CD Duplication Equipment, What's New at MF Digital

Customer Feedback on RipStation

2007-11-02T13:09:00.000-04:00

Music ripping, video ripping and data ripping is an exciting category for MF Digital. The ripping business segment is the newest to hit the CD DVD Duplication industry and MF Digital is leading the way. Our systems offer features which competitors do not. In addition, you have the reliability of a proven robotics system for accurate and consistent disc movement. But don't take it from us, read what our users are saying:

#1:

This is awesome. I'm now ripping my entire collection. I had started to use another ripping system, but it was a horrible product. At the end of the day, it didn't have error correction and I found a couple of bad rips in the first batch of test rips. Everything that annoyed me about this other system is addressed in your MF Digital RipStation. But at any rate, the fee structure from "the other guys" have AMG and Freedb lookups. The cost is $0.28/rip, regardless of the data source. It was really annoying me that it would not find a match in AMG, then do a freedb rip and charge me, especially when I could find the title manually in AMG.

I like the RipStation because I can do a pass on chargeable database after searching, then a pass on GD3 and reject, then a pass on CDPlayer.ini and reject, and finally a freedb and reject pass if needed.

I really like RipStation! It blows my other system away!

#2:

Thank you for the sales info...looks like a great tool, and I am happy to use more of your products. They are great, solid, intuitive, and well supported.

#3:

Once again, this is an excellent product and I can't wait to run my collection through it. I tried another system and it before buying the RipStation. It was a nightmare! RipStation is much better and easier to use and configure.

The RipStation by MF Digital is also backed by our well known customer support team who is not only dedicated to solving problems, but pride themselves on rapid response times. To learn more about the automated CD ripping systems, visit our RipStation homepage.

MF Digital Welcome's Webex

2007-10-25T13:41:00.000-04:00

MF Digital is proud to announce partnership with Webex, an on line internet service allowing for real-time technical support via direct connect access to remote CD DVD duplicator systems.

Through Webex services, MF Digital technicians may log-in, view and control remote disc duplicators for real-time troubleshooting and diagnostics. This service allows MF Digital to work with off site duplicators as if they are sitting in our own shop.

Webex is a safe and secure web service with complete functionality regardless of firewall settings at the end-user site.

With the recent partnership with Webex, MF Digital continues to deliver superior technical support through creative solutions and rapid response times for those in need.

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MF Digital manufacturers a full line of CD DVD Duplicators, Disc Publishers, Medical Imaging Systems, Music Ripping Systems, Disc Printers and CD DVD Print Stations.

October Special at MF Digital

2007-10-02T12:55:00.000-04:00

During the month of October MF Digital is offering the RipStation Dp4-7601 at a very special price of $795 MSRP. This is a $200 savings!

The RipStation is music ripping software and automated loader for complete, 100% unattended CD ripping. RipStation includes advanced features such as album artwork and metadata information which drills down 20 levels. RipStation offers a flexible and powerful way to archive, organize and standardize your CD music collection into a digital format.

Find out more about the RipStation CD ripping system or contact MF Digital today about the October Special.

*For a limited time current Baxter owners may upgrade their system to RipStation for only $195. Expand the possibilities of your Baxter digital assistant.

MF Digital also manufacturers professional grade DVD Video Ripper and Data Ripper systems.

Printer Options for Scribe Series

2007-09-12T12:50:00.000-04:00

The MF Digital automated CD Duplicators and DVD Duplicators may be configured with three different printers. Our printer selection for automation is the most versatile in the DVD Copier industry.

The most economical solution which yields excellent print quality is the CD DVD inkjet disc printer, PicoJet. With over 12 million colors and smallest droplet size for details and color the PicoJet is our most popular disc printer configuration.

The P55 Dye-Sublimation Retransfer printer produces the highest print quality on the market. With an LPI of 290 (Lines Per Inch) the quality surpasses that of printed silk-screen and is water repellent, scratch proof, and UV-protected, eliminating the need to laminate the disc!

The Prism Plus Thermal Printer is an excellent choice for quick printing with low cost per print. The Prism printer offers the lowest cost per print in the industry. Although CMY ribbons are available the Prism printer is best suited for monochrome color printing. Single color ribbons are available in black, blue, red and green.

