Authoring means, in video world, a process where already-encoded video files are transferred into a specific format that describes how the data should be kept on storage media, such as CD or DVD. It also applies to music albums.

Most common use of the term is when speaking of DVD authoring, using a separate DVD authoring software that allows users to create menus, chapter selections, etc to the disc's layout in addition to the actual video file(s) and transfer this structure to file system that can then be burned to a CD or DVD. The completed disc burned with data of the file system and the actual video content is usually called a master. As the master is the base unit to make multiple duplicate copies, it is recommended to use higher quality CD or DVD as the master. Thetechgeek.com stocks most of the blank media quality brands TDK, Verbatim, Velocity, etc. for this purpose.

How is CD or DVD made?

Very precise equipment is required for the production of a CD or DVD. It starts with the production of one CD or DVD, the glass master. A powerful laser writes the information on a light-sensitive layer. The parts exposed to laser light are etched away, thus giving rise to the pit pattern. This positive master is used to make a negative die from nickel. This ‘stamper’ has bumps at the places where pits are to be made in the CD or DVD.

When the stamper is ready, it is installed in the core of the CD/DVD press. The negative die forms a part of the mold that is used to cast the disc. The CD is casted by heating plastic (polycarbonate) and injecting it into the mold. When the plastic has cooled, it leaves a disc in the mold that has a precise imprint of the pit pattern. This disc then passes to the following station in the machine to be given a reflective aluminum layer on the side with the pit pattern. This layer causes the laser light to be reflected when the CD/DVD is played. Major difference between production of CD and DVD is that DVD needs to bond a plastic disc molded with the pit to another disc plated with the reflective when CD is done all on the same disc. This is to give DVD higher capacity. In the following process step the disc is coated in a protective transparent lacquer. The lacquer prevents the aluminum from oxidizing and ensures that the CD or DVD remains antistatic. In most cases a label is then printed on the blank disc in the same machine.

All of this must be carried out with great precision. A single particle of dust can potentially cause irregularities and subsequently lead to hitches in the music. In the early days expensive cleanrooms were required to allow the equipment to operate unhindered and, because every person carries a lot of dust with them, the specialist technologists were dressed like astronauts so as to prevent any risk of contamination.

How to best store your media?

DVD's should be treated basically the same way a CD is treated. Keep your discs and the inside of your player free from dust and debris. Be careful not to scratch the top or bottom surfaces of the disc, and keep them away from extreme temperatures and humidity. Write only with a soft, water based, felt tip marker. Among the manufacturers that have done testing, there is consensus that, under recommended storage conditions, CD-R, DVD-R, and DVD+R discs should have a life expectancy up to 100 years or more; CD-RW, DVD-RW, DVD+RW, and DVD-RAM discs should have a life expectancy of 25 years or more.

Little information is available for CD-ROM and DVD-ROM discs (including audio and video), resulting in an increased level of uncertainty for their life expectancy. Expectations vary from 20 to 100 years for these discs. In general, keep your media away from undue moisture, extreme temperatures, scratches, fingerprints, smudges, dirt, dust and try not to flex your media when removing it from its storage case. A disc should always be handled by grasping its outer edges, center hole or center hub clamping area. Handle only when being used and do not eat, drink or smoke close by.

Discs should be stored in DVD jewel cases or video boxes rather than sleeves because cases will not contact the discs’ surfaces and generally provide better protection against scratches, dust, light and rapid humidity changes. CD jewel cases can stress DVDs by gripping them too tightly resulting in discs being difficult to remove from CD cases without excessive flexing. As a result, use only containers specifically designed for DVDs and discs should always be removed carefully. If you move your media frequently, CD/DVD wallets will be a great way to store for protection and convenience. Thetechgeek.com has a wide selection of CD/DVD wallet and jewel cases.

Once placed in their cases, keeping them in a closed box, drawer or cabinet can further protect discs. For long-term storage and archival situations it is advisable to follow manufacturer instructions… duh.

Use marker pen or label to identify my CD/DVD?

A few manufacturers offer a "special pen" for writing on DVD/CDs. I know from experience that many "special" products are little more than marketing hype (i.e. "camera lens cleaner" @$2.99 a bottle vs. "glasses lens cleaner" @$.99 a bottle)-- so is there any real issue with the type of pen used?
I'm presently using a Sharpie fine-point permanent marker, and indeed the Sharpie website says that while they've not done any long-term studies, that they have marked CDs with their markers for years and never had a problem, and all the CD manufacturers that they contacted also said that they used Sharpie permanent markers and also have never had a problem.
Obviously, it's nice to be able to mark the DVD somehow, and I've heard horror stories about using adhesive labels that A) can damage the media because of chemicals in the glue, and B) can cause damage to drives if the label isn't perfectly placed as the CD/DVD spins at high speed and an imbalanced CD/DVD can really damage a drive. But, I’ve used labels for years without a problem. The Geek says: Mark ‘em up, but not excessively. Check out the Media Accessories for your preferences.

How to prepare labels, inserts, etc.?

