Forums | MacLife
You are not logged in.
#1 2003-01-27 7:05 pm
idvd3 question
since one of the issues that apple ran into when people were hacking idvd to work on external burners had to do with mpeg licensing, does that mean that now that they are charging for it, it will work on external burners? I can't speak for anyone else, but since the only way previously to get idvd was to buy a new mac with a burner, if you have an old system, buy a dvd burner and buy iLife, I'd be pissed if it didn't work. Does apple get around this by marking the box with some kind of disclaimer about how iDVD is only supported on machines with a pre-installed-by-apple burner? Just checking, I would think that they could build an mpeg license into the purchase price of iDVD.
lateralis
"As far as I'm concerned, humans have not yet come up with a belief that's worth believing." -- George Carlin
"Faith is believing in something you know isn't true" --Mark Twain
www.modernatheist.com
Offline
#2 2003-01-27 7:09 pm
Re: idvd3 question
I too would like to know about this. I bought the combo iMac in the early summer, and now I'd like to get an external DVD burner. I would gladly pay for iLIFE just for the iDVD. Please, Apple, let us burn with externals!!!
Offline
#3 2003-01-27 7:33 pm
- mr. jingles
- Member
- Registered: 2002-12-08
- Posts: 668
Re: idvd3 question
http://www.apple.com/idvd/features.html
System Requirements at the bottom of the page. You need a "Superdrive" enabled Mac.
Offline
#4 2003-01-27 7:35 pm
- Art Vandelay
- Member
- Registered: 2002-03-21
- Posts: 236
- Website
Re: idvd3 question
According to Apple's site iDVD will only work with the "Superdrive" burners. However, I believe you can buy "Superdrives" from Mac dealers.
Art Vandelay
Vandelay Industries
Offline
#5 2003-01-27 7:42 pm
Re: idvd3 question
http://www.apple.com/idvd/features.html
System Requirements at the bottom of the page. You need a "Superdrive" enabled Mac.
But what exactly does that mean? If I had a DVD burner hooked up to my mac, isn't it 'Super drive equiped"? I heard that you can burn with an external, but you need to install a patch of somesort. It seems silly for Apple to bar external burners, because they would sell soooo many copies of iDVD.Think about it, when it comes down to $$$, and you are thinking,
" I'd love to burn DVD's, but I only have a combo drive..what should I do?"
You would have two options.
1. Buy an external DVD burner(cheaper than a new mac) and BUY iLife
2. Buy a new mac(ex$pensive)
Either way, Apple wins, because you are buying their product.
Grr. i want to use iDVD so bad, I can almost taste it.
Offline
#7 2003-01-27 7:46 pm
- Ribtorus
- Member

- Registered: 2002-07-11
- Posts: 13745
Re: idvd3 question
Seems to me it's better for Apple if you have to buy both things from them.[/i]
when surrounded and left on Afghanistan's plains,
and the women come out to cut up what remains,
just roll to your rifle and blow out your brains,
and go to your god like a soldier...
Offline
#8 2003-01-27 7:57 pm
- JohnWilliams713
- Member
- From: Atlanta, Ga
- Registered: 2001-02-12
- Posts: 4584
- Website
Re: idvd3 question
OK, here's how it works. Apple will only support iDVD installed on Superdrive Enabled Macs i.e. factory installed Pioneer DVR-102 103 or 104 drives. Technically, as I understand it, if one of those Pioneer drives are installed internally iDVD will recognize it but they will not work externally.
Offline
#10 2003-01-27 8:16 pm
- mediocresau
- Forum Default

- From: Mediocre, Honolulu, HI
- Registered: 2002-09-24
- Posts: 3567
- Website
Re: idvd3 question
I don't think they're trying to screw you. They just really want to commit to their SuperDrive enabled Macs. Bascially they want you to buy the Macs that are fully equipped. Think of it as selling luxury cars. You could get the Cadillac with a CD deck, but what you really want is the Cadillac with XM and audio in and out support. 
Offline
#11 2003-01-27 8:33 pm
Re: idvd3 question
I don't think they're trying to screw you. They just really want to commit to their SuperDrive enabled Macs. Bascially they want you to buy the Macs that are fully equipped. Think of it as selling luxury cars. You could get the Cadillac with a CD deck, but what you really want is the Cadillac with XM and audio in and out support.
It's nothing like that at all.
It's more like selling two different types of cars, like a cd player equipped and a tape deck eqipped. Now, the person who bought the tape deck( stupid fellow, i know) wants a CD player, he HAS to buy a cd player(let's say Pioneer) that is 'qualified' for the brand of car. And if he finds a cheaper model from a different brand, it won't work..that sucks.
But he still has wonderful speakers to show off...
Offline
#12 2003-01-27 8:36 pm
- AMD
- Member
- Registered: 2002-12-12
- Posts: 1958
Re: idvd3 question
I don't knowwhat to believe now.
Why would Apple screw me from using their iDVD? After all, I bought a new imac, just not the super drive imac. Sounds pretty lame to me.
Now you're supposed to buy a superdrive Mac.
I thought 3rd party DVD burning apps would work with external DVD burners.
Any why does'nt my Sound Blaster Extigy work?.. it doesn't even go 'beep beep beep beep".. what if I have to save X-mas?
Is this still true?? I got some kick ass speakers to go with this thing and it's uh bummer I can't use it with my iMac. I don't even have to mention it works with my PC.
"Mac and Linux users will surely be disappointed to learn that there isn
Offline
#13 2003-01-27 8:54 pm
- mr. jingles
- Member
- Registered: 2002-12-08
- Posts: 668
Re: idvd3 question
I read somewhere that 10.2.3 had Extigy drivers. Or was it Audigy?
Anyway, a while back OWC was selling external DVD burners that had a software hack to make iDVD recognize them. Apple threatened to take them to court if they didn't stop it. So it is not a hardware limitation. It is quite deliberate.
Much like the way they handicap the iBook so it won't do monitor mirroring. A simple Open Firmware command will enable it. They are deliberately handicapping the hardware.
Offline
#14 2003-01-27 9:17 pm
Re: idvd3 question
I read somewhere that 10.2.3 had Extigy drivers. Or was it Audigy?
Anyway, a while back OWC was selling external DVD burners that had a software hack to make iDVD recognize them. Apple threatened to take them to court if they didn't stop it. So it is not a hardware limitation. It is quite deliberate.
Much like the way they handicap the iBook so it won't do monitor mirroring. A simple Open Firmware command will enable it. They are deliberately handicapping the hardware.
That is interesting. I would love to know if i can perform a 'simple' command to enable iDVD to work with an external.....
Offline
#15 2003-01-27 9:24 pm
- mr. jingles
- Member
- Registered: 2002-12-08
- Posts: 668
Re: idvd3 question
http://www.thinksecret.com/news/idvdenabler.html
You might want to search Google and see if you can find info on it.
Offline
#16 2003-01-27 9:29 pm
Re: idvd3 question
The main reason, initially, that iDVD didn't work with external drives was because of licensing of mpeg-2 codecs (i thought). and since they were not charging anything for it but bundling it with new machines, the license fee was included in the price of the new hardware. My main question was why would this still be the case if they are charging now for the upgrade? I don't know how much an mpeg license costs, but I would think that would be part of the reason for charging (aside from finally recouping some ofthe development cost of 2 or 3 years of application development that was pretty much given away for free. now, this doesn't really affect me as idvd came with my tower last year, but I was just curious.
lateralis
"As far as I'm concerned, humans have not yet come up with a belief that's worth believing." -- George Carlin
"Faith is believing in something you know isn't true" --Mark Twain
www.modernatheist.com
Offline


