Slightly OT re: dual layer burner for G4 tower

Hi folks,
Does the standard "superdrive" DVD burner that came with my dual 1Ghz G4 macintosh (mirrored drive door) burn dual layer DVDs?
if not, do I have an upgrade option? I have more content for some of my DVDs presentations than I can fit on a standard DVD-R.
I am using DVDSP 4 for authoring...
Erik

Thanks, Mooblie, I'll keep that in mind!
What a pain to have to modify the case. I'm happy that there's a slot for an extra optical drive... but filing doesn't sound like much fun.
Boy, I've got this machine maxed out. Every PC slot is full. Every RAM slot is full, I've added all the extra internal drives that I can...and now I'm about to add another DVD burner...
I've gotten a LOT of mileage out of this machine. I'm afraid what it will cost me to outfit my next tower after all is said and done!
I only wish apple offered special pricing to nonprofit charities as they do with the educational market.... sigh...
Erik

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DUAL LAYER BURNING for Power MAc G5 dual 2.5

I am trying to upgrade my manufacturer installed superdrive ( PowerMAc G5 2.5 dual late 2005 model) I was wondering if any body could help me choose the right one. I was thinking on buying a Pioneer 16X DL SuperDrive DVR 111D .
Please advice
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Which DVD drive is reported by System Profiler? Look under the Hardware > Disc Burning section.
I ask because Apple has been known to disable certain features (including DL burning) in some of the drives they ship. For example, some G5s shipped with a OEM Pioneer DVR-117D which is really a dumbed-down version (slower burning, no double-layer support) of the double-layer burner, the DVR-108.
A firmware flash with the official DVR-108 firmware can restore this missing functionality.

HP BDDVDRW CH20L & Dual Layer Burning

The above DVD burner came factory installed. I am curious if it does dual layer burning for DVD?
Have a video project that will not fit on 4.7GB dvd.
Thanks in advance.

Nevermind, it says it does right on the tray. Cool!
Next time I will look first!

Mac Mini 2006 MA607LL/A need to buy dual layer burner

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I wouldn't waste the time or money upgrading it to a Superdrive.
Your best bet is to get a faster and more reliable external tray loading USB desktop DVD Drive.
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Dual Layer Burning (Mac Mini 1.42) UJ-845C

So I understand that the Matshita UJ-845C superdrive is capable of burning Dual-layer DVD's, however it appears that perhaps that support has been turned off in firmware version DPP9? Anyone know if there is a firmware update for this that will enable the Dual-layer burning? Seems a shame to have a DL capable drive without DL support :,(

My System Profiler Information does not show "+R DL", yet other peoples systems with the same model drive (but different firmware) DO show the "+R DL" which would be a good indication that the drive is merely firmware crippled to not support "+R DL".
As for evidence, I think that showing that:
a) Other peoples Superdrive model UJ-845C supports "+R DL"
and
b) The same drive (Matshita/Matsushita/Panasonic) OEM'ed to other Manufacturers (Toshiba, etc.) supports "+R DL"
is a definitely excellent indication that this drive is "+R D" capable and that the DL capability has been crippled in firmware. Now the question becomes how to get the "real" drive stats from the drive without reading it straight from firmware or otherwise check the drive in a different manner?
This could be accomplished 2 ways that I can think of right off of the top of my head:
1) Extract the firmware from the same model drive (UJ-845C) with the D8PB firmware and then update that firmware on a UJ-845C that has DPP9 firmware and see if it then supports Dual-Layer burning.
Obviously doing will void any warranty, however if the drive does not support "+R DL", it is not a great loss, as it can be replaced with another model UJ-845 that does support "+R DL"
2) Speak with Panasonic regarding this particular part number and see what they have to say about the capabilities of the drive and whether or not it is a feature that is disabled in firmware
I have sent an email off to them already regarding this and hoping that I will receive a reply soon.
3) Speak with Apple directly regarding this particular UJ-845 model number and see what they have to say about it's dual-layer capability and whether it is turned off in firmware or not.
While I agree that when purchasing a new machine you can only count on the specs that Apple provides as to the functionality of the machine, if indeed the "+R DL" feature is merely turned off in firmware and the drive is indeed capable of supporting this, then that would mean that Apple deliberately turned it off, and the question becomes "why?" The most likely answer would be that they were advertising other more expensive machines that had "+R DL" capability such as the Dual-G5 and the iMac G5, and again we come to the question of "why?"
I have been using Apple machines since way back when..around the time of the Apple ][+ and I love the company, however if this is a firmware disabled feature, then Apple should provide a firmware update to D8PB that would enable the "+R DL" functionality that all specs on the drive that have been found elsewhere on the internet claim it has.

