Easy CD and DVD Burning

Transcription

CD and DVD Burning Exposed – Page: 1
CD & DVD Burning Exposed
By
Rob Boirun
For BurnWorld.com
Contact www.BurnWorld.com and www.BurningBits.com
Copyright © 2005 by BurnWorld Inc.
All Rights Reserved.
This document may not be reproduced, or transmitted in any form or by any means,
electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information
storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing from the Publisher.
Publisher: Rob Boirun for BurnWorld Inc.
Contact: [email protected]
www.BurnWorld.com
www.BurningBits.com
TABLE OF CONTENTS
CD & DVD Burning Exposed .......................................................................................1
Chapter 1: Optical storage basics...................................................................................8
The rise of a new technology: optical storage on CDs and DVDs ...........................8
It's only plastic: how discs store optical information.............................................9
CD and DVD drives: internal, external....................................................................10
CD and DVD formats ..............................................................................................11
CD formats and storage capacity .........................................................................11
DVD formats and storage capacity ......................................................................11
Rewritable CDs and DVDs......................................................................................12
Rewritable CDs ....................................................................................................12
Rewritable DVDs.................................................................................................13
The benefits of Rewritable CDs and DVDs.........................................................13
What can you do with your CD drive? ....................................................................13
A playing and recording introduction for people new to CD recording ..................13
What can you do with your DVD drive? You can use it for the storage of files,
music, images, data, video, and much more ............................................................14
Internal or external drive? They both have advantages and disadvantages .............14
The wonder of USB 2.0 – plug in and use your DVD Player/ Recorder
immediately..........................................................................................................15
Apple's FireWire (IEEE 1394).............................................................................16
With all the basic info in hand, we’re ready to explore the fascinating world of
optical discs..............................................................................................................16
Chapter 2: More storage, higher quality—DVD is king..............................................17
Should you upgrade your PC for the full multimedia experience?..........................17
An option: Windows Media Center, for a complete entertainment (and data)
system...................................................................................................................18
Just starting with DVD? Then buy the best DVD drive external drive you can
afford....................................................................................................................18
What do the specs mean when you're buying a DVD recorder?..........................18
Installing a DVD drive.............................................................................................19
Things you do with your new DVD recorder ..........................................................21
Yes, you can copy DVDs.....................................................................................21
Save your home movies to DVD .........................................................................21
Store your music on DVD....................................................................................21
Archive old computer files...................................................................................22
Backup your computer.........................................................................................22
Create graphic and photo presentations ...............................................................22
Use DVD in your business marketing .................................................................22
Ready to get started burning?...................................................................................22
Chapter 3: Popular CD and DVD Burning software ...................................................23
What software do you need?....................................................................................23
Easy, nifty and free programs ..................................................................................24
BurnOn CD/ DVD Free .......................................................................................24
DVD Identifier .....................................................................................................24
Great inexpensive programs.....................................................................................25
BurnQuick Data/Audio CD/DVD Burner – super- fast and easy ........................25
Ashampoo Burning Studio 5 – burn everything to CD and DVD ................Error!
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Visual MP3 CD Burner – instant music, when and where you want it ...............26
Blaze Audio RipEditBurn – serious sound ..........................................................26
Major programs to consider .....................................................................................27
Nero 6 Ultra Edition – all- in-one .........................................................................27
Gear DVD Standard Edition – another popular all- in-one ..................................27
Roxio Easy Media Creator ™ – includes a backup solution ...............................27
Optimizing your system: getting your computer and hard drive ready for recording
..................................................................................................................................28
Defrag your drive.................................................................................................28
Check your hard drive..........................................................................................28
When you're recording, close all programs you don’t need.................................29
Your playing and recording needs will change over time .......................................29
Chapter Four: Burning data to CD or DVD.................................................................30
Includes:...................................................................................................................30
Picking the right format for your burn: data or audio? ............................................30
Tutorial: Burning a data disk with BurnOn CD/ DVD Free....................................30
Step 1: Choose a blank CD or DVD, and put it in your drive. ............................31
2. Select the data source.......................................................................................31
3. Choose how you want your data to be saved – burn now, or later? ................32
4. Choose a destination for your data...................................................................33
5. Choose a file system type ................................................................................34
6. Choose the files you want to burn....................................................................34
7. Choose your options for this burn....................................................................35
8. Start your burn .................................................................................................36
Create a backup process that works for you ............................................................37
Your backup plan.................................................................................................37
Tutorial: Protect your data with Backup4all............................................................38
1. Create a new backup group, and a new backup job.........................................38
2. Choose source files for your new backup ........................................................39
3. Backup your new backup job...........................................................................40
You're now a data disc expert ..................................................................................41
Chapter: Chapter 5: Burning music to CD or DVD.....................................................42
Includes:...................................................................................................................42
Burning audio: music and words .............................................................................42
Copy and burn your CD collection to disc...............................................................43
Tutorial: Copying an audio CD using CD-Mate......................................................43
1. Create an image file of the CD-ROM ..............................................................43
2. Burn the image file to CD................................................................................45
Downloading music online – unlimited choices and music.....................................47
Free music online.................................................................................................47
Chargeable music: pay by track with iTunes.......................................................48
Chargeable music: all the music you want for a monthly fee from Napster........48
Creating music playlists...........................................................................................48
Tutorial: Edit your audio before you burn – using an audio editor .........................48
Step One: Getting started with Dexster ...............................................................49
Step Two: Setting markers and zooming .............................................................50
Step Three: Mixing an audio track.......................................................................50
Burning audio CDs and DVDs is easy and inexpensive..........................................51
Chapter 6: Burning images to CD or DVD..................................................................52
Includes:...................................................................................................................52
Make the most of your family photos ......................................................................53
Create photo albums on optical disc ....................................................................53
Edit your images for your photo albums..............................................................54
Your digital camera: moving images from your digital camera to disc ..................56
Find free and low-cost images online ......................................................................56
Optical discs for business: creating disc marketing tools ........................................57
Tutorial: organise your image files with Smart Pix Manager..................................57
Step One: Create a new database .........................................................................58
Step Two: Add folders to your database..............................................................59
Step Three: Add keywords and descriptions to files ...........................................60
Save your precious memories: burn them to optical disc ........................................60
Chapter 7: Burning video to CD or DVD ....................................................................61
Includes:...................................................................................................................61
Getting started making your own videos .................................................................61
Save your old VHS tapes: convert them to digital format, and burn them to DVD 62
Video capture hardware: internal or external?.....................................................62
Your choice: video editing software ........................................................................64
Tutorial: Editing and burning video with Magix Movie Edit ..................................64
Step One: Create a title for your video ................................................................65
Step Two: Add special effects to your video .......................................................66
Step Three: Burn your movie to CD or DVD ......................................................67
Making videos and turning them into movies is easy..............................................68
Chapter 8: Transferring your old music LPs and cassettes to CD or DVD .................69
Digitize and burn your old LPs and music cassettes to CD or DVD.......................69
Your turntable ......................................................................................................70
Tutorial: LP Recorder – record your vinyl LPs to optical disc................................71
Don't lose your vinyl LPs – burn them to optical disc.............................................72
Chapter 9: Copying CDs and DVDs – extending your disc-burning skills .................73
What can you (legally) copy? ..................................................................................73
Extending your disc burning skills ..........................................................................74
Creating Mixed Mode and CD-Extra CDs...........................................................74
Tutorial: Burn a video with Cheetah DVD Burner..................................................76
Step One: Convert the video files ........................................................................76
Step Two: Add the files to Cheetah DVD Burner ...............................................77
Step Three: Burn your disc ..................................................................................78
Tutorial: Copy a DVD with 1Click DVD Copy ......................................................79
Step One: Install the program ..............................................................................79
Step Two: Choose your options...........................................................................79
Step Three: Burn to DVD ....................................................................................80
You're a DVD-burn expert.......................................................................................80
Chapter 10: The finishing touches – adding menus to your disks and creating labels 81
Tutorial: Adding menus to your discs with Visual Autorun....................................81
Step One: Choose the files and folders you want to include on your disc...........82
Step Two: What do you want the CD to do? .......................................................83
Step Three: Setup the CD.....................................................................................84
Step Four: Create your design and preview the menu .........................................85
Step Five: You're done! .......................................................................................86
Tutorial: Designing labels with Neato MediaFACE................................................87
Step One: Select a project template .....................................................................88
Step Two: Create the text layout and design .......................................................88
Step Three: Print your label .................................................................................90
Now you can add the finishing touches to your optical discs..................................91
Chapter 11: What’s next for DVD? .............................................................................92
What does the new technology mean to you?..........................................................93
Happy DVD burning into the future ........................................................................94
Chapter 1: Optical storage basics
Includes:
¨ CD and DVD formats
¨ What you can do with your CD and DVD drives
The rise of a new technology: optical storage on CDs and
DVDs
Compact discs (CDs) first appeared as a technology for music in 1980, so if you're
younger than 25, you've never known a world without them. In 1980 personal
computers were new, and computer storage was on floppy diskettes.
Then in 1996 a consortium of companies including Philips, Sony and Yamaha
announced CD-R/Ws (CD-Rewritable discs), and optical storage for data, images,
music and video became widely available, and gradually became cheap.
Almost a decade later, the humble CD is fast being overtaken by the digital video disc
(DVD) as the removable optical medium of choice for home and professional
computer users, because the DVD has a much greater storage capacity. DVD burners
(recorders) are becoming as common in computers as CD burners.
The terms we're using
In this ebook, CD is short for CD-ROM (compact disc read-only memory), and DVD
is short for DVD-ROM (digital video disc read-only memory). These are discs which
store information, like computer programs, data, music, or video. Your computer or
CD player can read the information on these discs, and play them, but you can't add to
the information on the disc.
CDs for computers are generally distinct from audio CDs. An audio CD player that
you play to listen to music usually can’t read the music that you've copied from your
computer. Some new CD players however read and play MP3s and other compression
formats.
To record information to a CD or DVD, you need a 'burner'; that is a CD or DVD
drive which includes an 'R' for Recordable in its name or description. You also need a
disc which W for Writeable, or RW for Read/ Writeable in its name or description.
(We cover disc formats later in this chapter.)
Above: The familiar CD-ROM: available everywhere, ready for you to burn your
data, music, and images
It's only plastic: how discs store optical information
A CD is just a thin round piece of plastic. Information is written into the plastic using
a laser, by burning microscopic, lumpy, spiraling grooves into it. The spirals are
sprayed with reflective aluminum, which is then coated with protective acrylic – and
the CD is ready to be played.