• CD Insert Cards:
A printed 'insert card' is placed inside the lid of the jewel case. Insert cards are folded and come in a variety of sizes and with different print options.

• CD Booklets:
Similar to an insert card, a 'booklet' is comprised of separate pages being assembled and stapled much like a book or magazine. There are a variety of sizes with different print options.

• Pages & Panels:
There is a way to describe the size of insert card or booklet that fits into a Jewel Case or Amaray Case. Each print panel has two sides (ie: the front and the back) which we refer to as 'pages'. We call a simple insert card with no folds a 1 panel (2 page). For the type of insert card that is folded in half, we call that 2 panel (4 page), etc.

• Tray Cards:
The 'tray card' is the insert that is visible from the back/bottom of the CD jewel case and includes the print that is visible on the ends/spines of the case. Tray Cards can also have a back print when used with 'clear' jewel case trays.

• Trapsheets:
The printed paper insert that wraps around the outside of the DVD library cases is called a Trapsheet. There are many companies that offer software, sticker sheets and whole kits for various kinds of printers for the home user to create professional-looking, no-worries media projects. Avery, Memorex and Neat-O are just a few.

Musicians: should music CD be on a CD-R or pressed CD?

The fact is that the quality of the finished CD, whether pressed or burned, is determined by the quality of the media it is pressed or burned to. There is absolutely no difference in audio quality between a pressed CD or a CDR if they were made from the same master. The only real benefit to having your album pressed is that you can be validated by the ignorant, pompous and/or misinformed people who think this detail makes a difference.

That would be the end of this article except that there are a few things left to be said regarding the actual creation methods used. CDRs are every bit as good as pressed CDs if the media used is as good and the actual burning is conducted properly. CDR's have a bad reputation because the vast majority of CDRs out there were burned on inferior media by inferior burners using inferior programs.

Make sure you get a good, reliable recorder. Check the brand, the compatibility with the media you intend to use, and go from there. A little research will save you a lot of heartache down the line. As far as software goes, there are many burning suites to choose from, and you should find one that works for you. Again, try before you buy. Some people swear by Nero. Others say that Roxio has the best ware. Get on to the forums and read the posts by other musicians and self-producing folks and see what they have to say. Last, but not least, ask around with people you know. What are they using? What have they had problems with; what has worked for them? You don’t have to be a geek to know what works best—but it doesn’t hurt! You can find most of the reliable recording drives, CD/DVD burning software and blank media on thetechgeek.com.

Musicians: is DVD for me?

DVD as a recordable format has until recently garnered little interest from recording musicians. High prices on both media and hardware, together with a deal of uncertainty surrounding which DVD format to choose, have led to musicians doubting the wisdom of switching to CD-Rs’ big brother. The dramatic price reductions of CD-R and CD-RW media together with the very low cost of writers has resulted in these formats becoming the de facto standard for storage of recorded audio to date. When one considers how simple Windows XP‘ renders recording to CD-R and CD-RW formats together with the ubiquitous, ever-faster, ever-cheaper nature of the drives themselves, it is clear why the uptake of these formats has been so dramatic in terms of both size and speed. As to the future, usage of CD-R and CD-RW will continue to grow to the point that recordable DVD will have become a firmly established format in the wider world. For recording musicians though, the adoption is likely to be a much earlier affair; given in particular the increasing demands on memory resulting from the need to work with picture and sound in the same domain and the potential demands on memory created by surround sound applications.

But why aren’t we seeing DVD being rapidly adopted as a recordable format by musicians now? After all, DVD offers vastly greater capacity for storage of related video images, and even if we’re working with audio alone that extra capacity can be nothing but advantageous in a good many situations. The answer we need to look at lies in several factors: the attractiveness of available hardware, format functionality and compatibility issues, media costs both current and potential, as well as the unprecedented and understandable degree of confusion amongst potential end-users. Check the DVD blank media for yourself.

Replication vs. duplication

Replication is a process for producing CD and DVD products using a physical production process. Using a glass master CD and DVD discs are pressed on machines. CD and DVD duplication processes produce discs using a red laser to record on recordable discs including CDR, DVD-R and DVD+R.

• Duplication:
Small quantities of CDs/DVDs (less than 500) are typically 'duplicated' which is also referred to as being 'burned'. This is the most cost-effective way to produce small numbers of discs. In order to provide you with the best quality product as possible, use only good quality CDR/DVDR discs and state-of-the-art duplicators found on thetechgeek.com.

• Replication:
For quantities of 1000 CDs/DVDs or greater, a glass-master is used to physically 'replicate' the discs. This is the most economical way to manufacture. DVD replication equipment typically costs millions of dollars. A variety of machines are used to create a glass master, create metal stamping masters, stamp substrates in hydraulic molds, apply reflective layers, bond substrates together, print labels, and insert discs in packages. Most replication plants provide one-off or check disc services, where one to a hundred discs are made for testing before mass duplication. Call a thetechgeek.com representative to assist if you need help.

Why and when to use duplication machine?

