Duplicators
Can I rely on my DVD-R drive to make CD-R discs?
Yes you can. We have tested CD copies from all the DVD/CD combo recorder drives, and we have found these drives can make a good quality CD disc. If you are making Audio master discs, Media Supply recommends using a Plextor or NEC recorder, as we have found they have the most consistent high-quality recordings.
Are the DVD-R copies I’m making 100% compatible?
This is becoming less and less of an issue, as older DVD players are being replaced in the field. DVD-R copies are probably about 90 to 95% compatible. Many DVD players were manufactured before DVD-Recordable was ever developed as a platform. So, some of these older players may have problems reading a DVD-R disc.
Why am I having problems burning at 1x with my 52x discs?
We are running into this situation more and more as higher speed media becomes the standard and older, slower recorders are still being used. The more a piece of media is built to work at higher speeds, the harder it is to have the media work across the whole spectrum of recording speeds. There are two parts to the problem.
First, media manufacturers write unique information to their discs called “ATIP”, which tells the drive what is the proper laser power-setting to burn at. As faster media and new drives flood the market, older drives are never updated with new ATIP info. Most drive manufacturers have stopped making firmware updates for these older drives, so they never get the new data.
Secondly, as media speeds increase, the media manufacturers have to tweak their recording dye compositions to optimize performance. Many times these dye formulations that may work great on a 52x drive may not perform as well on a 1, 2 or 4x drive.
If you run into this problem, check out a CD-DA blank media. This media was developed for the slower speed audio drives, and will probably work fine.
Why doesn't my 52x CD-R drive record much faster than my 16x CD-R drive?
16x CD-R drives were the last CD-R drives that recorded at the same speed across the surface of the disc. Every drive from 24x up uses a process called Constant Linear Velocity (CLR), where the disc records at faster speeds as you progress in the recording. So if you are burning a 100mb disc on a 16x drive, and another on a 48x drive, the recording time will be similar. The faster drive never gets to its highest recording speed unless the disc is nearly full.
Do I need a special adapter when burning or reading a mini or business card CD?
No. Both sizes fit in the 8cm groove of the CD drawer.
Can your copiers copy music, video or games?
All the CD copiers Media Supply, Inc. sells handle all formats with a couple exceptions. Karaoke (CD-G) discs may require special recorders. Some games may copy but will not work in the game devices due to copy protection. (Playstation). DVD Copiers will not duplicate DVD movies.
Are some brands of DVD Recordable better than others?
Well, the starting point is what works for you. If you have had positive experiences with a particular DVD Recordable, then keep going with it. We've found in our office that certain DVDs can be "problem solvers." It's these discs that we send out when a client complains of playback problems in a laptop or an old set-top player. A problem inherent with inexpensive DVD media is video skip, which will occur in the second half of a full DVD. Another issue is the ability of the drive to recognize the disc in older laptop or set-top players. By recording to Verbatim, MediaPro or Taiyo Yuden DVD, most of these errors can be avoided. These three manufacturers use quality dye materials. In fact, the AZO dye used by Verbatim has specific long-life characteristics. The AZO dye shows lower error rates after 600 hours of aging, where the specification is below 280 hours.
Another aspect of DVD disc quality is the bonding agent, which keeps the two-piece DVD disc together. A DVD recordable is made of two thinner discs, which are held together by bonding glue. The ability of the bonding glue to resist breakdown in extreme conditions is a key part of the disc quality. We see many DVDs, which are damaged from impact on the side, where the impact separated the two discs, damaging the dye and reflective layer. Using a premium bonding glue can dramatically increase the performance of the discs in aging test. Tests have shown the premium Verbatim product can again exceed over 600 hours of aging, while other media manufactured with a certain bonding glue showed increased errors at outer areas.
The final pieces of the quality picture are the polycarbonate & reflective layer. These parts of the disc can vary in thickness & density based on the manufacturers efforts to keep costs down. Even a tiny drop of saved plastic can save a lot over the production of millions of discs, so lower-priced manufacturers tend to use the minimum they can, while staying within specs.
Just like with CD-R, using the better DVD Recordables has benefits that work for you from start to finish.
Is it OK to buy a refurbished CD copier?
There are lots of manufacturers and resellers offering refurbished machines currently. Like any electronic product you buy as refurbished, you measure out the cost savings with the potential hassle of returning a product that doesn't work. The refurbished units out there now are often someone else's problem copier, which has made its way through tech support, and was finally returned.
Our tip to you is to look for some keywords when shopping for refurbished units. If it just says "refurbished", you may want to steer clear. If you see the word "demo" in the description, that's often a good deal, as the unit was relied upon to go out to shows and customer sites and counted on to work. "Closeout" is another good one, as this usually means a faster drive has come along to take its place, and the unit is probably new.
