Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with osx and DVD

CD manufacturer identification on the Mac?

ignignokt — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 14:18:38 -0800

Is there a Mac equivalent to CDR Media Code Identifier. This could be run in Parallels, but I'm not sure it'll be able to get what it needs out of the DVD drive. And of course, it'd be nice to not have to run Parallels.

Discs? Leopard don't need no stinkin' deescs.

aristan — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 16:55:59 -0800

The Superdrive on my iMac started acting strange, but I didn't notice at first as I rarely use it. Blank Media means nothing to it, DVDs are foreign and it only (sorta) likes the odd tracks on Audio CDs. Add to this the fact the drive shows up weird in 'About this Mac'... what do I do? 2Ghz iMac, early 2008 model. Out of 90 days, but still in the 1 year warranty, so I officially don't get Phone Support. Would prefer not to be without my computer, though I do live near the Apple Store in Charlotte, NC.

- The computer does nothing after inserting blank media, CD or DVD. It does not mount it, burn it, acknowledge it, or eject it. To Eject, you have to reboot & eject it during the boot up.

- If you insert a manufactured off the shelf Audio CD, the drive will mount it to the desktop as an Audio CD, open up iTunes... and that's it. It will not mount the disc in iTunes, and opening the Finder will show only the Odd (1,3,5,etc) numbered tracks and they will not play. Using 'Get Info' on the disc reveals that OS X thinks the disc is 8GBs and completely full.

- Inserting a manufactured, off the shelf DVD will result in an error message that the computer does not recognize that type of media.

- Computer doesn't burn discs from Finder, Toast, or Disco. In fact, all of them swear there's no burner. Well, Finder and Toast swear. Disco just crashes. I uninstalled Toast & Disco, to no avail.

- Starting DVD Player returns an error message that there is no DVD player.

- On a few occasions inserting a manufactured, off the shelf DVD has resulted in... (wait for it...) the "Blank Media" dialog box.

- About this Mac states that there is no burning device on this computer.

- In the ATA device listing in 'About this Mac,' The DVD player appears like this:

> ATA BUS:
OPUIARC !DWD!RW AD-5731A! ! ! ! ! ! ! !:

Model: OPUIARC !DWD!RW AD-5731A! ! ! ! ! ! ! !
Revision: 1AIM! !
Serial Number: ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !
Detachable Drive: No
Protocol: ATAPI
Unit Number: 0
Socket Type: Internal
Low Power Polling: No

- I have rebooted 3 times today. 1st time, the DVD player appeared as above. Second it appeared as "NPTI@RB DVD RV 5360A" (this was when it'd mount DVDs as blank discs). Third time was back to the above.

In case it's any help... here's the other info from About This Mac:
Hardware Overview:

Model Name: iMac
Model Identifier: iMac7,1
Processor Name: Intel Core 2 Duo
Processor Speed: 2 GHz
Number Of Processors: 1
Total Number Of Cores: 2
L2 Cache: 4 MB
Memory: 1 GB
Bus Speed: 800 MHz
Boot ROM Version: IM71.007A.B03
SMC Version: 1.20f4

Many Thanks!

Mac Pro DVD troubleshooting

Zonker — Sun, 01 Jun 2008 09:20:37 -0800

Can / should I troubleshoot the optical drive on my Mac Pro? Within the last month or so, the optical drive on my Mac Pro (a Pioneer DVR-112D) has become unresponsive. It still opens when I hit the eject key, but it doesn't close that way. If I push the tray closed, it doesn't mount the disc. The machine's working fine in every other way, and passes its self-tests when I reboot it.

Googling hasn't been helpful, I see plenty of hits on how to force an eject (which is the one thing that works for me). I've checked the Apple site and some documents I found there, but nothing that's really addressed my problem. I don't believe I got the AppleCare plan, and while I could do that I'm wondering if it is possible to resolve this myself, either by some sort of DIY troubleshooting guide or by simply getting a new DVD drive. I'd really rather not lug the thing in to the local Apple Store. Any advice?

