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Burn 3 DVDs at a time
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Dimava
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Joined: 08 Feb 2003
Post Posted: Nov 25, 2007 12:50 Posts Comp View users profile Send private message Reply with quote
Hi guys, I know that this is a video-centric website but some of you may know of a solution.

At work we create backups nightly and we are supposed to burn a one-day snapshot of them once a week. A full backup set is typically 4 DVDs (we use winrar to span them), and we need to make 3 copies of each. One copy stays in the office safe and two copies go home with various executives for additional redundancy.

Is there any solution which will allow us to burn 3 DVDs of the same file at a time? I was looking into the DVD Duplicators, but those need a source DVD, which almost defeats the purpose of investing into one for our needs.

Are there any USB duplicators or something of that nature that would allow me to burn 3 copies of the same rar file at a time?

thanks,
Dimava

aedipuss
aBigMeanie


Joined: 25 Oct 2005
Location: 666th portal
Post Posted: Nov 25, 2007 13:27 Posts Comp View users profile Send private message Reply with quote
i know alcohol 120% can make use of more than one dvd writer at a time. all drives all have to be the same make/model/firmware iirc. there is other software that can do it also but i can't remember which.
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redwudz
Mod Neophyte


Joined: 07 Sep 2002
Location: AZ, USA
Post Posted: Nov 25, 2007 13:33 Posts Comp View users profile Send private message Reply with quote
Nero Burning ROM can do that using multiple burners fairly easily. ieek.gif Not that hard if they are all the same files.

Dimava
Member


Joined: 08 Feb 2003
Post Posted: Nov 25, 2007 13:33 Posts Comp View users profile Send private message Reply with quote
Thanks for the reply, I know Nero does it too, but what kind of system specs would I need to do it? I have burned 2 at a time in the past and it seemed to really hammer on at-the-time fast CPU

redwudz
Mod Neophyte


Joined: 07 Sep 2002
Location: AZ, USA
Post Posted: Nov 25, 2007 13:48 Posts Comp View users profile Send private message Reply with quote
Not so much a problem with the CPU/RAM speeds, but may be a fair load on the IDE interface. With XP, I would use 1GB RAM, a CPU in the 2Ghz or more region and put the files on other than the boot drive and it shouldn't be a big problem. Most any new computer should handle it fairly well. Also watch out for background virus scanners or other programs running that may be dragging down the system.

Dimava
Member


Joined: 08 Feb 2003
Post Posted: Nov 25, 2007 13:56 Posts Comp View users profile Send private message Reply with quote
Do you think that one 7200 rpm drive should be able to support all three to be burned at the same time? I just spec'ed out a system using all SATA connectors, but only using one 7200 rpm drive

videobread
Member


Joined: 09 May 2006
Location: United States
Post Posted: Nov 25, 2007 14:05 Posts Comp View users profile Send private message Reply with quote
I burn to multiple drives using Instant Copy 7. The content is not protected. It is my own. Drives need to all be the same with the same firmware version to work.

redwudz
Mod Neophyte


Joined: 07 Sep 2002
Location: AZ, USA
Post Posted: Nov 25, 2007 14:26 Posts Comp View users profile Send private message Reply with quote
Having a hard drive separate from the boot drive can often make a big difference. You don't need a super fast hard drive. Optical drives are slow devices in comparison. Even using SATA connections. Nero and similar burning programs buffer (cache) the contents of your burn data to a hard drive, so a separate drive can help considerably with most setups. You can set the cache location in Nero in 'Preferences'.

As mentioned, the best performance from multiple optical drives is when all drives are exactly the same, including firmware.

Richard_G
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Joined: 10 May 2003
Location: Peterborough, England
Post Posted: Nov 25, 2007 18:15 Posts Comp View users profile Send private message Reply with quote
seadoxpl
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Joined: 28 Jun 2004
Location: NJ
Post Posted: Nov 25, 2007 21:40 Posts Comp View users profile Send private message Reply with quote
Why not just get 3 seperate usb hard drive setups and set up auto backups then take them to their off site locations nightly?

Probably even costs less then dealing with all of the duplicator price and hassle.

dun4cheap
Member


Joined: 08 Oct 2002
Post Posted: Nov 25, 2007 23:08 Posts Comp View users profile Send private message Reply with quote
Buy some external firewire case and put the drives in them. The firewire bus does not utilize the processor so it does not tax the system. I have burned to 4 at a time using this method. I have since moved to a duplicator but still the other method worked well.

sandralink
Member


Joined: 30 Aug 2005
Location: EL Monte
Post Posted: Dec 02, 2007 02:56 Posts Comp View users profile Send private message Reply with quote
I would opt to an external firewire drives or dvd duplicator
1-to-3 should be fairly inexpensive, for example
http://www.editordirect.com/Editor-Direct-Pioneer-Standalone-13-T ... WEDEGG.htm
or search on amazon.

obs
Member


Joined: 02 Dec 2004
Post Posted: Dec 13, 2007 04:10 Posts View users profile Send private message Reply with quote
Psst ... eSATA, not 1394.

I've written three discs at the same time (1 SATA, 1 IDE, 1 USB), but only at 4x (I prefer writing at CLV speeds), using Nero 7. I don't think 8x would have been a problem, though.

filmboss80
Member


Joined: 31 Jan 2007
Location: United States
Post Posted: Dec 13, 2007 09:37 Posts Comp View users profile Send private message Reply with quote
I built my own 1-to-3 dvd duplicator for cheap. Check out this site: http://www.ocie.com.

danielheldman
Member


Joined: 12 Dec 2007
Location: United States
Post Posted: Dec 19, 2007 16:47 Posts Comp View users profile Send private message Reply with quote
I found one for $509 using Sony drive
http://www.musiciansbuy.com/Ezdupe-16X-DVD-Duplicator-3-Target-So ... 3TDSO.html
Another one for $354 using Pioneer
http://www.timelinedigitalinc.com/standalone-pioneer-duplicator-t ... -p-48.html

I guess there is no difference between Sony and Pioneer.
Can anyone tell?