If you need to produce large volumes of discs with frequently changed title/content then you will be wise to invest your money in a tower based CD and DVD solution. A real low cost solution with flexible output that will likely become the workhorse of your operation. If you need a duplication system to work in the background that might also finish the disc with a print you should consider an automated duplication system. Check out CD/DVD Duplictors at thetechgeek.com.

As a rule of thumb, if you need high quantities made, you’re going to see the cost/benefit by going through a full-on replication facility—but if you just need a few dozen, or even a few hundred, you can still get by with duplication. Each situation calls for different solutions. Remember there are many different CD and DVD duplication systems out there, some will suit you better than others, and the most important factor will probably not be the price.

Know more about CD and DVD.

A CD is a disc with a diameter of 120 mm a thickness of 1.2 mm. The central hole, used to center the CD, has a diameter of 15 mm. It stores 700mb of data.
It consists of a disc made of polycarbonate (a material with greater solidity and which resists better to high temperatures than regular plastics).
A stacking ring (0.27 mm high) protects the CD-Rs when they are stacked on top of one another and to avoid sticking to each other with static in between. The stamp holder groove has no specific function.

DVD-Video is a standard developed by DVD Forum and specifies how video should be stored on optical DVD disc. DVD-Video specs allow two different kind of video encoding algorithms to be used: MPEG-2 and MPEG-1. Virtually all DVD-Video discs use MPEG-2 format, mostly because of its superiority over MPEG-1 in terms of video quality. DVD can store 4.7GB of data.

By the first quarter of 2006, HD-DVD (high density) and Blu-ray DVD, which have much higher storage capacity, is marketed to the general public. Check out all blank media at thetechgeek.com

Which DVDR media is better than the others?

For the answer to this, which is largely relative, the geek once again says, “Get thee to the forums.” There are as many opinions about this as there are users. There are some good benchmark tests out there on different web sites that are dedicated specifically to that question. You’ll find graphs, read speeds, write speeds, compatibility tests, failure rates, etc. Do a search on media differences and find out for yourself what works best for you. Failing that, do a little testing yourself.

The Geek doesn’t like to show preferential treatment to one brand over another; after all, it’s my job to make sure to keep you informed on all the brands, which, like all players and writers, have their own functions, which in turn support different formats. In some sense, there is no “better” than another, unless you get right down to scraping the bottom of the barrel. What worth you to note is the compatibility, that’s what work best between your writer and the media. Thetechgeek.com always show compatibility on our site. Check the Compatibility Table at thethechgeek.com

How do I choose one DVDR over the other?

When determining your media requirements you need to consider the following;

Do I have a budget requirement?
Do I have a user compatability requirement?
Do I have a hardware compatability requirement? When buying DVD media the most important consideration is playback compatability. Lots of budget DVDR is recognized as recording on anything while playing back on nothing. So, before you buy, check out what is being said in the forums. Check all information stated for the DVD you intend to buy, product description, compatibility, etc. All media sold from TheTechGeek is certified A-Grade, so even when you spend the least money, you can be assured that the product will be reliable. If you do have compatability issues with your system, it may be necessary for you to upgrade the firmware on your recorder. Also be aware that the price of media does determine its aesthetic qualities and durability. A cheap disc might feel (in the hands) quite simply cheap. And, a cheap disc is unlikely to offer the same protection as the more expensive ones. Determine what do you really need and select from the wide variety of DVDR thetechgeek.com offers.

Optical Disc history—how we got to today from where we started

The first CD player

On October 1, 1982 Sony introduced the CDP-101, the first Compact Disc audio CD player on the market at a retail price of about $900.
The first Philips CD player was to be named ‘Pinkeltje’, after a well-known friendly gnome from a Dutch children’s story. Small and compact, that was the development aim. It had to be a product that was appealing to the eye, easy to operate and smaller than a record player. This was achieved in record time.
The first thing that the developers had to worry about was not the size of the electronics. The circuits could always be further reduced in size later when the product was ready to go into production. What they had to do now was to show that it worked. One crucial factor here was the way in which the sound information was coded. Now that the analog recording of music could no longer be used, a new digital technique had to be developed. The Philips researchers were able to draw on the experience gained with digital signal technology in the field of telecommunications.

In the first prototypes Philips had tested a simple and efficient technique for converting the analog sound signal into digital ones and zeros. With delta modulation, the changes in voltage in the microphone are followed by ones and zeros. A one represents a rise in voltage, a zero represents a fall. In this way, relatively few ones and zeros are required to record the signal accurately. The ones and zeros can be used later to reconstruct the voltage pattern precisely. The disadvantage is that no codes must be lost or else the player quickly loses track of what it is doing. And that is precisely what happened. A duet that had been recorded on a CD in this way was not worth listening to. That was clearly not the way to do it then.

Although the player was a long way from being finished, it seemed important at this early stage in the product development to win the support of both the public and the industry for this idea. Other companies too were already working on audio versions of video discs. AEG-Telefunken was working on a Mini Disc and JVC on an Audio High-Density (AHD) system. In order to prevent a battle between the different, non-compatible systems, Philips had to show quite clearly how far they had progressed. In March 1979 a press conference was organized to let people hear how beautiful digital music could be. The demonstration room was filled with Schubert’s Unfinished Symphony. The prototype had been finished, but the product was not yet ready.

