Burning Speeds: Apple vs Toast?

[speekez]

Hi Apple

When Apple says the included Mac Pro drive can burn DVDs up to 16x, are they talking about using their own burning architecture (dragging data onto disk, and then dragging to the burn icon)? -- not, using Toast?

I was using Sony 16x DVD media in Toast, and the fastest write time I saw was like 8x. I know it won't burn consistently at 16x, but at least a little faster would seem normal. Does Apple's advertised times not apply to other software.

I guess I never really use the burning from the Finder technique -- it seems like it takes lots of extra time because first I have to drag & "copy" data I want to burn onto a DVD. Maybe this saves time somehow?

 

[JeffreyM]

Hi Apple

When Apple says the included Mac Pro drive can burn DVDs up to 16x, are they talking about using their own burning architecture (dragging data onto disk, and then dragging to the burn icon)? -- not, using Toast?

I was using Sony 16x DVD media in Toast, and the fastest write time I saw was like 8x. I know it won't burn consistently at 16x, but at least a little faster would seem normal. Does Apple's advertised times not apply to other software.

I guess I never really use the burning from the Finder technique -- it seems like it takes lots of extra time because first I have to drag & "copy" data I want to burn onto a DVD. Maybe this saves time somehow?

FYI the drive manufacturer decides on the speeds, not Apple. I find that using Toast I do get 16x speeds, but only by the outside of the disc (At the end of the burn.)

 

[MajereXYU]

I presume you are using OS X 10.4 Tiger and referring to "Burn Folders".

If not, disregard this.

If you are using Burn Folders, you don't have to do any more steps than when using Toast for example.

Create burnable folder, drag files in it (does not physically move the files; only creates aliases to them) and click burn. Couldn't be simpler. You can even drag whole folders in.

As for the actual burning speed (measured in #x's) , it is determined by many factors.

The actual optical drive (burner) will first check the ID of the blank media inserted, recognize it, compare it to its internal database of burnable media and will adjust its speed in accordance to the quality of the media and its capacity to burn reliably at any given speed.

If the media is of poor quality (or if the burner simply does not get along with said media, it happens), the burner will tell the software, regardless of what software you use, to reduce the burning speed.

At any rate, some software can override burner-imposed limitations (not recommended. The burner actually reduces its speed for reliability, which you want as much as possible).

As for Toast burning faster than Finder (burnable folders) or even Disk Utility for that matter, if difference there is, it should be negligible.

Hope that clears some things up.

Just use whatever you feel best suits your needs and habits and whatever feels the most pleasant to use.

Personally, I use Burn Folders for my routine burning (file backups, picture CD's etc.) and Disk Utility when I need to burn an ISO (Disk Image).
I rarely need Toast's heavy lifting so I did not bother buying it, even if it is a really good piece of software.

Pardon my english, I'm not a native speaker.

 

[Kosh66]

I presume you are using OS X 10.4 Tiger and referring to "Burn Folders".

If not, disregard this.

If you are using Burn Folders, you don't have to do any more steps than when using Toast for example.

Create burnable folder, drag files in it (does not physically move the files; only creates aliases to them) and click burn. Couldn't be simpler. You can even drag whole folders in.

I've had a problem doing this. When I do this rather than copying the actual files to the burn folder, I consistently get an error in the compare phase, where the software compares what is on the DVD with what is on the burn folder. Result is discs that are coasters. So I've always copied the actual files rather than trying to burn aliases of the files.

Do you not do the compare?