The MF Digital Scribe Series may be configured with any of the above printers. In addition, swapping out one printer technology for another is quick and easy. With MF Digital's attention to detail in design the Scribe system offers a wide range of printing options.

August Special Is One Exceptional Deal

2007-08-13T13:45:00.000-04:00

August is a great time to get yourself into a Scribe 9000 Series CD DVD duplicator and inkjet printer.

This monthly special is one extraordinary deal!

August Special Offer
Buy Scribe 2 Drive with Inkjet printer Plus 2nd Year Warranty & Receive:
FREE 2 Drive Upgrade At No Cost!

This is a $1,000 Value!

For Scribe units purchased without the 2nd Year Extended Warranty customers are eligible to receive two free PicoJet Ink cartridges.

Experience the award winning line of optical disc solutions from MF Digital like our DVD Copier systems, CD Audio Ripper systems, Medical Disc Imaging systems, CD Copier systems, Live Event Recorder, Hard Disc Backup unit and most recently our DVD CD Production Systems.

July Special at MF Digital

2007-07-11T12:05:00.000-04:00

MF Digital is offering a Free 3rd Year Warranty on all models sold during the month of July. To qualify and receive this Special Offer simply purchase an MF Digital system and 2nd Year Extended Warranty and the 3rd Year Extended Warranty is absolutely Free.

This offer is valued between $258 and $5,800 depending on the model purchased. However, you must hurry as this Special Offer will only last until July 31st.

Experience the award winning line of optical disc solutions from MF Digital like our DVD Copier systems, CD Audio Ripper systems, Medical Disc Imaging systems, CD Copier systems, Live Event Recorder, Hard Disc Backup unit and most recently our DVD CD Production Systems.

If you would like to find out more about MF Digital products or the July Special please contact us.

CD DVD Data Ripping or Data Extraction

2007-06-19T13:50:00.000-04:00

Data ripping or data extraction is an untapped vertical market and a solution MF Digital offers for those needing to upload large amounts of data from CD or DVD.

The concept of Data Ripping is extracting information from source CDs or DVDs into a storage box or network location. With the amount of data generated for storage and archive, there comes a time when that off-line information needs to become on-line.

MF Digital offers a solution which automatically extracts data from CD or DVD sources and puts that information to your designated location. What is nice about the Data Ripping solution is our ability to quickly and easily provide a naming convention for the extracted data, provide reliable robotics for large sets of discs and include network software for more convenient system control.

The Scribe Data Ripping features include some of the following:

Auto naming - Names destination folder with source disc Volume Name (other options also available).
Standard 1Gigabit Ethernet - High speed connection on Scribe System insures high transfer rate during ripping process.
Data Ripping supports both CD and DVD so regardless of media, you can data rip.

To better understand the vertical market here are some examples for data ripping needs:

Airforce has thousands of training DVDs and needs to upload the content to a SAN (Storage Area Network) box for on-line access.
San Diego law firm uses data ripping to upload case files delivered on CD to firm's storage network.
NASA archives high resolution .tiff image files to DVD and needs to pull that information back on-line to conduct further research.
Johns Hopkins receives 80mm mini CDs from all over the world with DNA information needing to be extracted and uploaded to their Inherited Disease Research Data Center for cataloging and data analysis.

Each example is intended to demonstrate how data ripping solutions become valuable assets to those needing automated data extraction systems.

MF Digital Announces RipStation 7000 Series

2007-05-15T14:03:00.000-04:00

Press Release:

May 15, 2007 -- MF Digital announces the release of The RipStation 7000 Series, a multi-format music CD ripping system which automatically rips CDs to iPod or similar MP3 player devices. The automated CD ripping system is designed to convert traditional CD music to a digital format for use on MP3 players, cell phones and personal media players (PMP). Ripping is not limited to players, the system may also rip to hard disk then automatically backed up to one or more DVDs.

With an estimated 10 billion CDs currently in possession in the US alone, MF Digital developed a solution to convert music collections already in place to a digital format. "On average, a household has 150 discs in their collection and many of these owners are not savvy enough to convert CDs to MP3 or do not have the time for the conversion process," says John McGrath, product manager, "The RipStation system is ideal for service bureaus, radio stations and professional services looking to provide this service and convert the traditional music CD to the digital format."

