CDs and DVDs can be used for a variety of purposes,
from recording music and movies to making backups of your files.
In the Mac labs, you can make a wide variety of different types of
CDs. The information below should be helpful in determining what
kind of media to buy and what programs will help you burn.
Media Differences | Compatibility
FAQ
How to burn with: Finder | Disk
Utility | iTunes | iDVD | DVD
Studio Pro
The main difference between CDs and
DVDs is that CDs hold about 700 MB of data and DVDs hold 4.7 GB, or
about 4,700 MB. Dual Layer DVDs hold as much as 8.5 GB, or about 8,500
MB. Actual formatted storage capacity is slightly less. Although there
are now a variety of players that will read both CDs and DVDs, most
older audio players will only read CDs and older DVD players will only
read DVDs.
The different standards and
speeds of CDs and DVDs are confusing to many people. The type of
media supported is determined by the CD/DVD drive, the operating
system, and the program you are using. We recommend 24x CD-Rs,
8x DVD-Rs, and 2.4x DVD+R DLs for
use in the Mac labs because they are most compatible with our computers
and software.
If you want more detailed information, the table
below should help you determine what to buy. If you still have questions,
ask a lab consultant, or print out this page
and take it with you to the store. The sales person should be able
to help you select the right media for your needs.
Determine the type of computer
you will be using in the lab. Newer drives burn faster and can support
more disc formats and speeds.
Computer type |
Drive Model |
Supported Media and
Burn Speed (maximum) |
Intel-based Mac Pro towers
(Fine Arts, King 213G
CS
Lab) |
Sony/NEC Optiarc
AD-7170A |
CD-R (48x), CD-RW (32x)
DVD±R (18x)
DVD+RW (8x), DVD-RW (6x)
DVD±R Dual Layer (8x) |
iMac G5s
(King, JAT) |
Pioneer
DVR-K04L |
CD-R/RW (24x)
DVD±R (8x), DVD±RW (4x)
DVD+DL
(2.4x) |
Intel-based iMacs
(Young, Student Center) |
Pioneer
DVR-K06 |
CD-R/RW (24x)
DVD±R (8x)
DVD+RW (8x), DVD-RW (6x)
DVD±R Dual Layer (4x) |
Intel-based Mac Pro towers
(Young, Student Center, all editing bays) |
Pioneer
DVR-111D |
CD-R (40x), CD-RW (32x)
DVD±R (16x)
DVD+RW (8x), DVD-RW (6x)
DVD±R Dual Layer (8x) |
Now choose the program you will use, or the type
of job you want to accomplish.
Program |
Final Product |
Supported Media |
| iTunes |
Audio CD, MP3 CD, or backup of music files |
CD-R/RW, DVD-R/RW
(if
you want the disc to play in a CD or MP3 player, use a CD-R.) |
| iDVD (consumer-level program) |
DVD Movie that will play in a regular consumer
DVD player |
DVD±R/RW,
DVD+R DL |
| DVD Studio Pro (professional-level program) |
DVD Movie that will play in a regular consumer
DVD player |
DVD±R/RW,
DVD±R DL |
Desktop burning (Finder)
or Disc Utility
|
Burn data files or disc images, make backups |
CD-R/RW,
DVD±R/RW,
DVD±R DL |
Will my data
CD or DVD be readable by a Windows PC?
Most discs burned on the
Macs in our labs are automatically formatted
to be readable by both Macs and PCs. However, the PC must support
the type and speed of the media used. For example, if you burn a
DVD+R in the lab, but your PC only supports DVD-R discs, the disc
will not be readable in the PC. Check your manual or with your
PC manufacturer for a list of supported formats before you burn.
Will my Audio or MP3 CD play
in my CD player?
An audio CD-R burned with iTunes should be
playable in virtually all modern CD players. An MP3 CD-R should
be playable in any device that supports MP3 CDs. Playback of audio
and MP3 CD-RWs is more variable. Check your manual or with your
device manufacturer for more details.
Can I put my movie on a DVD
that I can watch on my TV?
To make a movie DVD that will play
in a player connected to a TV, you must encode the movie using
iDVD or DVD Studio Pro. Once you burn your disc, it will be playable
in virtually all DVD players that support the disc's format. Most
current DVD players support both DVD-R and DVD+R formats, however,
older models may only support one of these standards. Support for
dual layer discs (DVD+R DL) is even more limited. Check your manuals
or with your device manufacturer to determine the standard(s) supported
by your player.
When in doubt, we recommend buying DVD-R discs,
as these are compatible with all our computers and software programs,
as well as most older models of computers and set top DVD players.
Using a disc
more than once:
Discs are burned in sessions. Single or "closed session"
burning means that after you
burn the disc once, you can't add more files to it later, even if
you only used part of the disc's capacity. Single session CD-RW/DVD-RWs
can be burned multiple times, but they must be erased each time before
new files can be added.
