Whether we are talking CDs, DVDs or Blu-ray, duplication and replication are both methods of manufacturing a disc product in large quantities. There are key differences between the 2 process and also between the different media types. Here, we are going to focus on the two different processes in a broader sense and worry about the media types and their production differences in a later post. This article was sparked in one of our account management meetings way back at the beginning of time and there is rarely a week that goes by with out the query from a customer asking " Do you burn discs the same way I can on my computer?"
So let's clear a few things up.
The first thing to address is replication. Disc replication is THE way to produce discs on mass. It involves a stamper of the disc master, raw polycarbonate pellets, a high pressure pressing machine, some aluminum and a UV cured gloss lacquer. It is not a process you can house in your back room at home.
Because of this master disc scenario, it's most suited to 300 units+ due to set up costs and proceedure. Each disc takes less than 4 seconds to be physically made and the quality is assured by the master disc impression right at the beginning of the process. Being a fast production the discs are verified and quality checked quickly and it is very rare that the first disc differs at all from the first disc to last, even at hundreds of thousands of units. Pit falls are usually mechanics with the machine as opposed to anything that would affect the content of a disc making the method incredibly reliable for a quality product as well as rapid.
So what about duplication then? Is it the same as burning a discs on your home computer? In short, pretty much. Using either a master disc or a computer containing the disc acting as a master, duplication is literally drives copying the impression of one disc onto blank media discs. The main differences between doing this is a home and in a production facility are:
- Automated loaders and unloaders
- Faster drives specifically dedicated to the duplication process
- Data check points and verification process
- High quality media blanks (due to wholesale purchasing)
Duplication is more cost effective in the lower volumes as the master and set up does not have to be brought into the equation, but the real question is always about quality and what a "real" disc is.
Make no mistake, that would be the replication process and no one in the industry will tell you different, however don't take the duplication process for granted. Whilst replicated CDs will have a close to perfect player compatibility rate duplicated discs can come a close second provided they have been produced correctly on high quality discs. They will likely have more issues in cheaper disc reader drives, but on the whole they can perform just as well. This said, due to being pressed onto a pre-made disc, the element of batch production and potential issues with a third party manufacturer in many cases can introduce a small wild card element but in almost 30 years of producing duplicated discs we have never had such a batch through our doors and duplication products have been circulating well without any problems.
It's probably more sensible to evaluate your project from the point of necessity. The economy of disc production isn't the only factor that matters and sometimes the quantity of your production can sensibly dictate the production method. Lower numbers can be produced faster using duplication, like wise higher numbers produced faster using replication. It is common for audiophiles to insist on replication and no professional would attempt to correct the reasoning, however sometimes it could be seen as an eccentric luxury if replicating 100 discs.
Either way, home taping, or CD burning, DVD burning, copying etc are not comparable to the manufacturing methods under a plants roof, as our customers learn time and time again. Duplication in a dedicated production floor will almost certainly have more thorough QC processes and higher quality drives and software. Hopefully this explains the differences and paints a brighter future for the reputation of our humble duplicated disc format. If you want to know more, just send us an email or pick up the phone.
Fancy Photo by luthfi alfarizi on Unsplash