Words and pictures, together at last

doift — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 15:55:05 -0800

Taking text notes with incorporated image thumbnails: there's gotta be an application that does exactly what I need. I'm writing a thesis that involves watching a lot of TV shows on DVD and taking notes on it. My current note-taking system has utterly failed me. I'm in the midst of a note-taking epiphany, but I'm having trouble finding the software solution that I know is out there somewhere. Here's what I would like to be doing:

-Watching DVD on laptop
-Taking text notes on said DVD
-Occasionally taking a screen capture of the DVD, saving a nice-sized jpg of it somewhere, and incorporating a thumbnail of it into the text notes.
-Keeping the resulting notes document/file relatively small, manageable, and easily scrolled through
-Moving the whole process along as quickly as possible
(These last two were where just inserting images into a Word document really failed)

What software application will help me streamline this process and make a painful, painful writing process slightly sunnier?

What I'm working with: Macbook, 10.4, Firefox

Need to watch it over and over and over...

rhoticity — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 12:54:03 -0800

Is there a program for Mac OS X (Tiger, if it makes a difference) which I can use to play a DVD video file AND scan through, using the arrow keys, in increments of a few seconds? I've tried the Mac DVD player and I've tried VLC. VLC is somewhat better but still doesn't offer scanning like I need.

If it matters, I'm working in a lab where I'm transcribing speech from a poorly-recorded video and it often takes several tries to get every bit of it down. I have full install privileges as far as I know.

I need to backup a website to DVD.

asuh — Thu, 25 Oct 2007 19:06:46 -0800

What's the best software and method for completely backing up a website to DVD? I need to archive a website completely to DVD. My dad's cousin passed away and his website is still online so his widow wants a complete backup of his writings and comments.

I have tested software for both Windows and OS X including SurfOffline and Blue Crab but there are usually invalid links, missing images or no @import css files. Once I find the right software, I want to burn the backed up website to DVD and have a cross platform autorun for the index file (so that you don't have to open up Finder or Explorer to find it).

What solutions are there for offline website backups and cross platform dvd backups?

My Pioneer DVR-112 isn't supported in OSX 10.3.9. How can I get it working properly?

Rufus T. Firefly — Wed, 12 Sep 2007 15:01:06 -0800

My Pioneer DVR-112 isn't supported in OSX 10.3.9. I finally succumbed and joined the DVD age. After a couple of heady days watching DVDs and backing up using Toast, I tried to burn a regular old CD using iTunes and got a shock. My new drive isn't recognised or supported. Oddly enough it reads DVDs using DVD Player.app just fine. Also fine are iTunes IMPORTS, and so far Toast Titanium has done everything asked of it.

Problems so far:

* not mounting as a blank volume in finder in order to burn straight from desktop.
* burning a CD in ITunes "cannot find burner"
* burning from iPhoto fails

Apparently this drive is unsupported with my current system. (10.3.9)

Details:

ATA-3 Bus:

PIONEER DVD-RW DVR-112:

Manufacturer: PIONEER
Model: PIONEER DVD-RW DVR-112
Revision: 1.21
Drive Type: CD-RW/DVD-RW
Disc Burning: Not Supported
Removable Media: Yes
Detachable Drive: No
Protocol: ATAPI
Unit Number: 0
Socket Type: Internal

Machine Model: Power Mac G4
CPU Type: PowerPC G4 (2.9)
Number Of CPUs: 1
CPU Speed: 467 MHz
L2 Cache (per CPU): 1 MB
Memory: 640 MB
Bus Speed: 133 MHz
Boot ROM Version: 4.2.8f1

I've read elsewhere that new firmware might be available for this drive, on PC and that I could use bootcamp to run it. But with no OSX 10.4.x, and a fairly old but (fingers crossed) much loved G4 that I can't afford to replace, what are my options? Burning everything through Toast doesn't appeal, esp. since I'd lose all the playlist functionality of iTunes.

Hope you can help, and thank you for your attention.