Richard_G
Member


Joined: 10 May 2003
Location: Peterborough, England
Post Posted: Dec 19, 2007 18:23 Posts Comp View users profile Send private message Reply with quote
Most Sony writers are rebadged other manufacturers and not particularly good either. Pioneer writers are widely regarded as one of, if not, the best you can get. Pay less money for a better product and an 80GB hard drive too.

I can tell the difference, about $145.....

danielheldman
Member


Joined: 12 Dec 2007
Location: United States
Post Posted: Dec 19, 2007 22:45 Posts Comp View users profile Send private message Reply with quote
My Sony DVD reader can not read most of my backup DVDs and after I switch to Acer, there is no problem at all.
What about the burner compatibilities with cheap DVD media?

[_chef_]
Member


Joined: 13 Nov 2002
Location: Germany
Post Posted: Dec 24, 2007 08:30 Posts Comp View users profile Send private message Reply with quote
danielheldman wrote:
My Sony DVD reader can not read most of my backup DVDs and after I switch to Acer, there is no problem at all.
What about the burner compatibilities with cheap DVD media?


Has really nothing to do with that, the most important thing is the used burner / media combination.

danielheldman
Member


Joined: 12 Dec 2007
Location: United States
Post Posted: Dec 26, 2007 13:39 Posts Comp View users profile Send private message Reply with quote
Any suggestions on the media?

[_chef_]
Member


Joined: 13 Nov 2002
Location: Germany
Post Posted: Dec 26, 2007 13:45 Posts Comp View users profile Send private message Reply with quote
Verbatim and TY. smile.gif
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classfour
Member


Joined: 06 Jun 2002
Location: United States
Post Posted: Dec 26, 2007 13:59 Posts Comp View users profile Send private message Reply with quote
I've burned to three differently branded/speed drives with Alcohol without issue. I wouldn't brave that with Nero. Media is always TY or Verbatim.

I built my latest 1 to 3 duplicator unit using a barebones system from copystars.com and three NEC and an Asus drive that I had laying about. Have about $300 in it.
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danielheldman
Member


Joined: 12 Dec 2007
Location: United States
Post Posted: Dec 27, 2007 18:54 Posts Comp View users profile Send private message Reply with quote
NEC burner!!!! I got bad luck with NEC in the past.

classfour
Member


Joined: 06 Jun 2002
Location: United States
Post Posted: Dec 27, 2007 21:02 Posts Comp View users profile Send private message Reply with quote
NEC: The only issue that I've seen with any thus far was a stuck drive - the tray wouldn't eject: Which I fixed in very short order without a disassembly. Burn quality has been good, no coasters. The one criteria that I have adhered to is to not max out the drive: I will burn media below the rated speed, and have never exceeded 8X with any drive. To date: I have yet to have a DVD burner fail, from the likes of NEC, Panasonic, Plextor, LiteOn and Sony.

BTW: The burners in the duplicator are all identical NEC 3520A's, so maybe that is why I haven't any problems with that particular device. But with the one exception that I mentioned, I haven't had a problem with an NEC.

I did have problems with a Benq drive that I installed a couple years back, but it was crap right out of the box - a firmware update cured that.
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;/ l ,[____], Its a Jeep thing,
l---L---o||||||o- you wouldn't understand.
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brucejackson
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Joined: 11 Dec 2007
Location: United States
Post Posted: Dec 27, 2007 21:16 Posts Comp View users profile Send private message Reply with quote
I found one for $509 using Sony drive
http://www.musiciansbuy.com/Ezdupe-16X-DVD-Duplicator-3-Target-So ... 3TDSO.html
Another one for $354 using Pioneer
http://www.timelinedigitalinc.com/standalone-pioneer-duplicator-t ... -p-48.html

Check again, timelinedigital is selling $319 not $354, where di you get the number from?

harrisonford
Member


Joined: 03 Mar 2005
Post Posted: Dec 27, 2007 21:51 Posts Comp View users profile Send private message Reply with quote
Do not use celron, they have issues over time with alcohol 120, another program that works is discjuggler.

Have at least 512 meg of main memroy unshared, 1 gig will work better, duo CPU will make using IDE 4 burners more stable.

CPU with at least 512k of L2 Cache, One meg and 2 meg are better.

Of course most important is .... having no programs running in the back ground.

Japanese made disk are best, second Ridata as long as you don't run the last 400 meg, the edge does not play well on alot of dvd players, Sony RCA Toshbia Panasonic tend to be the worst type of DVD players.

brucejackson
Member


Joined: 11 Dec 2007
Location: United States
Post Posted: Jan 09, 2008 12:25 Posts Comp View users profile Send private message Reply with quote
Japanese made disk are best, second Ridata as long as you don't run the last 400 meg, the edge does not play well on alot of dvd players, Sony RCA Toshbia Panasonic tend to be the worst type of DVD players. <<<<<<<<
What about OptoDisk? I heard they do OEM for SONY.

lordsmurf
Video Restorer


Joined: 10 Jun 2003
Location: Want my advice? PM me.
Post Posted: Jan 09, 2008 14:25 Posts Comp View users profile Send private message Reply with quote
Ridata is not great.
Verbatim and Taiyo Yuden are the best two discs.
Daxon OEM's for Sony, to Sony's specs with SONY codes.
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NoMoreCoasters.com How to avoid burning bad discs. Blank media FAQ.

brucejackson
Member


Joined: 11 Dec 2007
Location: United States