What is a DVD, anyway?

DVD is the new generation of optical disc storage technology. DVD is essentially a bigger, faster CD that can hold cinema-like video, better-than-CD audio, still photos, and computer data. DVD aims to encompass home entertainment, computers, and business information with a single digital format. It has replaced laserdisc, is well on the way to replacing videotape and video game cartridges, and could eventually replace audio CD and CD-ROM. DVD has widespread support from all major electronics companies, all major computer hardware companies, and all major movie and music studios. With this unprecedented support, DVD became the most successful consumer electronics product of all time in less than three years of its introduction. In 2003, six years after introduction, there were over 250 million DVD playback devices worldwide, counting DVD players, DVD PCs, and DVD game consoles. This was more than half the numbers of VCRs, setting DVD up to become the new standard for video publishing.

It's important to understand the difference between the physical formats (such as DVD-ROM and DVD-R) and the application formats (such as DVD-Video and DVD-Audio). DVD-ROM is the base format that holds data. DVD-Video (often simply called DVD) defines how video programs such as movies are stored on disc and played in a DVD-Video player or a DVD computer. The difference is similar to that between CD-ROM and Audio CD. DVD-ROM includes recordable variations: DVD-R/RW, DVD-RAM, and DVD+R/RW. The application formats include DVD-Video, DVD-Video Recording (DVD-VR), DVD+RW Video Recording (DVD+VR), DVD-Audio Recording (DVD-AR), DVD Stream Recording (DVD-SR), DVD-Audio (DVD-A), and Super Audio CD (SACD). There are also special application formats for game consoles such as Sony PlayStation 2 and Microsoft Xbox.

How is DVD made?

The first step in manufacturing a DVD-R or DVD+R disc is to fabricate the polycarbonate plastic substrates (incorporating the spiral groove and land pre-pits) using an injection molding process. The dye is then applied using spin coating and the metal layers by means of DC sputtering. After both sides of the disc are completed they are bonded together using a hot melt, UV cationic or free radical process. Additional decoration or printable layers are typically applied using screen printing methods. A DVD-R (General) disc undergoes a further manufacturing step in which a specialized computer DVD recorder is used to “prewrite” information in the Control Data Zone of its Lead-in Area to inhibit direct copying of prerecorded DVD-Video discs encrypted with the Content Scrambling System (CSS). Apart from this, and some minor differences in the configuration of the molding stamper used to create the substrates, the process for manufacturing DVD-R and DVD+R discs is virtually identical.

How to pick a good DVD-R?

A better question might be, which is going to be the most compatible for my needs? Far from being the decisive answer you’re looking for, it may actually serve you better to know that what works for the goose doesn’t always work for the gander—particularly if the goose is using a BenQ1620 and the gander is working with a NEC 3500AG. Confused yet? That’s the point. Get in there and get your hands dirty. Buy a computer magazine and do some reading. Find out for yourself, for in the end, you’re the one that must be satisfied and you don’t want to blame somebody that wrote a post or a blog two years ago for the personal line of coasters that you’ve decided to release based on unreliability of the writer you’re using, or the compatibility issues you’ve run into.

Can you go out and look at the forums and get a general idea of what might be a good way to pick? Yes. But there’s still a good chance you’re going to get confused, particularly if you’re a beginner (being a Geek does have its advantages). 1) Before you pick your DVD-R, make certain you’re armed with the information about your writer. Brand, type, and often, the manual will tell you specifically which media is the correct one to use. Barring that, a little testing can’t hurt. 2) Make certain that compatibility is not a problem. This is easier than it sounds—just don’t make silly mistakes when choosing your media. Make sure that not only is it the right kind for your burner, but that it’ll play back on whatever you’re looking to eventually play it on. Is it for your DVD player? Do you want to also burn CD backups to play in your car stereo? Are you going to back up your files and archive your computer? Remember, compatibility, compatibility and compatibility. The media must be compatible to both your target writer and player. There are many uses for media these days, and you can’t be too careful. Neither can you be too safe. Consult the frequently updated thetechgeek.com Compatibility Table.

What is the difference between single and double-sided DVD+/-R?

DVD-R and DVD+R discs can be either single or double-sided. A single-sided (SS) disc is composed of a recording side and a dummy side while a double-sided (DS) disc consists of two recording sides. The recording side of a DVD-R and DVD+R disc is a sandwich of a number of layers. First comes a polycarbonate plastic substrate containing a shallow spiral groove extending from the inside to the outside diameter of the disc. A DVD-R disc additionally includes pits and lands on the areas between the coils of the groove (land pre-pits). Added to this substrate is an organic dye recording layer (azo, cyanine, dipyrromethene or others) followed by a metal reflective layer (silver, silver alloy, gold). The dummy side of a single-sided disc consists of an additional flat polycarbonate plastic substrate (sometimes with an additional metal layer to obscure the bonding layer from view for aesthetic purposes). An adhesive then bonds two recording sides (for a double-sided) or a recording and dummy side (for a single-sided) together into the final disc. Some single-sided discs are also topped on the dummy side with decorations or additional layers that provide surfaces suitable for labeling by inkjet, thermal transfer or re-transfer printers.