Does my iMac have a dual layer burner?

I'm trying to burn a 155 minute dvd. I only have 120 minute blank dvds.
I'm told I need to buy dual layer dvds but this will only work if I have a dual layer burner.
I have a PIONEER DVD-RW DVRTS09.
Am I good to go?

The best way to find out if you have a Dual Layer DVD Burner, is to click  then "About This Mac" then Click on More Info, then in the new System Profiler window, on the left hand side select "Disc Burning". Youll be presented with something that looks like this (This is from my 24-inch Late 2006 iMac):
OPTIARC DVD RW AD-5630A:
Firmware Revision:          2CH9
Interconnect:          ATAPI
Burn Support:          Yes (Apple Shipping Drive)
Cache:          2048 KB
Reads DVD:          Yes
CD-Write:          -R, -RW
DVD-Write:          -R, -R DL, -RW, +R, +R DL, +RW
Write Strategies:          CD-TAO, CD-SAO, CD-Raw, DVD-DAO
Media:          To show the available burn speeds, insert a disc and choose View > Refresh
What you'll be looking for here, in the DVD-Write section which I've bolded and underlined for quick spotting, if you have -R DL and/or +R DL, those are Dual Layer DVDs that you can write to.
***Be careful as some Macs shipped with Dual Layer Drives (MATSHITA Brand) that only burned +R DL Dual Layer DVDs, meaning you CANNOT burn -R DL Dual Layer DVDs. So make sure you verify that your drive supports the dual layer DVDs that youll be purchasing before you go to the store.

External Dual Layer Burner

Is there such thing as an external firewire dual layer burner that will work with iDVD?

I have read reviews for the Lacie d2 External 16x Dual-Layer DVD+/-RW Drive with FireWire/USB2.0 (Model 300920)
Seems to works. Just be certain that it is compatible with your operating system.
Sue

MSI DR8-A Dual layer burning?

i would like to ask if MSI would release a firmware for the DR8A that would support dual layer burning? ive read this article at http://www.afterdawn.com/news/archive/4863.cfm which is for the pioneer dvd burner which states that they might release a firmware that would enable dual layer burning without upgrading the hardware itself. and also another thing that ive read was benq dvd burners will also release an update firmware that would support dual layer burning. http://www.cdfreaks.com/news/8616.
i would be glad to hear if MSI would release such a firmware upgrade.

hi guys,
found this on sony website ... will msi release a new dual layer burning drive or just update the existing bios like the pioneer would do...

Dual Layer Burning Message. What does it mean?

I have set a Break point in DVD SP, Put a Dual Layer DVD in my machine, I press burn and this box comes up
*You have chosen a dual-layer configuration disc and the output destination is set to DVD recordable media. Continuing will write the image to the media. Also, if too big, the image will be written to the maximum size that the recordable media will allow, leaving the image incomplete.*
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Thanks in advance

try using Build & Format

DM4-3055DX DVD-Dual Layer Burner

I have a DM4-3055DX notebook
i wanted to burn some home movies and i purchased DVD-R DL - Dual layer DVD to increase the capacity of the DVD to 240minutes or 8.5 gb
my question is how do i know or find out if my notebook has a DVD-Dual Layer Burner. or supported Dual Layer DVD-Rs
thank you

Try this free Nero info tool
http://www.softpedia.com/get/CD-DVD-Tools/CD-DVD-Rip-Other-Tools/Nero-InfoTool.shtml

Dual Layer Burning In DVD Studio Pro 3

I am working on a 2 plus hour project. If I want it to fit on a standard 4.7 GB Disc I will most likely have to compress it a great deal. I have a dual layer burner and media. Is there a switch or setting I can use to simply burn to dual layer? The video is over 2 hours and I want 3 audio tracks and some special features. Burning to dual layer would allow me not to compromise any quality etc. Thanks.

