The DVD duplication process, informally referred to as disc "burning," uses a concentrated laser to heat a special layer of chemical dye on the DVD's recordable side. This heat literally creates burns in the disc's recordable surface, which can be read as data when the duplication is completed successfully. Read More

Blank recordable DVDs are available with several different top surface styles. The two most common are the branded top surface and the printable top surface, with the former containing manufacturer information and blank fields where the user can write in information about the contents of the disc. Printable top surfaces facilitate the addition of customized graphics or text, which can be created using a thermal or inkjet printer. Read More

Moving beyond the basic recordable DVD drive that's now standard in most PCs, consumers with mass-production data duplication needs can take advantage of a range of technologically advanced equipment. Offering more versatility than a conventional recordable drive, a DVD duplication tower is an affordable, portable alternative that allows users to produce disc copies without the need for a PC or server hook-up. Read More

I am sure many of you are wondering is it Taiyo Yuden or JVC.  Well here is the 411 on this topic.  As so many of you in the CD-R and DVD-R industry know, when you are looking for an excellent quality, super reliable disc Taiyo Yuden is a great one to buy.

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At first appearance a CD and  DVD blank media look exactly the same.  It's hard to imagine what makes them so different. Certainly both have reflective layers but the similarities end there.  A recordable DVD has a purple (or brown) recording side and a CD recordable has a silver green or blue appearance.  The difference in color is caused by the interaction of the reflective layer, usually silver and the recording dye layer.  Because the dyes are different and have different optical characteristics they appear a different color.  When the reflective layer is different then silver, like gold then the colors specifically on a DVD go from purple to brown.

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There are a number of technologies available to make a copy-protected disc using recordable CDs and DVDs. Basically two approaches exist: Hardware and software. This can also be combined to make a more robust solution.

• Hardware can modified to create illegal TOC or  files that make it difficult for a casual copy to be made.
• Discs can have special encryption encapsulation built into the first session of a blank disc like HexaLock. HexaLock provides protection on CD-R, DVD-Video and DVD-R Data recordable media.
• Rimage offers a product called "Rimage Video Protect" that works with the Rimage Producer and Professional Series Disc Publishers to encrypt on the fly.  It provides excellent protection without affecting its playability in computer and standalone player.

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The change of Taiyo Yuden to JVC Advanced Media has caused some confusion in product number changes and additions.  JVC is releasing a new consumer line which some have confused with the Taiyo Yuden product line.  The Taiyo Yuden CD-R, DVD-R and DVD+R are being converted to JVC product numbers and are now branded as the 'Professional line' with different packaging then the consumer brand and a wider range of products.  To aid our clients in understanding the changes we have put together a outline of the changing product numbers and new additions in the JVC line.

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When 'value' comes up in a discussion about a DVD duplicator there are several questions you need to think about and answer for yourself to determine the best fit for your specific needs. 

1. Application: What are you planning on using the disc duplicator for? it may sound like an easy question but you need to think about your time factor for producing discs by recording and labeling. Hours, days, or weeks?
2. Output: How many discs do you need to produce that are exactly the same or 'one-offs' (different data and label for each disc)?
3. Cost: What is your budget?

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We were asked the other day about the advantages and disadvantages of CD-R or DVD recordable disc. 

This certainly is not an easy answer with all the various types of data storage available today.

CD-R and DVD-R and DVD+R are 'Write Once, Read Many' formats.  This capability is called "WORM' for short.

 This means you can only write to the disc once (or in multi-session several times to different locations on the disc before finalizing).

This is unlike other formats used for hard drives, flash memory, backup tape and certain optical formats like the +RW and -RW in DVD recordable that can be erased and re written hundreds or millions of times (in disc based hard drives).

A CD-R or recordable DVD provides an "archive", or permanent record of the data copied.  That is it's main advantage over all other types of data storage.

Disc longevity compliments the WORM feature by protecting the data for 100 years or more.  This is where a quality disc surpasses the bargain disc.  Bargain discs life span can be in days instead of years.

The disadvantages of recordable discs are numerous.  

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Encryption and Copy Protection get a lot of attention  in the press and when discussing disc duplication. Two elements are important to remember. 

1. Are you planning on encrypting or copy protecting your content?
2. Are you planning on breaking someone elses encryption or copy protection? 

  We  will start with number 2

First as it's the most important.

In the United States and most countries, breaking or disabling copy protection or encryption is illegal.  Duplication equipment is not capable of breaking or bypassing copy protection or encryption. This applies more to DVD and Blu-ray then it does CDs.  Most CDs are not copy protected/encrypted.  They may have a copy protect "flag" on the disc which will then make it impossible to use a duplicator. Nor should you, right?

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The question of "back-up" vs. "archiving" data is an often asked one.  On the surface it seems at first that both are the same thing, or accomplishing the same thing: a duplicate copy of the data. 

The difference is two fold:   Time and permanence.

Backup: backups are generally focused on restoring a crashed system like a server.   A backup is composed of all the files that must be restored in order for the system to resume it's normal operation.  Backups are time sensitive.   That is they represent a certain time frame in the server or work station, a "restore point" to use Microsoft's terminology.  Backups tend to be done on rewritable media like DVD+RW or tape because they can be erased and there is nothing to gain by having old backups. In fact they are a liability if not carefully maintained.  This is not to say that a backup scheme does not span a certain time period like a week, or month but it's intended for replacement after the next backup. Backup files also tend to be in special file formats so the file structure can be restored intact.

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"Which Blank DVDs should I Buy?" is a question we get asked a lot. Many times price becomes a deciding factor on purchasing one brand or another.  Being a savvy shopper is commendable but at what  cost?

Blank DVD discs are not all the same. Shiny, yes, the same, no.  They may look the same in a quick glance but when you pick it up it's much lighter and thinner because the discs are being made with less material.  This makes them subject to greater flexing and warping.  longevity is reduced by the more permeable polycarbonate layers.  In simple terms that means air can penetrate the protective layers and causes oxidation which makes the disc unreadable.  It does not stop there.  Every ingredient is made with less.  You want a $.10 disc you will literally get a .10 disc.  Just because you might be able to get your data onto the disc does not mean you will be able to retrieve it in a short period of time.  Imagine the PR disaster of having your discs degrade in transit to your customer or even in a short period of time in their care.  This can be a very expensive shortcut. 

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