Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

SuperDrive initialisation error?

N

noire anqa

macrumors regular
Original poster
Aug 20, 2010
137
0
I'm using a 2010 Mac Mini Server (2.66) with a client OS. Attached to it i have a MacBook Air SuperDrive.

Whenever i launch the DVD Player app it says "There was an initialization error, A valid DVD drive could not be found. [-70012]"

Has anyone else successfully connected a SuperDrive or encountered this error and fixed it?
 
Do other data DVDs or CDs work with that drive? Can you see the video DVD via Finder?
Have you tried an SMC reset?

If the video DVD shows up in Finder, have you tried the VLC Player and see if can read it?
 
Hi, yes, i've tested 4 discs so far - all discs show up in finder, and i can navigate them. Disk Utility shows the drive and discs (when inserted). VLC will play them, MPlayer extended will play them. RipIt will even rip from them!

I buy dvds, rip them to my hard drives, and use dvd player to play back from the video_ts folders on my main display, or front row to play back the video_ts folders on the projector.

Now however dvd player throws a fit when it starts, and subsequently crashes. i wouldn't mind the disc problem so much if it just let me open from video_ts folders ripped to my hard drive!
 
spinnerlys said:
I didn't get the part about opening VIDEO_TS folders from your original post, thus my assumption you had problems with the SuperDrive.
Click to expand...

Yeah sorry, im testing as im posting. Turns out Front row won't open video_ts files anymore either. it must be asking dvd player to do the legwork.

i havent tried resetting smc, i tried resetting nvram to no effect. I'll try it as soon as this final test rip finishes.

Why don't you transcode the videos to a smaller size then?
Click to expand...

I have plenty of space, if my drives fill up i'll happily build some more 4TB HDDs, thats not a problem. Also, ripping is short and sweet, no extra transcode time, or bogging down my computer for an hour whilst it transcodes. Plus it maintains full DVD quality with chapters and all the metainformation (i know we can do chapters now in the mp4 and mkv containers but thats again an extra step). The only real advantage i see to transcodes is disk space savings at the cost of time and a little quality - since i have no disk space issues (or time to spare!! :rolleyes:) i'll stick to video_ts. unless of course there's some other advantage i haven't considered?

thanks for your help so far spinnerlys, do you have any other ideas?

or anyone else out there with the mac mini and an external superdrive? or maybe macbook air owners? perhaps even macbook pro owners who've put in an optibay mod?

i don't mind buying another dvd drive over the superdrive if it'll get the job done .. but before i spring for another drive i'd like to know the problem is specifically with the superdrive interacting with the os, and another external dvd drive wouldn't just succumb to the same problem. anyone have exactly the same problem as me and fix it by using a different drive?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back