User manual ULEAD BURN.NOW 1.5

User Guide Ulead Systems, Inc. May 2004 First English edition for Ulead Burn.Now version 1.5, May 2004. Copyright © 2003-2004 Ulead Systems, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or storing in a retrieval system, or translated into any language in any form without prior written permission of Ulead Systems, Inc. Software license The software described in this document is furnished under a License Agreement which is included with the product. This Agreement specifies the permitted and prohibited uses of the product. Licenses and trademarks ICI Library © 1991- 1992 C-Cube Microsystems. Ulead Systems, Inc. the Ulead logo, and Ulead Burn.Now are trademarks of Ulead Systems, Inc. Manufactured under license from Dolby Laboratories. "Dolby" and the double-D symbol are trademarks of Dolby Laboratories. Confidential unpublished works. Copyright 1998­1999 Dolby Laboratories. All rights reserved. All other product names and any registered and unregistered trademarks mentioned in this manual are for identification purposes only and remain the exclusive property of their respective owners. © 2003-2004 Ulead Systems. This software is based in part on the work of the independent JPEG Group. Portions of this program are licensed under U.S. Patent No. 4,558,302 and foreign counterparts. North & South America Ulead Systems Inc. http://www.ulead.com Support: http://www.ulead.com/tech International Ulead Systems, Inc. http://www.ulead.com http://www.asiapac.ulead.com http://www.ulead.com.tw Support: http://www.ulead.com/tech http://www.asiapac.ulead.com/tech http://www.ulead.com.tw/tech Japan Ulead Systems Inc. http://www.ulead.co.jp Support: http://www.ulead.co.jp/tech China Ulead Systems, Inc. http://www.ulead.com.cn Support: http://www.ulead.com.cn/tech Germany Ulead Systems GmbH http://www.ulead.de Support: http://www.ulead.de/tech United Kingdom http://www.ulead.co.uk Support: http://www.ulead.co.uk/tech France http://www.ulead.fr Support: http://www.ulead.fr/tech ULEAD BURN.NOW USER GUIDE 3 Table of Contents Welcome to Ulead Burn.Now .................................... 5 Things you can do in Burn.Now ................................. 5 What's new ............................................................ 7 System requirements .............................................. 8 Basics ....................................................................... 9 The user interface: an overview ................................ 9 Setting preferences ................................................12 Choosing a disc burner ...........................................13 About file systems ..................................................14 Making a data disc .................................................. 16 Compiling a data disc ..............................................17 Burning the data disc ..............................................18 Making an audio disc .............................................. 20 Compiling an audio disc ..........................................22 Adding CD-Text (Audio CD only) ..............................24 Burning the audio disc ............................................25 Making an MP3 disc ................................................ 27 Compiling an MP3 disc ............................................28 Burning the MP3 disc ..............................................29 Converting audio files ............................................. 31 Convert Audio Files dialog box .................................31 Ripping CD audio .................................................... 33 Disc burning options ............................................... 35 Close disc .............................................................35 Direct burn ............................................................35 Perform test before burning .....................................36 Buffer underrun protection ......................................36 Editing a disc .......................................................... 37 Modifying disc contents ...........................................37 Burning the edited disc ...........................................39 Copying a disc ......................................................... 40 Making a disc to disc copy .......................................41 4 ULEAD BURN.NOW USER GUIDE Creating a disc image file ........................................ 42 Burning a disc from a disc image file ........................ 43 Handling rewritable discs ....................................... 44 Erase ................................................................... 45 UDF Format .......................................................... 45 UDF Certify ........................................................... 46 Checking burner and disc information .................... 47 Checking burner capabilities .................................... 47 Checking disc properties ......................................... 48 Appendix A: Menus and commands ......................... 50 Appendix B: Troubleshooting .................................. 52 Appendix C: Glossary .............................................. 55 Index ...................................................................... 