Any cheaper external dvd burners out there???

Now that i've found out that my wonderfully expensive apple doesnt have a dvd burner, i have to buy an external dvd burner. I was recommended Lacie but that's too expensive. Anyone know of any cheaper ones that work fine as well??
also, do i need all of that touch8 stuff? can i just get the dvd writer without all of the extra programs?

That's the beauty of it. No drivers required when you make your own. The OS already has everything you need. There is nothing required in terms of additional downloads to make your burner work via Firewire when you install a Pioneer S-Drive into a standard 400 0r 800 firewire enclosure. It works right out of the box!
At one point in time, I too thought that whatever I build in terms of computer hardware was bound to fail. Now it turns out that the items I built, actually last the longest!
Now there is one exception to the above that comes to minds, Lacie (pre configured) ext. FW HD's may rerquire additional 3rd party drivers at times.
Don't ask me why. You'd have to check their web site for this type of support.

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Any external DVD Burners out there for Dual G4 450?

Hey, I have a Dual G4 450 Gigabit Ethernet with 10.2.8 w/ firewire 1 and a meh USB2.0 from CompUSA. I've checked a couple of places for an external DVD burner but most are listing a 500mhz as a requirement. The OWC drive they're selling isn't listing a speed as a requirement, so I'm worried about ordering their drive. Does anyone have their drive and would know if it works with my speed, and is there still a drive out there that can work with my computer? Thanks for your answers.

Went ahead with another burner.

External DVD Burners & iDVD Compatibility

I am looking to purchase external DVD burners for use at my school - that are compatible with iDVD.
I am running iLife 5 on many different pre-intel Tiger Macs (mostly eMacs)
I have looked for a definitive listing of burners and have been receiving conflicting pieces of information.
I understand that I students can save iDVD projects as Disk Images then burn after the fact... but it would be nice to know which External Burners are compatible with iDVD without having to go the Disk Image route.
Any assistance that you can provide me would be tremendously appreciated.
Thanks in advance
Dave

Hello Dave,
iDVD 5 does not natively support external burners. What you have discovered concerning the creation of disk images, though, is not simply a workaround, but a widely recommended procedure, as it greatly reduces the risk of burn errors.
http://discussions.apple.com/thread.jspa?threadID=939694&start=0&tstart=0
hope this helps
mish

Is there dvd software out there that allows you to create a dvd menu in which the viewer can choose to play different sequences of the videos offered?

Is there dvd software out there that allows you to create a dvd menu in which the viewer can choose to play different sequences of the videos offered? It was described to me as a dvd matrix menu but I can't find anything like it for mac. The idea is that there are multiple videos on the dvd menu and you can choose to play "video A, then B, then C" or "video B, then C, then A", etc, in different orders each time. And it would play the sequence that you choose.

meghanica wrote:
I think that's on the right track but I'm wanting something that allows the viewer to choose the sequence when they're looking at the DVD menu. I only see how the creator of the DVD can make different sequences. It's a yoga tutorial DVD and we are wanting the viewer to be able to pick a sequence from the menu items as such: pick one of the 3 warm-up videos, then pick one of the 2 yoga practices and then pick 1 of the 3 cool-down videos and then the dvd will play the sequence of selected warm up, practice, then cool down. And it can be differently chosen every time the viewer uses the menu.
You can do this on a DVD with DVD Studio Pro.
DVD's have some very basic storage called SPRM/GPRM scripting IIRC.
There are a few tutorials around for DVDSP…
http://www.kenstone.net/fcp_homepage/dvd_language_nattress.html
http://www.digitalproducer.com/article/DVD-Studio-Pro-Scripting-Part-4-28784
You use scripts to set values that are stored in a tiny amount of memory on the player & then have to use additional scripts to respond to the values set, so that at the end of a sequence it will jump to the one a user previously chosen.
Some things to consider…
DVD's have limits on the number of chapters & titles, you need to plan around that.
Some DVD players are terrible to navigate, the settings that a user selects will be forgotten when the player is powered off. Users will need to make the choices over & over, every time they use the DVD (computers may remember it - I haven't tested this in years).
You will also need to setup many variations of menus to be able to indicate what selections they chose.
It is not a trivial task, you may want to hire a programmer to set it all up.
Testing is also a lot of work - too many combinations can quickly cause issues for testing, different players can also do odd things too.
I have used scripting for basic, 'play all' or 'play chapter' menus where the video is encoded once on the DVD & the scripts will either play through, or simply play a chapter & return to the same menu.
You may find that it would be better to invest in setting up a website with this. On a custom site it would be possible for users to save a playlist or several, they can also share playlists etc, it would be more flexible & usable IMO.
See roaring apps for info on others who have used DVD Studio Pro with various OS's…
http://roaringapps.com/app/dvd-studio-pro …it looks like 10.8 may be the last OS to work correctly with DVDSP.
Other DVD authoring apps may be able to do GPRM scripting too, but you will have to search for them.
I think the registers are part of the DVD spec, so devices should support them, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DVD-Video

