Filenaming Issues with Red Laser Media
A DVD-Video disc can contain several folders: VIDEO_TS, HVDVD_TS, AUDIO_TS, and
JACKET_P. The filenaming structure within these folders is very strict and tightly defined,
and conforms to the “8.3” specification. That is, only eight characters maximum are
allowed, followed by a three-character extension. The only allowed characters are
uppercase letters, numbers, and the underscore.
The names of files on a red laser disc are kept track of in two volumes—a UDF 1.02
(Universal Disc Format version 1.02) volume and an ISO 9660 volume, which together are
known as the UDF Bridge Format. The advantage of having the two volumes is that it
makes the DVD disc usable on a wider variety of playback devices. A potential disadvantage
is that each volume has its own filenaming rules. In the case of a DVD-Video disc, because
the only files present are those within the VIDEO_TS and AUDIO_TS folders, the names
in both volumes are identical.
A DVD-ROM disc also contains the VIDEO_TS and AUDIO_TS folders, and each must follow
the same strict filenaming rules that apply to a DVD-Video disc. The difference is that the
disc also contains folders and files outside of these normal DVD-Video folders. In addition,
a third volume, the Joliet volume, may be created.
As soon as you choose the DVD-ROM Content checkbox, the Joliet Extension Support
checkbox becomes active. Use this to control the filenaming conventions applied to those
nontraditional files.
The following sections describe the filenaming conventions that apply to the different
types of volumes on a DVD.