Hi Jerry (and Andrew), My observations are only from a hardware point of view and can only be accurately applied to the first generation Pioneer mechanism, the DVR-AO3 (or DVR-103), which is an internal ATA device. The issue I debated before purchasing and installing the drive was whether Apple's superdrive had some firmware modifications which differentiated it from the stock Pioneer DVR-AO3. Discovering that iDVD recognized the drive as a stock superdrive led me to conclude that the answer was "No".
However, this may not be true of the current superdrive which is Pioneer's third generation superdrive, the DVR-AO5 (or DVR-105). For what it would cost for you to purchase the drive and install it, it may be worth a roll of the dice. My assumption from past history is that Pioneer only makes one flavor of this drive period, not a second variation with proprietary Apple firmware onboard. Therefore, iDVD will probably work. Ward Oldham On Saturday, December 21, 2002, at 09:33 PM, Jerry Yeager wrote: > Not entirely true. > > Okay, here goes. iDVD is set to work with DVD burners that are on the > internal ATI bus. It won't run with burners hooked up to the Firewire > or USB bus. > > In many cases, it will not install off of the OS-X install cds because > of this. If you do as Ward suggest, then you should be able to use it > (though you may have to go back and install iDVD from one of the > packages then update it to be current. Don't forget to get the firmwre > updates that let you use the new 4x DVDs in the drive. > > So are you out of luck if you have to get an external drive? No. Toast > will burn the moves to DVD (once they are encoded in MPEG2 format). > Getting them onto DVD is not the problem, encoding them into MPEG2 > format is. There are several ways to compress movies into MPEG2 > (including using QuickTime). > > The advantage of iDVD is that it gives you everything in one place, > and it gives you the "front menu". > > Jerry > > p.s I have heard there will soon be a retrofit kit for the TiBook so > that you can pop a DVD burner into it as well. > > On Saturday, December 21, 2002, at 08:52 PM, andrew arnold wrote: > >> Since we're on the subject... I am confused. I have a 450 G4 desktop >> and a >> recent 800 TiBook. I would like to buy a new Pioneer DVD burner for >> the >> desktop so that I can burn DVDs of iMovies... I have heard you need >> iDVD to >> burn these and that software only comes with Macs that have the >> superdrive >> pre-installed. Is this true? Am I unable to make my own DVDs without >> buying >> a whole new system???? >> >> >>> iMovie should be able to handle it. Just keep in mind that each >>> minute >>> of raw-uncompressed digital video (with audio) will take about 250 - >>> 300 MB of hard drive space. >>> >>> Jerry >>> >>> >>> On Friday, December 20, 2002, at 10:53 PM, Lee Larson wrote: >>> >>>> On Friday, December 20, 2002, at 07:36 PM, Ann Richmond wrote: >>>> >>>>> Can you do a whole 2 hour vhs tape this way? Or are you limited by >>>>> the >>>>> camera's storage? Does the resolution capability of the camera >>>>> determine >>>>> the quality of the data going to iMovie/DVD? I really am a greenie >>>>> at >>>>> this >>>>> so any advice would be appreciated. >>>> >>>> I've never done a whole two-hour tape this way, but, if there's >>>> enough >>>> disk space available, it could probably be done. (What's the limit >>>> on >>>> iMovie input here? There's surely some HFS file size problem you'll >>>> eventually hit. Jerry?) >>>> >>>> Nothing need ever be stored on the camera, so the storage of the >>>> camera does not affect anything. You can store it on the camera, if >>>> you want, and I often do it this way so I don't have to lug the VCR >>>> down to the computer. >>>> >>>> The resolution seems to be as good as the VHS it started with. >>>> Remember that VHS resolution is pretty bad compared to digital >>>> video, >>>> so the results aren't nearly as good as the footage shot with the >>>> digital camera. You don't really realize how bad VHS is until you >>>> start editing it in a program like iMovie where you can mix real >>>> digital stuff with the VHS stuff. >>>> >>>> -- >>>> Lee Larson, Mathematics Department, University of Louisville >>>> Phone: 502-852-6826 FAX: 502-852-7132 >>>> >>>> >>>> The next meeting of the Louisville Computer Society will be January >>>> 28 >>>> For more information, see <http://www.aye.net/~lcs>. A calendar of >>>> activities is at <http://www.calsnet.net/macusers>. >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> >>> >>> >>> The next meeting of the Louisville Computer Society will be January >>> 28 >>> For more information, see <http://www.aye.net/~lcs>. A calendar of >>> activities is at <http://www.calsnet.net/macusers>. >>> >> >> Kind regards, >> Andy >> a0arno01 at athena.louisville.edu >> >> Remember the two most important things in life: >> 1. Don't tell everyone everything you know >> 2. >> >> The software box said, "Windows XP or better," so I bought a >> Macintosh. >> >> "Macintosh. We may not have done everything right, but at least we >> knew >> the century was going to end."-Douglas Adams >> >> >> The next meeting of the Louisville Computer Society will be January 28 >> For more information, see <http://www.aye.net/~lcs>. A calendar of >> activities is at <http://www.calsnet.net/macusers>. >> >> >> >> > > > The next meeting of the Louisville Computer Society will be January 28 > For more information, see <http://www.aye.net/~lcs>. A calendar of > activities is at <http://www.calsnet.net/macusers>. > The next meeting of the Louisville Computer Society will be January 28 For more information, see <http://www.aye.net/~lcs>. A calendar of activities is at <http://www.calsnet.net/macusers>.
