by Swire
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Before you hand off your DVD to a replicator, an important step is to sign off on the DVD master, these are just some of the essentials to look for:
- Platforms: Check the DVD master on as many platforms as possible, in a set top player (new and old, different brands), and on both Mac and PC. Never test the DVD master on a computer only, as it tends to be more “forgiving” as far as compatibility goes
- TV standard: check whether the title is NTSC or PAL on a TV set, a computer will play both PAL and NTSC
- Menu: it should starts up properly, all menu buttons should be functional, check for general flow of navigation
- Aspect Ratios: Make sure that the aspect ration look acceptable on both a 16:9 and 4:3 tv
- Video: Make sure that the quality is up to expectation, play it all the way through and look for skips and freezes
- Audio: Check for audio levels throughout the video and make sure it is acceptable
by Swire
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Macrovision Ripguard protects most burning and decrypting made from a computer, it prevents the ripping of content from the original DVD.
Setting up the DVD master is a little bit tricky. First, your authoring software need to support a DLT drive, because the content will be written and submitted in a DLT format. The DLT will then be embedded with RipGuard encryption, and lastly be uesd for replication.
We suggest replicated check discs on all RipGuard titles because there is additional content/information added to the master, and at times, depending on the machine or the authoring, it could affect the playability of the DVD.
Costs to consider are RipGuard embedding, and the royalty charge per disc to Macrovision.
by Swire
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Macrovision ACP copy protection prevents and distorts copies made with an analog device such as VCR, DVD recorder or other analog recording devices.
The protection needs to be enabled, or “flagged” during the authoring stage and the authoring software should support Macrovision ACP Type II. The content can either be written to a DLT, or exported as a DDP 2.0 file format then burned as a DVD-Rom.
by Swire
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A replication check disc is “pressed” with the actual replication press, and it is created with the same glass master that will be use to press the rest of the project.
It is the only safe way to proof a replicated CD/DVD, because all the CD-R or DVD-R that we can create from computer & recorder are “burned”, especially if you are concern with the layer break of a DVD-9 project
by Swire
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This question come up all the time from customers, and I usually ask them 2 questions. What is the quantity needed? How soon do you need them?
Duplication is a “burn” disc from either a CD-R or DVD-R, the turnaround time is faster than replication, and on an extreme case we can push to get 500 done in a day. However, the cost per unit is higher once you break the 500 quantity mark. Duplication doesn’t have any minimum and can be done as low as 1 copy.
Replication is a “press” disc from our big machines, there are a few big machines involved for a replication job. The usual turnaround time is 10-12 business days. Replication has a lower per unit cost, because once the machine is set up we will just let it run (takes about 3 seconds to do a disc). If you are doing 500 more and can wait for 2 weeks you should consider replication.
by Swire
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DVDs can be region coded so that a US made DVD cannot be played in Asia, Europe etc. There are currently 6 regions, such codes are established to allow titles to be distributed in different parts of the world at different times.
This is a good option if you plan to have a release for North America, and another release for the same title in Europe or Asia countries. So people can only purchase the DVD that is made for that region
The region code needs to be added at the authoring stage, and cannot be apply afterwards
The region codes are:
1: U.S., Canada, U.S. Territories
2: Japan, Europe, South Africa, and Middle East (including Egypt)
3: Southeast Asia and East Asia (including Hong Kong)
4: Australia, New Zealand, Pacific Islands, Central America, Mexico, South America, and the Caribbean
5: Eastern Europe (Former Soviet Union), Indian subcontinent, Africa, North Korea, and Mongolia
6: China
