[paeanhera]

I get this message when I insert a DVD to duplicate. Finder won't mount it most of the time, except when I set the CD & DVD system preference to "open DVD Player." Then Finder shows a CDR icon with the name "Recordable CD." I am running a G5 machine, Mac OS 10.4.11. The DVD burner is the standard Matsushita DVD drive that Apple was putting into the iMac.

[tsantee]

How was this DVD created? You say it is a -VR disc. If that means it was recorded in VR mode on a standalone DVD recorder then it may not be readable on the iMac's Superdrive. Toast can access the content of such a disc using the DVD setting in the Toast Media Browser (from which you drag the video to the main Video window to extract it from the disc). However, if your drive doesn't support reading those discs you'll need to get an external DVD drive. My two Macs have different superdrives and they both are pretty bad. My external drive is great.

[paeanhera]

How was this DVD created? You say it is a -VR disc. If that means it was recorded in VR mode on a standalone DVD recorder then it may not be readable on the iMac's Superdrive. Toast can access the content of such a disc using the DVD setting in the Toast Media Browser (from which you drag the video to the main Video window to extract it from the disc). However, if your drive doesn't support reading those discs you'll need to get an external DVD drive. My two Macs have different superdrives and they both are pretty bad. My external drive is great.

Thanks, you're not really telling me anything new here. I've had variable results when making -VR discs from a standalone recorder. Sometimes Superdrive reads them and sees the files, sometimes its sees only a "Recordable CD" with a CDR icon. Maybe someone else out there has a way of getting Superdrive to read it correctly. It already does read it since Toast 7 con find the movie; it won't let me copy it. What really baffles me is how copying a disc can be so hard for software to do. I surmise it's the schemes that the software uses because they REALLY don't copy. They take shortcuts because it would take too long if it were to do a true bit copy, so I guess.

[tsantee]

Thanks, you're not really telling me anything new here. I've had variable results when making -VR discs from a standalone recorder. Sometimes Superdrive reads them and sees the files, sometimes its sees only a "Recordable CD" with a CDR icon. Maybe someone else out there has a way of getting Superdrive to read it correctly. It already does read it since Toast 7 con find the movie; it won't let me copy it. What really baffles me is how copying a disc can be so hard for software to do. I surmise it's the schemes that the software uses because they REALLY don't copy. They take shortcuts because it would take too long if it were to do a true bit copy, so I guess.

Toast won't copy a VR-mode DVD but it will extract the video from one so you can use Toast to author a new standard video DVD that has a VIDEO_TS folder. External DVD drives are inexpensive and will solve the issue of the disc mounting properly so that Toast can extract the video from the DVD. I do this frequently with VR-mode discs recorded on my Pioneer standalone DVD recorder.

[paeanhera]

Toast won't copy a VR-mode DVD but it will extract the video from one so you can use Toast to author a new standard video DVD that has a VIDEO_TS folder. External DVD drives are inexpensive and will solve the issue of the disc mounting properly so that Toast can extract the video from the DVD. I do this frequently with VR-mode discs recorded on my Pioneer standalone DVD recorder.

So, you're telling me that Toast 7 WILL extract the video IF and ONLY IF I get an outboard DVD burner: not good. I did check a favorite merchant: it has a couple good burners at $100 or so. I've already blown a lot of money on DVD copying software that REALLY doesn't copy "any DVD," just certain ones. I've already had the third-party reseller challenge my dispute on that matter and the OEMs are hiding their business addresses so I'm having a hard time with that. The OEMs terminated e-mail correspondence weeks ago. I really don't want to have to pour more money down the drain. I was actually hoping that a representative of Roxio would say something about this problem. I will probably contact them directly through their corporate office. Thanks for trying.

[tsantee]

So, you're telling me that Toast 7 WILL extract the video IF and ONLY IF I get an outboard DVD burner: not good. I did check a favorite merchant: it has a couple good burners at $100 or so. I've already blown a lot of money on DVD copying software that REALLY doesn't copy "any DVD," just certain ones. I've already had the third-party reseller challenge my dispute on that matter and the OEMs are hiding their business addresses so I'm having a hard time with that. The OEMs terminated e-mail correspondence weeks ago. I really don't want to have to pour more money down the drain. I was actually hoping that a representative of Roxio would say something about this problem. I will probably contact them directly through their corporate office. Thanks for trying.

Your alternative is to have your standalone DVD recorder record in Video mode rather than VR mode and finalize the discs in the standalone recorder. When this is done the DVDs can be read on the Mac and duplicated using the Copy window in Toast.

I've seen external optical drives as low as $70 so you might watch for sales.

[paeanhera]

Your alternative is to have your standalone DVD recorder record in Video mode rather than VR mode and finalize the discs in the standalone recorder. When this is done the DVDs can be read on the Mac and duplicated using the Copy window in Toast.

I've seen external optical drives as low as $70 so you might watch for sales.

I wish I could record in "video mode" but I need to edit them; I already knew what you are taking about. I've seen some makes of DVD burners at $70 or so already. I can keep track of sales for a couple of merchants I like; then, there's bizrate, too. Thanks, anyway.

[tsantee]

I wish I could record in "video mode" but I need to edit them; I already knew what you are taking about. I've seen some makes of DVD burners at $70 or so already. I can keep track of sales for a couple of merchants I like; then, there's bizrate, too. Thanks, anyway.

Here's another option for you that may be better. You can record in video mode and then use MPEG Streamclip on your Mac to edit the video. MPEG Streamclip is freeware but requires the $20 Apple QuickTime MPEG 2 Playback Component sold at Apple's online store.

[paeanhera]

Here's another option for you that may be better. You can record in video mode and then use MPEG Streamclip on your Mac to edit the video. MPEG Streamclip is freeware but requires the $20 Apple QuickTime MPEG 2 Playback Component sold at Apple's online store.

I already have it, thanks. I did all that back in August when I first noticed problems with the DVDs I was making.