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Treating disc media as equal is a mistake. Disc quality can fluctuate considerably.
Truth be told – there is much 'bottom-of-the barrel' disc media circulating of marginal quality.
Although name-brand media can be used for duplication, media from recognizable company names do not necessarily ensure quality discs or recording.
For example: at Lighthouse, we have tested batches of optical media with notable and recognizable brand names that resulted in failed tests:
- In some instances, the specified speed at which discs should record was not possible.
- Some tests resulted in only 50 percent disc yields.
Quality Issues with disc media can have various causes:
- Some name-brand discs can be sourced from third-party media manufacturers that produce marginal quality.
- Discs can be produced using old, worn-out or obsolete disc production equipment - that were resold to disc manufacturing firms located in third-world areas.
- Critical reflective layers on discs may have been applied too thin - in order to save on material cost.
- Disc manufacturers that employ sub-standard materials, old equipment or use inadequate procedures, may prevent adhesives from being applied to outer edges of DVD discs or fail to overlap the edges on CD discs with lacquer.
- Poor adhesives used in disc production can create oxidation on the reflective layer. Galvanic reaction between layers and coatings can cause discs to breakdown.
- Chemical reactions from impurities can cause adhesives to fail.
- Inadequate curing of adhesives or improper application techniques can cause substrate layers to delaminate, allowing oxygen to contact the metallic reflective layer and begin an oxidation process that degrades discs.
- Recording dyes comprise many formulations. Some may react with a disc’s reflective layer causing errors and lost data. Dyes are proprietary – including the best ones. Disc manufacturers unable to invent dye methods, must purchase large bulk quantities or license formulations.
- Low-cost or inferior dyes often end-up in marginal discs.
Selecting disc media for content
Industry organizations represented by hardware, software and disc manufacturers approve specifications for standardized media. Drives that record to and read standardized discs aim to comply with the specifications.
So if industry standards are adopted and used by disc and hardware manufacturers, one might conclude that any disc will record and playback flawlessly on any hardware presumed to be compatible.
Selecting disc media and equipment for quality disc duplication, is not unlike decisions made in advance to capture, record and reproduce photographs.
Capturing and reproducing photographic images requires advance decisions about film and equipment:
- What film speed is best in low-light conditions that won’t produce excess grain?
- To record detail, should a 35mm interchangeable lens camera or large format version be used?
- To reproduce color images accurately and preserve them at reasonable cost, will color office printers work or should chemical photographic processes be used?
Duplicating master content to optical discs necessitates some advance decisions also.
- Will recorded content contain data, video or multimedia?
- Will media capacities allow sufficient storage of content and also playback files correctly?
- Will discs be used in PC drives, played with consumer DVD players or both?
- Will discs be dispersed internally, distributed free or perhaps deliver software programs?
- Will discs be expected to preserve important content for extended periods of time?
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