A DVD looks just like a CD, and it's made in a similar way, but there are more layers
of plastic, and more aluminum separating them. A DVD may also be double-sided.
This means that a DVD can store much more information than a CD. Commonly a
DVD stores around seven times more than a CD, but a DVD can also have a much
greater capacity.
CD and DVD drives: internal, external
When you bought your computer, it came with a CD drive, and perhaps also with a
DVD drive. However, you can increase your optical storage capabilities, by adding
drives, both internal, and external.
An internal drive fits into a drive bay on your computer. An external drive plugs in to
your computer, and communicates and moves information to and from your
computer, most commonly via a Universal Serial Bus (USB) port, or via FireWire
(IEEE-1394) connection.
Check your CD and DVD players, to see whether they are also burners, that is,
devices which can record information. Your CD and DVD player should have an 'R'
for Recordable in the name or description of the drive if it can record.
Sales of CD-Recordable (CD-R) discs boomed from 1999, when many people began
to collect music and make their own audio discs on blank discs. In new computers,
writable CD drives, also known as CD burners, are standard, and DVD-R drives are
becoming standard.
A DVD player plays DVDs, a DVD recorder, also called a burner, both plays and
records DVDs. Like a video cassette recorder (VCR), the DVD recorder has standard
A/V inputs and playback, and like a DVD player, you can use your DVD recorder to
play audio and video CDs.
CD and DVD formats
CD formats and storage capacity
A standard CD-R (Compact Disc Recordable) disc can store around 74 minutes of
audio, or around 650 megabytes of information. Many discs can store up to 80
minutes of audio and 703 megs of other data. Specially manufactured discs, which are
not widely available, can store up to 99 minutes, and 870 megs of data.
When you're buying blank discs to record in your CD burner, you can buy either CDR, or CD-R/W discs. You can only record data once on a CD-R disc, but you can
erase and re-record on a CD-R/W disc.
DVD formats and storage capacity
DVDs are available in three major formats: dash (DVD-R and DVD-RW), plus
(DVD+R, DVD+RW and DVD+R DL), and DVD-RAM. Most players can play both
the plus and dash formats.
A DVD can contain high-definition audio, video (movies and sound) and data in these
formats:
¨ DVD-ROM (read only, manufactured by a press)
¨ DVD-R/RW (R=Recordable once, RW means ReWritable)
¨ DVD-RAM (random access rewritable; after-write checking of data integrity
is always active)
¨ DVD+R/RW (R=Recordable once, RW means ReWritable)
A DVD's storage capacity depends on the number of layers and sides on the DVD:
¨
¨
¨
¨
DVD-5: single sided, single layer, 4.7 gigabytes (GB)
DVD-9: single sided, double layer, 8.5 GB
DVD-10: double sided, single layer on both sides, 9.4 GB
DVD-14: double sided, double layer on one side, single layer on other, 13.3
GB
¨ DVD-18: double sided, double layer on both sides, 17.1 GB
Above: DVDs offer massive storage capacity
Rewritable CDs and DVDs
Think of your recordable CDs and DVDs as being like old- fashioned cassette tapes.
Some discs you record because you want to keep the material, other discs you record
for short-term use – you don't want to keep the material permanently, you want to be
able to erase the stuff on the disc and reuse it.
Temporary material could include: music, data, computer backups, project material
from work that you're taking home, and photo albums.
Rewritable CDs
Before you use it, your CD-R/W disc needs to be formatted. Usually this has been
done by the manufacturer, so your disc is ready to be used, and reused, when you no
longer need the material on it and want to erase it.
Keeping your data safe with computer backups
The most common use of CD-R/W discs is as backup media for your computer. We'll
discuss backing up your data in more detail later, but remember that when you backup
to CD-R/W, you need to keep several discs in rotation in your backup cycle, because
an occasional disc may be faulty, and discs can be damaged.
Rewritable DVDs
Just as the DVD is taking over from the CD, so the DVD-R/RW is taking over from
the CD-R/W as the disc of choice for people who need to store material temporarily.
As computer hard drives have grown larger, people have more information of all
kinds that they want to be able to move around easily between computers and other
devices.
The benefits of Rewritable CDs and DVDs
The major benefits are:
¨ Cheapness: at mere cents per disc if you buy in bulk, blank discs are costeffective;
¨ Reliability: unless you leave a CD or DVD in a car, or damage it in some other
way, discs don’t stretch or demagnetize like tapes and floppy disks.
¨ Fast: you search a disc and find material quickly, whether you do the
searching manually, or with software, when you're looking for a particular
music track, or a copy of a document
¨ Compatible: almost every PC has a CD-ROM drive, so you can move
information from one computer to another quickly.
What can you do with your CD drive?
A playing and recording introduction for people new to CD
recording
If it's on your computer, you can store it on a CD, and often play it as well.
You can store computer programs, computer files like all your correspondence
and financial records, photographs and other digital images, paper files that
you've scanned into your computer, entire Web sites, music, and of course
your computer backups.
To get started playing and recording on a CD drive, all the programs you need
are usually on the machine, as part of the operating system, whether you use a
Microsoft Windows, Apple, or a Linux system.
Of course you need the blank media discs to record, and you can get discs at
any mall, or you can buy them online.
What can you do with your DVD drive? You can use it for the
storage of files, music, images, data, video, and much more
Your DVD player and recorder are like a CD player/ recorder on steroids. You can do
everything with your DVD drive that you can do with a CD drive, with the added
benefits of speed, picture quality, and vastly expanded storage capacity.
Internal or external drive? They both have advantages and
disadvantages
An internal CD and/ DVD drive was probably installed in your computer when you
bought the machine. A CD or DVD drive that's already installed, or is purchased to be
installed in the body of your computer, is called an internal drive. Installing a drive is
relatively easy.
You can also buy external CD and/ DVD drives, which plug into your computer like
any other peripheral. The most useful plug in via USB, or FireWire. (See below)
If you're thinking of buying an external drive, which is best for your needs, and
internal or external CD / DVD drive?
Advantages and disadvantages of INTERNAL drives—
Pros
Cons
No-cost, usually already installed when
The drive is the age of your computer. If
you buy it
your machine is a couple of years old,
drive technology has advanced
Doesn't take up any space, no messy
Non-transportable
cables
Requires installation
Advantages and disadvantages of EXTERNAL drives—
Pros
Cons
No installation hassles: just plug it in
Additional cost
Easy to upgrade if your needs expand or
It's another peripheral which takes up
change
space on your desk, or on a shelf
Transportable: take the drive with you,
and connect it to other computers
Plug in as many as you need
The wonder of USB 2.0 – plug in and use your DVD Player/
Recorder immediately
As a way of plugging devices into your computer and getting them to play nicely with
everything else on your machine, USB 2.0 is a wonder. It's fast, and it works with
both PCs and Apple computers.
New computers have from two to six USB 2.0 ports; older computers may have ports
based on the USB 1.0 or 1.1 standards. For an older computer, you can buy a PCI
adapter card which adds four USB 2.0 ports.
USB 2.0 transfer speeds:
* low-speed transfers data at 1.5 megabits per second
* full-speed transfers data at 12 megabits per second
* high-speed transfers data at 480 megabits per second
A USB DVD drive is easy to use: just connect the drive to a power source, and to any
available USB port on your computer. If you've run out of USB ports, you can buy a
USB hub, which gives you seven or more additional ports.
Apple's FireWire (IEEE 1394)
If you recently bought a computer, especially a notebook computer, the computer may
have a FireWire connection. FireWire is a computer and digital video serial bus
interface standard which offers high-speed communications, plus isochronous realtime data services. Any PC that's intended for professional audio/video use will have
FireWire connection. Apple iPod uses FireWire, so that you can upload music in a
couple of seconds, and charge the player at the same time.
Although FireWire is an Apple product, it's used on PCs, just as USB 2.0 is used by
both systems.
With all the basic info in hand, we’re ready to explore the
fascinating world of optical discs
Using optical discs is easy fun. You'll find that once you've burned a disc or two,
you're an expert.
All you really need to remember is that both blank CDs and blank DVDs come in two
varieties: record-once, or record/ erase and use again.
If you're technically inclined, Wikipedia has excellent information on CDs and DVDs.
Here are the URLs:
Wikipedia, the free-content encyclopedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Main_Page
Wikipedia's CD information: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Compact_disc
Wikipedia's DVD information: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DVD
Chapter 2: More storage, higher quality—DVD is king
Includes:
¨ Should you upgrade your system?
¨ Tutorial: Installing a DVD drive
¨ Things you can do with your new DVD recorder
DVDs, DVDs, and yet more DVDs! Everywhere you go it seems that someone wants
you to buy a DVD. Movies that you haven't seen in a couple of decades are available
on DVD, as well as entire series of popular TV shows. You can get music on DVD,
reference books with multimedia and educational material – everything from exercise
shows to cooking instructions – there's no doubt about it, DVDs are popular.
Everyone who uses a computer also wants the storage capacity and the ease of use of
a DVD, and no matter how thin your wallet, you can join in, with DVD drives now
available at giveaway prices.
If you have an older computer, you may be wondering whether you can install a DVD
drive in it, or whether it makes sense to upgrade.
Should you upgrade your PC for the full multimedia
experience?
You've got a digital camera, an MP3 player, and a DVD player, but you want to get a
DVD recorder, and be in complete control of all the data you've got now, and will
generate in the future.
If your computer is less than two years old, it makes sense to upgrade --- or does it?
You can buy a new multimedia PC for under $1000, so it might be less expensive and
time consuming to buy a new system. Not to mention that the components you want
to add to your old system may be included with a new one. For example, multiContact www.BurnWorld.com and www.BurningBits.com
channel surround sound and three-dimensional positional audio are integrated on
motherboards in new multimedia systems, whereas a new sound card with these
features costs over $100. Quality surround-sound speakers add another hundred or
two, so the money adds up.
An option: Windows Media Center, for a complete entertainment
(and data) system
If you're going the new system route, consider upgrading to a computer with
Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition (MCE). MCE 2005 will run an FM
radio tuner, a DVD recorder, video and image applications, and a TV tuner as well.
Note: if you want the radio and TV tuners, make sure the cards come with the system.
