DVD-9 Writing

[niraj.patel]

Hi!

I know that DVD-9 writers are not yet out, but that Sony has developed one to be released next year (I think). However, I regularly see market traders selling copies on DVD-9 discs (the back of the DVD is silver and not blue or a colour like dye). I just wondered how they were doing this? I even see them selling DVD-9's with three Hollywood movies on a single DVD-9, and the quality isn't all that bad! Do they have some special technology? Because surely they can't have expensive presses to press the DVD-9s, like the movie industry does.

Thanks.

[freestyler]

Because surely they can't have expensive presses to
press the DVD-9s, like the movie industry does. Thanks.

They press these discs illegally at facilities who could care less about copyright law. The black market is big business, especially in countries outside of North America.

With the exception of a few, "Hollywood" studios or their affiliates don't own these replication facilities. There are many in the states, but also many overseas and in the Far East (China). The majority of these discs come from China.

These companies manufacture discs and related items for other companies and basically anyone that wants the service and has the cash. There is strict accountability with regards to replication in the US and Europe, you must provide proof that you are the copyright holder and sign documents. If what you've replicated is copyrighted material, the replication plant can face lawsuits in the excess of millions.

That accountability doesn't exist overseas, so these places press whatever they want for whomever.

[niraj.patel]

Thanks for your post freestyler.

I appreciate that there may be 'rogue' companies which press DVD-9s without full evidence of copyright ownership, but I'm talking about market traders who claim that they can get you any movie, by the next day! Surely they can't ship them from China or wherever that quick. I was just curious - do some people have presses in their homes or something? How big are these presses anyway - if they're anything like newspaper presses, then you'd definately need a big factory, but maybe they have small presses for pressing just DVD-9 at a time?

If and when the new DVD-9 drive from Sony comes out, surely this will just add to piracy because then, anyone will be able to copy hollywood movies in minutes with no loss of quality (as no compression will be required). Does anyone know if hollywood movie companies have done anything to stop Sony releasing the DVD-9 drive? Because at the moment I would assume that a deterrent to copying an original DVD-9 disc is that you have to compress it and lose quality (not to mention the time it takes). Most movies today are on DVD-9 (even when they probably could fit onto DVD-5). So what incentive then would there be for a movie company to spend more on making DVD-9 discs as opposed to DVD-5 in the knowledge that even DVD-9s can be copied perfectly in a few clicks of a mouse!

There's a real danger in a DVD-9 drive for copyright owners. Surely I can't be the only one who sees that? Is there no campaign to hinder its release? Or at least introduce a new feature into the DVD-9 drive to help stop copyrighted DVD-9 to blank DVD-9 copying? Saying that, I do however appreciate that this would hinder sales of the drive possibly even from people who legitimately just want to store more than 4.7g of their own material on one DVDR and no doubt those are determined to copy will always find a way around barriers built into the drive.

I'd like to hear what other people think about this.

Thanks.

Niraj.

[solarfox]

They don't have to ship them from China by the next day; they just have batches of discs made up and shipped to them, and warehouse them here (or wherever they're based out of). Trust me, they do not press bootleg DVD-9's "to order" one or two at a time.

And no, a DVD pressing facility is not something you can hide in your garage. It involves an impressive amount of specialized and very expensive high-precision machinery to do, and several people to operate the process from raw material to finished discs. No bootlegger is going to invest that kind of money when it's far cheaper to just "outsource" it to a country like China where there's far less risk of having your millions of dollars' worth of equipment confiscated when you get caught.

[freestyler]

I'm not aware of any movement to curtail the release of dual-layer writers: at first folks said they weren't possible - recent developments have shown otherwise. Sony is not the only manufacturer planning to release dual layer drives - there are about half a dozen companies with one in the works.

As for the legitimate use for a dual layer disc, that's always a hot topic that is up for debate. If I had large amounts of data, I'd use a few extra single layer recordables.

My personal opinion on their usefulness will weigh heavily on first impressions - will these discs be compatible with players and will they be affordable?