Replication

What is Disc Replication?

CD and DVD replication is the process of stamping discs. It is used when larger quantities are required, as it is cheaper than duplicating after initial set-up costs have been covered. Disc replication usually takes 10-12 business days to complete.

Most CDs sold in record stores or DVDs that you hire or buy are replicated, as are most Blu-ray discs.

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How it works

Firstly, we make a high quality recordable disc master from which a glass master, and then a metal stamping plate is made. The discs are pressed in a stamping machine at pressures of up to 20 tons psi, then coated on one side with silver reflective material.

The discs are then printed in as many colours as required, from screens made from positive film, offset, and more recently new inkjet technologies. CD and DVD replication is usually for quantities of 1000 or more, although with CD-ROM services huge automated capacity, we can produce thousands of discs daily using a duplicating process at only a fraction more then replicating, and very quickly.

CD-ROM Services replication is done locally in Australia, mostly in Melbourne or Sydney. Although many companies send their replicating to China, it is CD-ROM Services policy to have the job done locally.

Quality and reliability

There is now no difference in the longevity or play-ability of a CD or DVD regardless of whether it was duplicated or replicated. Over 15 years ago production facilities for both replicated and duplicated discs were less sophisticated and less reliable, and occasionally we saw both badly produced replication and duplication media.

Even today, some replicators/duplicators use cheaper unbranded media which may not produce quality discs.

At CD-ROM Services we primarily use Taiyo Yuden media. It is the only Japanese media made today and is considered to be the best. Although slightly more expensive, the superior results it produces is well worth it. Facts are that if a quality recordable disc is used, and the duplication process has been done properly, it will work everywhere and will last a very long time, probably longer than most of us.

CD-ROM Services have always had the policy of verifying the data of every duplicated disc, ensuring absolutely top quality CD and DVD duplication.

You may also be interested in CD and DVD duplication.

Specifications for CD masters with data

Choose the correct mode

Most data CDs should be recorded Mode 1, rather than Mode 2XA.Data on a CD-ROM is stored in sectors, or blocks of data. Each sector holds 2,352 bytes of data.

Structure of a Mode 1 disc:

  • 16 bytes of data is used to identify to the CD-ROM reader the location and identity of the block.
  • Then follows 2,048 bytes of user data.
  • There is also 304 bytes of extra error correction, above and beyond the standard error correction that exists on all CDs. This is needed because data CD-ROMs are less tolerant to faults than audio CDs.

On a Mode 2XA disc, the extra error correction is dispensed with, allowing 2,336 bytes of user data per sector. This means that because a disc can rotate at only a finite speed, you can read more data per rotation from a Mode 2XA disc than from a Mode 1 disc, making a Mode 2XA disc ideal for multimedia applications, such as QuickTime and MPEG video playback, where high reading speed is critical. But it is at the expense of the extra error correction given by the Mode 1 format.

Therefore, static data (such as text documents, PDFs, graphics, HTML, PowerPoint presentations, etc) should always be recorded Mode 1. Video files, and Enhanced CDs (CDs containing both CD Audio and CD-ROM data) should always be recorded Mode 2XA. This discussion about the merits of Mode 1 or Mode 2XA does not apply to DVD-ROM, because there is no option to record DVD-ROM discs in Mode 2XA.

Check your content

We do not check your data discs before duplicating. It is your responsibility to check whether the content of your discs works well on a variety of players, and on a variety of different computers and operating systems.

