Re: cdrecord: failure in auto-formatting DVD+RW Verbatim media on USB-TSSTcorp

["Thomas Schmitt" <scdbackup@gmx.net>]

Hi,

> cdrskin will format and write the medium automatically.

It uses Background Formatting, format type 26h.
Mainly inspired by the doings of growisofs
and described in
  http://libburnia-project.org/browser/libburn/trunk/doc/cookbook.txt
paragraphs
  "DVD-RAM, fully formatted DVD+RW, DVD-RW, BD-RE",
  "Unformatted DVD+RW", "Partly formatted DVD+RW" 

If an unformatted or partly formatted DVD+RW
is detected, then Background Formatting is started.
The FORMAT UNIT command is done after a few
seconds and writing may begin.
When writing is done eventually running Background
Formatting is stopped by Close Function 010b.
This may lead to partially formatted media.

I understand Background Formatting runs ahead
of writing. If you write near enough to the
end then the media becomes fully formatted.
I did not test whether simply waiting without
writing will achieve fully formatted media.

One may of course format a DVD+RW fully prior
to any writing. This will last as long as a
full write run.

A fully formatted DVD+RW is simpler to handle
as it has no further need of re-starting and
stopping Background Formatting.
But Background Formatting is convenient to the
user. So it's worth the additional effort.


Have a nice day :)

Thomas