HT201303 Do any of you apple geniuses out there know how to retrieve the answers to your security questions or at least reset them? Apparently its to much for the support team. Can't get an answer out of them...

Do any of you apple geniuses out there know how to retrieve the answers to your security questions or at least reset them? Apparently its to much for the support team. Can't get an answer out of them...

Reset Security Questions
Frequently asked questions about Apple ID
Manage My Apple ID
Or you can email iTunes Support at iTunes Store Support.
If all else fails:
Go to: Apple Express Lane;
Under Product Categories choose iTunes;
Then choose iTunes Store;
Then choose Account Management;
Press Continue;
Now choose iTunes Store Security and answer the bullet questions, then click Continue;
Sign in with your Apple ID and press Continue;
Under Contact Options fill out the information and advise iTunes that you would like your security/challenge questions reset;
Click Send.
You should get a response within 24 hours by email.
Presently there appears to be problems on Apple's end, so it may be quite some time before they respond.
Another user posted the following:
I got some help from an apple assistant on the phone.
It is kind of round about way to get in
Here is what he said to do and it is working for me...
1) on the device that is asking you for the security questions go to "settings", > "store" > tap the Apple ID and choose view"Apple ID" and sign in.
2) Tap on payment information and add a credit/debit card of your preference then select "done", in the upper right corner
3) sign out and back into iTunes on the device by going to "settings"> "store" > tap the Apple ID and choose "sign-out" > Tap "sign -in" > "use existing Apple ID" and you should be asked to verify your security code for the credit /debit card and NOT the security questions.
4) At this time you can remove the card by going back in to edit the payment info and selecting "none" as the card type then saving the changes by selecting "done". You should now be able to use your iTunes store credit without answering the security questions.
It's working for me ...I just have to put in my 3 digit security pin from the credit card I am using.
Good Luck friends!

External DVD burners once and for all!

I did not buy my mini with a dvd burner on purpose because I wanted to use Lacie light scrib. So, does it work? Can you use other external burners with iLife 5 and iDvd 5 as advertised when it came out? Or am I wasting my time?

Edward,
iDVD5 will let you "save as disk image" and then burn the image with Toast or Disk Utility. on external drives.
Also there are some other helper apps and maybe even drivers from LaCie that will let 'em burn directly from iDVD, but I prefer the image route in any case....
John

Mid-2010 Mac Mini, dead optical drive: Are any slim Firewire DVD burners compatible?

The optical drive on my Mac Mini seems to have died prematurely, as the OEM drives are known to do. Estimated cost of replacing the internal component: $170. And it would be the exact same model Apple optical drive, not a more robust one.
Now very reluctantly thinking of adding yet another peripheral. USB ports are pretty well filled but I don't use the Firewire port for anything.
Trouble is, since Apple discontinued Firewire, the manufacturers of Mac-compatible optical drives aren't making Firewire models any more.
There are a few recent Firewire DVD burners from PC peripheral manufacturers, such as Acer, Aopen, Dell, Pioneer, Sony (Amazon reviews say it's restricted to burning Sony media) in a small "slim" form factor.
Anyone have information about their compatibility with Firewire 800 on mid-2010 Mac mini, Mac OS 10.10.1 Yosemite?