59 ULEAD BURN.NOW USER GUIDE 5 Welcome to Ulead Burn.Now In an increasingly technologically demanding world, file sizes are getting larger and the need for storage space to keep up with the pace is high. Burning CDs enables you to free up valuable space on your computer and retain important backups. Moreover DVDs, which have superior data storage capacity, are ideal for burning very large files, such as video footage and multimedia files. If you've ever felt overwhelmed by the thought of burning your own discs, Ulead Burn.Now offers the solution you've been looking for. It is easy to use, yet versatile enough to handle a wide range of tasks and media without requiring you to make tricky technical decisions. All you really need to decide is what kind of discs you want to use, and what you want to burn on them. Things you can do in Burn.Now Make a data disc There is no limit to the type of information you can burn to disc with Burn.Now. Whether you need to back up important word-processed documents, spreadsheets, presentations and projects, or compile photos, video footage, sound clips and more to share with your family and friends, Burn.Now has all the options you need. Burn.Now supports both ISO and UDF file systems for writing data to discs. Furthermore, if you are working with rewritable discs, whether CD or DVD, Burn.Now enables you to edit the contents of discs that have already been burned. There is no need to wipe the whole disc and start over, if you only wish to remove or add files, or simply to reorganize your folders and files. Make an audio disc With Burn.Now you can also make your own audio discs. You can collect all types of sound files, and create an Audio CD, DVD-Audio disc, or "Audio-only" DVD-Video disc. 6 ULEAD BURN.NOW USER GUIDE Make an MP3 disc In addition to audio discs, you can also collect MP3 files and compile them into an MP3 disc. MP3 files are a very popular format, and are primarily played back on personal computers, although they can also be played on CD players that support the format. Since they are relatively small files, the total play time of MP3s for the same amount of disc space is far greater than that of traditional audio formats, although there is a slight compromise in sound quality. Copy discs One of the simplest ways that you can distribute and share discs is by burning copies of them. Burn.Now offers several ways of copying discs. The fastest and most convenient method is by directly duplicating an existing disc. This enables you to burn an exact replica straight to another disc without requiring any step in between. This is a speedy method that has the further advantage of not requiring a large amount of space on your computer if you copy on-the-fly. Alternatively, you can burn an image of the contents of the disc and store the image on your computer. A disc can be burnt directly from the image file. This takes a little longer, but is more stable and allows you the flexibility of creating the image file on one occasion, and burning at a later date, as well as being more convenient for burning multiple copies and for backup purposes. ULEAD BURN.NOW USER GUIDE 7 What's new Create DVD-Audio discs Burn stereo-quality music on DVD that can be played on DVD-Audio capable players. Create "Audio-only" DVD-Video discs An "Audio-only" DVD-Video disc is the same as the regular DVDVideo disc except that there is no video content recorded on the disc. Burn stereo-quality music on DVD that can be played on your computer, home or car DVD player. MP3 encoding Rip and convert audio files to MP3 using the Rip CD Audio and Convert Audio Files functions. Convert audio files Convert your audio files to other popular audio formats. Rip tracks from audio CDs Easily extract your files from your audio CDs and convert them to popular formats such as MPA, WAV, and WMA. Double-layer DVD burning support Burn a double-layer DVD up to 8.5GB of video, audio, image, or data files. UDF system driver for a wide range of Windows O/S UDF system driver is now compatible with Windows XP, 2000, Me, and 98. UDF defect management (DRT-DM) Distributed Real-Time Defect Management (DRT-DM) improves writing reliability for DVD-RW and CD-RW. 8 ULEAD BURN.NOW USER GUIDE System requirements To run Ulead Burn.Now, you must have the following minimum requirements: · · · · · · · Microsoft Windows 98 SE, ME, 2000, XP DirectX 8.0 driver or above Intel Pentium III processor or above (at least 500 MHz CPU) 128 MB RAM (256 MB or higher recommended) 30 MB of available hard disk space for installation CD or DVD-ROM drive Windows compatible DVD-R/-RW, DVD+R/+RW, DVD-RAM, or CD-R/RW burner drive that supports MMC (Multimedia Command) standard ULEAD BURN.NOW USER GUIDE 9 Basics Burn.Now has a simple, straightforward user interface that frees you from the task of configuring complex settings. All you need to do is choose the type of disc to create, compile and then burn the disc. This section introduces you to the Burn.Now interface. The user interface: an overview Select a Task dialog box The easiest way to make sure you are heading in the right direction when compiling a new disc is by beginning with the Select a Task dialog box. This is displayed each time you launch Burn.Now, but can also be opened again by selecting Disc: Create Disc [Ctrl + N] or by clicking on the Toolbar. 10 ULEAD BURN.NOW USER GUIDE The Select a Task dialog box displays the four available task types on the left side. When a task type on the left is selected, all the options available for that task are displayed on the right. A brief description of the selected option is displayed in the lower half of the Options Panel. Note: If you click Exit, Burn.Now will be closed. Disc Layout Window The Disc Layout Window is the area where you add and organize the data to burn to disc. The appearance of the Disc Layout Window depends on the type of task chosen. When compiling data discs and MP3 discs, the Disc Layout Window of Burn.Now displays two window panes beneath the Toolbar, similar to the panes in Microsoft Windows Explorer. The pane on the left displays, and also enables you to create, a folder system for organizing your files, while the pane on the right displays all subfolders and files contained within the selected folder (shown highlighted) on the left. You can sort your files and folders on the right by clicking on the column header. ULEAD BURN.NOW USER GUIDE 11 When compiling audio discs, the Disc Layout Window displays a single pane listing selected audio tracks and displaying their file