Sonic Solutions has released of Toast 7 with Blu-ray Disc (BD) support — the first application of its kind for the Mac. The software ushers in a new era of advanced optical disc recording providing Mac users with the ability to store as much as 50 GB of data on a BD-R (recordable) or BD-RE (rewritable) disc. Toast 7 with BD support is available exclusively for original equipment manufacturers developing next-generation external BD drives. The first drives to feature Toast 7 with BD support are expected to be available later this quarter.
Toast’s Blu-ray Disc features include Toast Dynamic Writing, which for the first time enables users to record files simply by dragging and dropping files onto a disc in the same convenient way they would move or copy files to a removable storage device. The ability to store as much as 50 GB of data makes Toast an ideal solution for archiving extensive digital music collections or protecting critical files and precious memories too large to fit on a standard DVD. In addition to its Blu-ray capabilities, Toast 7 is now also a universal application that runs natively on both Intel-based and PowerPC-based systems.
“We are extremely pleased to continue our pioneering work and provide Mac users with new ways to exploit the full power and potential of the platform,” said Stan Wong, general manager, Roxio division of Sonic Solutions, in the press release. “The inclusion of Blu-ray Disc capabilities adds to an already unrivaled lineup of digital media features that have made Toast a retail leader and the standard for CD and DVD burning on the Mac. Toast 7 with Blu-ray Disc support represents a compelling solution for manufacturers of next-generation BD drives who want to provide their Mac customers with a product that has become synonymous with quality and innovation.”
More info about Toast 7 here.
in much the same way VHS was easier for john q. public to say and remember than BetaMax…
BR-R discs are unique and easy
HD-DVD-R is longer and with HDMI coming it is confusing
(not to us Computer people, but to your aunt)
could it be this simple?
Finally some news about this. Cant wait till DVDSP supports not just BD burning format, but also an inclusion of the software based menu editing would be nice as well.
Well, we have a Blu-Ray player out on the marker with Blu-Ray movies. We have cameras that have had, for awhile, the ability to record in hi-def. We have editing solutions to edit hi-def content. And we have Blu-Ray recordable media (ie, discs). Now, it seems we have the software to burn Blu-Ray.
But where are the Blu-Ray burners?
Just one more step to coming full circle…
“I want my, I want my, I want my Blu-Ray burner….”
(To the tune of Money for Nothing)
Check out what Sony has that’s new. They have a NEW HD camcorder that records to DVD discs that can play back on blue ray players. But lookout: it records in mpeg 2, and mpeg 4, NOT DV. And it doesn’t have FIREWIRE AT ALL. But it’s still pretty cool. What will APPLE do? MACPro with Blu ray record capability?
I wish Roxio would release a “Toast Lite” for a more reasonable price. I am literally ashamed to admit that Toast is the only app I pirate. Mac OS X’s built-in CD burning never let me use the whole disc. That’s the only reason I needed a 3rd-party app. But I’m not going to pay $100 for an application, forget a utility. After suffering with OS X’s burning for years, I finally broke down. I used the “Word/Photoshop” justification, i.e. “If they cared about home pirates, they’d price it for home users.”
If Roxio came out with a version of the product for $35 that just burned CDs and DVDs efficiently, with no advanced features, I’d go legit in a second.
Toast 7 has been nothing but a PITA for me as a home user. I bought it at MacWorld Expo and have regretted it consistently since. The previous version worked much better. I have been unable to burn DVDs with version 7 and all kinds of trouble. Tech support is non existant from these guys. If any other option comes along I will buy it and never look back at Toast again. They are going down hill.
True, but as a video format, consumers will relate to HD-DVD better than BluRay since they are already familiar with the DVD term.
I’m hoping BluRay succeeds though.
Turd Ferguson: “But where are the Blu-Ray burners?”
Sony is shipping two versions of a player/recorder: one stand alone and one barebones (to be put inside a PC). In fact they are shipping a VAIO machine with one in it. Pioneer is also shipping a player/recorder but IIRC it is only an external model.
BenQ is supposed to be shipping a player/recorder in August.
