10 replies to this topic

[J-mov]

I think that a great new idea would be to have the virtual drive "be" a DVD+-RW drive, so you can burn files with a program such as Nero, and have Alcohol save the data being "burned" to the disk as an image file of some kind. See where I'm headed?

[Andareed]

This has been requested before. As it stands, this probably won't be done.

[captin]

Is this not like telling nero to burn to the disk image instead of your writer, this makes an image on your hard drive.

[JimJones]

I ask for this option in the past.

Since then I have learned to author the DVD with Studio 8 without burning the image. I then use Nero 5 to create the DVD image.

I can check it with the virtual drive and if it works okay, I then burn it for a final test and have an Image master as part of the process.

The requested option, if provided might be nice but would actually be a separate product with a complete set of separate support headaches.

I now prefer that Alcohol 120 remain the high quality DVD burning tool that I use it for.

Jim Jones

[jorgensen]

I really need to see this feature.

I often make audio as well as installation CDs where it would be great to check it out without having to burn a CD

[SlimShady]

I think it's a good idea. And if you won't include this feature can you at least tell us the reason?

[tayldavi]

I've been thinking about this type of feature lately because of all the recent pay for download music sites emerging. About all of them are using some digital rights management system and they will let you burn to any burner, but only select few portable music players.

I like many people would like to pay for music we really like. Here is why i think this type of solution will really put us back in control of the music we purchase.

One very useful feature would be to allow those programs to "burn" to a virtual burner and as each track is "burned" it could be run through an encoder such as LAME or OGG, or whatever we choose. It would save the hassle of burning on a real cdr, just to go back and re rip our cdr just so we can convert them into a format we want or need for our own use.

So yes please reconsider the reasons why you wouldn't want a feature like this. If i had the skills to make it I would do it in a heartbeat. I think it would sell like crazy to those of us that have mp3 capable cdplayers and portables that don't support DRM files.

[LungCookie]

I totally agree. Now that the Windows version of iTunes is out I think a virtual burner feature would be hugely popular.

[gnutellafan]

Is this not like telling nero to burn to the disk image instead of your writer, this makes an image on your hard drive.

yes, but you cant use nero's virtual burner with iTunes and the like

[jumpinjoe]

I just replied to a couple other topics about this same subject but I have to say that yes this is a GREAT idea and would really make the pay-for-music programs perfect. DRM is unbelievably annoying to use. Just today I discovered that about 200 tracks I've purchased are no longer playable because my subscription to Napster ran out. Had I been able to "burn" to an image file, then mount that image and use a CD Ripper to turn it back to wave files, this would not be an issue.

[c22shooter]

hi just got this to work, but dont have any DRM files. Used nero express, select image recorder cdr/rw. select music --audio cd. nero will convert mp3 (and poss wma ?) files to wav format. , select burn on next page, alocate file name and select nero nrg format and burn file to Hard Drive. mounted it into alcohol and checked files played ok in media player, then looked at virtual drive in CDex. Saw tracks with all id3 info etc. ran file through cdex to convert back to mp3. Hope this helps some people.