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DVD Burning Tips
By Jasmine Ong
CD and DVD Replication - how it works.
CD and DVD replication is a process that works by creating discs
from scratch. Not to be confused with duplication (the act of
burning information onto readymade, commercially-available blank
CD-Rs and DVD-Rs), replication relies on the use of molds to
produce actual discs that already contain digital data. It is the
preferred and recommended mode of mass production for
quantities in excess of 500 units.
Replication begins with a painstaking process called glass
mastering. In this step, a laser is used to copy data onto a light-
reactive glass plate. The plate¡¯s photosensitive glaze reacts to the
heat of the laser, thus etching several gigabytes worth of digital
information for permanent storage.
The data encoded on the glass master comes in binary form, a
series of 1s and 0s. While these 1s and 0s may seem like
gobbledygook to the average human, it is the language that CD
and DVD players understand. Once scored onto the plate via
laser, binary information appears as very tiny depressions of
varying depths, similar to the grooves on a vinyl record.
Since a glass master cannot be altered once it is completed, great
care must be taken when preparing one. As a quality control
measure, it has to be made in a clean room environment. Any
defects or impurities on the glass master will definitely compromise
the integrity and playability of the final CDs or DVDs.
A glass master is considered too delicate to be used for heavy-
duty and large-scale disc production. Instead, it is used to create
several sturdier, more durable metal molds called stampers.
In a process known as stamping or pressing, each stamper is
injected with a transparent plastic substance called polycarbonate.
The excess plastic is then removed, leaving an exact impression of
the mold.
To make the polycarbonate disc suitable for playing, it is then
finished with a coat of reflective material. Once the replication
process is completed, the disc is finally ready for labeling and
packaging.
Replication is considered to be superior to disc duplication. As
such, it is regarded as the industry standard. This is because it
offers greater consistency in production quality and disc playability
than the burning process. In a sense, burning may be likened to
photocopying while replication may be likened to cloning.
Replicated discs are exact and faithful reproductions of their glass
masters; duplicated discs, on the other hand, may differ from their
source depending on the quality of the blank media used.
However, due to the complicated and tedious nature of CD and
DVD replication, its turn-around or completion time is considerably
longer than that of duplication. Depending on the number of
copies, discs may be duplicated within a matter of minutes. In
contrast, a batch of discs can take two to four weeks to replicate.
Replication is also best left to the experts. Owing to the need for
clean rooms and special equipment, the startup expense and
preparation can be costlier as well as resource-intensive. But in
the long run, replication yields a lower per-unit-cost than disc
burning.
For more information ond DVD duplication services, please visit
http://www.easydvdburning.com/dvdduplication/index.html
About the Author
Jasmine Ong is a staff writer for http://www.easydvdburning.com - a leading independent DVD software review website.
Article Source: http://www.simplysearch4it.com/article/9422.html
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