What is the advantage of DVD +R over –R?

The biggest thing to worry about is that DVD-RW drives only record on -R and -RW discs, and DVD+RW drives only record on +R and +RW discs, so you have to make sure you get the right kind of blank discs. You may worry that one of the formats might "win" and the other format could disappear, leaving you with abandoned hardware. This is not very likely, since both formats are doing well. Luckily there is a simple solution to both concerns: buy a dual-format, or "combo" drive.

Many companies make DVD-/+RW drives that write to both kinds of discs. Dual-format drives cost a bit more, but it's cheap insurance. Very roughly, DVD-R and DVD+R discs work in about 85% of existing drives and players, while DVD-RW and DVD+RW discs work in around 80%. The situation is steadily improving. In another few years compatibility problems will mostly be behind us, just as with CD-R (did you know that early CD-Rs had all kinds of compatibility problems?).

Why does DVD+RW cost more?

DVD+R is a write-once variation of DVD+RW, which appeared in mid 2002. It's a dye-based medium, like DVD-R, so it has similar compatibility as DVD-R. Original DVD+RW drives did not fulfill the promise of a simple upgrade to add DVD+R writing support, so they have to be replaced with newer models. The original Philips DVD+RW video recorders, on the other hand, can be customer-upgraded to write +R discs. There is generally less production volume of DVD+RW, thus lower production yield, and they’re made of a more expensive material.

History of ReWritables

It’s often said that the only constant in the computer and consumer electronics industries is change. Nonetheless, CD-R and CD-RW have remained a constant and trusted companion for many. CD-R and CD-RW technologies have, of course, evolved over the years but change here has come in practical and tangible improvements to quality, performance and ease of use. Unique compatibility and affordability, at the same time, have made CD-R and CD-RW the popular storage choice of industry and consumers alike.

Some of the earliest (i.e. early 1980's) home computers came with a Floppy Disk and nothing else. For this reason it was called the ""A" drive and, if you were lucky enough to have two of these drives in a machine (for copying disks, for example), then the second one would be called the "B" drive. Later, hard disk drives were introduced. These do not have replaceable diskettes and they are capable of holding much more information. To protect them, they are stored inside the computer case, and they became the "C" drives.

When CDROM drives were introduced, they became the "D" drives. Now there are many more types of storage media available - read-writeable CD-ROMs, Zip drives, and tape back-up drives, just to name a few. Each of these can be assigned as the "E" or with some subsequent drive letter. When computers are linked together, or "networked", many of the programs and files can be stored centrally on a more powerful computer called a "server". This allows us to go to any computer on the system and find the files we have stored, regardless of whether of not we originally created them while we were using a different computer on the network. Most computers in labs, in classrooms and in our libraries are of this type.

CD-Recordable (CD-R) and CD-ReWritable (CD-RW) are members of the Compact Disc (CD) family but, unlike the prerecorded pressed audio CDs and CD-ROMs we use every day, CD-R and CD-RW discs can be written by the user. These special discs can hold up to 650 MB of data or 74 minutes of CD or VHS quality audio or video. CD-R discs have a special dye-recording layer that is optically recorded by a laser in the CD-R/RW drive. Information is irreversibly written by creating a pattern of dull marks and shiny spaces, which can be added incrementally, until the disc is full.

CD-RW discs are a little different. They contain a special phase-change metal recording layer that is also optically recorded by a CD-R/RW drive and can be rewritten many times over. As with CD-R, data is written to a CD-RW disc by creating a pattern of dull marks and shiny spaces but, because of the nature of the phase change recording material, data can be recorded over and over (up to 1,000 times.) Once recorded, CD-R discs can be read on any CD audio player, CD-ROM or MultiRead DVD-ROM drive. CD-RW discs don't reflect as much light as do CD-R discs, so they are only readable in newer "MultiRead" CD-ROM and DVD-ROM drives which include the necessary electronics to compensate for the diminished light level.

Difference in storage life between RW and R

DVDs are read by a laser, so they never wear out from being played since nothing touches the disc. Pressed discs (the kind that movies come on) will probably last longer than you will, anywhere from 50 to 300 years.
Expected longevity of dye-based DVD-R and DVD+R discs is anywhere from 20 to 250 years, about as long as CD-R discs. Some dye formulations (such as phthalocyanine and azo) are more stable and last longer, 100 years or more, compared to 20 or 30 years for less stable dyes.
The phase-change erasable formats (DVD-RAM, DVD-RW, and DVD+RW) have an expected lifetime of 25 to 100 years.

