CD/DVD burning : Java Glossary

Creating a CD (Compact Disc) or DVD (Digital Video Disc) by writing to a one-time recordable disc, or an erasable re-writable disc. To do this from Java, you need software that makes the CD look like a hard disk, e.g. Roxio DirectCD. However, this creates CDs (Compact Discs) that can only be read with Roxio software. Alternatively you can exec some utility to do the work. The catch is most utilities are GUIs (Graphic User Interfaces) that require human interaction to make them work. There are a few however, you can control from the command line, most notably Cdrtools.

Compressing and Archiving

To pack the most files onto a DVD, and to burn as quickly as possible, you want to pre-compress the files (using BackUptoZip, WinZip, or compression built-into the backup/burn utility). BackupToZip is particularly efficient at this since it only compresses files that have recently changed. Further, it clever enough to drop recently deleted files from the compressed archives, something WinZip cannot do.

You also want to archive the files, so that large collections of small files are combined into one big one. The same utilities that handle compression usually also handle archiving.

The disadvantage of compressing/archiving is you must unpack the files on the DVD before you can use them. That means anyone using the DVD must have suitable unpacking software installed, e.g. WinZip or the corresponding restore utility to a backup.

Types of CD/DVD Filesystem Formats

You chose the file system for your burn based on the type of computer that will read the CD/DVD.

Free CD/DVD (Compact Disc/Digital Video Disc) Burning Utilities

Ordered Alphabetically:

• AmoK CD/DVD Burner: free, GUI (Graphic User Interface) only, W98, Me, NT, W2K, XP, W2003, Vista, W2008, W7-32, W7-64, W8-32, W8-64, W2012, W10-32 and W10-64 easy to figure out, easy to select files and directories, lets you know what it is doing. About the only thing wrong with it is it is pure GUI. You cannot control it from the command line. It does not have a manual or help. The layout seems a bit wobbly. The licence agreement is in German. You can see how it works with a FIFO-buffer it reads the files ahead, prepares the files in DVD format and puts them into a drive buffer, from which the hardware writes the bits to DVD/CD. You can see the two buffers filling and emptying as AmoK works to keep up. AmoK thus does not need a big chunk of disk space to create the DVD/CD image. It supports only one DVD writing format. It seems slower than other programs, though I did not benchmark.
• Cdrtools: free, command-line only, open source. Vista, W2008, W7-32, W7-64, W8-32, W8-64, W2012, W10-32, W10-64 and Linux A complicated suite of command line C utilities ported to many platforms. They are essentially Unix utilities. To use them under Windows, you must run them from a BASH (Bourne Again Shell) script run under Cygwin.
• Final Burner: free, GUI only, W2K and XP, handles data, audio and video CDs and DVDs (Digital Video Discs). It has a feature to create an autorun program with multiple buttons to launch various files on the DVD. It asks you to install some codecs which have nothing at all to do with CD/DVD burning. It has an annoyance — you must add directories one at a time. However, it has a fatal flaw. You can only add individual directories, not directory trees. Further, you cannot control it from the command line. The pro version costs . Oddly it has the same fatal flaws.
• Free ISO Burner: free, XP, W2003, Vista, W2008, W7-32, W7-64, W8-32, W8-64, W2012, W10-32 and W10-64, GUI only.
• ImgBurn: free, GUI only, W95, W98, Me, NT, W2K, XP, W2003, Vista, W2008, W7-32, W7-64, W8-32, W8-64, W2012, W10-32 and W10-64
• InfraRecorder: free, GUI, open source, for W98, Me, NT, W2K, XP, W2003 and Vista, recommended by Ubuntu, can burn iso images. Be careful to download the correct program, not one of those in the many ads.
• Alex Feinman’s ISO (International Standards Organisation) Recorder, by donation. GUI only. XP, W2003, Vista, W2008, W7-32, W7-64, W8-32, W8-64, W2012, W10-32 and W10-64 Also his CreateCD, command line backup a file set to CD/DVD for XP.
• Nero KwikMedia: free, GUI only, W2K, XP, W2003, Vista, W2008, W7-32, W7-64, W8-32, W8-64, W2012, W10-32 and W10-64. Aka Quick Burn, BurnLite and Nero Lite. Nero keeps repacking its code in different bundles with different names and prices. However, it always has a free GUI-based CD / DVD burner.
• NTFS Active ISO Burner: freeware, GUI and command-line, W95, W98, Me, NT, W2K, XP, W2003 and Vista
• Terabyte BurnCDCC: free, command-line only, XP, W2003, Vista, W2008, W7-32, W7-64, W8-32, W8-64, W2012, W10-32 and W10-64. It does not create ISO images, just copy them to CD/DVD. ISO CD/DVD burner. This is what I use. Just unzip it to some directory on the PATH then invoke it from the command line or create a shortcut.