information. Below the Disc-space Meter is the Status Bar, which displays information about the current device name, project size, and task type. Toolbar and Menus The Toolbar enables you to access the most commonly used functions easily. All of the buttons on the Toolbar are available through the menus, and some are also available through the context menu in the Disc Layout Window. Disc-space Meter The Disc-space Meter is located underneath the two panes. The measurement markings on the meter indicates how much space is available on the target CD or DVD. A progress bar on the Discspace Meter starting from the left side indicates the amount of space to be occupied on the disc; or the total time of tracks when compiling an audio CD. The progress bar extends to the right as more data are added. Safety markers (colored dotted lines) on the right running vertically down the meter indicate capacity limits. The blue marker indicates the recommended maximum capacity, while the red one indicates the absolute maximum limit. Increasing the quantity of data beyond the blue marker is risky, and is not recommended. 12 ULEAD BURN.NOW USER GUIDE Setting preferences You can specify the folder where you want Burn.Now to store temporary files created during the burning process. Click in the Select a Task dialog box or select Disc: Preferences in the program window to specify the working folder. By default, Burn.Now automatically ejects the disc after burning is complete. To disable auto-eject, select Don't eject disc after burning. Note: Some burners do not refresh the disc contents after writing, and thus, the new disc contents may not be read properly by other applications. Such burners have to be forced to do a refresh by ejecting and closing the disc tray. Burn.Now supports various DVD disc formats that differ in terms of disc capacity. You can specify the disc size of your project in Fit to target under Fit DVD. Once you change the disc size of your project, the Meter Bar will adjust to the size you selected. ULEAD BURN.NOW USER GUIDE 13 Choosing a disc burner When creating discs, you would usually specify a physical burner drive with which to burn the disc. However, instead of directly recording to a burner, Burn.Now provides an alternative method. When compiling a new disc, it is not necessary to burn it immediately to a disc. Instead, you can save it as a disc image file on your computer, and store it there to be burnt to disc later. Choose Burner: Select Burner. You can then choose a physical burner if you want to burn directly to disc. Click Advanced to view your burner's read and write capabilities. To burn a disc image file, select Disc image file from the drop-down list. When you start the burning process, you will be prompted to specify where to save the image file and what file format to use. The files can be saved as an .ixb file which is the Ulead native format and is readable only in Burn.Now. You can also save it as an 14 ULEAD BURN.NOW USER GUIDE .iso file which is the industry standard format and is compatible with all burning software. You will need sufficient space on your hard disk to store the disc image file. Note: Burn.Now can create ISO 9660 and UDF/ISO 9660 disc image files only. For UDF 1.5 file system or above, the program can only directly burn to disc. (See "About file systems" for more information on file systems.) About file systems When creating a new disc, you need to select an appropriate file system that will make the disc readable on the device or operating system where the disc will be viewed or played. Choose the file system in the Burn Disc dialog box before burning the disc. (Click Burn Disc include: in the Toolbar.) The file systems that are available ULEAD BURN.NOW USER GUIDE 15 · ISO 9660 ISO 9660 is a cross-platform file system that is readable on Windows, Macintosh, and Unix. When you create an ISO 9660 disc with Joliet extensions, names of files/folders burned onto discs can have up to 64 characters in length. Burn.Now only allows ISO 9660 to be used as the file system for audio discs and MP3 discs. · UDF 1.5, 2.0 and 2.01 UDF (Universal Disc Format) is a file system developed by OSTA (Optical Storage Technology Association). There are various UDF versions. UDF 1.5 (readable on Windows 2000 and above) and higher versions (readable on Windows XP and above) support random packet writing and allows over 4 GB of data to be burnt onto a DVD disc. (See "Appendix C: Glossary" for information on random packet writing.) · UDF/ISO 9660 UDF/ISO 9660 (also known as UDF Bridge) is a combination of two file systems: UDF 1.02 and ISO 9660. Discs burned with this file system can be read by Macintosh and Windows. 16 ULEAD BURN.NOW USER GUIDE Making a data disc A data disc is a disc that contains computer files. Computer files can include a wide variety of data including word-processed documents, spreadsheets, multimedia files including music, video clips, images, and much, much more. Discs are extremely convenient for storing data as they can hold large quantities. CDs can hold up to 700MB of data, while DVDs can hold gigabytes of data. Since recordable/ rewritable discs are relatively inexpensive, they are quick and convenient way of backing up computer systems. As an added bonus, their compactness allows for easy storage and transportation. Ulead Burn.Now streamlines the process of putting together a data disc, taking care of all the complicated decisions for you. All you need to do is decide the kind of disc to use and what data to write onto your disc. To create a data disc: 1. In the Select a Task dialog box, select Create Disc and then select Data disc. 2. Select the disc type (CD or DVD), and then click OK. 3. Choose Burner: Select Burner to select whether to burn to a physical disc burner or create a disc image file. (See "Choosing a disc burner" for details.) 4. Collect folders and files, and add them to the Disc Layout Window. 