DVD Burn Multitasking / Buffer Underruns etc

[redgsr]

Hi All,

I have a PB G4 1GHZ 512MB RAM w/ Superdrive, and am getting in to DVD burning.

I'm just wondering if its wise to keep using your computer while Toast is burning your DVD, even if Buffer Underrun protection is on.

ATM I just leave it alone (actually I burn on my gf's PB & keep using mine) as I don't want to make a coaster - am I being stupid?

Cheers!

[galactica]

To be honest, its really up to you!

Yes, the less your comptuer is processing while you are burning a dvd, the more likely you are to get a perfect dvd.

To that point however, I typically chat on iChat, surf the web and read email while burning dvd's
even with a 2x burn its still a good 20-30 min! and thats precious computer time im loosing if i just let it go alone!

I have never gotten an error to date becaue of me being active while a burn is in progress.

Now, I wouldn't do any intensive apps, like dvd2one or ffmpegx conversion that hogs processor, but simple every day apps and tasks should be no problem.

NOTE: This is for his computer at 1gz. If you had say a 500mhz G3 I would recommend waiting and let the burn contiune with as little background processing as possible! My old comptuer had problems with just cd burning if other things were going at the same time!

[tgpo]

I almost always have something else going on while I'm burning. So far it hasn't affected any of my burns, so I'd say that as long as you have the memory to do it, it should be fine.

[tgpo]

BTW, I have a 450mhz G4 at it mutitasks just fine.

[txpharoah]

In general, don't multi-task too much. The most I ever do is play cards or read e-mail while burning - you know, errand stuff and mind killers. If you try to burn AND render another video or load Photoshop, well then, that's when you're asking for trouble. This applies to all systems: Mac, PC, Linux, Sun, etc.

[redgsr]

Cool - thanks for the replies.

Looks like I'll just surf the net or something while the burn is going. Good excuse not to keep working on GoLive, Illustrator & Photoshop

Cheers.

[jefwest]

I've had problems with coasters when i use really intensive apps, such as I'll be unraring 3 seperate .rarred movies in 3 different terminals, encoding something with ffmpeg and trying to rip something with the always freezing gnuvcdtools. Then I'll get a buff underrun in one of those temporary memory clogs where the memory monitor gets to 100 percent and hovers there....but when i just do normal stuff, no problems

Jeff

THUS the basis of roxio's BUFF UNDERRUN protection (BURN), however, I must say that they can never really fully BURN proof dvd-r drives from people as stupid as myself