Mac DVD player that can increase playback speed while preserving audio quality?

HotPatatta — Wed, 18 Apr 2007 11:43:50 -0800

Is there a Mac DVD player that will allow me to increase the playback speed while not causing the actors to sound like Karen Walker from "Will and Grace" or the resident munchkins from Oz? I love to watch movies but I don't really have a lot of free time. With my old PC, I used WinDVD, which allowed me to increase the playback speed. Usually, I would watch DVDs at 1.25-1.5 times the regular speed. The great thing about it was that when the speed is increased, the program automatically adjusts the pitch of the voices, so that instead of the voices sounding like chipmunks, they sound just like the actors speaking more quickly.

Is there a similar program that I can download for a Mac? I run OSX Tiger on a MacBook. As far as I can tell, the OSX DVD player (which sucks!) doesn't let me increase playback speed and neither does VLC player. I don't need lots of bells 'n' whistles, only the ability to increase the speed and still get audio. I'm willing to pay under $50.

One other thing: Often when I watch DVDs using the OSX DVD player or VLC player, the program just closes right in the middle of the movie playing. Anybody know why?

Cloning DVDs on a Mac

wolfsleepy — Wed, 21 Feb 2007 18:11:07 -0800

I'd like to know how to clone DVDs on a Mac. This began when I was asked to copy a homemade DVD movie for a family member.

I can use handbrake to rip the movie, but there doesn't seem to be a way to simply clone it so that it can still be used in a regular DVD player (a friend suggested ripping it to .mov and using iDVD to make a new movie, but is there a simpler way?)

I'd like to be able to take an image of the DVD, and burn it directly onto another. I have a feeling that this is a 'forest for the trees' situation where I can't see an obvious solution, but that's where you come in.

(previous AskMeFi posts suggested some windows programs, but I didn't see anything for OSX)

Burning DVDs in iTunes

BlzOfGlry — Sat, 03 Feb 2007 16:41:48 -0800

OS X Newbiefilter - Burning a DVD in iTunes on OS X - Will the disk be readable on a PC? I'm trying to burn a couple of DVD's of a very large playlist through iTunes in OS X (it's my mega playlist of Coachella 2007 artists, if anyone cares), and it's not 100% clear if said DVD is going to be readable by a Windows XP PC.

OS X identifies the format of the disk as HFS +, but the help files say that the normal Finder 'burn folder' uses a hybrid format, which will be readable by windows. Is this the same for iTunes?

I know 100% that I can do it in OS X using Toast or another similar program, but honestly I don't own any of them, and I'm guessing that would take some messing around to burn my smart playlist from iTunes?

I'm mailing these disks to a friend, and I don't have immediate access to a PC to test any of these theories. Any suggestions to accomplish this with minimal cost/hassle would be appreciated.

Scanning XBox disc for bad sectors

Aanidaani — Sat, 20 Jan 2007 14:37:26 -0800

Is there any software (preferably for OSX) that I can use to scan a used XBox disc for bad sectors? The format is DVD, so I suppose a normal DVD scanning program could do the job. I just want to be sure that the whole game works before my guarantee expires and I'm unable to return it.

From mkv to divx

PenguinBukkake — Fri, 20 Oct 2006 16:03:53 -0800

I have a bunch of .mkv files, a Mac (10.3.9, Toast), and a DVD player that plays divx. How can I convert those dang .mkv files to a format readable by my DVD player? Thanks.

EPSON R300, why doth thee sucketh so bad?

melorama — Fri, 21 Jul 2006 17:49:13 -0800

I've just about had it with that total P.O.S. known as the EPSON Stylus Photo R300 printer. Not only does it suck expensive ink like a vampire (and will refuse to print in ANY color, including black, even if just one of the color cartridges becomes empty!) but using that dinky CD/DVD tray feeder to print onto is always a hit or miss proposition. I've searched far and wide for honest, unbiased opinions about other alternatives to this printer, but in almost every other forum in which someone asks "what's a good printer that can print CDs and DVDs?", the answer that most people reflexively give is invariably, "get an Epson R300". But the irony is, that's the main reason why I have this damn printer in the first place. It wasn't until I was pointed to the the Amazon.com reviews of the R300 that my feelings that the printer is a lemon were confirmed.