5. When you are ready to burn the data disc, click Burn Disc on the Toolbar. ULEAD BURN.NOW USER GUIDE 17 Compiling a data disc The Disc Layout Window is where you compile and organize folders and files to burn to a data disc. To compile a data disc: 1. To select files from your computer, click Add Files on the Toolbar. Once the navigation box is opened, select a file, (or multiple files by holding down [Shift] for consecutive files, or [Ctrl] for individual selection), then click Open. The selected files will be displayed in the right panel. 2. To insert a whole folder into your compilation, click Add Folder on the Toolbar. The Browse for Folder dialog box will be displayed. Navigate to the folder, then click OK. 3. Alternatively, click Add from Explorer on the Toolbar, which will launch Windows Explorer. Navigate directly to the folders/files to copy, then select and drag across to either pane. The folders/files will be added to the folder selected in the left pane. 18 ULEAD BURN.NOW USER GUIDE 4. To reorganize data, click on any file or folder in either pane, and drag it to its new location, up or down the folder structure in the left pane, or directly across to a different folder from the left pane to the right. 5. To create a new folder, right-click in the right pane then select New Folder from the context menu. 6. To rename a selected folder or file, right-click in the right pane and select Rename. The selected folder/file name will be highlighted and show a flashing cursor, and a new name can be entered. 7. To delete any file or folder, select it then click Delete Toolbar. on the Burning the data disc 1. Click Burn Disc will be displayed. on the Toolbar. The Burn Disc dialog box ULEAD BURN.NOW USER GUIDE 19 2. In the top half of the dialog box, the disc Volume can be renamed and a File system can be selected. The volume name can have up to 16 characters in length. If ISO 9660 is selected as the file system, the Joliet option will be available. Joliet is an industry standard extension of ISO 9660 which supports Unicode in file names and permits extended file names of up to 64 characters in length, including spaces. 3. In the Disc burner area, you can specify whether to create a disc image file or burn directly to disc. (See "Choosing a disc burner" for details.) If you are burning directly to a physical burner, the write Speed can also be selected. If there is a disc inserted in the burner, the program will check the write speed of the burner and the disc, and by default, will choose the highest speed that both can handle. Note: For details on the other options available in this dialog box, see "Disc burning options". 4. Click Burn to start the burning process. 20 ULEAD BURN.NOW USER GUIDE Making an audio disc An audio disc is a disc that holds songs or music. Burn.Now makes the audio disc production process easy for you. Simply compile your audio files, then create your audio disc. To create an audio disc: 1. In the Select a Task dialog box, select Create Disc and then select Audio disc. 2. Choose a data format that will allow your disc player to recognize and play the disc: · Audio CD - Records audio in Compact Disc-Digital Audio (CD-DA) format on CD-R or CD-RW media. A disc may contain up to 99 tracks or songs. Audio CD can be played on any CD or DVD player, such as portable units or the CD-ROM/ DVD-ROM drive in your PC. ULEAD BURN.NOW USER GUIDE 21 · DVD-Audio - Records audio in LPCM stereo (44.1 kHz, 16-bit stereo) on DVD. A DVD disc can contain up to 99 tracks or songs. Audio are saved as .aob files in the AUDIO_TS folder on the DVD. DVDs burned in this format can be played in DVD-Audio-only players. When you play the DVD, use the player's controls or its remote control to select and playback tracks. · Audio-only DVD-Video - Records audio in DVD-Video format. A DVD burned in this format is the same as a regular DVD movie disc which can be played on your computer, home or car DVD player, except that the DVD does not contain video content. Audio is recorded in LPCM stereo at 48 kHz 16-bit stereo. A DVD disc, or each side of a dual-sided DVD, is divided into a maximum of 99 titles, and each title may contain up to 99 tracks or songs. Audio are saved as .vob files in the VIDEO_TS folder on the DVD. When you play the DVD, a playlist selection menu with a still background image will be displayed on-screen where you can select tracks to play. 3. Click OK. The Disc Layout Window will then appear where you can collect audio files to be burned onto the disc. (See "Compiling an audio disc" for details.) 4. Choose Burner: Select Burner to decide whether to burn directly to a disc burner or create a disc image file. (See "Disc burning options" for details.) 5. Collect audio files and add them to the Disc Layout Window. 6. When you are ready to burn the audio disc, click Burn Disc in the Toolbar. 22 ULEAD BURN.NOW USER GUIDE Compiling an audio disc The Disc Layout Window is where you assemble and organize the audio tracks you want to burn to disc. Note: When adding audio tracks, check the Disc-space Meter to ensure that you are not exceeding the capacity of the disc. If you chose to create an Audio CD, the Disc-space Meter will display the CD capacity in units of minutes. If you chose to create a DVD-Audio or Audio-only DVD-Video disc, the Disc-space Meter will display the DVD capacity in units of megabytes. ULEAD BURN.NOW USER GUIDE 23 To compile tracks for your audio disc: 1. If you chose to create an Audio-only DVD-Video formatted disc in the Select a Task dialog box, select the audio format for encoding audio on DVD. You can select LPCM audio or Dolby Digital audio. 