Output Type Settings
Once you start the format process, you can configure the output type you want to format
to. The Destination section in the General tab in the format dialog contains the output
type settings.
• Output Device: Use this pop-up menu to choose the actual device to format to. It displays
a list of your system’s suitable output devices, including DVD-R drives, DLT drives, and
the system’s hard disk drive. The other Destination settings change depending on the
device you select. See
Output Devices
for details on the devices available.
• DVD-R Simulation Mode: This is active only when writing to a DVD-R drive. When selected,
the format goes through the motions of writing to the DVD-R drive, but does not
actually write to the disc.
Note: This mode can only be used with DVD-R media. It cannot be used with DVD+R
media.
This is useful when you want to ensure that your system is able to support writing to
a disc without any buffer underrun issues. Buffer issues indicate that data is not flowing
smoothly and continuously from the source disk to the DVD-R drive. This can be caused
by a slow device (for example, a networked hard disk) or a system that is too busy doing
additional tasks. (A buffer underrun error that occurs while data is actually being written
to a disc results in an unusable disc.)
Once you finish the simulation with no problems, you can deselect the DVD-R Simulation
Mode checkbox and feel comfortable that you can safely burn a DVD.
• Lossless Linking: This checkbox is active only when writing to a DVD-R drive that supports
this feature. When selected, it adds protection against buffer underrun conditions by
allowing the drive to pause during the writing process, and then pick up where it left
off once additional data becomes available.
For normal DVD burning, especially on systems that may be prone to having buffer
underrun conditions, it is suggested to select Lossless Linking.
While Lossless Linking usually results in a flawless write process, there is a slight potential
for an error to be introduced. If you are burning a disc for use by a replication facility,
you may want to deselect Lossless Linking so that you can ensure that your disc is
written without interruption.
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Chapter 22
Finishing a Project
• Output Format: Depending on the selected output device, there may be multiple
formats available. Use this pop-up menu to select the specific format to use. See
Output
Devices
for details on the formats available for each device.