So, I count on my fellow, brilliant MeFites to steer me in the right direction of a printer that will consistently print on CD/DVDs the *first* time I ask it to print on them, and doesn't require me to line up the printer heads with the exact location of the North Star in order for it to print properly.

I'm happy with the R300s plain-paper printing ability, so I'm not looking for recommendations based on on paper oriented niceties.

The ideal printer would have the following attributes:

* Good quality printing on CD/DVDs (either on thermal or printable white surfaces...I don't have a preference). 90% of my disc printing needs involves just text and a simple color logo for my clients. I rarely, if ever, need to print fancy schmancy full bleed disc labels, but text should at least look very sharp and professional looking (these discs usually go out to advertising agencies, who are very picky about presentation)

* Will not cripple the entire goddamned printer if even only one of the ink cartridges runs out.

* Has decent ink/toner capacity.

* Costs no more than $500

* Has both Mac OSX (PPC and Intel) and WindowsXP support (but it should at the very least have PPC OSX support).

After an embarrassing DVD printing snafu today in front of one of my clients (basically, it took me 15 minutes just to get 2 DVDs to print!), I am not exaggerating when I say that I intend to throw this R300 (and that stupid, infernal CD/DVD "feeder tray") out my window. Please help!

DVD Ripping and burning: I'm ready to rip my hair out!

barnone — Wed, 18 Jan 2006 00:01:15 -0800

Burning DVDs: I want to get clips from (commercial and locked) DVDs and into a new DVD for class, with a menu system. I've seen this explanation, but I have a Mac (OS X, I could be convinced to upgrade to 10.4 if necessary). What's the easiest and/or best way to do this? I have a PowerBook G4, external FireWire hard-drive, a stack of DVDs and I've tried a whole bunch of different programs, found here. I want the easiest solution available. If it's free or cheapish (under $100), that's even better. I'd rather not rip the entire DVD to my hard-drive every time I do this - each week of class could include up to 8 clips from different films. The menu page doesn't have to look fancy - it just has to be able to separate each clip (like a chapter).

PLEASE treat me like a total moron here: even though I'm pretty well versed in some computer stuff, this is totally foreign to me right now and I have no idea what VOB, AVI, MPEG2 or any of the other derivations should be doing for me. Will Cinematize do this? MacTheRipper, then something else? iDVD? What is each step? Many thanks in advance: I've already spent hours and hours with someone else trying to figure this out, and I'm at my wit's end.

Upgrading a DVD-less Powerbook

vacapinta — Tue, 17 Jan 2006 13:21:15 -0800

How to install Tiger (OSX 10.4) on a Powerbook with a broken DVD drive? So far I've been able to use that Powerbook just fine, getting everything through either the Internet or through an external drive (USB) but now I'd like to actually upgrade it. How can I do this? What are my options?

Unfair use.

dontrockwobble — Wed, 13 Jul 2005 06:35:00 -0800

How to capture audio from a DVD movie on MacOS Tiger? I searched and came close, but if the answer to this specific question is here already, I am sorry that I overlooked it:

Does MacOS Tiger deliver the tools necessary to allow me to play a DVD movie that I own and record a few seconds of the audio into MP3 or other type of audio file? If not, how do you recommend I do this?

Pismo DVD Drive Dead?