2. To select individual files from your computer, click Add Files on the Toolbar. Once the navigation box is opened, select a file, (or multiple files by holding down [Shift] for consecutive files, or [Ctrl] for individual selection), then click Open. Note: You can add video files such as AVI, QuickTime, and Windows Media Video files. Audio will be extracted from the video files and added as audio tracks to the Disc Layout Window. Alternatively, click Add from Explorer on the Toolbar to add files using Windows Explorer. Navigate to the folder where your audio files are kept, and drag them to the Disc Layout Window. 3. To add all audio files from a specific folder, click Add Folder on the Toolbar. Navigate to the folder, then click OK. 4. Audio files will be added as tracks in the Disc Layout Window. To rearrange tracks, select the track(s) then, select Edit: Move Track-Up/Down or drag the selected tracks to the desired position. 5. To delete a track, select it then click Delete on the Toolbar. 6. By default, each track has the same name as the audio file. To rename a track, select the track then click the track title. 24 ULEAD BURN.NOW USER GUIDE Adding CD-Text (Audio CD only) The CD-Text feature lets you store track and CD information onto the Audio CD. To display this information, the disc must be played on a CD player that supports CD-Text features. Note: CD-Text can be written to the Audio CD only when the disc is to be closed. To add track and album information: 1. To add track information, first select a track then click CD-Text Track Information on the Toolbar. To add CD information, click CD-Text Album Information on the Toolbar. 2. Enter information as prompted, then click OK. CD-Text Track Information CD-Text Album Information ULEAD BURN.NOW USER GUIDE 25 Burning the audio disc 1. To burn an Audio CD, insert a blank CD-R or CD-RW into the burning device. To burn a DVD-Audio or Audio-only DVD-Video disc, insert a blank DVD-R, DVD+R, DVD-RW, or DVD+RW. 2. Click Burn Disc will be displayed. on the Toolbar. The Burn Disc dialog box Burn Disc dialog box (Audio CD) Burn Disc dialog box (DVD-Audio and Audio-only DVD-Video) 3. For an Audio CD, select Write CD-Text information and Close disc if you want to add CD-Text (that is, track and album information) on the disc. (CD-Text cannot be added if the disc is not closed.) Notes: · If the Audio CD is closed, you will not be able to add additional content to the CD at a later stage. · DVDs are always closed. 26 ULEAD BURN.NOW USER GUIDE 4. In the Disc burner area, you can confirm whether to save as a disc image file or burn directly onto a disc. (See "Choosing a disc burner" for details.) If you are burning directly to a physical burner, the write Speed can also be selected. If there is a disc inserted in the burner, the program will check the write speed of the burner and the disc, and by default, will choose the highest speed that both can handle. Notes: · For details on the other options available in this dialog box, see "Disc burning options". · Since the audio size to be burned onto DVD is enormous, DVD folders and files will first be created on your hard drive which will then be burned onto the DVD. Before burning a DVD-Audio or Audio-only DVD-Video disc, make sure that your hard drive has available space that is equivalent to, or higher than, the DVD disc capacity. The temporary DVD folders and files will be deleted from your hard drive after burning is complete. 5. Click Burn to start the burning process. ULEAD BURN.NOW USER GUIDE 27 Making an MP3 disc MP3 is a popular audio file format that compresses sound files so that they take up only about 1/10th of their original size. Even though it is highly compressed, its sound quality is not noticeably compromised, except on extremely hi-fidelity sound systems. MP3 is ideal for playback on your computer, and for traveling, since compression enables a large number of MP3 files to be stored on disc for playback on a small portable MP3 player or CD player. (A CD player that supports MP3 playback is required for playing MP3.) Burn.Now lets you easily collect your favorite MP3 files and burn them to disc. To create an MP3 disc: 1. In the Select a Task dialog box, select Create Disc then select MP3 disc. 2. Select the disc type (CD or DVD) that you will be burning to, then click OK. 3. Choose Burner: Select Burner to select whether to burn directly onto a disc or create a disc image file. (See "Choosing a disc burner" for details.) 4. Collect MP3 files and add them to the Disc Layout Window. 5. When you are ready to burn the MP3 disc, click Burn Disc on the Toolbar. 28 ULEAD BURN.NOW USER GUIDE Compiling an MP3 disc The Disc Layout Window is where you compile and organize MP3 folders and files to burn onto a disc. To compile MP3s for your MP3 disc: 1. To select MP3 files from your computer, click Add Files on the Toolbar. Once the navigation box is opened, select an MP3 file, (or multiple MP3 files by holding down [Shift] for consecutive MP3 files, or [Ctrl] for individual selection), then click Open. The selected MP3 files will be displayed in the right pane. 2. To insert a whole folder into your compilation, click Add Folder on the Toolbar. The Browse for Folder dialog box will be displayed. Navigate to the folder, then click OK. 3. Alternatively, click Add from Explorer on the Toolbar, which will launch Windows Explorer. Navigate directly to the MP3 ULEAD BURN.NOW USER GUIDE 29 folder or files to copy, then select and drag across to either pane. 4. To reorganize data, select any MP3 file or folder in either pane, and drag it to its new location, up or down the folder structure in the left pane, or directly across to a different folder from the left pane to the right. 5. To create a new folder, right-click in the right pane then select New Folder from the menu. 6. To rename a selected folder or file, right-click in the right pane and select Rename. 