I've recently got a LaCie d2 external CD/DVD writer, which uses the
Pioneer 106 engine.

The OS 10.2.8 update recognises it and I can burn CDs from the Finder
and Disk Copy. I can also play audio CDs and read data CDs, so it seems
to be functioning OK.

Any suggestions on playing video DVDs? I've spent some time searching
the web and have found several hacks/patches for Apple's DVD Player, to
make it work with external drives. However, DVD Player still doesn't
like the new LaCie drive.

Any suggestions? Anybody an external drive based on the Pioneer 106
engine playing video DVDs?

--
Larry Stoter

In article <1g3m3si.bd7iwot36dhwN%larry@cymru.freewire.co.uk> ,
larry@cymru.freewire.co.uk (Larry Stoter) wrote:

> I've recently got a LaCie d2 external CD/DVD writer, which uses the
> Pioneer 106 engine.
>
> The OS 10.2.8 update recognises it and I can burn CDs from the Finder
> and Disk Copy. I can also play audio CDs and read data CDs, so it seems
> to be functioning OK.
>
> Any suggestions on playing video DVDs? I've spent some time searching
> the web and have found several hacks/patches for Apple's DVD Player, to
> make it work with external drives. However, DVD Player still doesn't
> like the new LaCie drive.
>
> Any suggestions? Anybody an external drive based on the Pioneer 106
> engine playing video DVDs?

I called LaCie today and a young lady told me that this drive does not
play DVDs on the Mac. She sain you need an internal mac drive.

Elliot <redec@cox.net> wrote:

> In article <1g3m3si.bd7iwot36dhwN%larry@cymru.freewire.co.uk> ,
> larry@cymru.freewire.co.uk (Larry Stoter) wrote:
>
> > I've recently got a LaCie d2 external CD/DVD writer, which uses the
> > Pioneer 106 engine.
> >
> > The OS 10.2.8 update recognises it and I can burn CDs from the Finder
> > and Disk Copy. I can also play audio CDs and read data CDs, so it seems
> > to be functioning OK.
> >
> > Any suggestions on playing video DVDs? I've spent some time searching
> > the web and have found several hacks/patches for Apple's DVD Player, to
> > make it work with external drives. However, DVD Player still doesn't
> > like the new LaCie drive.
> >
> > Any suggestions? Anybody an external drive based on the Pioneer 106
> > engine playing video DVDs?
>
> I called LaCie today and a young lady told me that this drive does not
> play DVDs on the Mac. She sain you need an internal mac drive.

Technically, the LaCie d2 drive (and plenty of other drives) is
perfectly capable of playing video DVDs, after all, it can do it on a
wintel box.

The problem is that Apple, for reasons best know to themselves, prevent
their own DVD players (well, the free/low cost versions, at least) from
working with anything other than an internal Apple drive. Apple also
refuse to license or otherwise allow any 3rd party software to play
video DVDs on external drives. There is no technical problem, just a
perverse marketing decision by Apple.

Even more annoying, when you install OSX, the presence of a suitable
drive is checked and if one isn't present, DVD Player won't even be
installed. Pacifist, however, allows you to look inside the OS installer
and extra individual applications.

There are various ways around the problem and there are hacks for
Apple's DVD Player application, which make it work with external DVD
drives. Unfortunately, these hacks seem very version sensitive - I guess
Apple trys to disable the hacks in varios ways.

So, to return to my original question, anyone know of a hack that works
with DVD Player 3.2, OS 10.2.8 and the LaCie d2 CD/DVD writer (Pioneer
106 engine)?
--
Larry Stoter