McGrath continues, "The RipStation uses multiple databases to provide accurate and consistent metadata information for every CD ripped - the key to successful ripping is organization and accuracy during the aggregation process. The RipStation offers advanced software features allowing direct loading straight from CD to digital device. This forward thinking design speeds up the ripping process and increases throughput from disc-to-disc which ultimately provides a better return on investment for the CD ripping service company."

The RipStation uses multi-threading technology so in multi-drive models each drive will rip CDs independently and simultaneously. The CD ripping system is available in one, two and four drive configurations with a maximum 300 disc capacity. Metadata information is extracted 20 levels deep from the original source CD along with album artwork for graphical presentation. The RipStation supports the following MP3 players for direct-to-device download: iPod, Creative, SanDisk, Nokia, Imerge, XiVA, Crestron, Escient, Request, Digital Future & Sonos.

The complete line of MF Digital RipStation Systems are available through a world-wide network of authorized resellers.

To find out more about the RipStation 7000 Series, or find a dealer in your area, contact MF Digital: + 631 249 9393 x 205 or sales @ mfdigital.com or http://www.mfdigital.com/baxterRip.html

NAB Special - A Limited Time Offer

2007-04-16T14:29:00.000-04:00

For a limited time MF Digital is offer one outrageous deal. From April 16th through April 30th MF Digital is offer a FREE Baxter automated MP3 Ripper and Duplicator with the purchase of a Scribe 9604-PCJ (4 drive Scribe with Picojet printer).

This is a rare opportunity with a gift value of $750. But hurry, this offer is only around until April 30, 2007.

The Scribe 9604 Duplicator offers the most advanced features for DVD CD duplicating and printing in the marketing today. Simply connect the monitor, keyboard and mouse and your new 4 Drive Scribe System is ready to go. Here are some more noteworthy features:

Network ready with license free client software
Asynchronous duplicating (each drive works independently)
Auto detecting CD or DVD media from input spindle
Industrial robotics with proven picker mechanism
Photo realistic direct-to-disc printing
Unlimited job queue which is great for network job submission
much more...

The Baxter MP3 Ripper and Duplicator is an entry level system with 25 bin hopper and advanced software features for automated MP3 Ripping. It's never been this easy to rip audio CDs to load up your iPod or favorite MP3 player. Baxter not only rips, but steadfast workhorse for small run duplication. Click to find out more about Baxter Personal Digital Assistant.

To find out more about the Scribe Series please visit the Scribe 9000 web page, or better yet, Contact Us today and ask about the NAB Special.

New Product Brochures, YouTube Video Available

2007-04-05T16:14:00.000-04:00

MF Digital just completed an update on all product brochures. The pdf documents have updated information, complete list of model options and specifications. All documents are available for immediate download from product pages or download directly from the MF Digital Marketing Website. Original files are available for dealer customization or language translation.

In addition, MF Digital replaced the autoloader video (wmv) video file with a YouTube video file. The YouTube video can be seen on any autoloader page and improves user experience on the MF Digital website. Resellers may incorporate this video with little effort into their site. Details may be found on how to insert the YouTube video from the Video Marketing webpage.

EMediaLive Scribe 9000 Series Product Review

2007-03-08T19:43:00.000-05:00

EMediaLive recently conducted an in-depth review of the Scribe PC 9602-PCJ with PicoJet inkjet printer. The full review is listed on EMediaLive's website and may also be viewed below:

The ScribePC 9602 ($4,995) from MF Digital is a CD/DVD publishing—that is, duplication and printing—workhorse with several unique (or at least rare) features, including the ability to handle sequential CD/DVD production jobs and print variable content on discs (like serial numbers or names). The unit ships with an embedded Windows XP computer, so it is very easy to get up and running, and with free network clients and 300-disc capacity, it's also affordable compared to some relevant competition. In testing, the printer produced high-quality output with efficient ink consumption, and the Pioneer recorders handled every media type we threw at it, from dual-layer DVD±R to 2X DVD-RW from Verbatim and Ridata. Pure duplication performance was competitive, though duplication/print performance could probably be improved. There is no Mac client, however, which could disqualify it for use in Mac shops.

Meet the ScribePC

We tested the ScribePC model 9602, which has two Pioneer DVR-111 drives, maxing out at 16X for single-layer DVD±R and 8X for dual-layer DVD±R media. I tested the unit using the HP-manufactured PicoJet inkjet printer, though it's also available with a Prism Plus thermal printer from Rimage.