7. To delete any MP3 file or folder, select it then click Delete the Toolbar. on Burning the MP3 disc 1. Click Burn Disc will be displayed. on the Toolbar. The Burn Disc dialog box 2. In the top half of the dialog box, you can rename the disc Volume, which can have up to 16 characters in length. Only the ISO 9660 file system can be used for MP3 discs. To ensure that complete MP3 folder and file names will be retained, you can select the Joliet option. Joliet is an industry standard extension of ISO 9660 file system which supports Unicode in file names and permits extended file names of up to 64 characters in length, including spaces. 30 ULEAD BURN.NOW USER GUIDE 3. In the Disc burner area, you can specify whether to create a disc image burn directly onto a disc. (See "Choosing a disc burner" for details.) If you are burning directly to a physical burner, the write Speed can also be selected. If there is a disc inserted in the burner, the program will check the write speed of the burner and the disc, and by default, will choose the highest speed that both can handle. Note: For details on the other options available in this dialog box, see "Disc burning options". 4. Click Burn to start burning the disc. ULEAD BURN.NOW USER GUIDE 31 Converting audio files Burn.Now allows you to convert audio files to five audio file formats: au, mp3, mpa, wav, and wma. Convert Audio Files dialog box Add Adds audio files to the list for conversion. Delete Removes the selected audio file(s) from the list. Remove All Deletes all audio file(s) from the list. Play Plays back the selected audio file. Displays the properties of the selected audio file. File Info Audio file list Displays the audio files to be converted. 32 ULEAD BURN.NOW USER GUIDE Output folder Displays the location of the converted audio files. Click Browse to locate a folder where the converted audio files will be saved. File type Specifies the output format for the converted audio files. Options Opens a dialog box where you can specify additional settings for the selected audio encoding format. Information Displays additional information about the selected encoding format. Convert All Converts all audio files in the list to the specified audio encoding format. To convert audio files: 1. Select Tools: Convert Audio Files (or click Toolbar). 2. Click Add to browse for the audio files to be converted. 3. Click Browse to specify the output folder for the converted audio files. 4. Select an audio file format from File type. Note: Click Options to specify additional settings for the selected audio encoding format. on the 5. Select the audio files as you would in Windows Explorer and click Convert, or directly click Convert All to start the conversion process. ULEAD BURN.NOW USER GUIDE 33 Ripping CD audio The process of copying an audio track from an audio CD is commonly referred to as ripping. Burn.Now allows you to rip Audio CD files and convert them to file formats compatible with most multimedia software. To rip files from an Audio CD: 1. Insert an Audio CD into your CD-ROM drive. 2. Select Tools: Rip CD Audio, or click on the Toolbar. 34 ULEAD BURN.NOW USER GUIDE 3. Select the track from the list and then browse for the folder where the audio files will be stored. To select multiple tracks, hold down [Ctrl] or [Shift] and then select the tracks. Tip: You can click properties. to preview the selected track or to view its 4. Specify the audio encoding format for the audio files in File type. 5. Click Rip to start ripping the audio tracks. Tip: To copy all the tracks in the disc, click Rip All. ULEAD BURN.NOW USER GUIDE 35 Disc burning options Burn.Now features a number of options to determine how your discs are burnt. Close disc Closing a disc prevents additional data to be written onto the disc after the burning process is finished. The following guidelines should be followed when deciding whether to close a disc or leave it open: · · A data disc can be left open. CD-ROM and DVD-ROM drives will be able to read open data discs. Leave an MP3 disc open to keep adding more MP3 files. CD-ROM drives, MP3 players and CD players that support MP3 playback will be able to play open MP3 discs. If an Audio CD is left open, it can be appended with data files and used as a data disc as well. An Audio CD that contains both audio tracks and data tracks is known as a CD-Extra disc. Close an Audio CD when writing CD-Text onto the disc. Closing an Audio CD also makes the disc more compatible with CD players that may not be able to play open discs. Note: Burn.Now burns a disc in `Disc-at-Once' mode when you close the disc, and `Track-at-Once' mode when the disc is left open. · Direct burn Direct burn is a quick way of burning discs since it allows data to be written directly onto the disc. When this feature is disabled, a temporary disc image file will first be created on the hard drive before the disc is burnt. 36 ULEAD BURN.NOW USER GUIDE Direct burn must be selected when burning a disc with UDF 1.5 file system or above since Burn.Now does not allow the creation of disc image files with these file systems. You can also select this option if you have a fast computer and fast burner device. You can clear the Direct burn option when burning a disc with ISO 9660 or UDF/ISO 9660 file system, or if you have a slow computer and faster burner device (with a write speed of higher than 8X) to prevent burning errors. Note: It is recommended that multiple programs are not running while directly burning to disc, to prevent burning errors and to increase your computer's performance. Perform test before burning Selecting this option simulates the recording process before burning data to disc. This helps in checking if the system speed or CD-ROM/DVD-ROM speed is fast enough to send data to the burner device at the specified write speed. However, this doubles the burning time. Note: If your burning device has buffer underrun protection and this function is enabled, you can clear the Perform test before burning option to save time when burning discs. Buffer underrun protection If the burning device has buffer underrun protection capability, this feature is enabled in the Burn Disc dialog box. Selecting this option ensures an uninterrupted flow of data to minimize the risk of errors in the burning process. Note: DVD+R/+RW burners always perform buffer underrun protection when burning discs and do not allow this option to be disabled. If you are using such a burner, this option will be grayed out in the Burn Disc dialog box. ULEAD BURN.NOW USER GUIDE 37 Editing a disc Burn.Now harnesses the versatility of rewritable discs by allowing you to edit the contents of a data disc or MP3 disc without needing to erase or format it first. Modifying disc contents To add and edit data on a disc: 1. Insert the rewritable disc to be edited into the disc burner. 