Kammak · · Score: 3, Informative

    Availability: On or before 11/01/2002

    Can't wait... it'll save me a drive bay!

  18. How to copy a DVD by yerricde · · Score: 2, Interesting

    So how exactly does one duplicate commercial DVD's?

    Step 1: Move to Canada. (This has its own drawbacks.)

    Step 2: Get a CSS descrambler.

    Step 3: Follow the directions in the documentation to rip VOB and IFO files.

    Step 4: Burn all files ripped from the DVD to a new blank DVD.

    Step 5: Enjoy your backup. DO NOT distribute it to a third party.

    --
    Will I retire or break 10K?
    1. Re:How to copy a DVD by Oliver+Wendell+Jones · · Score: 4, Informative

      Step 4 should read "Burn all files ripped from the DVD to one or more new blank DVDs", because most movies are bigger than the 4.7 GB of space you get on a blank DVD recordable.

      If you're willing to give up 5.1 audio and settle for stereo, and lose all the close captioning, menus, etc., you can sometimes get a movie onto one recordable DVD, but I haven't had much luck with that yet.

      Pr0n DVDs on the other hand...

      --
      A computer once beat me at chess, but it was no match for me at kick boxing -- Emo Phillips
  19. Wrong compatability issue by TFloore · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I don't care about being able to record in every writable dvd format available.

    I care about being able to burn one disc, and have it usable in every dvd reader I come across.

    This is not a good thing. This is simply a less-bad thing while we wait for these bozos to decide on a single recordable dvd format. Unfortunately, I don't really believe that will happen, so this may be the least-bad option available.

    Adding to the bad side, as has already been commented, it's a Sony. What kind of restrictions does it come with, anyway? Simply by putting the Sony nameplate on there, you know it isn't your hardware. It belongs to Sony, they are just letting you use it in a few restrictive ways for a little while.

    --
    This is my sig. There are many like it but this one is... Oops. Frank, I've got your sig again! Where's mine?
  20. oh NO! the ULTIMATE burner! by Scrameustache · · Score: 2

    Etymology: Medieval Latin ultimatus last, final, from Late Latin, past participle of ultimare to come to an end, be last, from Latin ultimus farthest, last, final, superlative of (assumed) Latin ulter situated beyond

    Damn! I knew I should have bought a burner before the MPAA made 'em illegal...

    --

    You can't take the sky from me...

    1. Re:oh NO! the ULTIMATE burner! by Tattva · · Score: 3, Funny
      Etymology: Medieval Latin ultimatus last, final, from Late Latin, past participle of ultimare to come to an end, be last, from Latin ultimus farthest, last, final, superlative of (assumed) Latin ulter situated beyond

      Damn! I knew I should have bought a burner before the MPAA made 'em illegal...

      Because you had to open your mouth all future posts on this thread can only aspire to be penultimate in pedantry.

      --
      personal attacks hurt, especially when deserved
    2. Re:oh NO! the ULTIMATE burner! by Dirtside · · Score: 2
      Etymology: Medieval Latin ultimatus last, final, from Late Latin, past participle of ultimare to come to an end, be last, from Latin ultimus farthest, last, final, superlative of (assumed) Latin ulter situated beyond

      Damn! I knew I should have bought a burner before the MPAA made 'em illegal...

      Because you had to open your mouth all future posts on this thread can only aspire to be penultimate in pedantry.
      That should be "the penultimate in pedantry," you dimwit!

      Speaking of pedantry...

      --
      "Destroy science and religion. Science would re-emerge exactly the same; but not religion." - Penn Jillette, paraphrased
    3. Re:oh NO! the ULTIMATE burner! by Tattva · · Score: 2
      hat should be " the penultimate in pedantry," you dimwit!

      LOL! I take it back!

      Actually, since I was using penultimate as an adjective, it was legal. Try thinking of "...can only aspire to be secondary." That sentence is legal, and it is an adjective the same as "penultimate in pendantry" is an adjective phrase. Now, if you put a "the" in front of "secondary" it takes on a different meaning and "secondary" becomes a noun. It is like the difference between saying "he is slow" vs. "he is the slowest."

      --
      personal attacks hurt, especially when deserved
    4. Re:oh NO! the ULTIMATE burner! by Dirtside · · Score: 2
      Actually, since I was using penultimate as an adjective, it was legal.
      The word "penultimate" in your paragraph above should really have quotation marks around it, you know.

      ;)

      --
      "Destroy science and religion. Science would re-emerge exactly the same; but not religion." - Penn Jillette, paraphrased
  21. Yes, but what about DVD-RAM? by dpbsmith · · Score: 5, Interesting

    Forgot about that one, didn't they?