If you have an older system and you want to install MCE, you can buy the program
online. Make sure that yours comes with a legitimate product identification number
(PID), so that you can get Microsoft upgrades. However, be aware that when you
install MCE on an older system, you may run into unforeseen hardware conflicts.
Just starting with DVD? Then buy the best DVD drive external
drive you can afford
If you just want to get into DVD playing and recording, generally speaking if your PC
is less than two years old you don’t need to upgrade your system, but you'll want the
fastest drive, with the most options, that's available.
In this situation, buy an external DVD drive. Plug it into a USB port, and you can start
to play and record DVDs.
What do the specs mean when you're buying a DVD recorder?
Specifications for DVD recorders can seem mind-numbingly complex.
Here's the important stuff to be aware of:
The X rating of the drive
No, it’s nothing exciting – the X rating is the speed at which the drive performs. For
example, a drive which is rated at 4X/ 2X/ 12X can write DVDs at 4X, rewrite at 2X,
and read at 12X. Some drives are rated by their plus and minus recording speeds, and
are called 8x8 drives, meaning that they can record both DVD+R and DVD-R at 8X.
A CD recorder's maximum recording speed is 52x, but DVD drives are nowhere near
that fast yet. On the other hand, they can burn much more material than CD burners.
Here's an example of the approximate time to burn a CD, as compared with a DVD:
an 8x CD burner would take ten minutes to burn a 650 meg CD, while a DVD burner
at 8x would take around eight and a half minutes to burn a 4.7 gigabyte DVD.
The formats the drive can handle
All the various DVD formats offer the same 4.7 gigabytes capacity. You can only
burn DVD-R and DVD+R discs once, but they're compatible with most DVD drives
and set-top DVD players.
The re-recordable formats, DVD+RW and DVD-RW, can be written to, and erased,
around a thousand times, however there may be compatibility issues. If you're both
recording and playing in a single DVD drive, then this won’t matter to you, but it's
something to be aware of if you want to play your DVDs on another computer, or
share them with other people.
Installing a DVD drive
Internal DVD drives are less expensive than external ones, and if you have an older
computer with a CD drive, swapping out its CD drive for a DVD-ROM drive is easy,
even if you're convinced that you're not a techy person. All you need to do is remove
the drive that's already installed, take note of the jumper settings, set the DVD drive's
the same, and then install the new drive.
Of course, if the idea of taking the case off your PC makes you too nervous, get a
tech-aware friend to do it, or take the machine to your local PC shop.
Here's the process step by step:
1. Take the cover off your computer
Make sure your machine is turned off; unplug it to be certain. Using a screwdriver,
take off the screws holding the cover, or the cover panels (depending on the kind of
case you have), then slide the cover off, or remove the panels protecting the machine's
components.
2. Take out the CD drive
The back of the CD drive will have a flat ribbon IDE cable, a four-pin power cable,
and may have a black audio connector too. Remove these and set them aside.
Unscrew the screws holding the CD drive in place – put them where you'll find them
again. Once all the screws are removed, you can push the drive out through the casefront.
Now you can check the jumper settings, so that you can set the new drive's jumpers
the same way. The jumper pins are six pins in two rows located between the ribbon
IDE cable and the power cable at the back of the drive. The jumper links the pins in a
specific way, and above the pins you should see a guide which tells you how they're
set. All you need to do is to set the DVD drive's jumper exactly the same way. Your
choices are: Master, Slave, or Cable Select.
3. Install the DVD drive
Push the drive in through the front of the case in the same way you removed the other
drive. Put in one of the screws, and make sure the drive is level on the front of the
case. Put in the other screws, so that the drive is seated properly.
Now replace the cables, watching for the cable notches to make sure that the polarity
is correct.
Put the machine's cover back, put in the screws, and plug it in.
4. Your drive is ready to use
Your new drive's drive letter should be the same as the drive letter of the drive you
removed, so all that remains is for you to install the DVD player software that was
provided with the drive, and you'll be able to watch DVDs on your brand new drive.
Things you do with your new DVD recorder
Yes, you can copy DVDs
You can copy DVDs, and there's plenty of software to help you do so. You need to be
aware of intellectual property laws however, which make it illegal to copy
copyrighted material. Specifically, under the Digital Millennium Copyright Act
(DMCA), it's illegal for anyone to break copy-protection safeguards which are
installed on commercial DVD products, whether these are movies, games, or other
material.
If you're making a copy of a commercial DVD for your own use, then the policy of
fair- use may eventually catch up with DVD-copying, but at the moment the copying
of copyrighted material is illegal.
There's a big field of disc-copying software applications which will copy unprotected
DVDs, like your home movies. We'll look at those later.
Save your home movies to DVD
You're back from vacation with a bunch of tapes that you recorded on your digital
video recorder. You'd love to make your own DVD of the fun you had, so that you
can send the DVDs to family and friends across the globe. This is easy to do.
Store your music on DVD
If you've got gigabytes of MP3s on your hard drive, backing them up to CD would
take a long time, and you'd have a stack of CDs you'd need to find room for. A DVD
musical archive solves those problems.
Archive old computer files
A backup is for data security, in case your hard drive dies. Archiving old material to
disc saves space. If you've got boxes full of CD computer archives, you can get
organized by copying all the CDs to a single DVD archive.
Backup your computer
When you backup to a DVD, you won’t need to worry about changing CDs, since
your entire backup will probably fit onto a single disc or maybe two.
Here's how to handle video files: create a separate partition on a hard drive for video
files only, because videos eat up so much space. If you have a digital video recorder,
you'll have gigabytes of video, and since you have the tapes, it doesn’t make sense to
back up the video on your computer.
Create graphic and photo presentations
With video presentation software, you can mix audio, video and images, in any
combination you please, to create presentations which will wow your audience.
When you've completed the project, you can archive it to DVD, or publish it on the
Web.
Use DVD in your business marketing
If your company has been sending out catalogs on CD, catalog DVDs open a whole
new marketing arena. You can now include videos of products, and much more
information that you can on a CD. You could even include a complete copy of your
Web site.
Ready to get started burning?
In this chapter we discussed your upgrading versus installing a DVD drive, and what
your DVD recorder can do. In the next chapter, we'll look at burning software.
Chapter 3: Popular CD and DVD Burning software
Includes:
¨ Easy-to-use free programs and inexpensive programs
¨ Major programs
¨ Optimizing your system to prevent problems when recording
What software do you need?
Now you've got a CD/ DVD burner, you want to try it out. Without software, your CD
and DVD drives are just expensive cup holders. But since there are hundreds of
programs on the market, how do you choose? Which are best? And what if you have a
limited budget – do you need to go without lunch every week for a month to pay for
software?
In this chapter, we'll cover a range of programs for your CD and DVD recorders, to
give you an overview of what's available. In later chapters we'll take a detailed look at
programs for specific purposes – we'll also show you how easy it is to use them. We'll
start our overview with free, or inexpensive programs, and work our way up to the
more expensive programs.
Test programs for your needs with try-before-you-buy software
When you're scouting for programs, it's a good idea to see whether there's a trial, or
shareware version. This is a version that you can download to your computer to see
whether the program works on your machine, and whether you like it well enough to
pay for it. Unfortunately some well-known programs, like Roxio's Easy Media
Creator, don’t offer trial versions.
Easy, nifty and free programs
BurnOn CD/ DVD Free
http://www.burnworld.com/burnoncddvd/
BurnON CD/ DVD Free is a comprehensive program that does all the basic tasks you
need. You can copy CDs and DVDs, create backup discs, and audio discs.
The program is easy for novices to use, because it contains wizards – step by step
guides – for common tasks.
Above: Try BurnON CD/ DVD Free. It may meet all your needs, and as the name
says, it's free with advertising support.
DVD Identifier
http://dvd.identifier.cdfreaks.com/
Cheap DVDs are a bargain, right? If you've just bought 50 no-name brand DVDs,
DVD Identifier tells you all about those mystery discs. You'll soon learn whether you
go a bargain or a dud. The program gets the pre-recorded information from
DVD+R/+RW and DVD-R/-RW and DVD-RAM media, which tells you disc
manufacturing information and supported write speeds.
Even if your discs are labelled, and come with details on the packaging, it's a good
idea to test a couple with DVD Identifier, because major brands often outsource the
manufacturing, and the labels may not be accurate.
Great inexpensive programs:
Cheetah DVD Burner
Cheetah DVD Burner is an excellent small program which is a good toolkit for your
DVD burner. It lets you create data and audio CDs and DVDs, and burn DVDs, and it
lets you use all the most popular formats: dual layer DVD+R, DVD+RW, DVD+R,
DVD-RW, DVD-R, DVD-RAM, CD-RW, and CD-R discs. You can also create
bootable CDs and DVDs, burn ISO files, and can create a full range of audio discs.
BurnQuick Data/Audio CD/DVD Burner – super-fast and easy
http://www.burnquick.com/
BurnQuick Data/Audio CD/DVD Burner makes burning to CD or DVD super- fast
and easy, even if you've never burned a disk before. The program integrates with
Windows Explorer's right click context menu. If you want to burn a file, just rightclick on it and you'll be given options to burn it immediately, or to send it to a burn
queue, so that you can burn many files at once. The program automatically configures
your burner, and selects a speed – usually low. If all proceeds well, you can choose to
increase the speed on later burns. If you're a 'I'll backup tomorrow' kind of person,
BurnQuick ends backup hassles. For all versions of Microsoft Windows from
Windows 98 upward. It's $19.95 after a 15-day trial.
Above: BurnQuick is great for fast file backups as you work: send your files to the
burn queue, and then burn them at the end of the day.
Visual MP3 CD Burner – instant music, when and where you want
it
http://www.visual- mp3.com/
If all you want to do with your CD burner is create music discs, Visual MP3 CD
Burner was made for you. The program is loaded with features, and guarantees that
the CDs it makes will play in any CD player, which is a huge bonus. Just drag any file
you want to burn into the program window, and the program will show you how much
free space is left on your disc. A CD player is included, to allow you to preview the
music you want to transfer to CD. It's for all versions of Microsoft Windows from
Windows 98 upward, and is $29.99 after a trial. It does include nag screens to
persuade you to pay up for the program.
Blaze Audio RipEditBurn – serious sound
http://www.blazeaudio.com/
If you've got ambitions to be a musician or a DJ, or you want to record presentations,
you'll like Blaze Audio RipEditBurn. Not only can you record old LPs and tapes to
CD, you can also record from any audio source. This is a good program if you need
something more than a straight CD ripper. You can create compilation CDs with
voice, and fade- in.