2. In the Select a Task dialog box, select Edit Disc and then specify the disc burner. Tip: Detailed information about both the burner and the disc can be viewed by clicking then selecting Drive Information and Disc Information respectively. 38 ULEAD BURN.NOW USER GUIDE 3. Select the type of disc (Data disc or MP3 disc) to be edited and then click OK. The contents of the disc will be displayed in the Disc Layout Window. Existing files and folders will be shown in grayed-out text, but can be moved, deleted, renamed and reorganized in the same way as when compiling a new disc. Once existing files are edited, they are no longer shown as grayed text, but black. 4. To add more files or folders, click Add Files or Add from Explorer on the Toolbar. , Add Folder New files and folders are also shown in black. Note: If a file name (or folder name) that you want to add already exists on the disc, you will be prompted to confirm whether or not to overwrite the existing files. ULEAD BURN.NOW USER GUIDE 39 Burning the edited disc 1. Click Burn Disc opens. on the Toolbar. The Burn Disc dialog box 2. In the top half of the dialog box, you can rename the disc Volume, which can have up to 16 characters in length. The file system cannot be changed. The disc will be burned using the existing file system. 3. In the lower half of the dialog box, you can change the write Speed. If a disc is already inserted in the burner, the program will check the write speed of the burner and the disc, and by default, will choose the highest speed that both can handle. Note: For details on the other options available in this dialog box, see "Disc burning options". 4. Click Burn to start the burning process. 40 ULEAD BURN.NOW USER GUIDE Copying a disc Burn.Now's Copy Disc feature lets you duplicate any type of disc, including VCDs, SVCDs and DVDs, as long as it is not copy protected. You can make direct disc to disc copies, or copy a disc as a disc image file. You can also duplicate a disc from a disc image file. To use the Copy Disc feature, select Copy Disc in the Select a Task dialog box or select Disc: Copy Disc on the Toolbar. ULEAD BURN.NOW USER GUIDE 41 Making a disc to disc copy Burn.Now allows you to copy `on-the-fly', that is, to directly copy the contents from a source disc to a new disc. To make a disc to disc copy: 1. Insert the source disc into your CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive and a blank disc into your disc burner. 2. In the Select a Task dialog box, select Copy Disc. 3. Under Source, select Disc then choose your source drive. Under Destination, choose your burner drive. Note: Your disc burner can both be your source drive and destination drive. While copying, Burn.Now will prompt you to insert the source disc and then the blank disc. 4. Click to see more burning options. 5. Set the Read speed. If there is a disc inserted in the source CD-ROM/DVD-ROM drive, the program will check the read speed of the drive and the disc, and by default, will choose the highest speed that both can handle. Tip: When copying Audio CDs, choose a low read speed to preserve the audio quality. When copying data discs or other types of discs, choosing a high read speed minimizes buffer underrun errors. 42 ULEAD BURN.NOW USER GUIDE 6. Set the Write speed. If there is a disc inserted in the burner drive, the program will check the write speed of the burner and the disc, and by default, will choose the highest speed that both can handle. 7. Specify the number of disc Copies to burn. 8. Select On-the-fly to directly copy from the source disc. 9. Select Buffer underrun protection to prevent interruptions in the flow of data from the source disc to the burner and ensure a safe burn. 10.Click OK to start copying. Note: If you encounter a buffer underrun error even with the Buffer underrun protection option selected, choose a lower write speed or clear On-the-fly and try copying the disc again. Disabling on-thefly copying allows a temporary disc image file of the source disc contents to be saved first in the hard drive before burning the disc. This reduces the risk of copying failure. Creating a disc image file A disc image file is a single file that has captured the entire contents and file structure of a disc. Creating a disc image file on your hard disk allows you to archive the source disc contents for backup or future burning. To create a disc image file: 1. Insert the source disc into your CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive. 2. In the Select a Task dialog box, select Copy Disc. 3. Under Source, select Disc then choose your source drive. 4. Under Destination, select Disc image file. 5. Click OK. The Save As dialog box will be displayed. 6. Select a file format. The disc image file can be saved in .iso which is a standard disc image format or .ixb which is Ulead's native format. ULEAD BURN.NOW USER GUIDE 43 7. Specify a file name for the disc image file, and click Save to create the disc image file. Burning a disc from a disc image file If you created a disc image file from a source disc, or if you previously saved a disc image file for a data, MP3, or audio disc created in Burn.Now, you can easily burn multiple disc copies using the image file. To burn a disc from a disc image file: 1. Insert a blank disc in your disc burner. 