[CentOS] Re: K3b or another alternative for CentOS 3.5? -- logical block or physical character recording?

[Bryan J. Smith]

On Sun, 2005-07-24 at 22:22 +0300, Romeo Ninov wrote:
> IMHO k3b is the best, don't search for alternative :-)

K3b uses logical block records (and rewrites for MO media like CD-R,
DVD-RW, DVD+RW, etc...).  While this is easiest, it's not always the
most compatible.  I.e., it's typically more than adequate for data, if
that's what you want it for.  But if you're looking for the utmost
player compatibility, you don't want to use logical block writes.

You want to use the CDRecord family to programs for physical (i.e., the
drive is directly driven by the program, via a generic device
interface), byte-by-byte (character) recording in Disc-at-Once (DaO)
mode.  Note DaO is mutually exclusive with burn-proof type technologies,
because the laser never leaves the media.  You want to use the
especially when recording CD-Audio or DVD-Video for older players that
are not very intelligent, and just have a simple laser that just wants
to follow a simple groove.

NOTE, for pretty much all post-2003 DVD players, this is no longer
required.  Most new DVD players are embedded systems, so they can read
media far more intelligent (and even non-ROM/R media, like -RW/+RW MO
media which is _physically_different_ than ROM/R media, these days).

The problem with CDRecord is that the Sony/Philips (HP, other DVD+R/+RW
licensees) firmwares typically don't support byte-by-byte recording.
Even +R/+RW drives that also do -R/-RW do not support it.  You have to
be using a DVD Consortium firmware (typically -R licensees, although 3rd
gen Matsushita -RAM drives also do -R/-RW) for this mode.

I've been going with the LG GSA-4xxx series of drives.  They are the
lowest price (~$50 for 16x/4xDL capable GSA-4163), do _all_ formats (5x
DVD-RAM, 16x DVD-R, 16x DVD+R, 4x DL DVD+R, 6x DVD-RW, 8x DVD+RW),
available in beige or black, and AnandTech found both the -R and +R to
be very fast and fairly low in error rates (although he did have a
problem with one of his favorite media brands):  
  http://www.anandtech.com/storage/showdoc.aspx?i=2470  

It works with either approach (let alone legacy DVD-RAM packet write if
you need that for compatibility with discs going back 8+ years now).

-- 
Bryan J. Smith                                     b.j.smith at ieee.org 
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