In all cases, longevity can be reduced by poor quality. Poor quality pressed DVDs may deteriorate within a few years, and cheap recordable DVDs may produce errors when recording or may become unreadable after a while. For comparison, magnetic media (tapes and disks) last 10 to 30 years; high-quality, acid-neutral paper can last 100 years or longer; and archival-quality microfilm is projected to last 300 years or more. Note that computer storage media often becomes technically obsolete within 20 to 30 years, long before it physically deteriorates. In other words, before the media becomes unviable it may become difficult or impossible to find equipment that can read it.

What’s DVD6C?

DVD6C, a consortium that owns the key patents related to the DVD Forum approved technologies, such as DVD-R, DVD-RW, DVD-RAM and DVD-Audio. DVD6C has licensed essential DVD patents owned by its member companies since June 1999 (adding licensing for DVD-Recorders, DVD-Audio Players, DVD-R, -RW and -RAM Drives, DVD-Audio, -R, -RW, -and -RAM Discs and Cases in September 2003). DVD6C’s licenses cover patents owned by the 6C member companies that are essential for products that comply with the DVD-format specifications defined by the DVD Forum.

The DVD6C Licensing Group (DVD6C), whose members include seven leading developers of DVD technology and formats—Hitachi, Ltd., International Business Machines Corporation, Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. (Panasonic), Mitsubishi Electric Corporation, Toshiba Corporation, Victor Company of Japan, Ltd. (JVC) and Warner Home Video Inc. —have announced that SANYO Electric Co., Ltd. (SANYO) and Sharp Corporation (Sharp) joined its worldwide joint licensing program which provides manufacturers of DVD products the ability to license essential DVD patents owned by the group’s members. DVD6C offers a one-stop licensing for companies willing to use the DVD patents owned by its member companies. The consortium also announces the licensing fees for various products.

DVD6C also set the new licensing fees for DVD-Video encoders and read-only DVD players and DVD-ROM drives—all of those products are licensed by DVD6C. The group hopes that by clarifying the licensing fees it can finally crush the competition coming from the Philips-led DVD+RW Alliance.

Blank CD-R

CD Media can be a great way to differentiate your company, your brand or your products. Today many people use a variety of CD media products.
CDRW or re-writeable CDs are less widely used today outside of the home or the office. Today's big players are write-once CDs, or CDR. CDR is used widely across the world and can be bought very cheaply in the marketplace. CDR is manufactured in plants across the world with quality usually directly relative to price.

The CD disc is actually just a small, transparent plastic disc. The plastic disc becomes a CDR when a foil film is coated onto the disc's top side. It is interesting that most people are careful to protect the underside of their discs from scratches, abrasions and other damage. The reality is that the top side of the disc is probably more sensitive to data loss. Using the wrong pen or spilling any substance to the top side of a cheap silver disc can cause immediate damage, so be warned. CD media of a higher quality will have a coated top side that will ensure the integrity of the data under normal day to day conditions. Be warned however that some white topped CDR discs can be very cheap mixed media almost picked off the manufacturing plant floor, or from disingenuous importers that want to make a quick buck.

Unbranded CDRs are often bought in packs of 100 in a cello wrap. Usually, they are described as being on a spindle. Sometimes the media will usually arrive spindle less - the term is really a figure of speech. Unbranded CDRs from a good source will be ideal for most daily purposes. Without guarantee however, it should be avoided where you require long term data integrity.
Often branded CDRs will come from the same factory as the unbranded.
Other blank CD products might include colored CDs or shaped CDs, 8cm CDs or business card CDs. These can be ideal but you should always assess the requirement of your target market and installed hardware base. Slot drive CD readers might, for example, not eject an 8cm or shaped CD once it has been inserted. Check the variety of CD-R of thetechgeek.com.

Disseminate data, software, music, video and etc.

CDR manufacturing is ideal for companies, individuals, musicians, or creative agencies who want to get their product to market promptly. CDR manufacturing allows anyone who has content to sell, share or distribute a low cost and effective method of reaching their market.
By using a CD to distribute music, video, data, software, games and presentations companies and individuals can quickly turn their investment into profit. There has never been a better time to consider CDR Manufacturing, CD Duplication or buying a CD Duplicator.
The cost of CD Manufacturing today is so low due to the competitive nature of the industry that you can produce your product very cheaply. The total cost for manufacture of a product is likely to be a maximum of 10% of the actual market price. Check the blank CD-R and duplication machine here.

How do CDs work?

Like vinyl records, the information on optical discs is recorded on a spiral track. With a CD, however, the laser starts reading the disc from the inside ring (table of contents) and ends up on the outside. When playback starts, a laser beam shines on the ridges and lands on the data membrane layer. During playback, the number of revolutions of the disc decreases from 500 to 200 rpm to maintain a constant scanning speed. The disc data is converted into electrical pulses by reflections of the laser beam from a photoelectric cell. When the laser beam strikes "land", the beam is reflected onto the photoelectric cell. When it strikes a "ridge", the photocell will receive only a weak reflection. Thus, the photoelectrical cell receives series of light pulses corresponding to the ridges and lands in the disc. These light pulses are the foundation of binary 'digital' data. A simple substitution for the weak signal "0" and the in-focus signal "1" results in a pure digital playback without alteration, every time, without failure or degradation.

