DVD recorders and DVD-RW

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Level 7

21,426 points

DVD recorders and DVD-RW

I have just noticed an interesting behaviour with my Pioneer DVR-433H DVD/HDD recorder and the SuperDrive (Matshita UJ-816) when it comes to DVD-RW discs. Basically, once a DVD-RW disc is used in the DVD recorder it is no longer erasable, hence usable (apart from being able to play the recorded content), in my PowerBook as a DVD-RW.

For some reason the SuperDrive thinks the disc is a DVD-ROM, even though it appears on the Desktop as a DVD-RW, and will subsequently refuse to erase it (tried both Toast and Disk Utility). I have no problems erasing the exact same disc in my external Pioneer DVD±RW DVR-109 so I gather it's a problem with the specific to the SuperDrive. The SuperDrive does not have any problem with erasing DVD-ROM content written to DVD-RW by the PowerBook (in either the SuperDrive or DVR-109). Weird!

If you are using a DVD recorder with DVD±RW discs then you might want to be aware of the potential issue if you only have a SuperDrive.

Does anyone else get the same behaviour? I'm sort of wondering if it's specific to Pioneer DVD recorders or the Matshita SuperDrive or my specific combination of drives.

PowerBook G4 1.25GHz, Mac OS X (10.4.5), 1GB/80GB/SD ; iSight ; iPod 4G 40GB ; AppleDesign Powered Speakers

Posted on Mar 27, 2006 8:09 AM

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Answer 1

spgiva

Level 1

17 points

Mar 27, 2006 3:45 PM in response to infinite vortex

I think (and I may be wrong about this) that if you get 3rd party burning software like Titanium Toast (http://www.roxio.com/en/products/toast/index.jhtml) you can then re-use your DVD-RW (you hit "burn session" rather then "burn disk"). The apple DVD and CD burning software always "burns disk" so you can not write over or erase your burned CD-RW and DVD-RW.

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Answer 2

infinite vortex Author

Level 7

21,426 points

Mar 27, 2006 4:07 PM in response to spgiva

Unfortunately that's not the case. Regardless of whether you finalise a rewritable disc or not you should still be able to erase the disc irrespective of how it was written to. This is the bizarre thing. For some reason the way my DVD recorder writes to the disc it manages to fool my SuperDrive (and not my external DVD burner) into thinking it's a DVD-ROM.

By the way, in actual fact it was Toast that I first tried to erase the disc.

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Answer 3

spgiva

Level 1

17 points

Mar 29, 2006 7:22 PM in response to infinite vortex

Well now I know. I have never actually tried to re-write a disc. The various tech folks I spoke with always told me that it was not such a great idea to re-write discs, so I didn't. I just assumed the write session button did something different.

Best of luck, let me know if you figure it out.

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Answer 4

infinite vortex Author

Level 7

21,426 points

Mar 30, 2006 12:55 AM in response to spgiva

I just assumed the write session button did something different.

I think you're getting confused a bit. There is a difference between writing to write one media multpile times (multiple sessions) than using rewritable media. What you describe is writing to write once media. The problem is, once it's full that's it.

With rewritable media you can actually erase the disc any time you want to be able to write to its full capacity. I am talking about problems with rewritable media.

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Answer 5

Tuttle

Level 7

29,565 points

Mar 30, 2006 6:05 AM in response to infinite vortex

I'm just wondering what happens with a -RW disc in the Superdrive after it's been erased by one of the Pioneer machines. Can you reuse it (write to it/erase it) then? Or is it still recognized as a -ROM disc?

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Answer 6

infinite vortex Author

Level 7

21,426 points

Mar 30, 2006 6:42 AM in response to Tuttle

I thought of doing that about 10 minutes after I started the topic. Same thing, comes up as a DVD-ROM.

My logic tells me (and given I'm not Vulcan I do accept the possibly that it's flawed) that the DVD-RW disc should appear to the SuperDrive as a DVD-RW regardless of how and what has been written to that disk. I'm, making the distinction of the SuperDrive from Disk Utility and Toast given the right thing happens in those applications when the disc is in an external DVD±RW drive. Even though the disc has been written to as DVD-ROM the physical nature of the disc should still be recognised and hence, should be erasable.

The really bizarre thing is that the Finder recognises it as a DVD-RW and NOT a DVD-ROM.

I'm starting to think whether it's not specifically the product of a DVD recorder rather than the fact that it's been written to, generically speaking, as a DVD-ROM. For instance, if I rip a DVD and burn it to DVD-RW, from say Popcorn, I get the feeling I'll get the same incorrect behaviour from the SuperDrive.

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Answer 7

Apr 2, 2006 9:50 AM in response to infinite vortex

I know what you mean. To slove this problem, i have been using a problem called DiscBlaze. for some reason, this is the only program that i have found that actually erases RW discs. I have amassed several RW discs over time (DVD's and CD's) and used DiscBlaze to reuse them.
Ofcourse DiscBlaze is not free but it is a solution. Try it out.

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Answer 8

infinite vortex Author

Level 7

21,426 points

Apr 2, 2006 10:27 AM in response to infinite vortex

OK… it's basically the SuperDrive (at least a Matshita UJ-816) at fault!

I made a DVD-ROM (ripped a DVD and then burned it to a DVD-RW using Popcorn) in the SuperDrive and not a DVD recorder and I get exactly the same thing. It thinks it can't erase the DVD-RW. So regardless of the source of the DVD-ROM burned to a DVD-RW disc the SuperDrive won't erase it.

As a work around you can use an external DVD±RW drive else use DiscBlaze, as mentioned by David, to erase the disc.

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