It's for all versions of Microsoft Windows from Windows 98 upward, and is $40 after
a 30-day trial.
Major programs to consider
The following major programs are comprehensive solutions. They’re massive, and
will meet all your CD and DVD needs. Since they're large programs, this can be a
challenge if you're running an older computer, or a computer which doesn't have a lot
of memory.
(Remember that it's always advisable to trial a program first, to see whether it works
smoothly on your machine, before you pay for it.)
Gear DVD Standard Edition – another popular all-in-one
Gear DVD Standard Edition is another popular program which is a complete
solution. It copies and burns CDs and DVDs, and lets you create audio mixes with
built- in utilities. It will even create labels for your discs.
It's for all versions of Microsoft Windows from Windows 98 upward, and is $79.99
after a 15-day trial.
Roxio Easy Media Creator ™ – includes a backup solution
Roxio Easy Media Creator ™ is a huge program which includes utilities which
handle everything that you're ever likely to want to do with your CDs and DVDs.
Unfortunately, there's not a trial version that you can try on your machine to see
whether it meets your needs.
Nero 6 Ultra Edition – all-in-one
http://www.nero.com/eng/Products.html
Nero 6 Ultra Edition is an excellent program for you if you have multiple needs.
When you start the program the Nero StartSmart center lets you access the program's
various modules, for data, audio, video, photo, and backup recording.
One of the problems with making backups of DVD movies is that you lose quality,
but Nero promises that the backups you make of DVDs will be as good as the
original, with Dolby surround sound. (Of course it won’t copy encrypted or copyprotected discs.)
It's for all versions of Microsoft Windows from Windows 98b upward, and is $69.99
after a limited trial.
Optimizing your system: getting your computer and hard
drive ready for recording
Recording discs is hard work for your computer. You can minimize the risk of failure
by doing some basic clean-up work before you start recording discs.
Defrag your drive
If you haven't defragmented your hard drive in the past few months, do that first.
Defragging is necessary because as you work with the files on your computer,
Windows splits files, and pieces of the same file can be located in different areas on
your hard drive. Over time, you've got a very messy disc, which means that Windows
takes longer to access files. The defragging process joins all the scattered pieces
together again.
Your version of Windows has a utility called Disk Defragmenter. If you're not sure
how to start this process, check your Windows Help file.
Check your hard drive
Hard drives develop two kinds of errors: logical errors, and physical errors.
Logical errors happen when a program misbehaves and your computer freezes, or
when you get a sudden power outage and the computer doesn’t shut down properly.
Over time, the build-up of errors can lead to problems: programs slow down, won’t
run correctly, and in some cases, won't run at all.
Hard drives can also develop physical errors: bad patches on the drive.
Windows has a utility which fixes both logical and physical errors: ScanDisk. Run
ScanDisk before you record, if you haven’t checked the condition of your hard drive
in a while.
When you're recording, close all programs you don’t need
When you're about to record a disc, it's a good idea to close all other programs, so that
they don’t interrupt the burning process.
Your playing and recording needs will change over time
In this chapter, we've presented an overview of the many CD and DVD playing and
recording programs available. The best way to decide whether a program is suitable
for your needs is to trial it. You can also experiment with a free program – if the
freebie meets your need, that’s the perfect solution for you.
Chapter 4: Burning data to CD or DVD
Includes:
¨ Tutorial: Burning a data disc
¨ Creating a backup process that works for you – for home users, and for small
business
¨ Tutorial: Protect your data with Backup4all
In this chapter, we'll discuss burning data to CDs and DVDs, and developing a backup
system that works for you. Many computer users never sort out the vexing problem of
backups, because the native Windows backup utility is so frustrating to use. However,
there are much easier and simpler solutions, which will only take a couple of minutes
a day, so find a program that's so easy to use that using it becomes a habit. Your
burner will take all the hassle out of backups so that you're in full control of your data
at all times.
Picking the right format for your burn: data or audio?
When you want to burn a disc, the first thing to do is to pick the format. Essentially,
there are only two main formats: data and audio, with image files and videos being
classed as data formats. If you choose, you can mix data and audio on CDs, in mixedmode formats, with both data and digital audio on the same disc, however you can't
play a mixed-mode disc in a CD player. It's best to stick to audio format when you're
creating music discs: then you can be sure that the disc will play in any player.
Remember: music requires audio format.
Tutorial: Burning a data disk with BurnOn CD/ DVD Free
BurnOn CD/ DVD Free ( http://www.burnworld.com/burnoncddvd/index.htm ) is
easy and fun to use, even for computer novices. The program leads you through the
burning process, so that it's impossible to make a mistake. You can go back at any
stage of the process, if you change your mind.
Step 1: Choose a blank CD or DVD, and put it in your drive.
The process is the same for discs, whether you're burning a CD or DVD, so the choice
is up to you. Chose a disc, and put it in the appropriate drive. As you can see in the
image below, when you start BurnOn CD/ DVD Free, the program displays the all the
CD and DVD drives on your system, and the kind of media currently in each drive.
On this system, the CD-RW drive has a blank CD-RW disc loaded.
Choose the Disc Copying Wizard, on the left of the program window.
2. Select the data source
On the next screen (below) you're asked for the location of the source data – the
material you want to copy. We've chosen to copy files on the hard drive to the CD.
Make your selection, and click Next.
3. Choose how you want your data to be saved – burn now, or
later?
On the next screen you decide whether you want to burn the data, or save it to your
hard drive, as an image file. Creating an image file is useful if you don't want to burn
the data to disc immediately. You would do this if you anticipate that you'll be
changing the data at some point, or in cases where you don't have the time to burn
immediately.
What's a disc image?
A disc image is a copy of all the data created in a single file on your computer. If
you've got an older computer, it's a good idea to make a disc image before you burn
the data to removable media. This avoids Data Under-run errors, which occur when
your computer sends data to the burner too quickly, and the burner stops and aborts
the burn. You could also choose to create a disc image if you run out of blank discs,
or don't want to burn right away for some other reason. Once the data is stored as an
image, you can burn it – in multiple copies if you wish – whenever you choose.
We've chosen to burn the data to a CD. Make your choice, and click Next.
4. Choose a destination for your data
On this screen you'll see a list of burners on your system. Choose your preferred
burner, and click Next.
5. Choose a file system type
On this screen, you choose the file system type. You can choose the most common
type, which is the ISO9660 standard, or you can choose a UDF type.
Universal Data Format (UDF) (packet writing)
UDF is an alternative storage system, which has advantages if you're copying small
amounts of data to a disc over time, as when making daily backups, for example. In
the UDF system the disc is treated similarly to a floppy diskette, and individual
sectors on a disc can be erased and reused on the fly. Therefore, if you were using a
CD-RW as a daily backup disc, newer versions of files and folders would replace
older versions on the disc. (UDF is also known as packet writing.)
Make your choice, and click Next.
6. Choose the files you want to burn
On the next screen you can choose the folders and files you want to add to your disc.
Notice that a directory has been created for you: click Rename, to change the name.
Browse to the data that you want to add. The gauge at the bottom of the file
selection area shows you how much space you have left on your disc. You can keep
adding and removing data until the gauge fills.
Click Next when you're ready.
7. Choose your options for this burn
Most of the options on this screen are self-explanatory. If you're burning a disc for the
first time with a new burner, it's a good idea to place a checkmark in the Test Mode
(simulate burning) box to test your settings; if you test first, you don’t risk (if you're
using a non-rewritable disc), of wasting a disc.
If you haven't filled the disc, and want to add data to it later, place a
checkmark in the Create Multi-session Disc box.
Click Next.
8. Start your burn
On this screen, you're ready to go. Click Start to burn the disc.
If you're burning a full disc, place a checkmark in the Close Wizard box, and
your burn will proceed without your attention – you can go and do something else
while the burn finishes.
Create a backup process that works for you
How safe is your backup system? If you've never made a computer backup, relax. The
process is simple.
Your backup process should:
¨ Backup all the material that's important to you, as often as necessary for you to
be able to recover from a disaster quickly, without losing vital data;
¨ Easy and fast to implement, and automated if possible;
¨ Be redundant – that is, you should have copies of critical files stored in several
places, including off- site;
¨ Reviewed regularly;
¨ Tested. Test your backups to ensure that all the material you thought was
backed up, actually was, and to ensure that files haven't become corrupted.
Your backup plan
To create a backup plan:
¨ List all the data on your computer that you want to backup daily, weekly, and
monthly. If you're a Windows XP user, you may opt to backup all the data in
you’re my Documents folder daily, My Music and My Pictures weekly, and
My Photos monthly;
¨ Test your backups regularly, to ensure that you can restore files from CDs and
DVDs;
¨ Ensure that you rotate your backup discs, so that you always have at least a
couple of months of backups in reserve. Yes, you may never need them, but
on the other hand, you may;
¨ Always have a supply of blank discs on hand.
Tutorial: Protect your data with Backup4all
Download Backup4All
Many backup programs work in similar ways, by creating backup jobs, or items, or
projects. These jobs are groups of files that you want to back up to a location.
Here's how this process works with a good basic backup program, Backup4all
This program makes the backup the process simple.
1. Create a new backup group, and a new backup job
Choose New Group from the file menu. When the Create a New Group dialogue box
opens, type a descriptive name for your new backup group. Click OK. Your new
group's title will appear at the bottom of the shortcut bar. Click the group and it will
open.
To create a new backup in your new group, click the New Backup icon, or
press Ctrl+N, and the wizard will open. Type a name for your new backup job. The
Group dropdown list gives you the option of changing groups. Next, choose an icon
for your new backup job. The Description section lets you include notes on this
backup item. Click the Next button when you've selected an icon and have entered a
description.
2. Choose source files for your new backup
The Sources dialogue box will open, so you can choose the folders and files that you
want to include in this backup job. Navigate using the Add Directory and Add File
buttons. Selecting a folder will select all the folders and files within it by default. If
you want to exclude folders or files from a selection, remove the checkmark. When
you've finished choosing, click the Next button.
This dialogue box lets you choose a destination for your backup. Click the
small folder icon to navigate to the destination you want to use for this backup job.
Click Next.
In this dialogue box, you can use filters to include or exclude files and folders.
Press the Customize button to customize your file selection. Press the Finish button
when you're ready.