Thanks to this optical scanning system, there is no friction between the laser beam and the disc. As a result, the discs do not wear, no matter how often they are played. However, they must be treated carefully, as scratches, grease stains and dust might intercept or diffract the light, causing whole series of pulses to be skipped or distorted. Without an error correction system optical disc players would not have existed, as even the slightest vibration of the floor would cause sound and image distortions. When the laser beam hits land, all of its light is reflected and the cell gives off current. When the laser beam shines on a ridge, half of the light hits the upper surface and the other half hits the lower down service. The difference in height between the two places is exactly a quarter of a wavelength of the laser beam light, so the original beam is totally eliminated by the interference between the beam reflected from the surface of the disc and the beam reflected from the ridge.

It is quite normal for the (compact) disc to move back and forth 1mm during playback. A flexible regulator keeps the lens at a distance of +/- 2 micrometer from the rotating disc. For the same reason, a perfect tracking system is required. The complex task of following the track is controlled by an electronic servo system. The servo system ensures the track is followed accurately by measuring the signal output. If the output decreases, the system recognizes this as being "off track" and returns the tracking system to its optimum state.

As long as you copy from a good master CD on to a CD-R with the right burning procedure (and software), the same high audio quality will be found on the duplicated CD-R. Select good quality CD-R from a wide selection at thetechgeek.com.

What are Video CDs?

VCD stands for 'Video Compact Disc' and basically it is a CD that contains moving pictures and sound. If you're familiar with regular audio/music CDs, then you will know what a VCD looks alike. Video CD or VCD is a standard format for storing video on a Compact Disc. Video CDs are playable in dedicated players, personal computers, and many DVD players. Starting in Asia, then working their way to the United States and other countries, the VCD was a cheaper way of putting both audio and video on a disc than DVD. The VCD also predated the DVD in the consumer marketplace somewhat. The VCD standard was created in 1993 by Sony, Philips, Matsushita, and JVC and is referred to as the White Book standard.

Most CD burning software today can handle the VCD format as well. You can have your system read in the VCD file and just pop in a CD-R to duplicate the video. Use some good quality CD-R to ensure you have good play back. Check out blank CD-R at thetechgeek.com.

VCD display resolution is 352x240 pixels (NTSC) or 352x288 pixels (PAL), approximately one quarter of full TV resolution (720x480 for NTSC, 720x576 for PAL). VCD video is in MPEG-1 format; audio is encoded as MPEG Layer 2 (MP2); video is stored at 1150 kilobits per second, audio at 224 kbit/s. Overall picture quality is intended to be comparable to VHS video, though visual artifacts may be noticeable in some cases. Poorly compressed video in VCD tends to be not as good as VHS video. Since the overall bit rate of VCD is approximately equal to the bit rate of an ordinary audio CD, the length of video that can be stored is similar to that of a CD: a standard 74 minute CD can hold about 74 minutes of VCD-format video.

Think of it as VHS-quality video with nearly MP3-quality sound. While never gaining much of a foothold in the United States or Europe, commercial VCDs are very popular throughout Asia because of the low price of the players, their tolerance of high humidity (a notable problem for VCRs), and the lower-cost media. The negligible cost of the media gave rise to widespread unauthorized copying in these areas, which is probably the reason it was never widely supported by the entertainment industry in the United States. VCD does however have a few points in its favor:

Unlike DVDs, VCDs have no region coding, which means they can be played on any compatible machine worldwide. Some titles available on VCD may not be available on DVD and/or VHS in the prospective buyer's region. They are much cheaper than DVDs. A VCD of the same film may cost only one-third of the price on DVD. On the other hand, they do not come with the bonus features of DVDs, such as choice of language, deleted scenes, theatrical and television previews, interviews, outtakes, and production notes. VCD is also a very popular format for karaoke in East Asia, where picture quality concern is not paramount.

These factors may ensure a steady market for VCDs for many years to come.

What are VCD, SVCD, WinDVD, PowerDVD?

SVCD stands for "Super VideoCD". A SVCD is very similiar to a VCD, it has the capacity to hold about 35-60 minutes on 74/80 min CDs of very good quality full-motion video along with up to 2 stereo audio tracks and also 4 selectable subtitles. A SVCD can be played on many standalone DVD Players and of course on all computers with a DVD-ROM or CD-ROM drive with the help of a software based decoder / player. It is also possible to use menus and chapters, similiar to DVDs, on a SVCD and also simple photo album/slide shows with background audio. The quality of a SVCD is much better than a VCD, especially much more sharpen picture than a VCD because of the higher resolution. But the quality depends how many minutes you choose to store on a CD, less minutes/CD generally means higher quality. If you have problem playing SVCD on your computer try different video player software, in Windows try WinDVD or PowerDVD (software DVD Players but supports SVCD).

What is CVD then?

