Can powerbooks read dual layer discs

can my powerbook read dual layer discs? 2003 867 mhz reads cd's and burns cd's and reads dvds

The last 15" and 17" 1.67Ghz Powerbooks released can read and write double layer disks. Prior to that, no. Last PowerBook specs are at http://support.apple.com/kb/SP38

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I have a DVD-RAM Drive(ATAPI DVD A DH16AYH) It Can't read dual layer DVD's.

Hello Sir,
I have a DVD-RAM Drive(ATAPI DVD A DH16AYH) which can't read dual layer DVD's also has problem in writing DVD's.
When i burn a single layer DVD at last i.e, at 100% or just before finishing i get error DVD writes Fail "Disc write fails to write Disc-at-Once".
What Should I do?

i have the exact same disc drive,it has Never worked.nobody at hp would talk to me about a warrenty replacement unit.ever

Can iMac read Dual Layer DVD+R???

If I use Toast to backup my G5 tower data onto a Dual Layer DVD+R disc, will my iMac Flat Panel be able to read it? I've heard that some older drives can't recognize the Dual Layer DVD+Rs.
Anyone tried a home made dual layer disc on this model iMac yet?

These are the formats supported in the iMac G4.

Read Dual Layer DVDs in Mac Mini 2005

My brother has a Mac Mini that he bought in late 2005.
Can he read dual layer DVDs in this optical drive? More specifically, can he use Handbrake to rip dual layer DVDs on this Mac Mini?

Might be my ignorance speaking here, but this is the first I've ever heard of a drive that won't read a dual-layer disc. The vast majority of commercial DVD movies are in DVD9 (DL) format, and I'd be beyond surprised if your iBook wasn't able to play any of them...
I don't have my iBook yet, but I'd guess the combo drive in my Mini is the same, and I've yet to find any DVDs that won't play...

Single VS. Dual Layer discs

1. How common are home DVD players and mac/pc players that have the
ability to read dual-layer discs?
2. What other reasons, if any, would you not want to use a dual layer disc?
Thanks.

1. How common are home DVD players and mac/pc players that have the
ability to read dual-layer discs?
Alot more common than they were in the past, and most standalone players are able to read DL. FWIW, this really applies for disc from your computer and not replicated discs.
2. What other reasons, if any, would you not want to use a dual layer disc?
More costly than single layer. Also you need to make sure to author properly for layer breaks. The selection of single vs dual really should revolve around the size of your project (based on running time) and not the media itself. Most 2 hour or less projects (maybe even longer) should fit on a single layer fairly well with no major quality hit. Of course it varies based on the footage etc.
For the most part DVD-R are better for single layer DVD+R for DL.

Reading from a Dual-Layer Disc

Hey y'all --
I am trying to rip some video files from the VIDEO_TS folder of a dual-layered DVD-Video (I have rights to the material) using OSEX, DVDBackup, Mac the Ripper, MPEG Streamclip, and just drag-and-drop.
None of these solutions are allowing me to copy the entire dataset from the DVD-Video onto my hard drive. At best, DVDBackup copies what appears to be the first layer, but the second layer won't copy over -- I get error messages from each app, and the OS itself.
The DVDs play just dandy through DVD Player, and on set-top. There is no copy-protection or region coding on this disc. The data's all there, but I just can't seem to copy layer 2.
My DVD drive is a Pioneer DVR-108, which can read/write DVD+R DL, and I've written/read DL discs with this drive in the past.
If there's anyone who has any experience they could share -- that would be so unbelievably wonderful. Why would a dual-layer disc not be just as easy to copy from? Thanks, as always, for your help.
Best -- Jerome
Dual 1.25GHz G4 Mac OS X (10.4.7)

Should be no issue at all unless the DVD is damaged.
Try using Toast to copy the files to your HD (or Retrospect) and/or try a different DVD drive, sometimes different drives may perform better on bad discs (FWIW none of these will work if there is some copy protection on the discs, it is just something to get files off a disk that could be damaged.)