Multiple or "open session" burning means that discs
can have more information added to them after the first burn. The
new information is recorded in
a new session and may show up as an additional volume or folder when
the disc is inserted into a computer’s drive. Multiple session
burning is a good way to use discs efficiently if you only need to
burn a few files at any one time and won't be using up the full
capacity of the disc on your first burn.
The capabilities of the software
you use, not the disc itself, determine whether a disc can be burned
in multiple sessions. “Drag,
drop, and eject” disc burning from the desktop and burns done
from iTunes or iDVD are single session only. Multiple session burns
of data CDs can
be done using Disk Utility.
To erase a CD-RW/DVD-RW and use it again, open the
Disk Utility program located in the Utilities folder in the Applications
folder on the Macintosh HD. Insert your disc and then select it from the list
on the left of the Disk Utility window. Click the Erase tab on the
right side of the window and then click the Erase button from the
options that appear.
When a disc
is inserted, a pop-up menu asks what you want to do. Select "Open
in Finder." The
disc will appear on the desktop and files and folders can be dragged
to and from the disc as if it were a floppy disk or flash drive.
If you decide to remove files from the disc before burning, just
drag them to the Trash. Remember to empty the Trash before you burn,
or the files in the Trash will be burned onto the disc.
When you are adding files to your CD, Mac
OS 10.5 creates aliases rather than copying the files. This is
normal. When the disc burns, copies of the original files will be
burned, not the shortcuts.
When you are ready to burn
the disc, drag the disc icon to the Trash Can icon in your dock,
which will change to the Burn icon. Drop the disc icon onto the
Burn icon and a dialog box will appear and ask if you want to burn
the disc. Clicking "Burn" will
begin the burning and verifying process. When the disc is finished,
it will be automatically ejected. Clicking "Cancel" returns
you to the Finder, where you can keep working on your disc. Clicking "Eject" ejects
the disc without burning the files. This method of burning will create
a closed CD.
Warning: DO NOT save your files directly to a CD/DVD.
Save them first in your home directory or on Temporary_Storage and
then drag and drop the file icons onto the disc. If you save directly
to the disc and then accidentally eject the disc without burning
it, your data will be irretrievably lost.
Open
the Disk Utility program located in the Utilities folder in the
Applications folder on the Macintosh HD. From the Images menu in
the menu bar, you can create an image from a folder, disk or drive,
or create a blank image of a specified size. Save the image to
Temporary_Storage in a folder with your name on it. When you have
the image ready to burn to the disk, click the burn button. You
will see a pop-up window that says Burn Disc In: Pioneer DVD-RW.
If you want to be able to
burn more files to the disc later, click
the blue triangle button to the right of the window to reveal more
options and check the box next to "Leave
disc appendable."
Click Burn. Depending
on the options selected, the disc may be verified and may eject automatically.
Open iTunes, located in
the Applications folder on the Macintosh HD. Choose "New
Playlist" from
the File menu in the menu bar at the top of your screen. Drag and
drop
songs
from your
Library into the new playlist. You can see how many minutes and megabytes
(MB) you are using at the bottom of the window. You should not exceed
the amount of room on your disc, which should be listed on the disc
packaging, usually about 650-700MB or 70-80 minutes of music. The
order of songs in the playlist is the order in which the tracks will
play on the disc you burn.
Some burning preferences,
such as the gap between the songs and the type of disc you want
to burn (audio, MP3, or data) can be set in the Preferences window.
To get there, select "Preferences"
from the iTunes menu in the menu bar, click on the Advanced icon
in the preferences window, and then select the Burning tab.
When you are ready to burn, click the Burn Disc
icon in the upper right hand corner of the window. Insert your disc
and click the pulsing Burn icon again. When burning is complete,
the disc will automatically eject.
If you have created your movie
in iMovie, you can simply click the "Create iDVD Project" button
from the iDVD menu in the iMovie window. iDVD will automatically
open for you. Be sure to save your new project on the Temporary_Storage
drive of your computer in a folder with your name on it.
If you have created your movie with Final Cut Pro,
export it as a Quicktime movie, then open iDVD located in the Applications
folder on the Macintosh HD. Create a new project and save it on the
Temporary_Storage drive
of your computer in a folder with your name on it.
Once you are in iDVD, select
a theme and insert your audio, video, and buttons. To monitor your
project's size, click the "Customize" button and look at the "Status" tab.
If you need help using iDVD, select "iDVD Tutorial" from
the Help menu
or
ask
a lab
consultant.
When you are ready to burn, click the Burn button
in the lower right corner of the iDVD project window. You will need
to insert an blank DVD. When burning is complete, the
disc will automatically eject.
DVD Studio Pro is a professional
level program taught by Nathan Stevens in his TEL 390 class. This
software is only available on certain computers in the Fine Arts,
King, and Young labs and on the computers in the JAT and Young
editing bays. Consultants are not fully trained in the use of specialty
software, so please use the installed tutorial and help files.
If you still have questions, refer them (politely) to Nathan Stevens
(7-1809), or consider signing up for his class!