  • If you have images in a presentation, such as a PowerPoint file, make sure that the images are embedded in the file, not just linked to a file on your local system.
  • Use standard system fonts. If you use an unusual font, check to see what happens if you play your discs in a computer that doesn't have the font you've used.
  • If you're making your disc playable on Windows and Macintosh computers, make sure that it works both on Mac OS9 and MacOSX.
  • For very high compatibility, keep file names to the old MS-DOS naming system of eight characters plus a three letter extension.
  • If you must use long filenames, keep names to less than 31 characters to ensure compatibility with MacOS9 and earlier. Even if you are not concerned about compatibility with Macintosh computers, keep file names shorter than 64 characters to ensure compatibility with older versions of Windows operating system.
  • Use only alpha-numeric characters in the file names. The underscore (_) and hyphen (-) are also acceptable.
  • Avoid other characters. The slash symbol (/) popularly used in Macintosh file names is incompatible with MS-DOS and Windows operating systems. The other Macintosh habit of putting spaces at the beginning or end of file names is also incompatible with MS-DOS and Windows.
  • Auto-Run, which automatically launches specific files or folders, works on most older Windows computers such as those running Windows XP, but Auto-Run does NOT work reliably on Windows 7 or 8 computers and does NOT work at all on Macintosh computers.
  • For multimedia content, avoid less popular playback formats unless you're sure that your recipients can play them.

Do not use Packet-Writing

Packet-written CDs, such as those written by Adaptec's Direct-CD and Nero's InCD, are NOT suitable for duplication. If you supply a packet-written disc, it will always need to be remastered. Additional charges may apply and additional turnaround time will needed.

Alternative data formats

If you are unable to supply a data CD or DVD master, you can also supply data in the following ways (Additional charges may apply, and you will need to allow extra time.)

In order for us to complete your duplication job accurately, unless you supply us with a ready-to-duplicate disc, you must check the master disc before we proceed.

Alternative ways of supplying data to us include:

  • FTP
  • DropBox
  • Email
  • USB drive
  • SD Card

See also: Specifications for all master discs

Specifications for Audio CD masters

Supply your disc as you would like it to play

The master audio CD should be supplied with tracks in the correct sequence, ready to play. We can re-arrange your masters, and can also edit your audio, but extra charges will apply, and you will have to allow extra time to check any re-mastered discs.

Check your content

We spot-check all audio CD masters, but we are unable to thoroughly check audio CDs before burning. Check that there are no glitches resulting from a bad burn. Check also that the spacing between tracks is correct.

Check Copyright

Unless you own the copyright on both the performance and the content, you will need to show us that you have written permission from the copyright owner, or a licence from AMCOS, the Australasian Mechanical Copyright Owners' Society. See our Copyright page for more details.

Alternative audio formats

If you are unable to supply an audio CD, a data CD or DVD master, you can also supply audio on the following formats (additional charges and additional turnaround time may apply):

In order for us to complete your duplication job accurately, unless you supply us with a ready-to-duplicate disc, you must check the master disc before we proceed.

DAT (Digital Audio Tape):

  • DATs may be sampled at 32, 44.1 or 48 kHz, but for highest quality transfer to CD, 44.1 kHz is preferred.
  • Please use new tapes where possible.
  • Please record silence for at least 30 seconds before the start of the first track of audio.
  • Start IDs should be present to indicate where you want tracks to change on the CD.

Mini Disc:

  • You should have tracks on the Mini Disc correspond to where you want the tracks on the CD.
  • Standard Play is preferred, but Long Play (MDLP2 or MDLP4) is available. HI-MD is currently not available.
  • If you have a HI-MD disc to be transferred, you will also need to supply a HI-MD player.

WAV or AIFF files on disc:

  • Any sample rate up to 96 kHz.

MP3 files:

  • On disc, USB flash memory or via email or FTP.

Quarter inch analogue open reel tape:

  • Without dbx or Dolby noise-reduction
  • The following tape speeds are available:
    • 4.76 cm/s (1 7/8 ips)
    • 9.5 cm/s (3 3/4 ips)
    • 19.05 cm/s (7 1/2 ips)
    • 38.1 cm/s (15 ips)
  • The following recording formats are available:
    • Full track mono
    • Half track mono or stereo
    • Quarter track mono or stereo

PCM on Betamax:

  • Sony 501 or compatible, PAL only.

Audio Cassette:

  • Audio can be transferred from a standard audio-cassette, but this is not recommended (if there is any higher-quality alternative) due to the generally inferior quality of cassettes and the compatibility problems associated with phase alignment and Dolby playback level.