Can't Burn Dual Layer BD Disc with Share Option

I burn bluray discs from FCP 7 using the "share" option, and each time I do it, it's a crapshoot whether it will work or not, particularly with dual layer discs (50GB) as is the case now.
Bacially, after waiting the 15 hours for the files to output, I am greeted with the following message: "There was an error burning your disc. Please check to see if your boot volume has sufficient space." At that point I try reloading the disc and click "Try Again", but the same thing appears. I know I have more than sufficient space on my hard drive, as well as on the bluray itself (the H.264 video file is only 26gb). I also load the BD disc proir to starting the Share as I've been told that this is how the program knows you have a large enough disc capacity.
Here are the specs of what I'm using. Perhaps they can offer some insight:
iMac Intel Core Duo with most recent Snow Leopard
Buffalo BRHC-6316 Bluray/HD DVD Combo Drive
Verbatim Dual Layer Recordable 50GB Disc (6x speed)
Any help is much appreciated.
Thanks!

SHORT ANSWER: Try a different BRAND of BD-R. Worked for me!
LONG ANSWER: I wanted to be sure to post on this older thread because I just experienced this same error/problem burning blu ray out of FCP7 through the share function. I've been doing it successfully for years now, so when the "error" popped up (and kept popping up) I was surprised and dismayed. The GOOD NEWS is I found a solution. After trying the operation on several Macs (Mac Pro tower and a MacBook Pro), and after getting the error in both places, I was quickly of the mind that it couldn't be a boot memory issue. Neither of the Macs had any memory deficiencies. So, my next guess was it was the media itself. I purchased some Memorex single layer 25GB disks and... problem fixed. For your information, the disks that gave me the error were WINDATA BD-Rs (they don't say how many G they are) purchased at Micro Center. I will say they were cheap and the Memorex were not (so I suppose in this case it is true you get what you pay for). Hope this helps somebody!

I am trying to enter a split point for a file going on a dual layer disc. There are chapter markers in the file but the automtic function doesn't see them. Can I insert a point for the layer split in DVD Studio Pro 3 or 4? It doesn't appear that the autom

I am trying to enter a split point for a file going on a dual layer disc. There are chapter markers in the file but auto function does not see them. Went back and put a small split in the timeline in fcp and exported to mpeg 2 again and auto function does not see that either? Manual msays to manualy enter split poind in DVDSP but can't find any way to enter that split point in DVDSP? How can I manualy enter a split point in DVDSP 3 or 4?
Elizabeth/Roger Cook Films

This is definitely not the behavior I see. When I left click it adds a marker,
When I right click, I see the following
Do you have any OS hacks installed on your computer or have you changed the mouse behavior in system preferences: mouse? If not, I'd suggest you run digital rebellions preference manager and reset your dvdsp preferences.
https://discussions.apple.com/docs/DOC-2491

Error Message Said to Use Dual-Layer Disc - How Can I Know the File Size?

This is my first attempt at using iMovie. I used slides, added a music and speaking track over it.
I would like to reduce the size to a standard DVD rather than using expensive dual-layer discs. How do I determine the size?
My Mac is only 80 GB, is that a problem?
Thanks,
Carlos Marques

It seems as if perhaps you've clicked, in iMovie, on 'File' and 'Burn Project to Disc...' instead of Exporting to iDVD.
When you Export to iDVD, your project ought to easily fit on a DVD.
But if you've chosen 'Burn Project to Disc...' that doesn't make a playable DVD ..it creates a backup data disc, and, as Fred suggests, if you're using large or detailed photos, that may need a lot of space ..much more than when using iDVD to make a playable video disc.
(..iDVD compresses everything so that anything up to one or two hours' worth will fit on a 4.7GB DVD, as Fred described. Burning a Project to a disc just copies all the data that's in your iMovie project without compressing anything; without converting hi-resolution photos to the low resolution of a movie. That may be why it's suggesting that you need a Dual-Layer disc if you did choose 'Burn Project to Disc...' by mistake..)

Can't get Dual Layer Burn option in iDVD

I have a G5, but I purchased it before the superdrives were capable of burning dual layer discs. I just swapped my old DVD burner for a Pioneer DVR-R100. When I go to "About this Mac" it shows that I can burn dual layer discs. When I open iDVD and go to Project Info I don't have the "media type" pop up menu.
Will deleting iDVD preferences help this? Any suggestions?