3. Backup your new backup job
Your new backup will appear in your new group in the shortcut bar. Press the Backup
button on the bottom of the window to perform your first backup. To schedule
backups, right-click on the backup icon, and choose Properties. Then choose
Scheduler in the icon bar on the left of the Backup Properties dialogue box. Check
Enable Scheduler, and you can choose your backup times and frequencies.
You're now a data disc expert
In this chapter you've discovered how to pick the right format for your burn, and have
burned your first data disc. You've also discovered how to create a backup process
that's so easy that you're sure to keep it up.
Chapter 5: Burning music to CD or DVD
Includes:
¨ Burning words, as well as music
¨ Tutorial: Copying an audio CD using CD-Mate
¨ Downloading music online, and creating playlists
¨ Tutorial: Edit your audio files before you burn
Burning audio: music and words
Burning music is a lot of fun: you can take your entire music collection with you and
play whatever music you're in the mood to hear. You can also make compilation
discs, just burning those tracks that you enjoy, and ignoring those that you don't. You
can create compilation discs to suit your mood: music to play while you're driving to
work to wake you up, and soothing music to calm your nerves when you drive home.
When you copy your audio discs you can create your personal audio library. Note:
copying is also known as "ripping".
Audio copyright – what does it mean to disc copiers?
Copyright and intellectual property laws are complex issues. Wikipedia has an
excellent discussion of copyright at this page: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Copyright
As a rule of thumb, the 'fair use' doctrine as it's popularly understood permits you to
make copies of optical media in case the originals are destroyed. As with some End
User License Agreements (EULA) in software, if you can only use or listen to one
copy of the item you've purchased at a time you're (probably) not doing anything
illegal. However, if you make copies for your friends, or you make copies and sell
them, you are.
Usually when you think of burning audio to optical discs, you think of burning music.
However, audio also includes speech, and sound events. You can burn as audio any
sound event that you can record. For example, if you're in a meeting or seminar, it's
very useful to record the event, and later burn it to disc. If you're a student, this makes
an invaluable aid when you're studying for exams, and if you're a business person, the
record of an event, like a sales seminar, is often sold to people who couldn’t attend. In
these days of digital video you can film the event too, but since video takes more
effort and time, not to mention disc space, sound records of events are useful.
Copy and burn your CD collection to disc
If you're running Windows or a Mac, with the latest operating system a CD burner is
built into the operating system. However, these are bare-bones applications, and you'll
almost certainly be looking for a program which is low-cost, or free, and which offers
more burning options. Of the many programs available, CD-Mate is a good choice.
Tutorial: Copying an audio CD using CD-Mate
CD-Mate ( http://www.cd- mate.com/ ) is an easy program to use, even for novices,
and the program has many options at an excellent price.
1. Create an image file of the CD-ROM
In this process we'll make an image file of a disc first. You don’t need to do this.
However, if you want to continue using your computer and burn a disc in the
background, saving the image file first minimizes the chances of burn-failure. It's also
useful if you want to make a couple of copies of a disc, perhaps at different times.
You can burn the disc image as many times as you please. If you do want to save the
image file to use later, note the name and the location, and use your file manager to
change the name to something you're likely to remember. It's a good idea to save the
file in a new folder, too.
To copy a CD, start CD-Mate, and click the Recording Wizard on the shortcut bar on
the left of the program window. Place the CD-ROM you want to copy into your CD
burner.
When the Recording Wizard opens, choose the CD-ROM to Image File option.
You can leave most of the options as they are on this screen. If you're short of
space, you can use Disk Cleanup to recover space.
Then click Save, and the copy will begin.
2. Burn the image file to CD
Place a blank disc into the burner.
In the Recording Wizard, choose the Image File to CD-Recorder option.
This screen shows you the image file you're about to burn. You can navigate to
another folder by clicking the button with three dots.
Click Recorder.
Your burn will proceed, and the disc will eject when it's complete. Test your new
disc by playing it.
Downloading music online – unlimited choices and music
If you're looking for places to download music, you're spoiled for choice. No matter
what your interests, you'll find more free music, and chargeable music, than you could
listen to in a couple of lifetimes. Some sites let you download a quantity of music for
a monthly fee, and if you're keen, this is a good option.
Free music online
Many sites tout themselves as "free", but when you sign up, you discover that there's a
monthly fee. The sites don't warn you of this until you've entered your name and
email address, so be wary. Read the About Us, or FAQ page first, to discover whether
there are fees.
For completely free music, go to individual musicians' sites. Most provide tracks you
can download completely free. You can also find free music at Download.com
(http://www.download.com/); the site lets you download free music in several genres.
Chargeable music: pay by track with iTunes
The iTunes ( http://www.apple.com/itunes ) audio player, from Apple, currently
boasts over a million tracks, downloadable from its iTunes Music Store
( http://www.apple.com/itunes/store/ ) . iTunes is available in both Windows and Mac
formats, and is free to download. You can sort your music into playlists, burn to CD,
and convert music formats. You can also create 'smart' playlists, which are
automatically updated, based on criteria you've defined.
Chargeable music: all the music you want for a monthly fee from
Napster
The reincarnated legal Napster and Napster U.K. ) lets you download all the music
you want for a monthly fee. If you're a keen music fan, membership in the site saves
you paying for individual tracks and is a good investment.
Creating music playlists
Creating your own playlists of music that you like to listen to while you work is great
fun, and very easy. All music playing programs let you create playlists. For example,
Windows Media Player will create playlists for you automatically, it can also find
music for you on the Internet, and will let you burn your playlists to CD.
Real Networks RealPlayer offers many options, including ripping and burning CDs,
as well as downloading music. In the latest version, it lets you mix CDs
professionally, with track blending.
Tutorial: Edit your audio before you burn – using an audio
editor
If you're creating your own music, there are many audio editors which let you tinker
with the files you've created. For this tutorial, we've chosen Dexster
( http://www.softdivshareware.com/audioeditor.html) , which is audio editor that's
easy to use.
With Dexster students can record their own songs, plus create compilation CDs for
parties. Parents can record bedtime stories, with accompanying songs, for younger
children. You can record, amplify, mix, and apply different effects, like fade in, and
fade out, to get the sound exactly the way you want it. The program records from
different sound sources, like a microphone and line- in, so it will digitally record your
old LPs and cassettes. The program supports WAV and MP3 files, so you can record,
play, and mix in either format, and can convert from one format to the other by
opening a file, and then saving it in the new format. Dexster has an intuitive interface,
with several sets of straightforward icons along the top. Most of the program window
consists of the waveform view to make the visual editing of your audio files
effortless.
Step One: Getting started with Dexster
Choose Open from the File menu, and navigate to the track you want. Select the track
and click Open. The track will open. Choose WaveForm View from The View menu.
Press the Play icon on the player toolbar on the top right of the program window. As
the track plays, the selector ruler will move across the window, giving you a clear
visual display of the track. You can be as creative as you want to be as you mix the
track. You can cut, copy, and paste sections of the file, insert from another file, and
delete and trim sections of the file.
Step Two: Setting markers and zooming
Markers help you to keep your place in your audio file, and also help you to move
quickly from one area of a file to another. To set a marker, click on the point where
you want the marker to be created. Then choose Marker List from the View menu.
When the dialogue box opens, click Add, OK, and the market is set. You can create as
many markers as you need.
One of Dexster's most useful editing features is the ability to zoom into an audio file,
to select precisely the area you want to work with. Click and drag to select an area of
the file. Then choose Zoom In from the View menu. The area will be enlarged.
Choose Zoom Out to return.
Step Three: Mixing an audio track
Most of Dexster's editing and mixing options are available from the right-click menu.
Click and drag to select the part of the file you want to work with, and right click.
Choose the option you want. Trim, for example, will cut the selection. If you decide
you've made a mistake, choose Undo from the Edit menu. You can copy sections of
the file, and paste them, or mix them.
Burning audio CDs and DVDs is easy and inexpensive
In this chapter you've learned how to create an audio CD, and how to create your own
audio mixes. You've also learned how to assess online music sites.
Next, let's looking at burning images.
Chapter 6: Burning images to CD or DVD
Includes:
¨ Create lavish photo albums on CD and DVD to keep your precious photos safe
– and share them with others
¨ Business users: create CD and DVDs multimedia to use as marketing tools
(for any small business, including real estate agents, and marketers – send
your product lists and price lists to customers)
¨ Edit images
¨ Digital cameras: download your images from a camera, and burn them to CD/
DVD
¨ Find FREE images online, for both home and small business
¨ Tutorial: organize your image files for burning to optical disc
Burning images to optical disc is a low-cost way of preserving your precious
memories. Transfer your photos to optical discs as soon as possible after you take
them, to safeguard against disc crashes. If you have stacks of paper photograph
albums, start transferring them to disc too, especially old family photos. All you need
is a scanner, and you can share your photos with your friends and family, and can
create a permanent archive. Best of all, if you're transferring old photos to disc, you
can enhance them so that they look better than they did on the day they were taken.
Above: Preserve old images -- copy them to optical disc
Make the most of your family photos
Create photo albums on optical disc
If you have a digital camera, you know that photos mount up with surprising speed.
Of course, you always mean to get them organized, but somehow the time never
comes. Before you know it, you have gigabytes of images, covering several years, and
it's time to upgrade your computer – or your computer crashes – and its goodbye to
those digital memories, forever.
It's vital to take care of your digital image collection, before it gets out of hand.
Here's a simple process to follow, each time you save images from your camera
to your hard drive:
1. Take a moment to view all the images, and delete any which are obvious discards.
2. Save the keepers to a folder named after the event, or the place where the images
were taken, and the date. For example, "Suzy birthday March 2005".
3. As a safety measure, save the images to an optical disc immediately. If you burn
them to a CD-RW, you can reuse the disc after you've edited the images and created a
disc photo album.
Above: burning unedited images to disc as a safety measure. Image editor ACDSee
at has a wizard which will burn images to disc at a click.
Download ACDSee
Edit your images for your photo albums
Before you create a photo album, you can edit your images: crop them, and enhance
them by removing redeye or other blemishes, so that you can create an album that
you'll be proud to send to family and friends.
Above: Editing an image with ACDSee's FotoCanvas utility before adding it to an
album.
Many image editors have a batch function, so that you can edit a whole folder of
images simultaneously if you wish. You can also add text to your photos, as in the
image above. When you've completed editing, save your images to optical disc, and
label the disc so that you'll know what it contains.