Is there a switch or setting I can use to simply burn to dual layer?
Yes. You just select the disc type (in the normal way). What is trickier is setting a suitable layer break-point. You either have to make sure that you do have chapter marker(s) at a suitable place, or - if your material is made up of short elements - 'balance' them between the two layers.

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)

DVD SP Dual Layer burning and DVD@ccess difficulties

I'm making my first dual layer project and I can't format from DVD SP 3 b/c I get this error message (see below). I burned the project in toast 6 and the project works fine in Macs except for the URL DVD a@cess link doesn't connect. (It works in my computer) The DVD 2nd layer doesn't work in some PC's. I"m using Verbatim + R DL Media. Can anyone give me some suggestions?
Can anyone explain this error message to me:
Formatting was not successful. Layer 1 cannot exceed Layer 0 for a OTP configured disc. Please choose a suitable marker location that will support this condition.

Hey James
this particular error means that layer 1 is larger (as in size) to layer 0.
since we dont have enough details of your project, i cannot correctly tell you what to do.
i will ask you however, where did you set your layer break? tell us how much larger layer 1 is to layer 0. what will you be burning your image to, DLT, disc, hard drive? did you check the format properties and see where a suitable layer break can be? did you set layer break to automatic?
any help could give you a fast answer
Mikey M.

Do we have Dual-Layer Burning capabilities in our computers?

Hey,
I was curious, do our MBP's have the capabilities to burn Dual-Layer DVD's?
Thanks guys,
Corey
(Also, how do I find if it is or not)

As noted, burning DL requires a hardware change, not a firmware update.
However, there is software around such as the new Toast, that allows you to compress the video to allow a DL to fit onto a SL, but, of course, quality suffers, just as with MP3s.
It's not clear if you can get Apple to retrofit a new drive in an old computer. I have an early MBP which only burns SL disks, but my new MPB burns DLs just fine. It's simply progress - things get better as time moves forward. When all new computers have R/W capability for HD or BlueRay DVDs, it will be the same thing all over again. And then they, too, will become obsolete .....

Dual Layer Burner

Tried the Plextor 750UX with DVD Studio Pro 4. First layer burns fine, second layer consistently has a few corrupted files; therefore doesn't work. Use Memorex DVD+R for media. Called Plextor, they said the 750UX does not work well with DVD Studio Pro.
Has anyone had consistent success burning dual layer DVD's with DVD Studio Pro 4? If so, which burner do you use?
Note - Platform is G5, OX v10.4.2.
Thanks.

I also would get rid of the Memorex media. I have had terrible luck with it. Here is a great site that lists media quality and manufactuers.
http://www.digitalfaq.com/media/dvdmedia.htm
If you look about a 1/3 of the way down the page, you will see links for Media Inspectors. The Mac version webpage is in Japanese, but I figured it out. it's a great tool. I use it on every Master I burn now to make sure that I'm using good quality media irregardless of what's branded on the disc.
I try to stay with Verbatim as a practice. On the DL projects I use +R and on Single Layer I use -R. I've also had great luck with Sony +R on Single Layer projects.
When burning a DL I try my best to have multiple tracks in the project and I usually create a seperate track that contains nothing but the break marker for the disc.
I then build the project. If I get a good build I burn (in Toast) if not, it's very easy to use the VTS editor to move content above the breaker track to ensure Layer 0 is greater than Layer1.
In toast, I choose DL and choose to burn a data DVD selecting the DVD-ROM (UDF) method.
Simply drag the folder containing the Audio_TS and Video_TS folders onto the interface and burn.
The break point remains intact, and all works well. For burners I use the Pioneer DVR-109 and the LaCie d2 DVD+-RW with Lightscribe
G5 Dual 2.7 Mac OS X (10.4.7)

Slightly OT re: dual layer burner for G4 tower

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