Hi jlazyr,
Welcome to the Discussions.
Read the following threads:
Topic: Double Layer?
Topic: iDVD & external drive dual layer
Power Mac G4 (QuickSilver) Mac OS X (10.4.3)

Macbook Pro doesn't seem to read Dual Layer DVDs

I was trying to restore my laptop using the original restore/install dvds that came with it. When I slip the installation discs into the optical drive, my Mac doesn't seem to read them; it just ejects them.
But I tried inserting audio CDs, data DVDs (4GB max in size) and they seem to work and recognized by my mac. My mac doesn't recognize the installation discs only. I have even went the extra mile of purchasing another Snow Leopard installation disc and the disc, which is sealed, new and fresh from the store also got ejected by the machine. I have read somewhere that the installation discs are Dual Layer DVDs. Seems like my optical drive is not reading dual layers discs anymore.
Any advice how I can mitigate this? Are there any firmware updates that I can upgrade or downgrade to? How will I know which firmware my optical drive is running on?
Thanks!

You can reset the SMC and see if that helps. If it's a unibody or Retina, follow the method for "a battery you should not remove yourself."
http://support.apple.com/kb/ht3964

Why does the file size change when put into an iDVD project? And problems with dual layer discs...

I exported a short video of mine from Final Cut Express and the size of the file came out to 7.3 GB. When I put it into an iDVD project, it says that the file is only 800 MB. I tried just burning it onto a dual layer disc anyway to see if it might still burn at the original file size, but the disc came out unusable for some reason, and obviously hadn't been burned anywhere near full-capacity. So, I tried it again, and the exact same thing happened.
I guess my first question is: why is iDVD changing the size of the file? I want the quality to be the best it can be, so keeping it at 7.3 GB as opposed to 800 MB is rather important.
Secondly, why did the dual layer discs come out unusable? I've burned single layer discs before and they haven't been an issue. Also, I know for a fact that the drive can burn dual layer discs, so that isn't the issue.
Thanks in advance to anyone who can provide me with help on this issue.

LivelyJamesS wrote:
I exported a short video of mine from Final Cut Express and the size of the file came out to 7.3 GB. When I put it into an iDVD project, it says that the file is only 800 MB.
Guessing here but it looks like you edited/exported an SD/DV sequence of about 30 min in FCE. DVD needs to be MPEG-2 so iDVD compresses the original file down to the size that you report.
LivelyJamesS wrote:
I guess my first question is: why is iDVD changing the size of the file? I want the quality to be the best it can be, so keeping it at 7.3 GB as opposed to 800 MB is rather important.
The quality will be what the MPEG-2 compression and the software allow for. MPEG-2 is DVD standard .... there's no way around that.
LivelyJamesS wrote:
Secondly, why did the dual layer discs come out unusable? I've burned single layer discs before and they haven't been an issue. Also, I know for a fact that the drive can burn dual layer discs, so that isn't the issue.
Guessing again but it would seem that you burned a Data DVD instead of a Video DVD which would be unusable by a set-top player. As I said above you can't get around DVD standards.
If by any chance your video was HD originally you can try to go the Blu-Ray route using Roxio Toast or FCS 3 (discontinued) or FCP X. You will also need a Blu-Ray burner.

Idvd dual layer discs and mkv files

Hi, idvd will not encode a film if it is over a certain amount of time. The only way round this is to use a dual layer disc. But these are expensive. Is there a way round this or can anyone suggest different software to use which is as compatable with dvd players as idvd is? Thanks
Also which software will convert mkv or mp4 to dvd as I can not get idvd to do this. I am using the latest idvd.
Many thanks.

Toast
Video Monkey
VisualHub
Google search for others.

Can't burn Dual Layer DVD-R on new Mac Pro?

