Disc Duplicators????

[boing]

Hi, just a quick question:

A friend has asked me to edit the footage of a sports show he will be holding later this year, I agreed, then got roped into producing the end products too

Now, initially he asked me about DVDs (because he doesnt know about VCDs etc) so I said I could do DVDs but usually work with VCDs (they suit my needs, and TBH I find them easier to work with)

So, I need to produce a run of VCD's, and have been considering the possibility of hiring a duplicator machine. I want to know if I can simply pop the original/source VCD into the duplicator (as you would pop it into your set top DVD player) or will the duplicator have a problem opening it up in the same way my PC based DVD player does (the PC based player will play them, but it first opens up a folder containing the video files etc)

Basically, can one copy VCDs with a duplicator or will I have to go down the DVD route?

If anyone can shed some light on this, I'd be gratefull

Cheers

[mats.hogberg]

Can't comment on the duplication, but in all honesty, VCD is in most areas long since abandoned (even if most players still support the format). Go for DVD - I'd say it's less trouble creating a presentable Video DVD than a VCD. (Not to mention the video quality)

/Mats

[Cornucopia]

I think VCD's might still be viable, as most players that I've seen still DO support it. And it's quite easy (and CHEAP) to encode and author and duplicate for...

However, I do agree that you'd be losing a whole LOT quality-wise, and a good deal compatability-wise.

If you're talking about renting/hiring/farming-out duplicators, the difference between DVD duplicators and CD duplicators is minimal and should be born by your client/friend (and they shouldn't be upset by that). Where I work, it would be, say, a batch of 500 for ~$1.25 each (inc. media, burning, and printing, and basic packaging) for CD, as opposed to ~$2.25 each for DVD. This can easily be justified AFA quality and extended time available.

>>>>>>
edit: (If you were talking about buying your own duplicator from scratch for this job, there is a difference between CD and DVD costs, which would have to be considered)
<<<<<<

Either way, duplicators should have no trouble with standards-compliant burned masters, be they DVD or VCD.

Example: 2 years ago, a client came to us and said they were doing a seminar that lasted a week and had the equipment and guys to shoot and record the speakers in the morning, and equipment and guys to edit the material (with slides, credits inserted, etc) into a finished product by evening. They wanted us to convert to MPEG1, author & burn VCD master, and dupe 1000 of each speaker BY THE NEXT MORNING so they could have them ready for sale.
We got them to pre-print (silkscreen) their blanks (1000+ per speaker) and ran dupe towers overnight. They all worked great, must have sold well, 'cuz they thanked us profusely.

..........

VCD's may suit YOUR needs, but do they suit your CLIENT'S needs?

Get a clear idea of what their expectations are, explain the differences, etc.
Make sure you're both clear on quality choices (give samples), operational complexity and fanciness expectations, BUDGET (including dupe, printing, packaging and shipping costs), and timeline/deadlines.

Scott