Custom Booktypes Possible?

CD, DVD and (Ultra HD) Blu-ray Writers NEC / Optiarc Writer
#1

Please tell me if this is physically possible (even if not practical).

Here is the setup. I wantto make a custom disc, say I wrote an OS (or even compiled a custom Linux kernel), and I wanted a specific disc type for the system.

Would there be a way to hack the firmware of my burner to make the bitsetting a custom value (as opposed to DVDROM, DVD-R, etc)? Say I have already made my OS look for a booktype of “BRYDVDROM”. Would there be a way to force my burner to only make discs with that booktype? I know they would only be able to be written by my writer, and read by other writers with that firmware. Is this possible?

#2

What you are asking for is impossible, since the booktype field is not alphanumerical but a four-bits field (allowing 16 possible values from 0 to 15). So it has no sense speaking about a booktype “BRYDVDROM”.

However, only 8 of the 16 possible values in the booktype field are currently used, I don’t know if there is a way to “force” a value that does not correspond to any of the current values, and if this could actually have some practical utility.

For more info, take a look at this page of the Wikipedia. :slight_smile:

Hope this helps,

ET

#3

Booktype and bitsetting means that you can make changes that will cause a “plus” disc (L, DL or RW) to be seen as a DVD-ROM by the reading drive, nothing more…
What you refer is more like giving the disc a name, and that you can do when you use text (like CD-text) or when you format a RW you are asked for a name to it.
K3b can do it - the names - for normal DVDs (- or +). Don’t know about RWs because don’t use them.