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

[Steven Schweda]

> SCSI, IDE not USB

> The I/O bus involved matters not
> particularly; [...]

I'll let you guys fight that one out. I
don't have a USB-connected DVD drive, so I
know nothing.

[Hoff]

DN disk devices are USB-connected disk devices, either native USB or an IDE device via an (internal) USB bridge.

[Steven Schweda]

> DN disk devices are [...]

Yes, but the question is whether cdrecord
can work with a USB device, and, as I said, I
can't test it.

[Heuser-Hofmann]

As I wrote before:

cdrtools doesn't work with a USB-drive. It is not the recording commands that are different but the OpenVMS USB-driver gives status informations back differently.

[Derek Garson]

>DN disk devices are USB-connected disk >devices, either native USB or an IDE device >via an (internal) USB bridge.

This may explain my confusion.

http://support.necam.com/Optical/ND6650A_specs.asp

says the device has an IDE interface but

$ UCM SHOW DEV/FU DNA0

says

2.0.0.0.0.0 -> DNA0 - HEWLETT PACKARD INTEGRITY SERVER

So let's go with the second option: IDE device via an internal USB bridge.

--

I have elected to use DVD+R media and stick with COPY/RECORD. (I had to go and buy some DVD+R media, since we only had DVD-R media.)

The output from this burn needs to be readable on (company internal) PCs and any recent PC DVD drive should be able to read all types of DVD media anyway. In particular, I tested it and it works.

Since John G raised the issue of brands of media ... I bought TDK and had no problems with recording on VMS or reading back on the PC. YMMV.