Headline Feeds
The ubiquitous CD/DVD platter may be on its way to Legacyville, one town away from the FloppyTown and the once-popular ZipDisk City. Large-capacity USB and micro disk storage media go where the CD/DVD cannot go -- small mobile gadgets.
But for laptop and desktop storage and bulk transfer needs, CD/DVD software is still indispensable. Nothing can bog down its use more than poorly designed tools for burning content. Burning files to CDs and DVDs is not something I do daily, so I sometimes have to revisit a learning curve for using these apps. Routine file backups I handle with two external USB hard drives. This relegates CD/DVD burning activities to work-specific tasks and bulk portable file transport of photo and music files along with creating installation discs from ISO files.
To handle these CD/DVD tasks, my Applications menu includes apps such as GnomeBaker CD/DVD Writer, ISO Master, Gnome CD Master, Xfburn and Pburn CD/DVD/Blu-ray Writer. These apps span two or three Linux distro running on my various home office computers.
I have in my head a running list of the strengths and weaknesses each of these apps offers. So I usually choose the CD/DVD burning tool that fits the task at hand and the amount of time I have for trial and error. I discovered an all-in-one toolset that eliminates the need for my grab-bag approach to burning CDs and DVDs. The Brasero Disc Burner eliminated trial, error and wasted time in exporting data to digital discs.
Brasero is the resident CD/DVD burning application in numerous Linux distros running the Gnome Desktop system. If your package manager does not include Brasero, you can download it here.
App Highlights
Brasero has two strong points. One, it is really simply to use without compromising on powerful features. Two, it has a very uncomplicated user design.
For example, the on-screen display provides everything needed without wading through telescoping dropdown menus. Tasks are plainly laid out to create an audio project, data project, video project via DVD or SVCD. Two other functions are disc copy of a CD or DVD and burning an image to a CD or DVD.
Little need exists for scrolling through the dropdown menu's four options: Project, Edit, Tools, Help. Under the Project menu, project saving and opening options are listed. The Edit menu controls the checked/unchecked plugin library. Click on the Tools menu to load the Cover Editor, which lets you enter the title or other content, set the color choice and color background options as well as print the design.
The Tools menu also houses the Eject command. It's not under the Project menu as expected, like in other burner apps. The Blank command for erasing a rewritable disc is found here as well. Integrity checks can be performed from this location also.
Fast Start
If Brasero is set as the system's default disc-burning app, it will start automatically when you insert a blank CD or DVD. An application window opens prompting for the type of project to begin. Two companion apps make jump-starting Brasero fast.
The Linux OS Applications menu lists Disc Burner and Disc Copier modules. In the setup window that pops open, just click the button to select a file source and then click the button under it to choose a disc location to write the output.
This is a handy way to get to the file copying or ISO burning task directly without going through the main app interface. When I do not have to select an existing saved project, this fast start method makes the process simpler and more efficient. It may seem like a small thing, but when the CD/DVD creation comes in the middle of other open computing or work tasks, it can be a key convenience booster.
Using It
The setup process is very similar for creating audio, video or data CDs/DVDs. Yet each of the project modules has its own convenience layer.
For instance, in selecting audio files, it is sometimes easier to gather the files by using the keyword option to search for music titles. Another method is to use the Display playlists and their contents option.
Brasero also builds in a simple semi-mixing function. After adding a music track, you can insert a two-second pause after it by selecting the Edit/Insert a pause option from the toolbar menu. Similarly, you can split a track by choosing from among four methods from the Edit/Split track option. From the dialog box, pick the "manual" method to get a sliding bar, "fixed length" to set the duration, "fixed number" of parts to open the spin box to set how many splits to create, and "each silence" to make a split where the pauses occur.
Other Tricks
Not all disc-burning apps make it easy to create multiple session recordings on non-rewritable discs. However, Brasero does. When saving a recording session, select the Leave Disc Open option to have Brasero create a multisession disc. This lets you add more files later rather than wasting unused space by closing the writing session.
Some CD/DVD writing apps do not offer this option, at least where it is easy to remember to use. This also makes it handy to continue using rewritable discs that are not full without first erasing earlier data.
Brasero saves video projects in five formats. The Native format is the original format used in the source video file. PAL.SECAM is the format used mainly on European television. NTSC is the video format used on U.S., Canadian and Japanese televisions.
Brasero also handles Super Video CD or SVCD and Video CD or VCD formats. Regardless of the file type, you can drag and drop individual files to the CD or DVD. Brasero opens its own file manager window when a writable medium is inserted in the drive to make on-the-fly burning fast and simple. This is a feature not found in many of the other Linux-based burner apps.
Good Choice
I often think of Brasero as a frustration-free computing tool. Burning files to a CD or DVD can be filled with angst and error. Writing failures ruin blank discs, quickly reducing the number of blanks left in the box.
Brasero is my idiot-proof solution to creating CDs and DVDs in minimum
time with maximum efficiency. It is one of the best burning tools I've
used.
