| | | | | | | | | | | | Helpful Information |
| LaCie Slim Combo CD-RW Drive |
| page 19 |
| User’s Manual | |
4.2 User Advice on MPEG-II Decoders
All DVD-Video material is compressed using MPEG-II compression. DVD-Video, with full-motion video and multi-channel sound (multi-lingual soundtracks, surround sound, etc.), is a data-hungry application. Without compression, you would only be able to fit a 5-minute movie onto a 4.5GB disc (the DV format is equivalent to 13GB per hour). MPEG-II compression allows you to fit a full-length feature film, plus bonus material, on just one disc.
In order to play DVD-Video discs using your LaCie Drive, you need to have an appropriate MPEG-II decoder. You have two options:
1)Install the MPEG-II decoder software if your PC is equipped with a processor that is 400MHz or faster. The decoder software will give you smoother images when playing DVD-Video discs using your drive (as with any application, the more RAM you have, the better playback performance will be).
2)Purchase and install a PCI MPEG-II decoder card if your PC is equipped with a processor that is 400MHz or slower. The decoder card should help you obtain better performance during playback with your LaCie drive.
4.3 File Sysetm Formats - Definitions
When writing CD-R/RW discs, you will have the option to assign the disc a particular file format (the way in which a computer names and organizes files for storage and retrieval). There are essentially three file system formats to be concerned with when using a LaCie DVD or CD Drive:
•Universal Disk Format (UDF)
•ISO 9660
•Mac OS Extended
UDF - This file system was developed to ensure consistency between various optical media, compatibility across platforms and among various CD and DVD applications. UDF is used by DVD to contain MPEG audio and video streams, and is required by DVD-ROMs.
ISO 9660 - This is the standard file system for CD-ROMs, which allows them to be read on a Mac, PC or other major computer platform. Microsoft created an extension to the format, called Joliet, which allows for Unicode file character names and file names up to 64 characters in length (twice as many as the ISO 9660 Level 2 and 3 specifications).
Mac OS Extended - Also known as HFS+, this is the file system used by Mac OS 8.1 and higher. If you will be using your disc only on Macs, this is the preferred file format.