Want to dress up photo albums, so that they look like real photo albums? Many
programs will let you do just that. Here's several to check out:
Software to help you to create photo albums
Recommended**: Photo DVD lets you turn your digital images into
animated slide shows on DVD. A wizard walks you through the creation
process;
Express Album ( http://www.pollensoftware.com/expressalbum/index.html)
has interesting backgrounds and skins to show off your images;
Minos Album ( http://www.photoet.com/) generates realistic photo albums,
with music – turn the pages by clicking on the corners;
FotoArchivPlus ( http://www.acx-software.de/index.php?c=ProductsFotoArchiv) creates slideshows, photo albums with music, and much more.
Your digital camera: moving images from your digital camera
to disc
There are a couple of options for moving images from your digital camera to an
optical disc: using the software which came with your camera, or using an imageediting program.
If you're a new user, use the software which was provided with your camera until
you're comfortable with the process. The software will copy the images to your hard
drive, and you can then burn the images to disc with your favorite burner.
When you're comfortable with plugging in your camera and copying images, you can
use an image editor to copy the images to your hard drive, edit them, and then burn
them to disc. Look for a menu option which says: "Acquire Images". The editor will
give you the option of using either your scanner or your camera, if you have both
attached to your computer.
Find free and low-cost images online
All images are intellectual property, and copyright. Therefore all the images you see
online belong to someone, and you can't appropriate them and use them for your own
purposes without written permission. Luckily some sites do provide images which
you can use, completely free of charge, for any use you might want to make of them –
except resale. This means that you can use free images for your projects, whether
personal or commercial, but you can't copy the images into collections and make
money by selling the collection.
Read the information on any site from which you copy images, to read what
restrictions are placed on the use of the images.
You'll find free images at MorgueFiles ( http://www.morguefiles.com/) , which has a
wide range of high-resolution photos, which are suitable for print, and for the Web.
bigfoto.com lets you use its images providing you provide link or reference.
DreamsTime ( http://www.dreamstime.com/res33627) offers a great selection of
images, some free, and most costing an affordable $1 per image.
Optical discs for business: creating disc marketing tools
Optical discs make excellent low-cost marketing tools. Many businesses both small
and large use them, because the cost of discs is minimal, and the marketing material
on the discs, like catalogs and price lists, can be easily updated.
If you own a small business, consider using optical discs for:
·
Price lists
·
A complete copy of your Web site to send to new customers
·
Catalogs
·
Announcements of sales and special events
·
Digital brochures
·
Presentations
·
Manuals
Tutorial: organize your image files with Smart Pix Manager
Download Smart Pix Manager
Smart Pix Manager is a fast, clever file viewer and organizer which simplifies
finding and managing files on crammed hard drives.
The program creates file databases, in which you can assign keywords and
descriptions to files, so that you can find any files you want quickly. The program is
an ideal match for your optical disc burner, because it can generate pro-quality autoplaying slideshow CD and DVD discs with both music and text. You can also archive
images to CD or DVD with thumbnail browsing and searching.
At the heart of Smart Pix Manager is a file viewer and multimedia player. The viewer
creates image thumbnails of all files in any folder. When you click on a thumbnail,
the viewer shows you the contents of the file. Double-click on a thumbnail, and audio
and movie files will play, and you can edit and view your images and run slideshows.
The program operates in three modes: Database, Folders, and Bookmarks. You click
from one mode to the other via large icons on the upper left of the program's screen.
In Database mode, you create and manage databases. The Folders mode is a file and
folder navigator, and the Bookmarks mode lets you see a list of files you've
bookmarked.
Step One: Create a new database
On the program's opening screen, make sure that Folders mode is selected by clicking
the large Folders icon on the upper left of the screen. Then select New Database from
the Database menu. The Create/ Open Database dialogue box will open. Type a name
for your new database, then click the Browse button to navigate to the location where
you want to create the database. When the Select Folder dialogue box opens, you can
create a new folder, or use an existing folder. The Go To button takes to you to
folders you've recently used. Click OK twice to close the dialogue boxes.
Step Two: Add folders to your database
Click the Database mode icon on the top left of the program screen. Your newly
created database opens, and you can add files to it. On the Database menu, select the
Add Files to DB Wizard. Select the folder you want to include, check the Also Add
Sub-Folders checkbox if you need to. Click the Next button to choose your file types.
On this screen, you can add keywords to your folders. Click the Edit Default
Keywords button to create new keywords. When you've finished, click Close, Next,
and Finish.
Step Three: Add keywords and descriptions to files
In Database mode, choose Toolbars, Keywords, from the View menu. The Keyword
toolbar will open. Press the Edit Keywords button, then click the New Keyword
button. You can enter keywords, and also assign them to groups. Click OK, and Close
when you've finished adding keywords.
Download SmartPix
Save your precious memories: burn them to optical disc
In this chapter you learned how to manage your images and to safeguard them by
burning them to optical disc. In the next chapter, we'll discover how to burn video.
Chapter 7: Burning video to CD or DVD
Includes:
¨ Getting started making movies;
¨ Converting VHS to digital;
¨ Downloading video, burning it to DVD;
¨ Tutorial: editing and burning a video movie
In this chapter, we're going to go Hollywood, and discover movie magic, so you can
make your own video movies. If you've got some old VHS tapes which are slowly
deteriorating, you'll see how to convert them to digital format, and burn them to DVD.
We'll cover downloading video, and saving it to DVD. Our tutorial will turn you into
a movie director, so that you're comfortable editing all your home movies.
Getting started making your own videos
Above: got a camcorder? You're all set to become a video-maker
There are a multitude of video- making programs available. No matter what you want
to do, the process isn't complex. You can create a short video of the kids' soccer
matches, video a friend's wedding, or turn semi-professional and make videos for
others. The process of making videos on a camcorder, then transferring them to your
computer so you can edit them, and burning them to DVD isn't complex.
First, consider your computer. If your machine is less than a couple of years old,
you'll be all set with a couple of minor upgrades, such as a video capture card (see
Video Capture Hardware in this chapter) and a larger hard drive. Videos eat hard
drive space: count on using one gigabyte per each four and a half minutes of raw
video.
If you have an older machine, get a new multimedia machine, and if video- making is
a consuming interest, get a machine with the fastest processor you can afford. You
should also aim for at least a gigabyte of Random Access Memory (RAM). The more
RAM the better, because your programs will work faster, and you'll be able to run
more programs at the same time. The graphics card in your computer is another
consideration. With video editing, you need fast screen redraws, so you may need a
more powerful graphics card than the one which is supplied with your machine.
Save your old VHS tapes: convert them to digital format, and
burn them to DVD
Most of us have a stash of old VHS tapes. We haven't played many of them in years,
because we watch DVD movies. However, some of those old tapes contain
irreplaceable memories. You may have tapes of your children as they were growing
up, tapes of your wedding, and other special celebrations. Don't leave them stacked in
the attic, or the garage where they're likely to be destroyed over time: go digital.
Yes, you'll need some special hardware to convert the analog format of your tapes to
digital format – hardware that acts as a bridge between your VCR and your PC – but
your memories are worth it. You need video capture hardware, and there are various
options according to your budget, and your level of technological proficiency.
Video capture hardware: internal or external?
If you're comfortable taking the case off your computer – or are prepared to get a
friend or a technician to do it -- you can choose an internal analog capture card, which
lets you hook up your VCR to your computer via an S-Video or Composite RCA
cable. Several of the most popular video capture cards include a TV tuner, so you can
watch TV on your computer, as well as record TV directly to your hard drive in
MPEG2 digital format.
What's MPEG2?
MPEG2 is a video compression format. Commercial DVD movies, home-recorded
DVDs, and TV broadcasts all use MPEG2 to produce quality video images. The
MPEG2 codec let you select your choice of compression, so that you can burn DVDs
at varying speeds.
On the other hand, you may already have everything you need to capture video, if you
bought your PC for multimedia. 3D graphics cards, which are popular with gamers,
like the All- in-Wonder® X800 XT from ATI Technologies
( http://www.ati.com/products/radeonx800/aiwx800xt/) , have everything you need to
get your video from tapes to your computer.
If you don’t have a multimedia graphics card, and don’t want to bother installing an
internal card, your best option is an external video capture device. These peripherals
plug into your computer via a FireWire or USB connection, and they are easy to use:
just plug them in, and connect your VCR. Most come with a bundle of video
capturing and editing software, and are reasonably priced. For example, the Plextor
ConvertX PX-TV402U ( http://www.plextor.com/english/products/PXTV402Uspecifications.htm) device plugs into your USB port, includes a TV tuner,
and has an excellent bundle of software.
The benefit of using a unit like the Plextor ConvertX PX-TV402U is that it undertakes
all the encoding, which means that there's no strain on your computer, because it
doesn't need to re-encode the transfer in software.
Connecting your equipment is simple. You connect your VCR to the external video
capture device, which is the bridge between the VHS player and your PC – the
appropriate cables are supplied. Then you connect the external device to a USB port
on your computer. Note: if you're short on hard drive space, invest in an additional
hard drive before you start transferring tapes to digital, because the process uses up a
lot of space.
So, what can you do when you've transferred the tapes to your computer? That's when
the fun begins – you become a movie director. Check out the tutorial at the end of this
chapter. You'll be amazed at how easy it is to turn your VHS videos into sizzling
extravaganzas.
Your choice: video editing software
You're spoiled for choice when it comes to video editing programs. Here's a selection:
¨ If you're running Microsoft Windows XP, you've already got free video
editing software: Movie Maker 2
( http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/downloads/updates/moviemaker2.ms
px) , which is better than many commercial programs;
¨ iMovie 4 ( http://www.apple.com/ilife/imovie/) from Apple does a great job if
you're a Mac person;
¨ Ulead VideoStudio 8 is popular, and has many editing features;
Tutorial: Editing and burning video with Magix Movie Edit
Download Magix Movie Edit
Magix Movie Edit is a desktop video editor which helps you to turn your home videos
into something special. This program will appeal to you if you want a chance to
produce your own Hollywood mini-productions, or if you want to edit down hours of
forgettable home movies into a few sparkling minutes of fun for the family to
treasure. In addition to videos, you can edit photos and audio.
For movie makers, the program's most useful feature is the Storyboard edit mode,
which presents your video's scenes in outline, so that you can drag and drop scenes to
rearrange them in the most effective, or artistic, way. If you just want to tidy up
videos you've already taken, you can use Magix Movie Edit to clean up your videos.
