[Dvdrtools-users] Re: HP 200j -- DVD+RW not supported, your options ...

[Bryan J. Smith]

Quoting Schuler Robert W CRBE <address@hidden>:
> Please help. I have installed an HP 200j DVD Burner under Red Hat 
> Linux GYRO 2.4.18-3 #1 Thu Apr 18 07:37:53 EDT 2002 i686 unknown
> I cannot seem to burn a DVD.
> I can burn and erase CD-RW disks.

There 2 different DVD "record" (i.e. write once) standards:
  DVD Consortium (all) DVD-R
  Sony/Philips [2nd gen] DVD+R

And 3 different DVD "packet writing" (i.e. rewrite) standards:
  DVD Consortium (archiving) DVD-RAM
  DVD Consortium (consumer) DVD-RW
  Son/Philips DVD+RW

DVDRTools address the first, DVD "record" by using the SCSI generic (/dev/sg*)
interface.  No kernel drivers are used, just "raw" SCSI generic access -- all
the "brains" of recording are in the DVDRTools "record" software itself.  Just
like Roxio EZ CD Creator for "recording" on Windows.

Kernel drivers c/o the SCSI disk (/dev/sd*) and normal filesystem support
(fstype=udf, universal device format) access addresses the second, DVD "packet
writing."  So "rewrite" is entirely kernel-based.  Just like the "drive letter"
that is assigned by Roxio EZ CD Drive for "packet writing" on Windows.

Unfortunately, it only supports the DVD Consortium DVD-R standard -- on Pioneer,
and Pioneer OEM'd DVD-R and DVD-RW drives at this point.

Your HP 200j DVD Burner is a Sony/Philips DVD+RW drive.  Even though it is a 2nd
generation that can now DVD "record" to DVD+R media, DVDRTools does not support
recording to it (at least not yet).

There is, however, DVD "packet writing" support for DVD+RW rewrite media though.
 I haven't done this myself, but it requires a kernel patch for DVD+RW support,
so it can be accessed as a "removable SCSI disk" (/dev/sd*), which will allow
you to exchange DVD+RW disks to Windows systems that have a DVD drive than can
read DVD+RW disks (about 70%).

You'll want to use the OS-independent UDF filesystem, which should be in modern
kernels (although it might be compiled read-only by default -- depends on the
distro).  UDF is used by "packet writing" software on all OSes for CD-RW as well
(hence why you can't always "read" a CD-RW on some Windows versions -- because
Windows 95/98/NT/2000 don't ship with even "read" UDF support).

-- 
Bryan J. Smith, E.I.            Contact Info:  http://thebs.org
A+/i-Net+/Linux+/Network+/Server+ CCNA CIWA CNA SCSA/SCWSE/SCNA
---------------------------------------------------------------
           limit      guilt   =     { psychopath,
         remorse->0                    innocent }