CVD is basically the same as SVCD but with a lower video resolution. Using a lower resolution you get more data for each pixel, which means less mpeg artifacts such as blockiness, compared to a SVCD with the same bitrate, but you will lose some sharpness. Most SVCD capable standalone DVD Players supports CVD. XSVCD stands for eXtendedSVCD. XSVCD has same features as SVCD but it is possible to use higher bitrates and higher resolution to get higher video quality. XSVCD is more or less everything that uses MPEG2 video, is not within the SVCD standard and burnt in "SVCD"-Mode.

A X(S)VCD can be played on:

XVCD on some standalone VCD Players but not XSVCD at all.
Some standalone DVD Players check here for a compatibility list. The main problem why many players won't play X(S)VCD is that it may require faster CD-R/W reading speed in the Player. And, of course, on all computers with a CD-ROMs/DVD-ROMs with a software VCD/MPG Player.

To play a SVCD you need a software DVD Player, insert the SVCD in your CD-ROM or DVD-ROM and open the .mpg file in the MPEG2 or MPEGAV folder with any player like PowerDVD or WinDVD. Or if you want to access SVCD menus and still pictures, use WinDVD and insert the SVCD in your CD-ROM or DVD-ROM and hit play (presuming you’re not a Mac user).
To play MPEG2/SVCD with Windows Media Player, you need a software DVD Player installed or a MPEG2 Codec. Note that playing a SVCD directly from a CD usually don't work well with Windows Media Player and Media Player can also cause audio sync problems and wrong aspect ratios (it depends on what kind of mpeg2 codec or dvd player you have installed). But that’s all way too Geek-specific.

What is the advantage of DVD over VCD?

This, like so many other things, is a matter of opinion as well as functionality. As long as we understand our terminology, then we stand a good chance of perhaps not even having to ask the question at all. So, in the interest of keeping it all clear, let’s make sure we have our definitions right. That way we can ensure that the format follows function. VCD, simply put, is a high density optical storage medium. It looks the same as a music CD, though it mostly holds movies, using compressed MPEG-1 video. It has the capacity to hold up to 80/90 minutes on a 700MB/800MB CD respectively, of video along with stereo-quality sound. VCDs are stored on CD-Rs, making them one of the least expensive storage media, and compatible with a wide array of devices.

DVD: DVD stands for Digital Versatile Disc. A DVD-R can store up to 8 hours of very high quality DVD-Video encoded in MPEG-2 format. DVD files can be burned on DVD-Rs to play the video with standalone DVD players. If you plan to play your DVD on a PC, then you need a MPEG-2 decoder. If such a decoder is not installed, Windows Media Player will output an error saying that it was unable to find a codec to play the file. DVDs have a fixed pre-defined dimension. If you play them on your PC, they may seem to be stretched; however, the video should look fine on your DVD player.

So, which one? You have the Freedom of Choice. VCD offers a cheaper solution and easy copying ability, but you lose both audio and video resolution. DVD allows for more flexibility; you can skip ahead or back, enjoy broadcast-quality image and sound and more functionality in general. Geek tip: Did you know that DVDs are in general easier to scratch and go bad than CDs and therefore VCDs? Something to think about.

Glossary: What is lossy?

Lossy is a term to describe compression techniques that throw away data as part of the process. The more data "loss", the smaller the file, and the lower the quality (grainy or jagged edged) image. Lossy compression methods include JPEG and MPEG. Note: with JPEG, "high" means high compression (greater loss) and "low" means low compression (less loss). Lossy is used to denote a form of compression that degrades the quality of the image being compressed.

Musicians: How to publish your own CD album?

Review is a big help. The CD artwork, like the press kit, must be well thought out. You should customize your press kits so that they look in sync with your CD. This way, when a writer opens up a package, the press kit and the CD look like they go together. Don’t bother with sending out advance burns of your CD unless the writer requests them. Full artwork is always preferred. Reviewers and fans alike enjoy getting full artwork CDs – advances and burned CDs are not as intriguing. Presentation is very important. A big pet peeve is—many people do not like CDs that don’t have jewel cases (or at least spines). If a CD is in a baggie or a thin sleeve, it makes the CD impossible to find. It also comes across as penny ante, nickel-and-dime—just unprofessional.

Geek tip: Put your phone number and contact info in the CD so that if it gets separated from the press kit, the reviewer/critic knows how to contact you. Also, "Recommended Tracks" stickers are great for the press (don’t suggest more than two or three selections, usually one). Don't waste precious CD's! Unless you are sure a writer actually writes CD reviews (few newspaper writers are given the space to run them), don't waste your hard-earned dollars sending out CDs. Most folks like well-organized packages as well that are stapled together, so they can take as long as they like to get through it and flip through cohesive info—and put as much contact information on the CD on the bio and on the photo.

Unsolicited glossies with no band name on them and usually find their way into the round file. If and there is no name or # or URL on the photos, they will never get used, except maybe for some other creative person’s artwork project. Take it from the Geek—a 20+ year veteran of the music scene and a professional musician—there are lots of utilities on the web to help the just-starting out musician create their own CDs—but watch out for companies with the agenda of trying to sell you something. Often, anymore, you can go through a full-on replication house and spend even less than if you DIY… and you’ll get a better looking, sounding and longer-lasting product.