Chapter 21. Burning CDs and DVDs

SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop Documentation Part IV. Multimedia / Chapter 21. Burning CDs and DVDs
	20.4. Playing Movie Files		21.2. Creating an Audio CD

Contents

21.1. Creating a Data CD or DVD
21.2. Creating an Audio CD
21.3. Copying a CD or DVD
21.4. Writing ISO Images
21.5. Creating a Multisession CD or DVD
21.6. For More Information

Abstract

K3b is a comprehensive program for writing data and audio CDs and DVDs. Start the program from the main menu or by entering the command k3b. The following sections brief you on how to start a basic burning process to get your first Linux-made CD or DVD.

21.1. Creating a Data CD or DVD

To create a data CD, go to File+New Project+New Data CD Project. To create a data DVD, go to File+New Project+New Data DVD Project. The project view appears in the lower part of the window, as shown in Figure 21.1, “Creating a New Data Project”. Drag the desired directories or individual files from your home directory to the project folder and drop them there. Save the project under a name of your choice with File+Save as.

Figure 21.1. Creating a New Data Project

Then select Burn from the toolbar or hit Ctrl-B. A dialog with six tabs offering various options for writing the CD or DVD opens. See Figure 21.2, “Customizing the Burning Process”.

Figure 21.2. Customizing the Burning Process

The Writing tab has various settings for the burning device, the speed, and the burning options. The following options are offered here:

Burning Device

The detected writer is displayed under this pop-up menu. You can select the speed here too.

	Select the Writing Speed with Care
Normally, you should select Auto, which chooses the maximum writing speed possible. However, if you increase this value but your system is not able to send the data fast enough, the likelihood of buffer underruns increases.

Writing Mode

This option determines how the laser writes the CD or DVD. For CDs, there are three modes available: DAO, TAO, and RAW. In DAO (disk at once) mode, the laser is not deactivated while the disk is written. This mode is recommended for the creation of audio CDs. In the TAO mode (track at once), a separate write process is used for each individual track. The RAW mode is not used very often, because the writer does not perform any data corrections.

For DVDs, there are also three modes available: DAO, incremental, and overwrite. For DVDs, DAO mode does not support multisession. If you want a multisession DVD, select the incremental mode. The overwrite mode allows increasing the ISO9660 file system from the first session on rewritable media using growisofs.

Usually, it is best to select Auto, because it allows K3b to use the most suitable settings.

Simulate

This function can be used to check if your system supports the selected writing speed. The writing is performed with the laser deactivated to test the system.

On the Fly

Burns the desired data without first creating an image file (do not use this feature on low-performance machines). An image file—also known as an ISO image—is a file containing the entire CD content that is subsequently written to the CD exactly as it is.

Only Create Image

This option creates an image file. Set the path for this file under Temporary File on the Image tab. The image file can be written to CD at a later time. To do this, use Tools+Burn CD Image. If this option is used, all other options in this section are deactivated.

Remove Image

Remove the temporary image file from hard disk when finished.

Verify Written Data

Check the integrity of the written data by comparing the MD5 sums of the original and the burned data.

The Image tab is only accessible if the option Only create image. In this case, determine the file to which to write the ISO.

The Settings tab contains two options. The first one, Datatrack Mode is available only for CDs. It contains configuration of how data tracks may be written. In general, auto is considered the best suited method. The Multisession Mode is used to append data to an already written but not finalized medium.

In the Volume Desc tab, enter some general information that can be used to identify this particular data project, its publisher and preparer, and the application and operating system used in the creation of this project. In the File system tab, specify settings for the file system (RockRidge, Joliet, UDF). Also determine how symbolic links, file permissions, and blanks are treated. In the Advanced tab, experienced users can make additional settings.

After adjusting all settings to your needs, start the actual burning process using Burn. Alternatively, save these settings for future use and adjustment with Save.