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

I am almost sure your replication company wouldn't be able tomake a glass master of DVD-R DL. Maybe they asked you to provide a DDP image on 2 DVD-R's, one for each layer? Check with them again.

Which Pioneer burner do you have? The Pioneer DVR-110D that shipped in my G5 Quad can burn the DVD-R DL discs, so I would expect that yours can.

Perhaps Apple has crippled the drive in its firmware to not burn the DVD-R DL. It wouldn't be the first time something like this has occured.

If you have a program such as Toast, it should be able to make a copy of your DVD+R DL disc on a DVD-R DL disc.

As you may know, you cannot choose the layer break position when burning to a DVD-R DL disc. Layer 0 is always filled and then the remainder goes on layer 1. This is a limitation of the DVD-R DL format. DVD+R DL does not have this issue.

As far as I know, it will not - this being a limitation of the DVD-R DL format in that the layer break is not customizable. On DVD-R DL the layer break will occur when the first layer is filled, which chances are, is not where you've chosen it to be.

And now that I think about it, copying the disc from a DVD+R DL disc to a DVD-R DL disc might not work either, as the layer break information stored in the IFO files will be incorrect once burned to the DVD-R DL disc. Presumably, if you burnt the disc in Toast using the VIDEO_TS folder option, it would fix the IFO files for the new layer break.

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:

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. 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?

Hey, Nigel

Wouldn't happen to be an XDCAM EX tutorial DVD by any chance? I'll be on the list for a copy - Any word on Sony's proposed announcement (due July according to Studio Daily) on price and shipping date?

Nice one Nigel - keep up the good work!