AllesKlar — Wed, 08 Jun 2005 11:03:49 -0800

I recently acquired a G3/Pismo via ebay and decided to upgrade the hard drive. Upon doing so, my dvd/cd drive no longer functions; Help me sort through my options! I am a new mac "owner" but casual user; I am well versed in pc hardware and the like. The old hard drive didn't have any jumpers, so I assumed that master / slave is determined >somehow< by the machine / Os; The drive worked with both cd's and dvd's prior to the hd upgrade; The only drive that shows up in system profiler is the wd scorpio drive. "About this mac" 500 MHz PowerPC G3 512 Ram, Max OS 10.3.9; I'm curious if I some how damaged a ribbon, or something when replacing with the new hd; CD's and DVD's will spin up, but will not mount on the desktop; I've seen reports of the drives going bad, but it seems suspicious that the drive would quit working after installing the new hd. I've also seen vague accounts of soldering "things" to designate master / slave etc. Is there anything else I can do to trouble shoot or fix this problem? I've got external dvd drives, but that negates "portability." Also, suggestions / experiences with using a "cheap" alternative by replacing drive in caddy with pc / oem parts? Thanks in advance for you help and or suggestions!

What's the best way to catalog my physical music collection using Mac OS X?

boost ventilator — Tue, 10 Aug 2004 16:32:12 -0800

What's the best way to catalog my physical music collection using Mac OS X? I downloaded the demo of MyMusic Personal Librarian and it seems pretty good, but I am looking for some second opinions or some suitable alternatives before I purchase it.

Mac OSX Install

boost ventilator — Sun, 08 Aug 2004 13:32:52 -0800

Is there a way to make a Mac OS X (Panther) install CD from a pair of eMac Software Install and Restore DVDs or install the operating system over a network on a computer that lacks a DVD drive? oh yeah, and the other computer isn't an eMac either.

Video cataloging and editing on a Mac

icetaco — Wed, 02 Jun 2004 18:42:27 -0800

I am looking for a way, on Mac OS X, to create libraries of digital video clips, and arrange them in various ways into movies which can be burned to DVD. I'm thinking iMovie+iDVD does everything I want, but I'm looking for something that can handle many (hundreds?) large, full resolution files. Anyone have experience with this kind of video cataloging and editing? Is iMovie enough, or do I need a high-end product? It will be used by a relative non-techie (not me).

DVD authoring software?

muckster — Tue, 04 May 2004 13:23:19 -0800

DVD authoring software? I'm itching to try out this brand-new DVD burner, but it looks like the software that came with (RecordNow) is a bit on the simple side. Seems like there are tons of options out there -- Alcohol, Adobe Encore, DVD Maestro, Easy CD & DVD, Ulead DVD Movie Factory, and on and on. Can anybody point me toward something that's flexible, functional, and doesn't have an insane learning curve?

For CDs, I like Nero, btw--it seems to have the right balance between tweakable and accessible.

I'm looking for a Windows answer, but there's no reason MacHeads couldn't add their recommendations here, too.

Thank you much.

Office Space DVD Prompting Me on Mac OS X for Virus Check ... with Pink Button!

scarabic — Mon, 12 Apr 2004 10:56:08 -0800

Ack! I'm in bed with the flu and I want to watch my Office Space DVD, which I just unwrapped, but when I put it into my OSX iBook and try to play it, I get a weird window that looks sorta OS9-ey with the message: "System Check: press enter to scan for dvd virus." It's really creeping me out. As I'm sapped of all strength, I really don't want to go into the other room and try it on the console. Anyone have any idea wtf this is? The "enter" button it gives me is PINK fer gad's sake. ok, I'm an idiot. Delete me, please!

Region Encoding

dobbs — Wed, 24 Mar 2004 10:14:21 -0800

Determining the region/format encoding of a DVD with OSX? I just received a shipment of DVDs in the mail and two of them won't play on my stand alone DVD player (region 1), though they both say NTSC R1 on the back. One throws up a generic "Cannot play this disc" and the other "Playing this disc prohibited by area limits."

When I put them in my Powerbook, the latter plays fine right away and works perfectly. The former will play but not automatically after putting the disc in. It just stops spinning until I hit the menu button on the software.

Any idea how I can figure out what region code and system (pal/ntsc) these discs are? All my googling turned up was "how to" defeat region codes, not determine them. (And, my mac didn't seem to need to defeat the coding...)