The program can correct contrast, brightness, and sharpness problems, as well as
stabilize shakiness by smoothing out the motion.
The benefit of using Magix Movie Edit is that you can cut and edit your own videos,
add titles, special effects, and sound to them, and then save them on CD or DVD, as
well as play them on your TV. The program is easy to use, and is crammed with
features. There's an excellent Help system, which tells you everything you need to
know from initial tasks like capturing video from both digital and analogue sources
like your camera and VCR, to sharing your productions by uploading them to the
Web.
Step One: Create a title for your video
Load the video to which you want to add titles into Magix Movie Edit by choosing
Load Movie from the File menu. On the program's main screen, click Title Object
Effects on the Effects menu. A selection of title effects will open. Drag one of the title
effects into the frame in which you want the title to appear. Double-click the frame,
and the Title Editor will open. You can now edit the title, as well as change the font,
background, and animation if you wish. Click OK when you've finished. Test the title
by pressing the Play icon in the video editor.
Step Two: Add special effects to your video
Magix Movie Edit comes with special effects which are fun to use. Click on a frame
in the Video Editor. From the Effects menu, choose Video Object Effects, and then
Video Effects. The Video Controller will open. You can create your own effects in the
Video Controller, or you can choose from the program's built- in special effects which
include Flip, Color Shift, and Whirlpool. When you've finished creating your effects,
click the OK button.
Step Three: Burn your movie to CD or DVD
Magix Movie Edit creates professional menus for your videos when you burn them to
CD or DVD. In the program's main screen, click the Make CD/DVD tab on the top
left of the screen, and your current video will be burned. You'll be given the option to
divide your video into Chapters. Dividing it into Chapters makes it much easier to
locate sequences, so that you can find them on the DVD's menu. Several sample menu
layouts are included, or you can create your own. When you've finished creating your
menus and layouts, press the Burn Disc button.
Making videos and turning them into movies is easy
In this chapter, you've learned how to start making your own videos, and how to
convert your old VHS tapes to digital format. The only challenges you may
experience are that these processes demand a lot from your computer hardware. In the
next chapter, we'll discover how to transfer your old LP records and audio cassette
tapes to digital format and burn them to CD.
Chapter 8: Transferring your old music LPs and
cassettes to CD or DVD
Includes:
¨ Digitize your old LPs and music cassettes to CD or DVD
¨ Tutorial: LP Recorder – record your vinyl LPs to optical disc
Digitize and burn your old LPs and music cassettes to CD or
DVD
Now you're into the swing of burning, you can burn that stack of old vinyl records and
music cassettes you've got in the garage to CD or DVD. Or perhaps you've bought a
stack of old LPs at a garage sales, and are wondering what, if anything you can do
with them.
To get the music onto your computer, and from there to CD/ DVD, you'll need:
A turntable for your LPs and 45s
A tape deck or cassette player for cassettes
A cable to connect your stereo's audio-out connection to your computer's
soundcard's line- in connector
A WAV file recorder
WAV to MP3 conversion software and MP3 burning software (see the tutorial
for LP Recorder in this chapter)
Above: LP on a turntable
Your turntable
Where will you find a turntable? You could ask relatives whether they have an old
turntable in an attic, you can find them at second-hand stores, and you can buy them
online at eBay. You can even find new turntables occasionally at some electronics
shops, because many people love old LPs and want to play them.
In addition to a turntable, you need to hook up your turntable to an amplifier. Some
turntables include an amplifier, but not all do. If yours doesn’t have one, hook it up
through your stereo. If you hook the turntable directly to the soundcard on your
computer, the audio won’t record properly, because it’s too faint. You also need a
cable which change the two audio-out jacks from the stereo to a single cable to fit the
line- in jack on your sound card; you can get it at Radio Shack or any electronic store.
When you copy the music to your computer, the files will be in WAV format, and
they'll be large: around ten megs per minute of music, so make sure you have enough
space on your hard drive. An LP contains 45 minutes of music, so you need 450 megs
of space.
LP Recorder is easy to use.
Tutorial: LP Recorder – record your vinyl LPs to optical disc
http://www.cfbsoftware.com/lprecorder/lprecorder.htm
Above: LP Recorder couldn't be easier to use, and it's a music player, too.
If you've got old vinyl Long Playing records you want convert to digital format, or
cassette tapes you'd love to turn into MP3s, LP Recorder will help you do that, and it
also does much more. The program is a WAV file recorder, that is, it records audio in
WAV format. WAV is a common audio format, which you can convert into other
formats like MP3. You can trial the program to see whether you like it, before you
buy.
To get started recording an LP, connect the line output from your turntable amplifier
to the line input of your soundcard. If you're not sure how to do this, check your
computer's manual to locate the "line input" connection. When you've made the
connection, start your turntable's amplifier, or if you want to record from tape, your
cassette player. LP Recorder's screen has two tabs. Click the Recorder tab. Navigate
to the folder to which you want to save your audio files. Type in a name for your first
recording, making sure that you give it a WAV (".wav") extension, for example:
mysong.wav.
From the dropdown list on the Recorder tab, choose Line In. (LP Recorder has several
other recording options, including CD Player, Microphone, and Phone that you can
experiment with.) Place a checkmark next to the Auto Level checkbox, and if you're
going to let the recording proceed unattended, place a checkmark next to Auto Start/
Stop. Press the Record button to start recording. If the recording doesn't start, check
the Windows recording control; you may need to select the Line-in option manually
on your system. You can stop the recording at any time to check the quality. To do
that, press the Stop button, then click on the Player tab. Select the audio file you
recorded, and press Play on the audio controls.
If you intend to turn the songs on the LP or cassette into MP3s, record a song at a
time, so that you can create an MP3 from each track.
Don't lose your vinyl LPs – burn them to optical disc
In this chapter you discovered how easy it is to transfer the data on vinyl LPs to
optical disc. In the next chapter, we'll tackle copying CDs and DVDs.
Chapter 9: Copying CDs and DVDs – extending your
disc-burning skills
Includes:
¨ Extending your CD and DVD recording skills with Mixed Mode and CDExtra formats, and straight CD and DVD copying
¨ Tutorial: Burn a video with Cheetah DVD Burner
¨ Tutorial: Copy a DVD movie with 1Click DVD Copy
What can you (legally) copy?
You can copy and clone any and all CDs and DVDs that you've create yourself – that
is: data, images, music and videos that you've developed. Whenever you perform a
creative function, that is, you write a song and record it, or record a video, or write a
document – YOU own the copyright. The material is copyrighted as soon as you
create it, and no one else has the right to infringe on your copyright. As entertainment
and other companies wrestle with Digital Right Management (DRM) issues, the laws
will change over time.
To avoid hassles, be aware of copyright laws whenever you decide to copy a disc
which is not your own material – see below, for an excellent primer on copyright
concerns.
The knotty issue of copyright
You've bought a CD or DVD. It's yours. Since you own it, you're allowed to do
whatever you want with it, aren't you?
That's not so. You own the physical medium, and you have the right to play
the disc, and sell that disc or give it to someone else as a gift, but you haven't bought
the right to distribute copies, in any form. Music companies are taking legal action to
protect their copyrights, and both music and film companies are aggressively focusing
on creating tougher Digital Rights Management (DRM) processes which will make
music, films, and other entertainment material, as well as reference material much
harder to copy. This page contains an excellent FAQ on essential copyright issues.
Extending your disc burning skills
Now you're comfortable burning music, data and video, let's extend your burning
skills. In this chapter we'll learn how to create a mixedmode disc and CD-Extra disc,
which contain both music and data, and we'll learn other copying skills too. If you're
very keen, you may even decide to tackle DVD Decrypter, which lets you decrypt and
copy DVDs to your computer's hard drive. This is useful to take DVD movies with
you when you travel, on your notebook computer. However, be forewarned, copying
an entire DVD can take nine hours or more.
Creating Mixed Mode and CD-Extra CDs
Yes, it's possible to create a CD which contains both audio and data. Of course, the
data will not play in a CD player, it will be ignored. You create a combination disc by
copying data to the first track, and copying the audio on each successive track – this is
called a Mixed Mode CD. You can also create a multi-session CD, with the audio in
the first track, and data in the other tracks – this is the CD-Extra format.
You can create these kinds of discs using the appropriate software --- just about any
CD or DVD burning application can create them.
In the images below, we're using CD Mate to create a Mixed Mode CD, and a CDExtra CD.
Above: Creating a Mixed Mode CD using CD Mate's easy wizard.
Above: Using CD Mate's wizard to create CD-Extra CD.
The CD-Extra format is popular for bands creating music CDs, because the band can
share information, and song lyrics, as well as the music.
Create a bootable recovery disc for your computer
In the event of a computing disaster, if your hard drive crashes, you need a disc which
contains enough of your operating system so that you can resurrect your system.
Perhaps you've already created a bootable recover disc as part of your computer
backup procedure. A recovery disc is a disc which contains everything that you need
to get up and running again if your computer dies. You don't often need it, but when
you need it, you really need it. To create a bootable computer-recovery disc, look at
your computer's Help file – it will create one for you by leading you through the
process. Store your disc somewhere safe.
Cheetah DVD Burner (below) creates bootable discs.
<-- Download Cheetah DVD Burner -->
Tutorial: Burn a video with Cheetah DVD Burner
Cheetah DVD Burner is an excellent small program which is a good toolkit for your
DVD burner. It lets you create data and audio CDs and DVDs, and burn DVDs, and it
lets you use all the most popular formats: dual layer DVD+R, DVD+RW, DVD+R,
DVD-RW, DVD-R, DVD-RAM, CD-RW, and CD-R discs. You can also create
bootable CDs and DVDs, burn ISO files, and can create a full range of audio discs.
Step One: Convert the video files
To burn a video, you need to download and install the free Cheetah DVD Video
program which will convert WMV, AVI, MPEG1 and MPEG2 files to the DVDcompatible AUDIO_TS, and VIDEO_TS formats. This will create a standard DVD
format, which will be compatible with all home DVD players. The program joins all
the videos you've added together, to create burnable DVD files.
When you've installed the program, open Cheetah DVD Video, and drag the
video files you want to convert into the program's screen from Windows Explorer.
Above: Two WMV files ready to be converted to standard DVD format.
