Authoring, mastering, design and reprography – these are the four that rotate around the term associated services in the CD/DVD duplication/replication industry. However, before we proceed any further, it’s essential to have a glimpse into the terms and delve their inner meaning.
- CD mastering: Though considered largely an art form, mastering is all about the post-production of an audio recording; it is the process by which the recorded audio is prepared and transferred to a data storage device after the final mix. The data storage device is then called the Master.
- DVD authoring: It is the process by which a DVD video is created for the end user to view. However, due to the involvement of a large number of companies, the specifications for DVD authoring are more complicated that that of the CD. But DVD authoring is different from MPEG encoding; if it’s a separate encoder being used (DVD authoring software come equipped with built-in encoders), the lack of proper compression settings may turn the whole show sour.
- Design: Had we mentioned album art, there would have been no need for elaboration; however, since all CD-s and DVD-s do not fall under the category called entertainment, a more broader term that can be used is CD cover designing. Long live the graphic designers!
- Reprography: This is a process that comes under the jurisdictions of the graphic artists as well; it is reproducing the same graphics through an electrical or mechanical means.
• Additional features of CD / DVD Duplication & Replication
How would you like the content of your master disc being tweaked to an optimum quality? Yes, we are talking about enhancement, the stuff that stays responsible for the creation of E-CDs. The additional features don’t end there; they go up to inventory tracking as well as fulfillment services, which are defined below.
• Other Disc Duplication Services.
- Inventory Tracking: This is all about tracking the number of duplicated/replicated CD/DVD and making the accounting entries. Usually, it’s the RFID chips with barcodes that are stuck on/inside the covers.
- Fulfillment services: The CD/DVD duplication company may also provide certain facilities and systems to deliver the packaged products to a destination as well as entertain other requests from the customer. This is fulfillment service and the way to bring in more customers.
• Disc protection
Nobody likes their stuff being taken away and more so when it comes to original digital content. Therefore, encryption was invented for protecting the discs against such malicious activities and stuff like the 40-bit CSS are now widely used on DVD-s to stop the copies from being played. For HD DVD and Blu-ray Disc it is the Advanced Access Content System that’s employed and a good CD/DVD duplication service shall offer it either for free or at a very nominal charge.
But question remains, where to find a service provider who offers anything between CD/DVD duplication/replication and effective disc protection? At response, if you want a sure hit; after all, over three million people can’t go wrong at once in making the right choice.
Filed under: Media Duplication