    My, how quickly they forget.

    And if it DID burn DVD-RAM, I'd ask whether it can handle both Type 1 and Type 2 DVD-RAM. (Don't ask...)

    --

    "How to Do Nothing," kids activities, back in print!

    1. Re:Yes, but what about DVD-RAM? by WndrBr3d · · Score: 3, Flamebait

      Obviously you're a complete idiot. DVD-RAM is not even based on DVD technology. DVD-RAM is basically just a High Capacity Magneto/Optical drive.

      RTFM.

    2. Re:Yes, but what about DVD-RAM? by dpbsmith · · Score: 2

      (Sigh...)

      "Type 2" DVD-RAM is in a cartridge.

      "Type 1" DVD-RAM has the same form factor as a normal DVD.

      --

      "How to Do Nothing," kids activities, back in print!

  22. NO! YOU CAN'T BECAUSE... by Eric_Cartman_South_P · · Score: 5, Funny
    ...they ship the drive glued shut with one blank RW inside.

  23. Region coding? by yerricde · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Besides that, I would presume (since Sony is one of the core members of DVD Forum) that this will automagically region code any video-format DVDs' you create, unless such coding is already required in the writable DVD specifications.

    Each DVD Video title contains a set of flag bits that determine whether to block playing the title on a particular region. If your encoder software requires you to specify a region set, tell it to encode for the following set of regions: {1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8}.

    unless such coding is already required in the writable DVD specifications.

    DVD Video is an application of DVD. I don't think the writable DVD specifications say anything about the applications, except that the Key Area (used to hold digital restrictions management keys) shall be burned with 0 bytes during manufacture.

    It sucks that for DVD's there won't be a company that can readily capitalize on the market and the product like MP3.com did with music

    That's because the price of producing a feature film still hasn't fallen to consumer level. (Music arrived when 16-channel trackers and wave editors came out.) Very few Flash movies you can find on the Internet are feature-length.

    --
    Will I retire or break 10K?
    1. Re:Region coding? by Nogami_Saeko · · Score: 2

      No DVD burner out there enforces WRITING region codes on stuff you burn yourself. It's always region 0 (no regioncode).

      Infact, I don't think any consumer (DVD General) drives can make discs that are region protected. It's possible to do it through some command scripting in most high-level authoring packages, but not terribly useful.

      You also can't enable the Macrovision bit or the CSS encryption on consumer drives (although it may be possible to at least macrovision your stuff with a bit of hacking).

      --
      "Nothing strengthens authority so much as silence." - Charles de Gaulle
    2. Re:Region coding? by alexburke · · Score: 2

      Each DVD Video title contains a set of flag bits that determine whether to block playing the title on a particular region. If your encoder software requires you to specify a region set, tell it to encode for the following set of regions: {1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8}. ...otherwise referred to as Region 0.

  24. Re:scsi by olddoc · · Score: 2, Informative

    You can get SCSI versions of DVD-RAM recorders which is the best backup format and is used in home DVD-recorders for TV. I'm not sure if you can get DVD-R in SCSI. I use an IDE DVD-R/DVD-RAM drive which works fine under Linux and Windoze. My Hard Disks are SCSI (my next computer will use IDE disks!)

    --
    Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.
  25. great site for DVD+R/+RW info by DeafDumbBlind · · Score: 3, Informative

    http://www.dvdplusrw.org/

    --


    Jesus used to be my co-pilot, but we crashed in the mountains and I had to eat him.
  26. In depth article at news.com by A+Commentor · · Score: 2

    An in-depth article about the formats and the Sony drive is over at news.com.

    --

    Looking for any old 8-bit Heathkit/Zenith software/hardware - http://heathkit.garlanger.com

  27. Crap is as crap does by fm6 · · Score: 2
    Well, the same can be said for the software that comes with CD burners. Mine came with some really crudy Adaptec software. But I use it anyway. I'm not a producer of fancy multimedia products, I just need something to copy CDs, create archive disks, and send software to friends who don't have the bandwidth to download it. For these purposes the Adaptec software serves. It's a pain to use, but not enough pain for me to buy a commercial alternative or research an open-source one.

    DVDs would be more of the same. Most DVD burner users just want to save their family movies or transfer their VHS collection to a more stable medium.

  28. Nah... -- was Re:So now.... by Jack+William+Bell · · Score: 2
    That's exactly what I was thinking. Must have the MPAA/RIAA lawyers heads spinning so fast they are going to implode.

    No way! Most lawyers are perfectly capable of holding multiple contradictory thoughts in there heads at the same time. It is part of the job.


