Why can't I access TinyUDF volumes in OS X?

Question

I have a few DVD-RWs, recorded in a standalone DVD video recorder, that utilise the TinyUDF format. These discs will mount in OS X, but they are not recognised as DVD-Video. I get a little folder icon appear titled "TinyUDF Storage Volume", and when I open it, there's nothing inside. No Video_TS folder, nothing. I can't do anything at all with these discs in OS X, beyond erase them using Disk Utility.
If I reboot into Windows XP, though, everything's fine. The discs are immediately recognised as DVD-Video and they play as normal. I can also get at the Video_TS folder.
Is there a driver or anything that allows OS X to recognise DVDs in TinyUDF format? The workaround is to use Windows to copy the Video_TS folder to the hard drive so that I can then reboot into OS X and access it that way, but it seems crazy that I should have to do this given how video-friendly OS X usually is.

Answer 1

Can OSX read the TinyUDF Filesystem? YES
Do DVDs mastered with devices that write TinyUDF have a VIDEO_TS directory? YES
Why can't I see the mounted volume when I insert the disk? BECAUSE APPLE WAS CLUELESS WHEN THEY IMPLEMENTED AUTOFS SUPPORT FOR THE TINYUDF FILESYSTEM
Is there a workaround that doesn't risk damaging OSX? YES
Explanation:
When you insert optical media in the Mac, it automounts it under /Volumes/[something]. When you insert a TinyUDF DVD, it automounts it as root without read permissions, e.g:
d--------- 4 root wheel 132 Jul 6 16:49 StorageLabs TinyUDF Volume
So to get at the data, the easiest way is to use "terminal" and copy the data to your desktop. First, launch "Utilities / terminal". Then type "mount" to show what all your active mounts are, e.g:
$ mount
/dev/disk2 on /Volumes/StorageLabs TinyUDF Volume (udf, local, nodev, nosuid, read-only, noowners)
You'll note that the mount point is "/Volumes/StorageLabs\ TinyUDF\ Volume" (note where I've placed the backslashes in the above example. You'll need them if the volume name has spaces in it. Translation: put a backslash before a "space" character... it is important).
Next, get a directory listing of the TinyUDF volume to show whether whatever wrote it thought it was writing a DVD. We'll use the "sudo ls -l" command:
Mac:~ zaphod$ sudo ls -l /Volumes/StorageLabs\ TinyUDF\ Volume/
Password:<enter your root/admin password>
It should return something like:
total 8
d--------- 2 root wheel 508 Jul 6 16:49 VIDEO_TS
dr-xr-xr-x 2 root wheel 92 Jul 6 16:49 ZTEMP
Next, we're going to use "sudo cp -R" to copy the VIDEO_TS directory to our desktop (note, it's going to still be owned by "root" meaning we can't get at it, but we'll tackle that in the step that follows this one). Note, again, the backslashes if needed:
Mac:~ zaphod$ sudo cp -R /Volumes/StorageLabs\ TinyUDF\ Volume/VIDEO_TS ~/Desktop
After you type this, you'll notice a VIDEO_TS folder on your desktop. This command instructs OSX to copy "recursively" the VIDEO_TS folder to your desktop.
May as well go grab a can of Jolt and some BBQ ribs and enjoy. If you have a full-length movie, the cp can take a while. By the way, make sure you have enough space on your hard drive. Oh, too late?
After it has copied, you'll notice a "VIDEO_TS" folder on your desktop, but if you click on it, you'll be told you don't have sufficient access privileges. The following command fixes that:
sudo chmod -R 777 ~/Desktop/VIDEO_TS/
WHEN YOU DO THIS COMMAND, DOUBLE CHECK IT. MAKE SURE YOU HAVE NO SPACES IN THE PATH (i.e. everything after the "~") AND END IT WITH A "/".
Sub-rant: [Look, the next 10 posts are going to be from fellow Unix geeks who want to debate this point. If you're a Unix geek, you do it the way you want to. I'm trying to show folks how to do it safely without chmod'ing things they don't want to chmod. The 'chmod' command (and other commands) can be very dangerous, and Unix will happily let you destroy your machine without complaining. So always be careful and double-check your sh commands before you hit that "enter" key.]
After you do this command, you'll notice that you have access to the folder. You can now use [insert favorite DVD/media editor] to [do whatever you want to do to it].