Recommended DVD-R Drive?

macswitcher

I'm looking to add an additional FireWire or USB 2.0 DVD-R Drive to my PowerBook system. I'm going to use it to create my own movies and tranferring old home movies from VHS/MiniDV to DVD-R. In the long run I'll probably make some copies for the rest of our family... My PB comes w/ the 1X drive - what other 2/3/4X drives are out there for this kind of stuff - general recording...



Thanks



PS. Can anyone fill me in on DVD stuff... DVD-Authoring versus DVD-General Use Blank DVDs, etc... I'm clueless... <img src="confused.gif" border="0">

rhoq

In the past I had read that it was impossible to successfully burn DVDs via USB 1.1 (it would require either USB 2.0, Firewire or an internal connection) because of the slower data transfer rates. Anyways, I have recently been reading that some of the newer DVD burners now support USB 1.1 and I was wondering if anyone has any further information regarding using DVD burners with USB 1.1



Thanks in advance.

nordstrodamus

You might be dissapointed to discover that you can't use iDVD 2 with an external DVD-R burner. I think maybe formac has some DVD software with their externals, but otherwise you would have to use DVD studio pro ($999).



I bought a pioneer A04 to put in my dual 500 tower so that I can use iDVD to make quick DVDs. I understand that the newer 4x version (A05) will also work with iDVD. I also bought a firewire/USB2 enclosure so that I can use it with my powerbook, but iDVD doesn't work on it.

paul

[quote]Originally posted by Nordstrodamus:

<strong>I also bought a firewire/USB2 enclosure so that I can use it with my powerbook, but iDVD doesn't work on it.</strong><hr></blockquote>



it would work if you have the superdrive TiBook... and just want the faster drive <img src="graemlins/smokin.gif" border="0" alt="[Chilling]" />

multimedia

[quote]Originally posted by Paul:

<strong>



it would work if you have the superdrive TiBook... and just want the faster drive <img src="graemlins/smokin.gif" border="0" alt="[Chilling]" /> </strong><hr></blockquote>



Paul,

Do you know you can burn to a 1394 boxed DVR-105 with a SuperDrive PowerBook? That's good news if you somehow know this to be a fact. You can direct iDVD as to which SuperDrive to burn to? Is it a sequence trick that you somehow fool iDVD into burning to the external 105? Or are you just assuming that it is possible without having direct experience of doing it or knowing someone who has done it?



BTW the drive to buy is the Quad Speed Pioneer DVR-105 raw for $249 list or boxed DVR-A05U for $299 list.



You can put it in an external case that is both 1394 and USB 2 for only $85 from <a href="http://avlogic.com/product.cgi?code=11933011"; target="_blank">http://avlogic.com/product.cgi?code=11933011</a>;



So you have an external 4x DVD-RW for only $334. Such a deal! :cool:



[ 12-13-2002: Message edited by: Multimedia ]</p>

paul

I assume it is possible...



I could have sworn i heard someone say they did this (burn to an external superdrive from iDVD).



I am basing this on the fact that someone stated that all you need to run iDVD is an internal superdrive...it checks for it at startup... i assume that if you put the blank media into the external drive and don't insert anything into the internal drive it will work, but i have no experience with iDVD at all...



it would be easy to test tho... just get an external DVD burner and go on down to the apple store (or a mac with an internal superdrive in it) and try to burn to the external drive...



I know the comment was posted here some time ago... i have no clue when, and i have no clue what the thread was about... probably iDVD or superdrives on older macs...



hth...