    Jack William Bell
    --
    - -
    Are you an SF Fan? Are you a Tru-Fan?
  29. hmmm by DarkHelmet · · Score: 3, Funny
    I wonder why my firewall always asks permission for SonyDmcaSpy.exe to access the internet whenever I try to burn a CD.

    I click yes. It's okay, really.

    I'll just tell them when they come to my door that hardly anyone considers what I like to be music.

    --
    /^[A-Z0-9._%+-]+@[A-Z0-9.-]+\.[A-Z]{2,4}$/i
  30. ULLtimate? by Wonko42 · · Score: 2

    Jebus, I can't believe I'm the first one to mention this, but: ULLtimate? For crying out loud...

  31. Another unhappy Plextor user by jmorris42 · · Score: 2

    We have a CD tower at work with ten Plextors (just CD-ROM, not CDR) in it. Even though it gets little use half the drives have failed.

    --
    Democrat delenda est
  32. Good link, chrisd by fobbman · · Score: 2

    "FYI: I recently ran a poll on this very topic."

    Thanks for posting the link to that poll, chrisd. I was going to buy this drive until I saw that the /. masses think that using "CowboyNeals photographic memory for all my data storage needs" is the way to go.

  33. 16x dead here after a year. by hitchhacker · · Score: 2



    about a month over a year of minimal use, my 16x plextor died. (right before summer). Whenever you insert a disk the red light just blinks. I cannot return it either. :(

    -metric

    1. Re:16x dead here after a year. by anonymous+cupboard · · Score: 2

      I have a Plextor burner and I get the same, but only on some brands of blank disk, on others, varying from Verbatim to No-Names, it works perfectly but slowly. I understand that the burn power is adjusted relative to the media, perhaps mine isn't putting out enough.

  34. Ultimate! Until tommorow. by Mulletproof · · Score: 2

    Not that there will be a better one a few weeks down the road, right?

    --
    You need a FREE iPod Nano
  35. Depends what you use it for. by Kanasta · · Score: 2

    Being able to burn all those formats is great, but who really needs it?

    You may need to READ all the formats from different sources, but unless you're going to know exactly what your receipients use, you'll prolly just end up burning to CDR.

  36. Would you want to do this? by anonymous+cupboard · · Score: 2
    In another post they noted what the data rate is going to one of these things. Would you really want it on your HD chain? I don't know hoe much b buffer they have, but with the media cost, I certainly wouldn't want to risk under-runs.

    I have a DVD reader, but it is on an ancillary controller with just one other device (a CD-RW).

    1. Re:Would you want to do this? by anonymous+cupboard · · Score: 2

      The cool thing about SCSI is that it adapts quite nicely downwards to be compatible apart from LVL where everything has to be electrically compatible with double-ended signals. Yes, I load my slow CD drives on a 50-pin SCSI-2 bus and it seems to mostly work ok. I'm just kind of curious as to how effective these adapters really are.

  37. Re:IDE to SCSI anyone? by anonymous+cupboard · · Score: 2

    There are a few cases where high-end SCSI drives (either high capacity HD or stuff like the DVD-R/W xyz) are definitely charged at a premium price. Has anyone tried these IDE to SCSI-3/LVL adapters that are knocking around? Are they reliable? Do they even work for non-HD devices? They add about $100 to the price but it still seems to be cheaper than the SCSI variant (if available at all).

  38. ditto by bill_mcgonigle · · Score: 2

    with my 2x that's a couple years older. I do a couple discs a week. I think I cleaned it once a few years ago. Too bad Apple doens't support SCSI burners anymore. grrr.

    --
    My God, it's Full of Source!
    OUTSIDE_IP=$(dig +short my.ip @outsideip.net)
  39. Re:Apple knows interface and layout? by d.valued · · Score: 2

    Unfair comparison.

    I'm talking about the postmodern, Aqua-rigged OS X Macintosh. You're talking about the equivalent of a broken leg in the midst of the game. Of course there have been some bad interfaces, but, honestly.. Mac's design values are extremely high, and it is the first Unixish OS that can be classified as a cradle-to-grave OS (e.g. anyone, no matter their skill level or age, can comprende how to use their apps and do useful things with it.)

    And so you know my bias: I am a full-time Linux user with occasional forced forays into the WIndows world (because: a) my school has MAC-level lockouts and my NIC can't spoof its address, so I must use its crippled NT boxen until I get root (later today [jk]) b) I can't watch DVD's well under Linux yet with software libre... )

    --
    I used to be someone else. Now I'm someone better.
    Real life is underrated.