There are some steps involved which may translate to tedium,
as noted in the repair guide for the Mid 2010 Mini from iFixit.
•Mac Mini - Mid 2010 Repair Guide - iFixit:
https://www.ifixit.com/Device/Mac_Mini_Mid_2010
At about Step 25, of an overall rated Difficult process, you can
see the Optical Drive, and likely be at a point to install replace-
ment, then reverse the process; paying heed to advice given.
•Mac Mini - Model A1347 - Optical Drive Replacement - iFixit:
https://www.ifixit.com/Guide/Mac+mini+Model+A1347+Optical+Drive+Replacement/3167
At least you can get into this computer. Be sure to have a spare
optical drive cable and other possible items that may get broken
in the process. Oh there also is a PRAM battery in this computer
that may or may not need replacement while it is open...
If at one point, if several parts were to be replaced at one time, a
visit to a service technician becomes very cost effective. Find one
that will install the parts you may get from third-party sources. If
you know someone at a college computer lab, they may be able
to perform the swap, test their work, and be done, in short order.
Or, chose to use an external inexpensive 'superdrive' equivalent.
I'd heard the LG brand was among some that work, and can also
be used to boot the computer from System DVD or utility discs...
It is a USB drive, can burn DVD/CD media, and is not costly.
The ability to swap out the defective optical drive, and replace it
with an SSD or second storage drive, may be a way to go; but
it also would be at least as tedious as optical drive replacement.
This may add value to the device, in a resale situation later.
That would use the 'drive doubler' idea referred to at macsales.
In the above main guide, is a primer on how to swap out the optical
drive and replace it with a second hard disk drive or solid state drive.
Similar to what the OWC site says, but they have a good kit, too.
Good luck & happy computing!

Bus powered external DVD burners risky?

I am thinking of putting a second HD in my 1.83 MBP with the Maxupgrades kit , and getting an external DVD writer.
Years ago I had a firewire bus powered Formac DVD writer, which took too much current out of my Ti powerbook and burnt the internal firewire bus.
Are the modern generation of portable bus powered (USB2 and FW) such safe in this respect?
I see that offering includes an internal battery. Why would they do that if the no-battery ones are OK?
Thanks for any input.

so the battery is not there to prevent overload of the USB port,
I doubt it, though having a functioning battery may do so
but so that the device can be used independently (from computer)
Perhaps the drive could power headphones so you could listen to music, but the battery is there to provide additional life when you aren't plugged in. If your MBP normally gets 4 hours of life from a full charge, add that bus powered burner and it will drop - bigtime I'd expect. The extra battery in the device gives you a bit longer life.

Restrictions on external DVD burners and HDDs?

Hello, I REAALLY want to buy a mac mini - my incessantly crashing Windows machine has a new 160GB drive (internal) and a new Sony DRU720A DVD burner - what I'd like to do is buy a couple of 5.25" enclosures with USB 2.0 or Firewire connections and connect them as externals to the Mini...
are there any complications using a Sony dvd burner with a mac mini? HDD issues to be aware of?
Thanx in advance - help me get back to happy computing!
ferd

I would guess that there will be no issues at all with your hard drive. Those are pretty standard pieces of hardware that are supported by both hard drive enclosures and Mac OS X. A DVD burner may be a different story though. It will have to be supported by Mac OS X whether it's an internal drive or in an external enclosure. However, there is a third party utility you may be able to use to create a driver for your DVD burner. Check out the Patch Burn utility. I've never used it, so I can't comment on it's compatibility, but it seems like it might help you if the drivers aren't already built-in.
-Doug

External DVD Burners ?

My first post so please be patient!!! I have an Imac with ComboDrive and am looking to buy an external DVD drive to burn a couple of projects I'm working on in IMovie. Could anyone please offer any recommendations ? Also will I still be able to burn from IDVD using an external DVD writer or is there a way to upgrade my existing drive to Super drive ? Probably silly questions but I'm new at this!!!
Thanks.

Hi, and welcome to Apple Discussions.
You can upgrade to a Superdrive, but simply adding an external drive is much easier, and probably less expensive (no labor). You also don't have to be without the computer till 'they get to it' and you avoid the worry of packing up & transporting the computer.
Garyjr is right, there are many drives that will do fine with the iMac; I got the LaCie d2 for actually a bit less than the cost of an internal Superdrive (without even counting labor), and have been happy with it.
The only really silly question is the one not asked which would have saved unnecessary trouble/expense/unhappiness, just for the asking!
Vicki

Alternating external DVD burners

In theory, could I hook up 2 Lacie external DVD burns to the USB ports on my keyboard and alternate between the two of them while burning DVDs? I would like to do this since the internal burner is too slow and I know you're supposed to let a burner cool down after so many burns.

