Burning DVDs with Apple s SuperDrive

Burning DVDs with Apple's SuperDrive

Apple's SuperDrive is a special case because, along with CD-RW and CD-R discs, it can also burn DVD-R (and in newer Macs DVD-RW) discs that can be used to record data and be mounted on the desktop or played in consumer DVD players when you burn them using iDVD or another DVD-creating application. This drive is available (at least as an option) on all Mac models.

NOTE

Just as with CD-RW drives, third-party DVD-R/DVD-RW hardware and software are available. However, because Apple's DVD-R technology works so well and is included with Mac hardware and as part of Mac OS X, Apple's technology is the focus of this section.

One downside to this technology is the expense of Apple's DVD-R discs, which currently cost about $2 per disc for 4x discs or slightly more per disc for 8x discs. Of course, when you compare that cost on a per-MB basis, DVD-Rs seem not to be so expensive after all. You should only buy discs rated for the maximum speed or slower of your Mac's SuperDrive. Discs rated at slower speeds will work in your drive and cost less, but the process will take longer. Check the specifications for your Mac to see the burn speeds your SuperDrive supports.

CAUTION

Depending on the specific model of Mac you use and the application you use to create DVDs, you might be able to use third-party DVD-R or DVD-RW discs, which are less expensive than Apple's media, to create DVDs. It isn't possible to list all situations in which you can use third-party discs. If you want to try to save some money, purchase a single disc from various manufacturers rated for your drive's speed and try to burn them with the application you intend to use. If that works, you can save some money by using the third-party media. If not, you'll have to keep trying other brands or just use Apple's media.

Creating a data DVD is very similar to creating a data CD, except that you can store up to 4.7GB of data on a single disc (compared to about 700MB on a CD).

First, configure your Mac for the action you want it to take when you insert a blank DVD-R disc.

Open the System Preferences application and click the CDs & DVDs icon to open that pane. Use the "When you insert a blank DVD" pop-up menu to select the action you want your Mac to take when you put a blank DVD into your machine. You have the following options:

• Ask what to do When you insert a blank DVD, your Mac prompts you and will provide an Action pop-up menu containing a list of possible actions from which you can choose. The Action pop-up menu contains a set of choices similar to those on the "When you insert a blank DVD" pop-up menu on the CDs & DVDs pane, such as Open Finder and Open iDVD (if iDVD is installed on your Mac). You can make the action you select on the Action pop-up menu be the default (checking the "Make this action the default" check box in the prompt window does the same thing as selecting that option in the CDs & DVDs pane). The Eject, Ignore, and OK buttons in the dialog box do what you expect (eject the disc, ignore it, or implement the changes you make, respectively). Because this option provides the most flexibility, I recommend that you choose this option. However, for specific situations, the other choices might be more appropriate for you.

• Open Finder When this option is the default or if you select it in the prompt, the blank DVD is mounted and a burn folder will be created. You can then use the Finder to name the folder, add content to it, and burn the DVD. If you usually burn DVDs from the Finder and don't like to be interrupted by the prompt, this option is probably for you.

• Open iDVD When a disc is mounted, iDVD becomes the active application. If you mostly burn DVDs using iDVD, this setting can make the process more convenient. (iDVD must be installed on your Mac for this to appear.)

• Open iTunes When a DVD is mounted, iTunes becomes the active application. If you regularly burn data DVDs for your iTunes music, this might be your best choice.

• Open Disk Utility You can also burn discs using the Disk Utility application. If that is your preference, you can choose this option to have Disk Utility launch when you insert a recordable DVD into your Mac's drive.

• Open other application You can use this option to select a different application to open when a DVD is inserted.

• Run script With this option, an AppleScript you select is launched when you insert a blank DVD. After you select the script you want to launch, it appears on the "When you insert a blank DVD" pop-up menu. If you have a custom burn process implemented through an AppleScript, this is the option you should choose.

• Ignore When you insert a blank DVD, your Mac takes no action. In fact, this disc is not even mounted in the Finder. You have to manually take some action later, such as opening an application that can burn DVDs, to do something with the disc. If you prefer to keep blank DVDs in your Mac and don't want to be interrupted when you insert them, this might be the option you want to choose.

After you have configured your Mac, burning DVDs from the Finder is very straightforward and works just like burning a CD does, except you can store a lot more data on one disc. When you insert a blank DVD and choose the Open Finder option, a burn folder is created. You can now rename the folder, place folders and files in it, and then burn the disc.

For the steps to burn a disc from the Finder, p. 907.

CAUTION

Because burning DVDs from the Finder is a single session, you can burn to a DVD-R disc only once. After it has been burned, you won't be able to add files to it. Make sure you have all the files on the DVD that you want before you burn it. If you want to burn to a DVD in more than one session, use Disk Utility instead.

To learn how use Disk Utility, p. 912.

To create a DVD for video, images, and other multimedia content, you can use Apple's iDVD application, which enables you to drag and drop QuickTime movies, images, and other multimedia files to create a custom DVD, including DVD motion menus. You can also use iTunes to place music files on a data DVD.

To learn how to use iDVD, p. 761.

To learn how to burn DVDs with iTunes, p. 570.

NOTE

Apple also offers DVD Studio Pro, which is a professional-quality DVD creation application.