It was originally created to store sound recordings and play them back, but later on with the advancement of the technology, it began to be used to store and transmit audio-visual data. A digital versatile disc or a digital versatile disk, commonly known as a DVD is an advancement of the CD technology, which can store much more data compared to it. A DVD and a CD are similar in dimensions and functionality, the only difference being storage capacity.
The process of putting data onto a disk is known as burning. A CD or DVD can be burned on a computer using a software specific for this purpose. Before the advent of re-writing technology, there was a possibility to write data on a disc only once. DVD+RW are a format for rewritable DVDs, which make it possible for data to be erased from a disk, and the disk being burned with new data. It also makes it suitable for random access, which means that data stored in any part of the disk can be accessed in any order. This improves compatibility with DVD players.
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What is DVD duplication?
DVD duplication is the process of extracting data from a disc and writing it on a blank disc. It can be done either one at a time, or done in bulk. Bulk duplication of data needs special infrastructure to be accomplished and can be done by companies like Max Duplication. A tower has multiple trays for holding the compact disks or the DVDs and multiple such towers can be linked together to facilitate the burning of hundreds of disks at the same time. After the data is written, it is compared to the data from the master disc to verify the proper copying of data. After the completion of the process, the end product is a DVD-R or in the case of compact disks, a CD-R.
Comparison of DVD duplication and replication
Replication is the process of adding information or data during the manufacturing of the CDs or DVDs. The end product after the DVD replication process is a DVD-5, DVD-9, DVD-10, or DVD-18. Understanding the difference between duplication and replication is important to determine which process is suitable for your purpose. The standard time taken for duplication process is up to 2-3 days where around 5000 disks can be copied; whereas the turnaround time for replication can be anywhere between 7 to 10 days. This time can vary between different companies undertaking this work.
CD/DVD replication costs are much lower than the duplication costs; however, in most facilities the minimum order requirements can be up to 1000 disks. Replication facilities are larger than duplication facilities, and owing to the high volume run, can auto assemble the disks into cases. Both replication and duplication use a similar process of extracting data or information from a disk, but the manufacturing process is different.
Services provided for DVD/CDs
There are companies specializing in DVD replication and duplication. In addition they provide services like printing CDs and DVDs, designing the artwork to be printed on the disks, etc. Companies like MaxDuplication also provide packaging options like PVC envelopes, jewel cases, carton sleeves, clam shells etc. They also have a website where they explain what services they offer, the procedure to order, additional benefits etc. You also have a provision to look at their previous work by means of samples that they send for you to view. The process of bulk producing data storage disks can be made much simpler and more efficient by engaging the services of such a company.