2. In the Select a Task dialog box, select Copy Disc. 3. Under Source, select Disc image file then click Browse to open an image file. 4. Under Destination, choose your burner drive. 5. Click Advanced to see more burning options. 6. Set the Write speed. If there is a disc inserted in the burner drive, the program will check the write speed of the burner and the disc, and by default, will choose the highest speed that both can handle. 7. Specify the number of disc Copies to burn. 8. Select Buffer underrun protection to prevent interruptions in the flow of data from the hard disk to the burner and ensure a safe burn. 9. Click OK to start the burning process. 44 ULEAD BURN.NOW USER GUIDE Handling rewritable discs Rewritable discs such as CD-RW, DVD-RW, DVD+RW, and DVD-RAM are often used for regular backups, and they can be easily erased or reformatted to be written over again using Burn.Now's Disc Tools. To access the tools, select Disc Tools in the Select a Task dialog box or select them from the Disc menu in the program window. ULEAD BURN.NOW USER GUIDE 45 Erase Erasing a rewritable disc removes the disc contents. There are two ways to erase a disc: · Quick erase - Deletes only the Table of Contents of the disc. The file system, tracks and sectors on the disc are not physically removed. This method simply allows the disc to be overwritten. Full erase - Deletes all the information, including the file system, tracks and sectors from the disc. · UDF Format UDF Format writes the UDF (Universal Disc Format) file system to a rewritable disc to enable random packet writing. Random packet writing allows disc space to be used more efficiently when burning data onto the disc. It allows data to be written onto the disc in the same way as the hard disk, freeing disc space as data are deleted, and reusing freed space. A disc can be formatted with UDF 1.5 or above. There are two options for formatting a disc: 46 ULEAD BURN.NOW USER GUIDE · Quick format - Provides a fast way of reformatting a CD-RW that has previously been full formatted. It simply removes the file system table from the disc without checking for defects (that is, bad sectors) and writes the selected UDF file system to the disc. Burn.Now provides only the Quick format option for DVD+RW and DVD-RW discs. These types of discs do not require full formatting, since in the process of writing data to these discs, they are also simultaneously formatted. · Full format - Completely formats a CD-RW using the selected UDF file system, and writes new tracks and sectors onto the disc. This formatting method takes a longer time to complete, but it makes the disc error-free. UDF Certify For a UDF formatted DVD-RW and CD-RW, you can apply disc certification to scan the disc and check if there is any problem. The certification process marks bad sectors to improve future writing reliability. On DVD-RW and CD-RW burners that support DRT-DM (Distributed Real-Time Defect Management), the certification process also moves the data in the recoverable defected sectors (DRT-DM Level-1 and Level-2 defects, if any) to healthy sectors for further improvement in data reliability. ULEAD BURN.NOW USER GUIDE 47 Checking burner and disc information Before burning a disc, check the burner information to find out the capabilities of your burner. It is also recommended that you check disc status and other information before overwriting its contents. Checking burner capabilities To find out about the capabilities of your burner, select Burner: Select Burner and choose the burner drive. The dialog box will show the read and write speeds of your burner. 48 ULEAD BURN.NOW USER GUIDE Click Advanced to see more information about the burner. A list of disc formats and write methods will then be displayed. Items with check marks indicate the disc formats that your burner can read from and write to as well as the different write and error-handling methods that your burner uses when burning a disc. Note: You can also check burner information in Edit Disc, Copy Disc, or Disc Tools. Click select Drive Information. in the Select a Task dialog box then Checking disc properties Select Burner: Disc Information to check how much information has already been written to the disc. The dialog box will show the disc media type, its capacity, and the number of tracks and sessions that have been written onto the disc. ULEAD BURN.NOW USER GUIDE 49 Click Advanced to see more information about your disc. Items with check marks indicate the current status of your disc (for instance, whether it is blank or a UDF formatted disc), and the types of operations that can be performed on your disc. Note: You can also check disc information in Edit Disc, Copy Disc, or Disc Tools. Click Disc Information. in the Select a Task dialog box then select 50 ULEAD BURN.NOW USER GUIDE Appendix A: Menus and commands Disc menu Create Disc [Ctrl+N] Edit Disc Copy Disc Burn Disc [Ctrl+R] Erase Disc Format Disc Preferences [F6] Exit Creates a new data, audio, or MP3 disc. Modifies the contents of a disc. Copies disc to disc, disc to image file, or image file to disc. Writes information to a disc. Removes the contents of a disc. Formats a rewritable disc with the UDF file system. Opens the Preferences dialog box. Closes Ulead Burn.Now. Edit menu Cut Copy Paste Delete Select All Select None Inverse Selection Sort by Move Track Play Cuts a selection to the clipboard. Copies a selection to the clipboard. Pastes a selection from the clipboard. Removes selected folders/files. Selects all folders/files. Clears all selections. Reverses the selection to the unselected folders/files. Arranges folders/files in a specified order. Moves a selected track up or down. Plays a selected audio file.