Multisession burning of DVD-R

For Mac OS 10.3.9 users: I've managed to successfully use multisession burning on CD-R

discs using disk utility, and checking "leave disk appendable", but when I try to do the

same thing with a DVD-R disk I do not get the option "leave disk appendable". Is this

because of my Pioneer DVR-106D drive in my iMac G4? Is this a problem with OS 10.3?

How can I do this? Help please.

 

My searches (and question) of Mac forums, Apple help, etc. has turned up no explainations

or suggestions. Seems as if nobody wants to do this.

Probably disabled because multisession discs are problematic; some drives do not see the later sessions. What I do is to create a folder on my HD and wait until it has enough data to fill a disc.

There is no such limitation using a Plextor PX716 burner and Nero v6 software on a PC. While this may not help much, at least know that it is not a limitation imposed on DVD-R discs by the format.

 

The most likely culprit is the software. You might also consult the Pioneer website or technical support. Multi-session recording requires additional information to be recorded (source links), and the ability to write a new directory for each successive session.

 

The differences between DVD+R and DVD-R are largely in tracking and track identification (DVD+R is superior). There is (was) an excellent white paper available for download from www.memorex.com on the way CDR and DVDR discs work.

Using various PC's with W2K and Nero v6 (and other programs to experiment) I have the same problem with my external RoadStor Plus. I can only write multi-session using the DVD+R format despite what the manual says. All of my internal drives can write these in multiple formats. Therefore, in my case, the problem must be the hardware/firmware on the RoadStor. As far as I am concerned, it's not a problem to simply use the DVD+R format when traveling, but when I thought about what I was doing I realized that multi-session introduces another possible write failure mode (the file structure can be corrupted in subsequent writes) so I started collecting the files and writing entire disks at once. But then, I am using these for backups in the field.

The DVD-R format is designed for single session only. This is because it is meant to be used

in as many as possible DVD players. A DVD-R is preformatted as one volume. As a rule of

thumb you can say: DVR-R is for video DVD's and single session storage use and can be

played in most machines, while DVD+R is for data storage and has a much more limited

range of use due to its multi-session format (many video players will not accept them). There

is no such thing as a "superior" format here. It fully depends on the intended use. In my iMac

G5 there is a drive that burns any type of disc without any problem, but multi-sessions on a

DVD-R are not really a good idea for the reasons mentioned above.

For me, backing up my digital captured files only after I can fill up a DVD is unacceptable. I use Windows XP and I have no trouble writing DVD-Rs in multiple sessions are reading them. I do know that some older systems have trouble with it.

The white paper on optical media I mentioned can be found at http://www.memorex.com/downloads/whitepapers/Reference%20Guide%20for%20Optical%20Media%209-9.pdf

 

Eric, please review this paper and see if your general statement that there is no difference in performance still applies.

Thanks to all who have responded so far. I,too, have read that this can be done with

windows systems, and those of you responding obviously can do it. I still hope to hear

from a Mac user who has worked this out. If nothing more is forthcoming I agree that I

should ask Pioneer about my drive.

Edwart, I did not make a "general statement" that there is no difference in performance.

On the contrary: there is a significant difference. So even after reading the white paper I

repeat: there is no such thing as a "superior" format here. *It fully depends on the

intended use.*

 

I often have to make a lot of video DVD's for a random selection of consumers. For that

purpose I will always choose DVD-R as that will give me the smallest chance of returns.

When I use DVD+R for such a purpose, about 50% of my discs will be returned because

people have problems playing them in their DVD-players connected to their TV set. When I

use DVD-R usually not one disc comes back.

 

When I have to exchange or store files I will usually take DVD+R (or +RW) because of its

versatility in computer-only use. Unfortunately for Fred his DVD burner does not support

the DVD+R format.

Multi-session burns is just asking for trouble. Over $0.30 a disc?

I use a LiteOn burner and Nero software. No problems with multi-session burns on CD or DVD. The burned discs read fine on the original drive and on other PCs.

 

As someone else said, a DVD burner and software that can't manage multiple sessions isn't worth using. Not all of us can fill up a DVD in a single session. Or maybe we want to burn as we go rather than risk losing files.

 

I think the trick is to set the software to avoid cramming on the discs. Nero has options to control this.

I concur that DVD-R discs have the best compatibility with set-top video players, particularly older ones. I produce a lot of videos, and rarely have returns on DVD-R, whereas DVD+R discs are commercially unacceptible. However, this thread is primarily concerned with data storage.

 

DVD+R discs are clearly superior for data archiving and recovery. The tracking and addressing system has 4x the bandwidth of DVD-R and is distributed through the track for reliability. The read error rate for DVD+R I record is about 1/3 that of DVD-R discs under similar conditions, and can they be recorded nearly 3x as fast with an acceptible error rate.

 

I also put my video masters on DVD+R discs, and transfer an image to DVD-R for production, again to minimize read errors in the master.

 

I also agree that multiple session discs are risky and poor economy as a consequence. If the last session crashes, the previous data may be unrecoverable - some savings, eh. It works well enough to save a job in stages - (1) the original scans or raw files (ASAP), (2) the edited masters (usually including the originals) and (3) the output or print files (often alone for easy reproduction). I always use disc-at-once recording (single-session and closed).

To conclude this thread for the benefit of others, I will relate what I learned from Pioneer

and from Apple.

Pioneer's response was to ask me if the drive was installed in my iMac G4 when I bought it.

I told them it was, and they responded that I would have to get my information from

Apple.

Apple said that Pioneer should have provided support because it was a Pioneer drive. They

then went on to tell me that they didn't believe my drive would support multisession

burning of DVDs. Newer superdrives will allow this, however.

Thanks to all of you for trying to help.

Dragon Burn 4.1 does multi-session DVD burning for me on a Pioneer DVR-107D. Just

reinsert the DVD and in the burn window you "import" the previous burn. Go to: http://

www.ntius.com/default.asp?p=dragonburn/dburn4_main . You have to use DVD+RW

media (quite cheap at a place like supermediastore.com).