It's a funny thing but the other day I went to turn on my car stereo on the way to work and realized I had forgotten my USB drive I keep all my MP3s on.  So at the gas station I reached around and pulled out my CDs that ride in the car (a story in itself on disc longevity).

The setting for audio CDs using a CD duplicator tower is not really a setting at all.  There are two factors that affect a CD recording onto disc: audio ripping speed and reader to writer performance.

Audio ripping speed determines the rate of audio extraction from the master CD disc.  unfortunately audio extraction can proceed at a higher rate then the CD-R drive can handle and led to errors on the copy.  This is because there is no 'error correction' on audio, only in data recording.  Essentially a DVD-ROM reader and DVD CD writer drive can only error correct data by predicting the data stream and creating it's best guess at the point of error. In a audio disc this manifests itself as pops and clicks in the recorded copy.

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.

When considering an automated auto-loading DVD duplicator several key points you should consider. 

1.  How many discs do you plan on duplicating?
2.  What type of label are you planning on printing on your discs?
3. Do you plan on using copy protection? 
4. How quickly to you want to turn around your disc job?

In order to realize the advantages of an auto loading DVD duplicator it's important to understand what it does, and what it does not do.

An auto-loading disc duplicator automates the process of placing discs in the disc burners and removing them after the recording is done. The process is done for a auto-loading DVD duplicator but if you plan on printing in-line the next step would be to place the disc into a printer tray.  The printer would label the disc and then the robotics would remove the disc and place it in the output bin.

Although CD recordable blanks are not specifically rated for audio there are several excellent choices for recording audio.  Recordable CDs were originally intended for data storage and not specifically for audio formats.  The CD recordable data format easily adapted to the CD-Audio format, and the rest, as they say, is history.

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.

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.

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?

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.

CD and DVD Recordable Discs can be a challenge storing depending on your preferred listening device.  If you listen to your CDs in your car then some kind of portable carrying case is the most practical.  Carrying cases that support CD jewel cases are becoming a rare breed. 

The shift has been over to binder sleeved albums, typically holding 8 discs a sleeve/page.  They certainly work in the intended purpose but are bulky and don't provide any protection to the disc.  Worse, especially in a car environment, dust gets into the sleeves and scratches the discs. It's far better to store your original discs in jewel cases or plastic CD cases if you are going to be taking them in and out all the time on the road. 

JVC Advanced Media, (formallyTaiyo Yuden) has been recognized as one of the leading manufacturers of DVD recordable blank discs. JVC  has many types of specialized surfaces including thermal printable, white thermal printable, white ink jet printable, silver inkjet printable and Everest printable surfaces. It's not surprising that JVCAM would introduce a new type of inkjet printable surface called "watershield".

JVC Advanced Media Watershield DVD surface offers a glossy label finish, water-resistant, fade-resistant, hub printable and works in just about any inkjet DVD printer. Unlike some other "water-resistant" printable disc surfaces Watershield is spun applied during the manufacturing process and not applied later as a sticky label. This creates better disc integrity as the surface is evenly applied. Typically an applied label is not centered thus creating an unbalanced disc in the recording and playback mode.

 Recycling has been around a long time judging by the picture of marble building stones in Italy.

DVD cases are recycled but not in the way you think.  The cases are first chopped up into a "grind" that is sold off as recycled plastic. The recycled grind can be added to virgin plastic to create a 50% recycled product. It is possible to produce a 100% recycled DVD case but it's very fragile and the least durable of one's DVD case choice. Special cases that are colored or clear use only virgin plastic so it's unlikely to find any recycled versions at all. Raw recycled product has to be physically moved around the country both on the way to the shredder and  after it is recycled.  This is why you don't see a lot of 'used' DVD cases or any other DVD packaging. The cost of collecting and shipping used product quickly reduces any cost benefit. This is probably the least understood issue with recycling in general.

 This news release has been out for several months and we needed to post it somewhere on our site.  We have sold Taiyo Yuden CD-R and DVD branded media for over 10 years with amazing success compared to some other brands that quality goes up and down.Taiyo Yuden PrintWrite was and is still the leader in printable surfaces.  Although it's no longer branded under the PrintWrite name Taiyo Yuden CDs and DVDs are among the best.

***

Microboards' flagship line of DVD and CD recordable media, manufactured by Taiyo Yuden, will now be sold under the name of JVC.

Chanhassen, MN April 15, 2009 -- Microboards' flagship line of DVD and CD recordable media, manufactured by Taiyo Yuden, will now be sold under the name of JVC.

Taiyo Yuden, known in the professional market for having the widest playback and recording compatibility and the lowest error rate of any optical media available, announced the change in March. Microboards Technology, which serves as the primary distributor for the United States and Canada, will continue to offer the same products, but with the new branding.

"This strategy will enable a product that is already known as the premium disc in the market to be adopted by media users who are looking for a reliable brand to purchase," says Mike Laven, Microboards' Vice President of Sales. "With the maturation of the optical media market, media users are becoming more discerning when it comes to the quality of media that they used to store their priceless family photographs and recordings."

It's amazing to see the changes in music distribution.  I've used reel to reel tape, cassette, and then the big breakthrough with recordable CDs.

I remember wiring the home stereo into the computer after a sound card upgrade. Many a vinyl disc was 'ripped' as the process is now called.  All of a sudden the costs of producing your own music dropped significantly with the birth of digital audio and the CD audio recordable.  Garage bands gain a new tool of self promotion beyond the gig. 

Now anyone can be a disc publisher. CDs are the calling card of a band or musician with the ability to slip one into the right persons hands.  It's not always easy to slip a streaming audio file into someones hands.