Finalize Disc

[pyromanic123boom]

When I buy blank DVDs from the store, they are sometimes a purple color. This isn't important to me, I'm just wondering why they are purple and commercial DVDs are always gray.

Also, you know when you burn a disc? you can usually tell because of that line (50% of the disc would have a line about halfway). Is there any way to completely burn (or finalize?) the disc, so that it is all clear on the underside?

I know this isn't an important issue, it would just look better to me personally. I am currently looking into labels, I'm basically trying to make a 'professional' look to my dvds. Thanks!

[Guest]

When I buy blank DVDs from the store, they are sometimes a purple color. This isn't important to me, I'm just wondering why they are purple and commercial DVDs are always gray. Blank DVDs are made with a chemical dye that is changed by the laser when writing. Commercial DVDs are made by stamping patterns into a layer of metal foil.

[pyromanic123boom]

That makes a lot of sense...it's like a piece of plastic and then they put the foil onto it. I guess that's why when you break a cd, it shatters little pieces everywhere. Thanks.

I'm still wondering how exactly to sort of make the underside of the disc look complete.

[CWR03]

I'm still wondering how exactly to sort of make the underside of the disc look complete.
"Finalize" is to complete a burn process and make the disk unwriteable in the future. This is usually done with disk-at-once burning or any method that doesn't allow data to be added later. You're referring to utilizing all the usable storage ability of a disk, in which case the only way to "make it look fully burned" is to always add as much data as the disk can hold (And it will never look completely burned if you look closely at it anyway - there's always going to be a visible inner and outer edge to the burned areas).

[pyromanic123boom]

I did know what finalizing meant: no more data added to the disc later, but I was using the term incorrectly. I was referring to completely burning all data - now I realize my questions was really impractical. I'm sure I look positively clueless with my questions, but I've been making dvds for a while now; now I'm improving my methods.

Thanks for the help!

[r0lZ]

I doubt that forcing the burner to burn the entire disc is a way to "improve" the method.

[blutach]

But, if you liked, you could import a fake VTS of the right size to make the DVD 4475Mb say. Do this with PgcEdit (http://www.videohelp.com/~r0lZ/pgcedit/index.html). Just make up some video - any video - of the right size into a little DVD (use DVD Shrink in reauthor mode, if you like) and in PgcEdit, place the selector after the last VTS and call File --> Import VTST titles. This will import your "new DVD" into your project and make it bigger.

A bit of work for absolutely no gain.

Regards