By October expect at least two more manufacturers to be shipping player/recorders.
There are also units which have been shippin for almost a year in Japan, but those are systems which use caddies for the disks and are not compatible with bare media. However, I doubt you were asking about those.
If Roxio came out with a version of the product for $35 that just burned CDs and DVDs efficiently, with no advanced features, I’d go legit in a second.
Check out BurnX Free. Only does data, doesn’t have buffer underrun protection, but it burns CDs and DVDs just fine. Nice price, too.
Shadowself:
We are talking about macs here, not PC’s.
I beleive that Pioneer has a Blu-Ray internal burner out right now for 999$. ALl of Pioneer’s DVD Burners (superdrives) work in macs, wonder if the Blu-Ray burner will though.
Id gamble on it for 200 bucks, but not 1000. Need confirmation.
Anyways, HDV is the worst HD format out there just for the record.
Panasonic HVX200 P2 recording format FTW!!! Already have published HD-DVD content, but i wish i was developing for Blu-Ray right now 🙁 HURRY UP APPLE!
“BR-R discs are unique and easy
HD-DVD-R is longer and with HDMI coming it is confusing”
You’re kidding, right? Go out on the street right now and ask the first person you see what a BR-R is. In fact, go ahead and say Blu-ray. After they shrug and say “hell if I know,” ask them what a an HD-DVD is. Well, they may not know that either, but if you ask a bunch of people, I guarantee more will know or at least figure out what “HD” plus “DVD” would mean.
And your Betamax/VHS analogy doesn’t work either. In 2006, I still hear people call them “VCR” tapes.
It’s nice to see Blue Ray RECORDERS coming out straight away. I think when DVDs first came out they were players only. Took a while for recording capabilities to catch on.
dennis: “In 2006, I still hear people call them “VCR” tapes.”
So? What the hell’s “improper” or “incorrect” about that?
“VCR”. Video Cassette Recorder.
“VCR tapes”. Tapes you use to record in your Video Cassette Recorder.
What’s the problem?
Nic: “We are talking about macs here, not PC’s.”
The original writer was stating, “Well, we have a Blu-Ray player out on the marker with Blu-Ray movies. We have cameras that have had, for awhile, the ability to record in hi-def. We have editing solutions to edit hi-def content. And we have Blu-Ray recordable media (ie, discs). Now, it seems we have the software to burn Blu-Ray.
But where are the Blu-Ray burners?”
The question was about drives existing or not existing. They exist. Period.
Now… are there drivers for them for Macs? I have to believe they are in development on several fronts, including being written for Mac OS X 10.5.x. The article is about Roxio doing just that… doing software to support the Blu-ray drives.
When will other drivers for Blu-ray drives be available for Macs? I’d expect soon, probably no later than October but maybe before.
BD-R is easier than HD-DVD-R & dennis:
I’ve come to believe that brand names are much less important than the marketing types would like us to believe. How does “Xerox” imply an expertise in document handling? How does “Cresent” imply an adjustable, open end wrench? How does “Apple” imply a computer? And… How does “iPod” imply music player?
Names become staples because of the products. If the product becomes the most thought of item then it becomes the ubiquitous term. “Thermos” is actually a trademarked term but it has become the standard term for vacuum bottles. “Cresent” is a trademarked term for a wrench but it has become the standard term for an adjustable, open end wrench. Even “iPod” seems to becoming a standard term for a portable music player … whether the physical item is a device made by Apple or not.
Question – Does anyone know if Sonic is offering either a free upgrade or a decent upgrade price for current owners of Toast 7 Titanium? (I’m making the assumption that support for Blu-Ray is a new feature in their product and does not exist in previous versions. Please let me know if I am wrong.) I clicked on the “Upgrade Center” tab on their web site and it shows upgrades only for Windows products. What’s up with that Sonic?
Thank you.
Peace.
I am excited by the included ability to dynamically write to a disc by dragging data to the disc icon.
I wonder though, does everything have to be written at once, or will it allow you to add to the disc contents multiple times until its contents are filled?