7-zip Proposal: Mount 7z as a virtual drive

[Tseax]

I don't see a wishlist on the forums or I'd put this there.

7-zip is getting popular. Adobe Creative Suite CS4 comes in a 5.5GB 7z file (among other formats) which expands to >8GB of files for installation. Now that's compression! So, how about adding the 7z extension as a supported image type? It would save on a lot of extraction.

 

[pseudo555]

7z, like zip or rar are archives files, not image disc.

Your request sound like playing swf movie on ps3 for me

 

[BurnerHEAD]

But it is technically possible.
Feels like compressed ISO files.

I suppose,
BurnerHEAD

 

[cienislaw]

it is possible but:
1. compressed iso needs cpu to depack it on the fly.
2. 7zip is heavy compression, so cpu usage will be even higher.
3. there are several compressed iso format/implementations but their authors wont share info about it. there is no standard for compressed iso format, so adding one more implementation makes only more confusion what to use and why.
4. vcd developers have better things to do than this.
5. hdd space is cheap - you can always store depacked isos.

feel free to add more cons to this list and answer yourself why this idea is not good.

 

[damnskippy]

Would be kinda cool but is not something that would be of use for VCD because we use it to play HD movies and the extra CPU usage etc would be a problem.

 

[evlncrn8]

But it is technically possible.
Feels like compressed ISO files.

I suppose,
BurnerHEAD

its not....

compressed iso files are compressed sector wise, this makes sense when decompressing, because you only read and decompress the sectors you want.. (most of the compressed iso formats are zlib based)

for 7zip the file you want may be at the end of the archive etc, then factor in the compression levels and memory usage.. clonedrive is driver based, thus most of its work would have to be done in kernel land (ring 0), which has quite a limited amount of memory as well as other factors to take into account like the irql and so on...

 

[Tseax]

7z, like zip or rar are archives files, not image disc.

Your request sound like playing swf movie on ps3 for me

Heh, I wouldn't know about that. The 7z feature will probably be implemented in "WinMount" http://www.winmount.com/about_7z.html

According to the link above it's already there, but, it's not. Of course, the program ain't free either.

 

[cienislaw]

WinMount can mount 7Z files on a new drive, so that you can use files inside it directly

so... you first have to mount your 7ziped file as a new drive. THEN you need to mount iso image from inside of archive accessible now on new mounted drive to vcd drive. and now you can use 7zip compressed iso file. i cant call it fast & easy way.

 

[Tseax]

so... you first have to mount your 7ziped file as a new drive. THEN you need to mount iso image from inside of archive accessible now on new mounted drive to vcd drive. and now you can use 7zip compressed iso file. i cant call it fast & easy way.

Em, no. There is no ISO file. Instead of an uncompressed ISO file there is a (very) compressed 7Z file which (when mounted) acts just as a mounted ISO would.

 

[Keror0]

Take a look on this little gem - Pismo File Mount already provide tools to create 7z compressed .cfs Compact File Set image and mount it as a folder for you to access.

 

[Validator]

Ähhhh, the DVD and Blu-ray movies contain compressed Data already and I would be astonished if this would save more than a few Kilobytes of data wich will be reached consensus on compressing only a few short files wich are uncopressed and the iso structur data.

So I think this is completely b.s.. :bang:

Webslinger's Edit: Please refrain from swearing on the forums, thank you.

 

[Keror0]

The best way to compress DVD / Bly-ray data is to re-encode the contents with H.264 MP4AVC, it can reduce 10 times in size with comparable high quality.