Click here to see instructions for creating an Audio CD Master using Nero. See also: Specifications for all master discs | CD-ROM Data | CD-Audio | DVD-ROM Data | DVD-Video |

Specifications for DVD-ROM data master discs

Check your content

We do not check your data discs before duplicating. It is your responsibility to check whether the content of your discs works well on a variety of players, and on a variety of different computers and operating systems.

  • If you have images in a presentation, such as a PowerPoint file, make sure that the images are embedded in the file, not just linked to a file on your local system.
  • Use standard system fonts. If you use an unusual font, check to see what happens if you play your discs in a computer that doesn't have the font you've used.
  • If you're making your disc playable on Windows and Macintosh computers, make sure that it works both on Mac OS9 and Mac OSX.
  • For very high compatibility, keep file names to the old MS-DOS naming system of eight characters plus a three letter extension.
  • If you must use long file-names, keep names to less than 31 characters to ensure compatibility with MacOS9 and earlier. Even if you are not concerned about compatibility with Macintosh computers, keep file names shorter than 64 characters to ensure compatibility with older versions of Windows operating system.
  • Use only alpha-numeric characters in the file names. The underscore (_) and hyphen (-) are also acceptable.
  • Avoid other characters. The slash symbol (/) popularly used in Macintosh file names is incompatible with MS-DOS and Windows operating systems. The other Macintosh habit of putting spaces at the beginning or end of file names is also incompatible with MS-DOS and Windows.
  • For multimedia content, avoid less popular playback formats unless you're sure that your recipients can play them.

Do not use Packet-Writing

Packet-written CDs, such as those written by Adaptec's Direct-CD and Nero's InCD, are NOT suitable for duplication. If you supply a packet-written disc, it will always need to be remastered. Additional charges may apply and additional turnaround time will needed. Alternative data formats

If you are unable to supply a data CD or DVD master, you can also supply data in the following ways (Additional charges may apply, and you will need to allow extra time.)

In order for us to complete your duplication job accurately, unless you supply us with a ready-to-duplicate disc, you must check the master disc before we proceed.

Alternative ways of supplying data to us include:

  • FTP
  • DropBox, We Transfer, Hightail
  • Email
  • USB drive
  • SD Card
See also: Specifications for all master discs | CD-ROM Data | CD-Audio | DVD-ROM Data | DVD-Video |

Specifications for DVD-Video master discs

Supply your disc as you would like it to play

Check that the DVD you're supplying will work in a variety of DVD players and computer DVD drives.

Avoid -VR and +VR

Although DVD-VR/+VR gives more flexibility when you're creating the DVD, it is less compatible than standard DVD-Video. If you must use DVD-VR/+VR, ensure that the recipients of the disc will be able to play it.

Avoid DVD+R

All of our DVD duplicators record only onto DVD-R. If you supply a DVD+R master disc, it will be copied onto DVD-R discs. While this works most of the time, it is better not to mix the formats.

Use dedicated burning software

We often have trouble copying from masters that were burnt using video editing software. If you are using software to create the DVD, create only an image file. Then use dedicated burning software, such as Nero Burning ROM or Toast to burn the image file to the DVD.

Burn at 2x, 4x or 6x

We often have trouble copying from masters that were burnt at 12x or higher. We have found that DVDs burnt at 4x and 6x are the most reliable.

Alternative video formats

If you are unable to supply a DVD-Video that is ready to duplicate, you can supply video in a number of other formats (additional charges and increased turnaround time will apply):

In order for us to complete your duplication job accurately, unless you supply us with a ready-to-duplicate disc, you must check the master disc before we proceed

Alternative ways of supplying data to us include:

  • FTP
  • DropBox
  • Email
  • USB drive
  • SD Card
  • Using our exclusive 'YesVideo' process, we can convert from VHS, VHS-C, S-VHS, Video-8, Hi-8, Digital-8, Mini-DV, DVCAM and Betamax
  • If the 'YesVideo' process is not suitable for your needs, we can arrange a custom encoding from a variety of formats including Betacam SP and Digital Betacam
See also: Specifications for all master discs | CD-ROM Data | CD-Audio | DVD-ROM Data | DVD-Video |