dvd+rw-mediainfo

dvd+rw-mediainfo [OPTIONS] DEVICE_PATH

Example: dvd+rw-mediainfo /dev/sr0
Example: dvd+rw-mediainfo -v /dev/cdrom

DEVICE_PATH
    The path to the optical drive device (e.g., /dev/sr0, /dev/cdrom) where the media is inserted.

-v
    Enables verbose output, providing more detailed information about the operation and media characteristics.

-d
    Enables debug output, showing low-level communication or internal process details, primarily useful for developers or advanced troubleshooting.

-version
    Prints the version of the dvd+rw-mediainfo utility and exits.

-force
    Forces the command to attempt to access the device even if it doesn't appear to be a DVD+RW drive, which can be useful for certain types of media or drives.

The dvd+rw-mediainfo command is a crucial utility from the dvd+rw-tools suite, designed to extract comprehensive information about an optical disc inserted into a compatible DVD or CD drive. It reports various details such as the disc's media type (e.g., DVD-R, DVD+R, DVD-RW, DVD+RW, CD-R, CD-RW, CD-ROM), its total capacity, the manufacturer's ID, supported write speeds, book type, and session-related data. This command is invaluable for verifying media compatibility, troubleshooting optical drive issues, and understanding the characteristics of a given blank or recorded disc before attempting write operations. It provides low-level insights into the media's capabilities, making it a staple for anyone dealing with optical disc burning or analysis on Linux systems.

• Device Permissions: The user executing the command must have appropriate read permissions on the optical drive device (e.g., /dev/sr0). Lack of permissions will result in an error.
  
• Media Specificity: While the command tries to identify various media types, its primary focus and most detailed output are often for DVD+RW and related DVD formats. Information for other media like CD-ROMs might be less extensive.
  
• Drive Compatibility: The accuracy and completeness of the reported information depend heavily on the optical drive's firmware and capabilities. Older drives might not report all modern media characteristics.
  
• Output Interpretation: Some of the reported fields, like "Book Type" or specific "write strategies," require a technical understanding of DVD standards to fully interpret their meaning.

One of the most common uses for dvd+rw-mediainfo is to quickly check the type and status of a blank DVD or CD before attempting to write data. For instance, knowing if a disc is a DVD+R or DVD-R, or if it's already formatted, is crucial for selecting the correct burning strategy with tools like growisofs.

The command typically exits with a status of 0 upon successful execution, indicating that media information was retrieved. A non-zero exit status usually signifies an error, such as the absence of media, permission issues, or an unsupported drive/media combination. Scripting often relies on this exit status for conditional execution.

The dvd+rw-mediainfo command is part of the dvd+rw-tools project, which emerged in the early 2000s to provide robust and free software tools for burning and managing DVD+RW and later DVD-R/W media on Linux and other Unix-like systems. This suite, primarily maintained by Andy Polyakov, addressed the growing need for reliable DVD burning capabilities in a command-line environment, complementing or replacing older CD-centric tools like cdrecord. dvd+rw-mediainfo was developed as an essential diagnostic component, allowing users to inspect media properties before complex burning operations, significantly improving reliability and user experience with DVD optical drives.

growisofs(1), dvd+rw-format(1), wodim(1), isoinfo(1), lsblk(8)