I still would not use the keyboard ports; they do not have enough power for burning. I tried finding any kb article on the power issue, but could not directly - the only one I found is this:
http://support.apple.com/kb/TS3932
I don't know if the reason for this has to do with the power or not, but thought I'd link to it.
The best test might be to possibly "waste" a DVD and try it - you may wind up with a coaster but you'd know - try this at your own risk. I wouldn't do it.

Not sure if this is the right place...but is there any aggregate data repository/dictionary out there?

And what I mean is...Is there any aggregate data dictionary out there that tells you how long and what type a data column should be?
For example...Medical Provider Name...what is the normal length for something like this? Provider ID? Tax ID? Address Line 1? City? State?...Etc...
Is like EDI X12 considered the Bible of Data Dictionaries? Yet you have to pay for that don't you? Is there anything else I can reference???
Thanks for your review and am hopeful for a reply.
PSULionRP

Provider ID is well defined:
"National Provider Identifier Standard (NPI)
The National Provider Identifier (NPI) is a Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) Administrative Simplification Standard. The NPI is a unique identification number for covered health care providers. Covered health care providers and
all health plans and health care clearinghouses must use the NPIs in the administrative and financial transactions adopted under HIPAA. The NPI is a 10-position, intelligence-free numeric identifier (10-digit number). This means that the numbers do not carry
other information about healthcare providers, such as the state in which they live or their medical specialty. The NPI must be used in lieu of legacy provider identifiers in the HIPAA standards transactions."
LINK:
http://www.cms.gov/Regulations-and-Guidance/HIPAA-Administrative-Simplification/NationalProvIdentStand/index.html?redirect=/NationalProvIdentStand/
Kalman Toth Database & OLAP Architect
SQL Server 2014 Design & Programming
New Book / Kindle: Exam 70-461 Bootcamp: Querying Microsoft SQL Server 2012

External DVD Burners.... Suggestions Needed

I am looking to buy an external DVD r for my Mini. Can anyone tell me which is the best to purchase? I would perfer something that would compliment the Mini, but I do not want to compromise performance for looks. Any suggestions?

I have an LG 5163D DVD drive and it works fine with the Mini. It comes in white and complements the Mini nicely. It doesn't, however, come with any software for the Mac, but it works fine with Patchburn and OS 10.4's built in burn capabilities (i.e., disk utility, finder, and probably iTunes, iPhoto and iDVD), and Toast.
I bought it because I don't live in the US and I don't have many options for Mac compatible hardware, and the LG drive was the cheapest DVD drive I could get. It's a very quiet drive (a nice change after my noisy EZQuest CD/RW drive), but it's not a "plug and play" drive - you have to plug it in before turning on the computer. You can use it with either Firewire 400 or USB 2.0. Company support (by e-mail) is reasonably good, especially from the UK division.

Any custom quotation screen savers out there?

I'd like to be able to have a random quotation as my screen saver. I've found quote screensavers out there, but none of them let you use your own collection of quotes. Does anyone know of a screen saver I can use to do this?

Hi Jeremy,
Here's a quick search at MacUpdate. I do believe as though I've run across a few others as well. If I can remember where they were I'll post links to those also.
Hope this helps...

Any 1st Gen iPod users out there? M8541

All this talk about shiny new iPods has got me all nostalgic over my lovely old 1st gen scroll wheel model (M8541). Alas the hard disk died on that a year ago and it's been gathering dust ever since.
I've been Googling trying to find others in the same predicament, and hopefully some details on how to obtain a new/refurbed hard disk and bring the old timer back to life. Alas, I've not got very far as yet, which either means my searching skills aren't up to much, or it's just way too difficult so no-one's succeeded.
What I'd really like is to find some kind of flash memory with the same ATA-5 interface used by the original disk, so I can have something a bit more durable in there. I'm sure this must be possible and am hoping there might be someone out there who's tried the same or knows enough to convince me I'm wasting my time.
I've found what looks like a viable replacement disk here :
http://www.evertek.com/viewpart.asp?auto=14710
Price is good too, though the part number is MK5002MAL-R where my original doesn't have the -R on the end, so not sure it's a drop-in replacement.
Help, anyone?
Firebook 1.67Ghz Mac OS X (10.4.7) 1st gen iPod and Nano

I have this model too. Is yours a 5 or 10 GB? Also, I you using it on Win or Mac? Mine is Mac but want to use it on Win.....is it possible to reformat it to work? I;ll see if my search skills can help ya find a new HD for yours.
Thanks
Windows XP

Any cheaper external dvd burners out there???

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