Replication Q&As

What is the difference between replication and duplication?

Replication is an injection molding process used by all studios and music labels. It is the most cost-efficient and reliable process for manufacturing digital media (DVDs and CDs). Replication is mandatory when disc content won't fit on a single-sided, single-layer disc and offers less room for error than does duplication. Replicated discs are the only type sold in retail environments.

Duplication is the standard in which smaller quantities of DVDs are usually manufactured. DVD-R media is loaded into burners. The information is digitally extracted from the master source (usually a master DVD-R) and transferred to the blank discs. The information is typically verified and the copy then accepted or rejected. Because of the natural variance in the burning process, duplicated discs have a greater probability of playback error than do replicated discs and are not sold in retail environments.

What are the steps involved in replication?

1. Pre-mastering
   

   In DVD premastering the media format is verified. This includes DDP (disc description protocol), security scrambling status, regional coding, video title and end sector instruction sets.

2. Glass Mastering
   

   A laser beam recorder (LBR) creates a glass master with all the data etched into a photo resistive layer.

3. Electroplating
   

   The glass master is electroplated with nickel, creating an intermediate mold called a father. The father is used to create a reverse intermediate mold called mother. Finally, the mother mold is used to create a stamper mold.

4. Stamping
   

   The stamper is mounted on to injection molding machines and presses the recorded data onto polycarbonate discs which eventually become DVDs.

5. Metallization
   

   The transparent polycarbonate discs are covered by a micro thin layer of aluminum to reflect the laser light allowing the pits to be read.

6. Lacquering
   

   The DVD is then spin coated with a protective layer of lacquer and is now ready for printing.

7. Bonding
   

   The two substrates are "glued" together to produce a DVD disc. The gluing must be optically transparent, without defect, and of uniform thickness to the close tolerances of DVD specifications.

8. Printing
   

   Printing either by a silk screen or offset process, with up to six colors on the disc.

9. Packaging
   

   The DVD is automatically packaged in bulk on a spindle; however, the vast majority of orders are assembled into a standard black Amaray case.

How long does the process take?

It typically takes 10 - 14 days from receipt of all assets, once the check discs and artwork have been approved, for the DVDs to be ready to be shipped. Add 5 - 7 days during September - November.

How does copy protection work?

Copy protection inserts an application into the DVD that prevents the disc from successfully copying. Adding copy protection to a DVD will cause the data be scrambled and then unscrambled during the mastering process. It greatly helps protect against piracy but it does not eliminate the chance completely. However, if someone does manage to break the code, the end copy will likely be of very poor quality. CSS (Content Scramble System) was the original encryption application and uses a weak, proprietary 40-bit encryption stream cipher algorithm. RipGuard is now popularly used. It is important to note that copy protection can only happen when there is a DLT.

How can I make my DVD 100% compatible?

There's no way to totally guarantee that your DVD will work in 100% of all players. Authoring and encoding are the most important factors impacting compatibility, so be sure to review the output from your check disk on as many different players as possible before replicating. There is always a player out there that might have a problem with a certain feature you author. To maximize your disc's compatibility:

• Replicate the discs
• Do not use regional encoding
• Use NTSC format—Over 95% of DVD players worldwide can play NTSC discs (with Dolby Digital audio); however, PAL discs will not work on most NTSC players