Maybe you have heard the terms DVD-Video or DVD-R. Funny they all look the same to me. But the ways these "Digital Versatile Discs"or DVDs are recorded or manufactured - are really quite different.
Descriptions of each format would make for a long drawn-out and for that matter - boring essay. So instead we can just concentrate on the one's you probably deal with everyday.
DVD-Video is the DVD format most of us handle everyday. These are the discs you find in your local video rental outlet or department store.
These DVDs are used for distributing movies, promotional videos and other forms of video communication and entertainment.
DVD-R is the DVD format you see for sale "spindled" in different quantities at your local electronic store. You use these to "burn" your own DVDs using your computer or set-top DVD recorder.
So if you follow logic - it seems once you burn a DVD-R with some video - it should become a DVD-Video, right? Wrong.
The true difference in these two formats is the way these two different DVDs are created.
A process called "replication" creates DVD-Video. Replication is the actual manufacturing of a DVD with the video or data information embedded as part of the manufacturing process. The process is complicated - but for simplification - a "glass master" is created from a DVD-R, DLT tape or data file which contains the information to be copied. This "glass master" is then used in the manufacturing process to replicate hundreds, thousands or even millions of DVD-Video DVDs.
DVD-Rs on the other hand, have already been manufactured. They are "burnable" blank media. Unlike their brother the DVD-Video - blank replicated DVD contain an additional element. They possess a laser sensitive dye that allows the DVD to be "burned" with the video or data from your computer or DVD recorder.
These distinctions hold true for DVD and CD media. DVD and CD with a -R or "dash R" (not "minus R" as some mistakenly call it) stands for recordable.
My company - Disc Cloners Plus is able to offer our clients both of these disc copying options. But you may ask - why offer the two choices? The answer is turn-time and cost. Until a few years ago I would have added playback compatibility to this answer.
Earlier versions DVD players used to have trouble playing back DVD-R media. Newer DVD playback machines, along with higher quality media and "burner" improvements have helped this issue all but disappear. This is evident by Disc Cloners Plus' record of over 80,000 DVD-Rs burned and distributed during our two-years in business - without a single rejected disc or client complaint due to DVD-R incompatibility.
As for turn-time and cost - DVD "replication" with the complexity of the manufacturing process - would seem to be the logical choice to possess a higher cost - but this is not the case. The one caveat is quantity. If you need at least 1000 copies, replication can actually be more cost effective. This 1K number seems to be the point where making the "glass master" and manufacturing costs are optimized. This economy of scale comes with at trade-off - time. The "replication" process typically takes 7-10 working days from the day we get a master to when the client takes delivery of their copies.
So when a client does not have 7-10 days is when we turn to "duplication." Since the media is already manufactured for duplication, it is much quicker. DVD/CD "duplication" runs can usually be completed the same or next day. It is also more expensive - especially if you take the care to get it done right. Choosing the best recordable media and using the best DVD/CD duplication ("burning") equipment is the key. Duplication is also the only choice for smaller runs of under 500 discs - since replication plants will usually have a 500 minimum for the manufacturing process.
DVD-Rs and CD-Rs you purchase in your local electronic store are for the most part,
are a lower-grade product than that used in industrial applications. It is satisfactory for "one-off" burning or data storage - but don't expect it to hold up when trying to duplicate fifty, one hundred, or five hundred copies. You will likely end up throwing away 10 to 15% of the discs during the burning process - and you may experience compatibility problems.
Disc Cloners Plus has done extensive research and testing of blank media and recording hardware and software to be sure we offer "duplication" with the best in quality and compatibility.
Printing types are also different depending on whether you replicate or duplicate. The manufacturing process involved in replicating a DVD or CD includes a "silk-screen" or "off-set" print on the disc. This type of printing is cost prohibited on smaller runs such as for duplication. Some duplicators will use paper labels printed and then glued to their DVD-R media. This is highly discouraged since the adhesive on the paper label often will loosen causing the label to lift off the disc. This can cause some major problems - as you can image when a disc spinning at 10,000 rpm comes loose inside your DVD player or computer.
In the last few years companies like HP, Bravo, Epson and others have started offering DVD/CD printers. Disc Cloners Plus uses "direct-on-disc" printing for all of our duplication.
The photo-quality inkjet produced by these direct-on-disc printers looks as good as replicated "off-set" print and there are none of the concerns of using paper labels.
The latest advancement in DVD/CD printing using a new glossy, waterproof, smudge proof disc surface that rivals anything available - duplicated or replicated. These new printable discs are about 2-3 times more expensive than regular white-coated printable discs right now however, but as these new discs become more popular - I believe their price will come down.
DVD-Video, DVD-R, CD-R, duplication or replication - I hope this article has helped you sort out some of the jargon. If you have questions or need more information on DVD or CD duplication or replication - Click on our link below. Next topic - Blu-Ray and HD-DVD.
Frank Datzer is a video production veteran with over 25-years in the business.
He is an experienced Avid and Final Cut Pro editor, DVD authoring technician, animator and director. He spent 14-years as the Assistant Vice President of Media Services for USBank, Managed Roscor Corporation's Wisconsin Office (the Midwest largest broadcast systems integrator), was associated producer on the award winning short film "Wishtaker," and is a contributing videographer to The Getty Images High Definition Stock Footage Library.
Presently he is President of
Disc Cloners Plus - a Milwaukee Wisconsin based DVD/CD duplication company which he started in February of 2006.