COPY/RECORD with DVD-R

[Derek Garson]

I tried to use COPY/RECORD to burn a DVD on DVD-R media. It failed with an obscure message (lots of hex). Sorry, I didn't make a note of it before it went off the screen but I expect I can reproduce it if anyone cares.

The hardware is rx2660 with an internal DVD burner that reports as "_NEC DVD+-RW ND-6650A".

The same hardware works fine with CD-R media.

Surfing suggests that this drive supports +-R +-RW and +-R DL for burning DVDs, so I suspect that there may be a specific limitation in COPY/RECORD.

The online help is somewhat vague on this point: "CDDVD supports the recording of various optical media formats, including CD Recordable (CD-R), CD Rewritable (CD-RW), DVD Recordable (DVD+R) and DVD Rewritable (DVD+RW) formats."

Can anyone confirm or refute

* COPY/RECORD does not work with DVD-R

* COPY/RECORD does work with DVD+R

?

[Hoff · Accepted solution]

COPY /RECORDABLE_MEDIA (CDDVD) records on CD-R/RW and DVD+R/RW media formats.

The tool is not compatible with DVD-R/RW media and its associated command set, and cannot record that format.

[John Gillings]

Hi Derek,

For a while HP seemed to have gone with DVD+R - I have several HP products (both hardware and software) that are clearly documented as DVD+R only. I'm not sure if this is still (or ever was) some sort of corporate policy.

Although there are plenty of technical arguments in favour of +R, the market seems to have gone for the (usually cheaper) -R format :-( The range of +R media available is getting more limited, and it's usually slightly more expensive than equivalent -R product. (Beta vs VHS all over again? ;-)

Both the hardware and the software have to support the blank media.

From my experience with DVD and CD media, it's a false economy to buy cheap blanks. Best bet is to find a brand of blank which works with all your stuff and stick with it.

(contact me off line if you want any specific recommendations)

[Steven Schweda]

> Can anyone confirm or refute

Not I. I use cdrecord, part of the cdrtools
package. I believe that I've written both
DVD+R and DVD-R discs with it.

http://antinode.info/dec/sw/cdrtools.html


> [...] internal [...]

Not as descriptive as it might be.
Interface? (I've used only SCSI and IDE, not
USB.)

[Derek Garson]

>Not as descriptive as it might be.
>Interface? (I've used only SCSI and IDE, not
USB.)

How do I tell?

I couldn't find any clear statement on the HP web site in respect of the rx2660.

I couldn't find any DCL command to answer the question.

I suspect "IDE".

[Steven Schweda]

> I suspect "IDE".

What's the device name? On Alpha, IDE
devices tend to be DQxx.

An energetic person might do a Web search for
the model number.

[Derek Garson]

DNA0

The surfing referred to in the original query came from the NEC web site.

[Heuser-Hofmann]

This is a list of program you can use for CD/DVD/Blu-Ray-recording:

Copy/record: CD-R(W),DVD+R(W)
SCSI, IDE, USB
cdrtools: CD-R(W),DVD+R(W),DVD-R(W)
Problems with DVD+-R DL
SCSI, IDE not USB
DVDwrite: CD-R(W),DVD+R(W),DVD-R(W)
DVD+R DL, DVD-R Double Layer
DVD-RAM
BD-R (DL), BD-RE (DL) (25 /50 GB)
SCSI, IDE, USB
DVDwrite is free for DVD recording.

Hope this helps.

[Steven Schweda]

> DNA0

Sounds to me like USB. Output from, say,
UCM SHOW DEVICE /FULL DNA0 would probably be
conclusive.

> The surfing referred to in the original
> query came from the NEC web site.

And did it say which interface this thing
has?

One might also pop the cover and inspect.

[Hoff]

The OpenVMS CDDVD code has the CD command set and the DVD+R/RW alliance command set. CDDVD does not have the DVD-R/RW DVD Forum command set.

I'll leave it to HP to discuss future plans for DVD-R/RW.

All present-generation devices typically support CD, DVD+R/RW and DL, and DVD-R/RW DL. And sometimes DVD-RAM and Blu-ray (BD) formats.

The I/O bus involved matters not particularly; there are minor differences between USB and ATAPI and SCSI interfaces, but the command sets are the same. There are device-to-device differences, however.

There are various (undocumented) tools for probing the devices and for various recording-related tasks present in SYS$ETC: directory.

Media-recording and media-mastering discussions are available in various places including here:

http://labs.hoffmanlabs.com/node/28