Software Architects, a supplier of disk drive utilities that use the Universal Disk Format (UDF), has released DVD-RAM TuneUp! 3.2 for the Mac. The new version — a combination of two products, DVD-RAM TuneUp! and FixDVD! — supports “real-time recording” format files that are used in the new Hitachi DVD-RAM disk based video camcorder and the Panasonic DVD-RAM disk based video recorder.
According to Robert Zollo of Software Architects DVD-RAM TuneUp! 3.2 allows the user to treat the video file like any other file. You can record video with either the handheld camcorder or the video recording deck; remove the DVD-RAM disk and insert it into a DVD-RAM drive running on an Apple system; mount the disk on the Mac OS desktop; drag and drop files to the hard disk for use and editing; erase the disk so that it can be immediately re-used in the camcorder or video recorder; and re-write video files back to the disk for playback in the camcorder or video recorder using any third party editing or authoring package that supports DVD video files in the real-time recording format.
Unlike mastering applications for DVD-R based systems that take time to create virtual disk files on the hard disk and then master files to DVD-R, DVD-RAM TuneUp! supports direct copying of files to DVD-RAM disks using a drag and drop interface, Zollo said.
DVD-RAM TuneUp! 3.2 formats include all versions of UDF (1.0.2, 1.5, 2.0 and 2.0.1) to ensure disk interchange with all desktop operating systems. Version 3.2 is compliant with DVD Forum specifications for Real Time Recording Files (VRO video files), UDF file system and UDF format. The software also complies with the OSTA (Optical Storage Technology Association) implementation guidelines for UDF.
DVD-RAM TuneUp! 3.2 supports all Mac operating systems from Mac OS 8.6 through 9.x, but hasn’t yet been Carbonized for Mac OS X. To use it, you’ll need 128MB of RAM and 2GB of hard disk space. The price is US$99.99. Owners of previous versions of DVD-RAM TuneUp! can upgrade to DVD-RAM Tune Up 3.2 for $49.95.