When you've added all the files you want to convert, click the green Convert icon on
the toolbar. The program will ask you to select a folder for the new DVD files.
Navigate to the folder you want to use – you're given the option to create a new folder
if you wish. The decoding and converting will proceed. Depending on the length of
the videos, it can take a while.
Step Two: Add the files to Cheetah DVD Burner
When the files have been converted to DVD format, place a blank DVD in your DVD
burner, and open the Cheetah DVD Burner program. It will recognize the kind of
DVD you've placed in the drive. If you have several drives on your system, navigate
to the one that you want to use.
Above: Add your DVD files to the DVD disc: drag them from Windows Explorer.
From the file navigator on the right side of the screen, drag the files onto the new disc
burning window on the left.
Step Three: Burn your disc
When you've dragged the files across, click the green Burn Disc icon on the toolbar to
start the burning process. Note: this process causes a heavy drag on your system, so
close all other programs before you begin – you'll want to burn discs when you're not
doing other work on your PC. Overnight would be a good time, because burning
DVDs is a long process.
Above: Click Burn Disc to start the burning process.
Tutorial: Copy a DVD with 1Click DVD Copy
Download 1 Click DVD Copy
1Click DVD Copy does exactly what it says it will do. All you need to do is install the
program, and copy your DVDs – it couldn’t be simpler. Dual layer media is
supported, and you can compress the data, so that you can squeeze a complete DVD
movie onto one disc.
Note: 1Click DVD Copy will only copy unprotected DVDs. To copy protected
material, you need an additional utility like dvd43free.
Step One: Install the program
After you install, click the desktop icon, and the program will open.
Step Two: Choose your options
As you can see below, the program gives you a choice of what to include. Click the
checkboxes for the added material you want to copy.
Above: The program's options
When you've chosen your options, click Save.
Next, put the DVD that you want to copy into your drive, and click Start to copy the
disc. The time it takes to copy the disc depends on the length of the movie or amount
of other data, and the speed of your computer. For an average movie, count on around
fifteen minutes if you have a fast machine.
Step Three: Burn to DVD
When the copying is complete, replace the DVD in the drive with a blank DVD, and
click Start again. The burning process will take around half the time it took the copy
the disc to your computer.
You're a DVD-burn expert
In this chapter, you've extended your burning skills to an advanced level. You can
now copy and burn almost anything to DVD, including DVD movies. In the next
chapter, we’ll explore putting finishing touches onto your copied optical discs, for a
complete, professional touch, with menus and designer labels.
Chapter 10: The finishing touches – adding menus to
your disks and creating labels
Includes:
¨ Tutorial: Get creative -- add menus to your discs
¨ Tutorial: Design and print labels for CDs, CD jewel boxes, DVDs, DVD
boxes, and more
In this chapter we'll put the finishing touches to your optical discs with menus and
labels. Our two tutorials will show you exactly how it's done. Not only will menus
and labels make your discs easier to use, they'll also make your discs more attractive
and professional. When you've got an entire library of discs stacked on your shelves,
you'll be able to put your hands on exactly the disc you want, with minimal effort.
And of course, when you're sharing your discs with others, they will find that your
discs are easy to use. The programs we've chosen for the tutorials are Visual Autorun
(menus) and MediaFACE (labels). Both are modestly priced.
Add a READ ME file to your disc
You don't need to add menus to everyday discs like backup or archive discs,
which you're creating for your own use. However, you should create a simple
READ ME text file and add it to the disc. Two years from now, when you've
completely forgotten the files on the disc, your READ ME file will remind you.
Tutorial: Adding menus to your discs with Visual Autorun
http://www.digitope.com/vautorun/index.aspx
Disc menus save time. A few months from now, you won't remember exactly what's
on each disc; a menu will show you as soon as you put the disc in the drive. A menu
makes it easier to find exactly the information you want, or the songs you want to
play. Menus are especially useful if you're creating a disc for someone else.
The entire Visual Autorun program is a step-by-step wizard; if you follow the
instructions, you'll create an elegant disc menu on your first attempt.
Step One: Choose the files and folders you want to include on
your disc
Open Visual Autorun. On the opening screen, click the Next button.
Above: This is Visual Autorun's opening screen, which tells you what your menus
can do.
Above: Visual Autorun's second screen.
On the following screen you're asked to copy all the files you want to include on your
CD to a single folder, arranged exactly as you want to burn them to CD.
When you've done this, click the Browse button to browse to the folder you've
created. Note: Visual Autorun doesn't include a burner; you'll burn using another
program. Click Next when you're ready.
Step Two: What do you want the CD to do?
On the next screen, you decide what you want your CD to do when it's inserted in a
drive.
Above: Select the appropriate radio button.
For our example, we've decided to have the CD display a menu with files and
documents. When the reviewer clicks a document name, the document will open.
Click Next.
Step Three: Setup the CD
On this screen, you'll set up your CD's menu, as you want it to appear. If you have a
lot of files, you can create a multi-page menu.
Above: Setting up your CD.
Add the pages, buttons and files that you want to include on the disc.
Step Four: Create your design and preview the menu
On the next screen, you can choose menu backgrounds and colors. Click to Preview.
Above: A preview of the menu we've created. Click the button to close the window if
you want to make changes.
Step Five: You're done!
This is the final screen. Your menu has been created.
If you want to burn the CD immediately, using Windows CD Burner, place a
checkmark in the checkbox. Click Finish.
If you're using another CD burner, close Visual Autorun, and start the burner. You'll
find that your menu file has been added to the folder, and when your disc is burned,
the CD will do what you want it to when it's inserted in your CD drive.
Above: Visual Autorun's final screen.
Tutorial: Designing labels with Neato MediaFACE
Neato MediaFACE makes it easy to design labels for all your optical disc projects –
and for other disks as well. You can create and print labels for the discs, as well as the
inserts, and booklets to match. You can use any graphics you please: from image files,
from your scanner, or from videos or your digital camera. If you're creating a music
disc, the program recognizes music formats like CDA and MP3. When you register,
the program also offers a media galley of 500 background images. You can print your
labels on any paper, using a laser or inkjet printer. For the sticky labels for the discs,
you'll need to buy CD Core labels, which are widely available.
Step One: Select a project template
MediaFACE has templates for everything imaginable. As well as optical discs, there
are templates for floppy diskettes, and Jaz and ZIP disks. Open the Design Wizard,
and select the appropriate template for your project.
Above: MediaFACE's design wizard
Step Two: Create the text layout and design
When you've selected the project template, and the type of label, click Next. On this
screen, you can choose to create a custom insert or label, or you can create a playlist
for an audio disc, or a file list of files that you're burning to CD.
On the Custom tab, you can type in a title, and text. As shown in the images
below, you can choose how you want to incorporate the label text into the design.
Above: Creating the text layout, first step
Above: Creating the text layout, second step – choose how you want to the text to be
incorporated into the label design
Step Three: Print your label
In this final step, you can choose to print your label, or save the design. If you want to
add additional artwork to the label, choose Transfer, and the design will be transferred
to the MediaFACE program.
Above: Save and print your label.
Now you can add the finishing touches to your optical discs
Creating menus and labels for your optical disc is a little extra work, but the results
are worth it. In our next chapter, we’ll discuss what the future holds for DVD.
Chapter 11: What’s next for DVD?
Includes:
¨ The war between the formats: Blu-ray and HD DVD
¨ What does this mean to you?
You may have heard about the new DVD technologies, Blu-ray and HD DVD, and
wondered what they are. Essentially, they mean bigger and better DVDs – discs
which will give you even better image quality on videos, and movies, and better
sound quality – all because there's much more space on each disc. How much space?
Imagine 25 gigabytes of space on a single- layer Blu-ray disc and 50 gigabytes on
double-layer disc.
Blu-ray is heavily backed by Sony and a consortium of consumer electronics
companies. They hope that hope that this technology will supersede standard DVD.
Sony believes that as high definition (HD) TV becomes more popular, people will
demand DVDs with better picture quality. Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment, a
movie company which is owned by Sony, has promised to release films on Blu- ray in
late 2005 or early 2006. However, other movie studios won't ditch DVD anytime
soon. Warner Bros. even has a financial stake in standard DVD, because the studio
was part of the consortium that developed DVD, and Warners therefore collects
royalties from every DVD which is sold.
The challenge for Sony is the cost. Upgrading to Blu- ray disc production will mean a
high capital investment in upgrading equipment and facilities, and of course the
company doesn't intend to invest hugely without some assurance that the new discs
will be popular.
There's a challenger to Blu-ray, and it comes from NEC and Toshiba. These
companies are promoting HD DVD technology. HD DVD discs are smaller in
capacity than Blu-ray, only containing 15 gigabytes on a single layer. However the
benefit is that because HD DVD discs are the same size as current DVDs, the cost of
upgrading manufacturing equipment will be smaller too.
Red ray lasers versus violet ray lasers
The name Blu-ray comes from the color of the laser which writes to the discs. While
standard DVDs are written and read with a red laser, the new format uses a blue-violet
laser, so the name Blu-ray was chosen. Although different lasers are used, Blu-ray
discs can be made backwards compatible. A blue-violet laser, at 405nm, has a shorter
wavelength than a red laser, at 650nm: the laser can be focused more precisely, and
more data is stored in less space.
What does the new technology mean to you?
Industry analysts expect that the Blu-ray format will eventually replace the current
formats in VCRs and DVD recorders, but that won't happen for many years.
Consumers are used to the standard DVD formats, and until they understand Blu-ray
and make a transition to HD TV, they won't have a reason to upgrade, so mass- market
uptake is some time off – unless a company comes out with a standout product like
the iPod – if such a product used Blu-ray, and took off with wild popularity, change
might come sooner.
Because it offers such fantastic storage, the new Blu-ray format may eventually
become the standard for PC data storage and movies – unless NEC and Toshiba grab
that market with HD DVD. In April 2005, Sony announced that the next generations
of its Vaio notebook computers would include Blu-ray drives, and that nextgeneration PlayStation game consoles would also be based on Blu-ray technology too.
Happy DVD burning into the future
Although new technologies are on the horizon, and promise even better movie
reproduction, and much more storage space, you'll nevertheless be able to play all
your current CDs and DVDs on the new equipment.
You're now officially an optical disc expert, so we wish you many happy hours of
burning ahead!
###
For more CD and DVD Burning info please
visit:
Burnworld.com
And
BurningBits.com

Easy CD and DVD Burning

Transcription

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