Finalizing DVDRs

Posted by: BigH47 on 05 October 2006

Can any of you clever types help out?
When a DVD recorder says to finalize the disc to allow it to play on other players. Is it a one off for the whole disc? Or can you just do that recording finalize and then add to the disc later and finalize again?

Thanks

Howard
Posted on: 05 October 2006 by SteveGa
Hi Howard
Finalizing a DVD-R or +R on a commercial DVD Recorder does exactly that, you cannot add more to the disc. Finalising creates the toc. You can of course add as much as the DVD can take before you finalize (I'd suggest you only finalize discs if you are handing them onto someone as the creating machine will happily read un-finalized discs). DVD +RW/-RW are of course different in that you can un-finalize these.
Steve
Posted on: 06 October 2006 by BigH47
Thanks Steve I thought that was the case. It's a bit like it does exactly what it says on the tin. All I thought originallly that it might have been on a session basis. I'll just have to watch on the DVDR until I get all the episodes of various TV progs.
Using the SKY+ box as a source is a bit of a pain as you have to pause the DVDR until the prog you want starts, as you can't fast forward the SKY box in copy mode.
I was wondering about copying on to DVD-RW and then editing and writing to DVD-R on the PC, but I am not sure what programmes I would need.

Howard
Posted on: 06 October 2006 by SteveGa
Howard, Essentially the DVD player will only "see" the first session (or it will get confused if it is old). I've never tried Sky+, I went straight to a Hard Disk Recorder so I could edit anything later.
You could in theory push stuff onto a DVD-RW, write then to a HD and then edit them but it does seem a long-winded process. Not knowing the box I suggest you go here and do a search on connecting Sky+ to a PC-HD but I guess that you will not be able to do this digitally.
Steve
Posted on: 06 October 2006 by BigH47
Thanks for your input Steve. I'll carry on "supervising" my Sky box to DVR recordings to minimise the extra unwanted recordings at the ends.

H