dvdcopycat.com

DVD Copycat offers a wide range of Hi-Def solutions for your next Blu-ray Project.

Bring us your Disc Image or Blu-ray(BD-R) master and we can duplicate discs for you with top of the line professional grade disc printing and packaging. If you are delivering the latest video technology on a Blu-ray disc to your client, it should have the cutting edge professional appearance reflective of this exciting new video format.

Bring us your edited final version of Hi-def video and we can compress it for you and author a BD-R(blu-ray burnable disc) disc. Menu design, compression and authoring are available.

If you have a project that requires 2500 or more Blu-ray Discs, we can replicate those for you in 14 to 21 business days.

In short, if you are in need of Blu-ray disc services, whether they are burnable blu-ray discs (BD-R), or standard replicated Blu-ray discs (BD) we have a solution for you at DVD Copycat.

If you would like to contact me direct write me here at Brian@dvdcopycat.com

or call us at: 415-929-1581 for San Francisco, Bay Area and California

or toll free: 1-866-210-8768

Ask for Brian or Joe and we will be happy to help.

Now that the Hi-Def Disc war is over and Blu-ray Disc has come out on top, the question to answer is “when should I start releasing my Hi-Def projects on Blu-ray Disc”.

As a video professional, there are many considerations to take into account when deciding to release on Blu-ray.

Below I would like to discuss a few if these consideration.

The first question is does the audience I am distributing to have Blu-Ray Players. Once Blu-Ray player prices come down, there will be widespread adoption, however, at the current price points, only a small percentage of households and businesses have Blu-Ray Disc players. Statistics to follow in upcoming posts.

The second question is how many Blu-ray discs do you need. This will determine whether we will be replicating(BD) or duplicating(BD-R) your discs. Typically 5000 pcs or more will warrant cost effective replicating of your BD discs.

Replicated discs will play in any set-top player on the market.

Compatibility of burned Blu-ray Discs (BD-R)
If you are in the market for only a few copies to a few hundred, then the solution will be duplication(burned BD-R). There is a concern here this early in the technology that has to be considered. Most set top players will play replicated discs, but depending on the player most need updated firmware to play burned BD-R discs. If you have a specific client in mind, for example a wedding client who wants their wedding video on Hi-Def, you can run a test disc on their player and see if it works, however, for general distribution of BD-R, you will have to consider that some players will not play the BD-R and make disclaimers accordingly. I will have more statistics when they become available with regard to percentage of players that will play BD-R(burnable Blu-ray discs).

At DVD Copycat, we can currently supply both Blu-Ray Disc Replication and Blu-Ray Disc Duplication depending on your specific needs. If you have further questions please give us a call. 415-929-1581

At DVD Copycat, we often receive time sensitive DVD Duplication or Replication orders. Sometimes we have to go through extraordinary efforts to make sure that our customers time requirements are met.

To make sure your DVD project is completed in a timely manner you should run down the following checklist.

1. Make sure you have your artwork for the DVD face and any packaging inserts that you may need ready. DVD Copycat has templates online here. When you use our templates we can easily integrate your artwork into our process for printing the DVD Discs and any inserts needed for your packaging. This will reduce confusion and make it easier to process your project.

2. Make sure you have a working master ready. Many times master authoring, compression and design takes longer than you would think. If you think you need to deliver your master to us on a Friday, plan to have it done on the Wednesday before. You will appreciate the extra two days of “cushion” if something goes wrong with your overnight compression, or if you find a last minute change in content.

3. Make sure we have your billing information. If we don’t have you in our card file and have some secured payment information(VISA, MC, AMEX for first time customers) then it will delay starting the job until we have that information.

4. Leave one extra day to make sure that you can see a sample or color match for your dvd duplication jobs. We can provide you with proofs so you can double check your color matching needs.

If you follow these 4 steps, I can assure you that at DVD Copycat, we will have no problem processing your order on time, reliably, and stress free.

San Francisco, CA December 15, 2007 – DVD Copycat(http://www.dvdcopycat.com) establishes this week a comprehensive program for Eco Friendly printing and packaging of CD and DVD products. This program will reduce print waste for all of their insert printing by 90% over their conventional printer. This addition to our green efforts continues to enhance our current program of recycling used discs, print supplies, and typical paper and plastic waste from the DVD and CD duplication process.

Because we are a concerned Bay Area DVD Duplication company, and because the owner is an avid hiker and cyclist himself, we initiated this green program to give our music, film, business, and marking clients the ability to minimize their impact on their environment.

Our ultimate goal is to reduce or recycle 95% of all of our DVD and CD duplication waste.

I receive this phone call about once a week.

“Hi Brian, I had 150 DVDs duplicated from “Company X”, but after I distributed them, I received 7-8 complaints that the DVD didn’t work properly. Is there a way to do low volume DVD Duplication that is reliable?”

The short answer is: Yes, by using high-quality media.

Here’s the long answer:

The most important factor in manufacturing a reliable CD-R or DVD-R is the blank disc. Only manufacturers that have strict manufacturing process control can consistently produce a disc blank that is within industry specifications for:

1. optical characteristics
2. coat coverage, and
3. dye life.

So, for example, a disc manufactured with the right optical characteristics but poor dye life may record and play well for the first few months, but as the dye degrades in 6 months or a year, those discs will become useless.

There are dozens of manufacturers of blank discs operating world-wide. I lump these into three categories. (I don’t want to berate any brand so I will refrain from naming names here)

Category 1: Premium Top of the Line
Category 2: Fit for Use
Category 3: Fit for Coasters and Decorative Use

95% of Disc manufactures in the world fall into category 2 and 3 and are largely manufactured in China and Taiwan.

Category 3 (Lowest Price Media): From my experience in the Disc Duplication Industry, these discs should never be used: and there are few very popular brand names in this category. This category is your run of the mill bulk product you buy at your local warehouse store.

Category 2 (Prices here are mid range): This category is a bit of a toss up. Depending on the batch you get and how you burn them, these discs can be fairly reliable. I still would not recommend these for general distribution as I have heard about, and experienced, “batch” problems with several well known brands.

Category 1 (Best Media-Highest Cost): There are only a few companies that fall into this category. Among the top from my experience and research have been Sony, Verbatim (if they are manufactured in Japan) and Taiyo Yuden. My personal choice for consistency, reliability and overall quality is Taiyo Yuden. If you have been in the duplication industry for more than a few months you will learn about this company. They manufacture media for some very popular brand names and also sell direct to duplicators.

Staying within this category will ensure that you will get the best results for reliability, compatibility, and longevity.

Where the picture can get very confusing is at the consumer level. Many popular brands are manufactured by different companies that could be comprised of Category 1, 2, or 3. Depending on the batch, you never know what you could be buying at your local electronics store. For example one time the brand you buy may work great, and the next time it may not.

The best way to ensure that you get solid results is to use a reputable duplicator and ask them what type of media they use and if they guarantee their work.

If you are hunting around for the lowest price, be aware that in the CD and DVD Duplication world you get what you pay for.

Written By: Brian Fisher, Founder DVD Copycat (http://www.dvdcopycat.com)

Here is a related article that I found that helps explain in a little less technical nature.

dvd-duplication-what-you-should-know.html