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1. What is CD or DVD authoring?
2. Blank CD-R
3. What is MultiRead?
4. What is MultiPlay?
5. What is CD-RW?
6. What is a DVD, anyway?
7. What is DVD-R?
8. What is DVD+R?
9. What is DVD-RW?
10. What is DVD+RW?
11. What are Video CDs?
12. What are VCD, SVCD, WinDVD, PowerDVD?
13. What is DVD6C?
14. What is CVD then?
15. Replication vs. duplication

1. What is CD or DVD authoring?

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.

2. 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.

CD-R is short for “Compact Disc-Recordable”. It is a media which works just like a standard CD, and can be written once, furthermore, anything you record on it is permanent, for example if you make a mistake while recording a CD-R you cannot go back to erase and rewrite it. The advantage of CD-R over other types of optical media is that you can use the disc with a standard CD drive, this means CD-R surely can work in all drives. The disadvantage is that you can’t rewrite once the disc has been used.

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 CD-R. CD-R is used widely across the world and can be bought very cheaply in the stores. 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 CD-R when a foil film is coated onto the disc's topside. It is interesting that most people protect the underside of their discs very carefully from scratches, abrasions and other damage. The reality is that the topside of the disc is probably more sensitive to data loss. Using the wrong pen or spilling any substance to the topside of a cheap silver disc can cause immediate damage, so be warned. CD media of a higher quality will have a coated topside that ensure the integrity of the data under normal day to day conditions. Be warned however that some white-topped CD-R 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 CD-Rs 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 CD-Rs 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 CD-Rs will come from the same factory as the unbranded. Simply put, it's a CD-R disc with nothing printed on the top surface. Some people need "plain" discs that they can print on, or simply like them for the aesthetic value. There is no difference in quality or capacity.

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.

3. What is MultiRead?

The MultiRead specification was created by OSTA in 1997 to provide hardware manufacturers with the requirements necessary to make CD-ROM drives and recorders read CD-RW discs. MultiRead also bridges the differences between CD and DVD technologies and provides the framework for DVD-ROM drives and recorders to read CD-R and CD-RW discs. Specifically, MultiRead requires that compatible drives read Red Book CD audio and CD-ROM information contained on prerecorded (pressed), CD-R and CD-RW discs.

4. What is MultiPlay?

The MultiPlay specification was created by OSTA in 2000 to provide hardware manufacturers with the requirements necessary to make CD and DVD consumer electronics devices play CD-R and CD-RW discs. Specifically, MultiPlay requires that all compatible devices play prerecorded (pressed), CD-R and CD-RW discs in Red Book audio format. Devices with CD-Text and VideoCD capabilities must also play these formats when written on CD-R and CD-RW discs.

5. What is CD-RW?

Differing from CD-R, a relatively advanced technology called CD-ReWritable allows you to erase and re-record on the same disc over and over again. Based on the features above, there’s no doubt that CD-RWs cost more than CD-Rs—actually they use different disc material.

6. What is a DVD?

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 laser disc, 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.

7. What is DVD-R?

DVD-R discs can hold around 4.7GB (one side), or 90 minutes of DVD-Quality video. Please note that neither CD-R nor DVD-R discs can be erased or changed once they have been recorded.

DVD-R is compatible with DVD-ROM, DVD-Video and DVD-Audio so that recorded DVD-R discs can be read on any suitable DVD hardware, depending on the format of the data contained on the DVD-R. However discs cannot use CSS copy protection. Also DVD-9 discs cannot be written to DVD-R. Media and drives are capable of up to 8x writing speed, with speeds up to becoming available in the future.

DVD-R discs allow incremental writing including drag and drop file transfer and using UDF. Each section of data written to the disc is a Bordered Area and is followed by Border Out and Border In, which precede the next Bordered Area (if any). Each Bordered Area begins with the UDF file system and ends with the Virtual Allocation Table (VAT).

8. What is DVD+R?

DVD+Rs are not recognized by the DVD Forum, but are very similar to DVD-R General media. The format was developed by Philips and Sony as an extension of the DVD+RW format supported by the DVD+RW Alliance comprising HP, Philips, Ricoh, Sony, Yamaha, Verbatim/Mitsubishi Chemical, Dell and Thomson. Speeds up to 16x are available with faster media and drives expected in the future.

A dual layer version of DVD+R media (DVD+R DL) with a capacity of 8.5 GB is now available and most new writers support this version. Writing speeds are lower than single layer media, the maximum being about 4x at present. Both layers must contain the same amount of data so both layers must be written in one session.

9. What is DVD-RW?

DVD-RWs use groove recording offering a 4.7GB capacity per side. The format offers advantages over tape in life (videotape life is only 15 to 20 years) and the ability to edit home movies. DVD-RW discs are designed to be compatible with existing players and drives. Discs are recordable over 1,000 times and they have the same optical properties as a DVD-9 disc.

DVD-RW discs can be used for videotape replacement, video authoring and desktop PC backup. Consumer applications include video recording and home authoring. DVD-RW discs also offer CPRM copy protection and can include BCA serialisation.

10. What is DVD+RW?

DVD+RW is a re-writable format introduced in October 2001 by the DVD+RW Alliance and is not supported by the DVD Forum. DVD+RW discs have a capacity of 4.7 GB and do not need a cartridge. They offer 1,000 re-writes.

DVD+RW incorporates lossless linking technology, allowing the drive or video recorder to accurately stop and start the writing process, or to replace individual 32kB data blocks.

11. 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.

12. What are VCD, SVCD, WinDVD, PowerDVD?

SVCD stands for "Super VideoCD". A SVCD is very similar 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, similar 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).

13. 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.

14. 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.

15. Duplication vs. Replication

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.

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