Can't burn Dual Layer DVD-R on new Mac Pro?
I have a new Mac Pro with Pioneer DVD burner built in. I've since found out that it only burns Dual Layer +R type, and not the -R type.
My replication company need a Dual Layer -R type DVD as they can't get a glass-master off the +R type Dual Layer discs.
Can anyone recommend/suggest a cheap way of being able to either master off a DVD to Dual Layer -R disc, or perhaps copy my Dual Layer +R to a Dual Layer -R ?
Thanks guys.

Everything I have ever read about the DVD-R DL discs says the layer break can't be chosen by the author. It is not a DVDSP issue; it is an issue with the media.
This is actually listed in the DVDSP 4.1 Late Breaking News on page 15:
"Using DVD-R Dual-Layer Media
If your system contains a DVD drive that can write to the new DVD-R dual-layer media, you can burn your DVD project to it with DVD Studio Pro. However, there are several issues:
Since there is no current way for DVD Studio Pro to identify DVD-R dual-layer media as having two layers, burning a dual-layer project to it results in a warning appearing telling you that the DVD media may have insufficient room to hold the project. This message is based on the assumption that the disc is single layer. Both layers of the disc will be written to as needed, however, when you click Continue.
If you are burning a dual-layer project, the break point you set will not affect where the layer break actually occurs. Instead, the first layer is written to until filled, at which point the drive switches to writing to the second layer.
The switch between layers is a seamless layer change not supported by some DVD players, which may stop playing the disc when the switch point is reached.
Important: Do not use DVD-R dual-layer media unless these issues do not impact your project.
You can use DVD+R double-layer media for burning your dual-layer projects. With DVD+R double-layer media, DVD Studio Pro places the layer break point and sets the switch point to be nonseamless as specified in your project."
Can you tell us what drive you have and what firmware (revision) it is?

Dual Layer Disc Does not Play in Set Top DVD Player

Problem: Dual Layer Disc Does not Play in Set Top DVD Player
Solution: If your burner supports having its bitsetting changed, find a utility and change it to include DVD-ROM.
Additional Information:
DL (Dual Layer) is currently only a +R format. This is a serious problem, as you will find that on older players - and a lot of new ones - there is no +R support. It is not official, and therefore useless for any professional application.
By changing the bitsetting of your burner, it allows DLs (Dual Layer discs) to be burned with a book type of DVD-Rom and thus readable by many more players.
DVD player support drops off exponentially if your burner doesn't support bitsetting, allowing you to change the book type of your disc from DL to DVD-Rom. The DL book type will play on most newer software DVD players but not set top players.
If you've burned a dual layer disc without changing the bitsetting, it is a permanent semi-coaster as it will only play on your computer. I understand that newer DL burners are coming with firmware that automatically sets the book type.
Encore offers no control over book-type. My understanding is that this is a burner-specific parameter: some burners support allow themselves to be set and others do not.
Bitsetting (setting the Book Type) is specific to individual burners. There are some 3rd party software utilities out there that do a good job. The best thing to do is do a Google Search for your specific burner and find what works for yours.
LiteOn has a book type utility available for its DL burners:
I believe DVDInfoPro can set this on burners which support it.
Note: I would caution everyone who updates their firmware to check their bitsetting before burning DL discs. I don't know if it always returns to its default but it did in my case.
Bitsetting is done prior to burning the disk and generally only needs to be set once (unless like me, you update the firmware of your burner). The book type identifies to the player what type of disk is in it. Most players will play DVD-Roms with no problem. However, the book type of a DL disk is DVD+R DL as opposed to DVD-Rom and few players can read that.

Some general comments about the OP's several questions
Remember that reading a burned disc is not part of the original, core specification to play a DVD... so while most players do, now, they are really not required to do so to be able to play a replicated disc
This may (probably is) even more so with dual layer discs... the disc material is different, and a player that will happily read a replicated disc may have problems with a burned disc
There are many messages scattered in the forum, over the past several years, about brands of disc that are better... due both to overall quality control and the type of dye on the disc that is burned by the laser... with the bottom line being that not all discs are going to play in all players with 100% success
As for studio discs... there is software out there that costs many thousands of dollars which do many (up to 9?) encoding passes to get the best, and smallest, possible result to fit more on a disc

Can powerbooks read dual layer discs

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