Commercial CD/DVD Burning Utilities

Select the currency you would like prices in:

Commercial utilities you might use to burn a CD or DVD include (ordered by increasing cost):

• D_back, GUI and command-line, XP, W2003, Vista, W2008, W7-32, W7-64, W8-32, W8-64, W2012, W10-32 and W10-64, It uses whatever compressor software you have to create an archive then burns it to DVD. Its main claim to fame is it can be controlled completely with a XML (extensible Markup Language) configuration file mentioned on the command line. It does no other CD/DVD burning duties.
• NCH Express Burn: trialware, GUI or command line, XP, W2003, Vista, W2008, W7-32, W7-64, W8-32, W8-64, W2012, W10-32, W10-64 and OSX, The Express Burn Plus Video for . Also handles CDs/DVDs/Blu Ray/image files/video/audio/hard disk files,. The Express Burn Plus Video Edition well documented (asks you what you want to accomplish, then tells you the steps you need). Burns CDs only with ISO/Joliet/UDF and optional verify. It is a bit of a bait and switch since it suddenly stops burning DVDs just after you have gotten comfortable with it. They don’t let on it is effectively trialware. It is a nice little program, but has no business charging the same as the mega-mother suites and especially since there are similar free programs. You can specify most of the options on the command line, but you still need to manually click to start the burn and acknowledge the burn completion. To run it run it completely unattended, use the -hide option. Handles video disks too.
• NTI Media Maker 9 Premium . GUI only. XP, W2003, Vista, W2008, W7-32, W7-64, W8-32, W8-64, W2012, W10-32 and W10-64. A slightly stripped down version of this program comes bundled with Acer computers. I found it relatively straight forward. This class of program tends to be aimed at the technogeek. NTI (NewTech Infosystems) Media Maker 9 Ultimate is .
• Nero 11 Burning ROM . GUI only. W2K, XP, W2003, Vista, W2008, W7-32, W7-64, W8-32, W8-64, W2012, W10-32 and W10-64, A friend of mine who has tried many of these burner programs says this one is the best. To get the trial version to install on Vista, I had to use the custom install option and select F:\Program Files as the install directory. Nero Ultra is an enormous suite of utilities that do many things besides burn CDs and DVDs. To burn a CD, click Nero Burning ROM (Read Only Memory) in the start menu. Then open the ISO image file. Then click burn. It could not get much simpler than that, unless it prompted you. The utility to burn a collection of files is also unusually simple and fast, but GUI only. However, it proved overly sensitive, aborting when I tried to do little text editing on unrelated files while it ran. Nero keeps repacking its code in different bundles with different names and prices. However, it always has a free GUI-based CD/DVD burner.
• Roxio Creator 2012 . GUI only. XP, W2003, Vista, W2008, W7-32, W7-64, W8-32, W8-64, W2012, W10-32 and W10-64. Handles Blu-ray. Upgrades are not free. Roxio Creator 2012 Pro is
• LG Burning Tools It comes bundled free with LG/RetailPlus DVD drives. It is simple and well done. You add files or drag and drop and click burn. It always tells you what it is doing and shows a progress meter to let you know how much longer you have to wait. It tell you how much longer you have to wait in minutes/seconds. Nero should learn from them, yet reputedly Nero wrote them. They are much better than the Nero commercially released products. As you add files, it shows a thermometer to show you how full you have packed your DVD.

Windows Burn a CD/DVD without Additional Software

• UDF (Universal Disk Format) aka Live File System
• Disc at Once aka Mastered

There are other incremental recording schemes, similar to UDF, but they are obsolete.

Windows Burn a UDF CD/DVD without Additional Software

1. insert a blank CD/DVD.
2. Select burn files to disc using Windows.
3. Drag files to the CD/DVD drive or copy them with a BAT (Batch) file or at the command prompt. This is a very slow process since it writes to DVD as you go. It is best to select several directories at once to drag.
4. When it is done, right click properties then eject to eject the disc.

Windows Burn a Disc-at-once CD/DVD without Additional Software

1. insert a blank CD/DVD.
2. Select burn files to disc using Windows.
3. Select show formatting options.
4. Select Mastered.
5. Drag files to the CD/DVD drive. Copying them with a BAT file or at the command prompt won’t work. This is a very slow process even thought it is just caching the files to write to disc at this point. It is best to select several directories at once to drag.
6. Select Burn Files to Disc.
7. When it is done, click Finish to eject the disc.