The unit came in two boxes, one for the 34 lb. duplicator and controller (which is 22x22x16"); and the other for the printer, which mounts atop the main unit. Once set up, the ScribePC has two main input spindles, a reject spindle, and a holding spindle for high-volume jobs. The system is not covered, so the topmost media on each pile can accumulate dust, potentially degrading the print job.

One of the key differentiating features of the ScribePC unit is that it is a PC, a fully functioning Windows XP computer complete with Ethernet connection. Just connect your keyboard, mouse, monitor, and network cable and you're up and running. I used my ATEN KVM switch, which worked perfectly.

The embedded PC approach has several advantages. First, the system is totally plug-and-play, with all software pre-installed. You also avoid all hardware and software installation hassles that sometimes crop up with other duplicator/printers. The computer comes with a 12GB system hard disk and 72GB work disk, which is plenty of room for staging multiple DVD and CD images. Though you probably have an older computer laying around that you could use with a competitive duplicator/printer, it may not meet the required specifications and probably doesn't have that much free space.

In addition, you can install the system on your office network with unlimited clients, while companies like Primera charge $299 for each additional five users. The 9602 unit has a capacity of 300 discs, while Primera's Bravo Pro maxes out at 100 unless you buy the optional ADL-MAX, which costs $1,995 and boosts Bravo II capacity to 325 and Bravo Pro capacity to 350. Even though the base price of the ScribePC is substantially higher than the Bravo Pro (which lists for $3,995), the prices look more competitive once you match up the capacities and start adding network clients. While the large-network issue might not be significant to most videographers, those doing stage event video with higher-volume production runs will want to weigh the disc-capacity comparisons carefully. (It's also worth noting, price-wise, that the Scribe includes a PC and the Bravos don't.)

Obviously, if your jobs include printing, ink capacity is as important as disc capacity when it comes to your ability to run high-volume jobs unattended. Though your mileage will vary with the amount of full-color imagery and type in your label, the PicoJet inkjet printer proved very efficient in our tests. More on that below.

Like Primera, MF Digital bundles a special edition of SureThing CD Labeler for label design, but unlike Primera, it includes no Mac design or operation software, though you can create your disc labels on the Mac using downloadable templates. Interestingly, the one major negative of creating your labels on the ScribePC is that there are so few system fonts because there are so few programs installed. If you buy a system, plan on acquiring a few of your favorite fonts for it, or plan on designing your labels on another computer.

Usability

You drive all burning activities in the MF Digital ScribePC application, which has five tabs that take you to specialty operations. You'll spend the most time in the Job Manager interface (left), which has three windows, one each for queued jobs, jobs in progress, and finished jobs.

You start all jobs with the New Job wizard, which allows you to queue multiple types of jobs for sequential batch operation. There are the usual types, including archive-only (saving a disc image); copying and/or verifying, where you can also print; relay mode, which lets you copy and print multiple masters; print-only; and data input, where you copy the data from the media to your hard drive in data form, rather than an image.

One unique feature is the ability to include CD and DVD operations in sequential batch operations. For example, from his network seat, user A could queue a CD-Audio reproduction job, while user B could queue a DVD reproduction job. The unit would then be able to pick the correct media and perform the required task, a valuable option in shops producing both types of media.

The software also has a data image editor with a simple, four-window interface reminiscent of Easy CD Creator, where you drag and drop directories and files into a target area for copying. You can save the disc image or burn the disc directly after creating it. You can also create and burn Red Book CD-Audio files, or again save the disc image for later mass reproduction.

Recording Performance

I tested with a mix of Verbatim and Ridata media, from 4X DVD-RW to 4X DL and 16X DVD-R. In straight duplication jobs, the hardware seemed to top out at 8X performance, as the time required to reproduce two 16X Verbatim discs (8:57 min:sec) was almost identical to 8X burn speed with two 8X Ridata discs (9:00). This could be media-dependent, but Verbatim is usually a top performer.

In reproduction-only applications, operation was very efficient, with the robotics swapping discs within seconds after the drive ejected the finished disc. In print-related functions, it felt like MF Digital left some efficiency on the table. Specifically, after recording a DVD, the unit printed the disc before loading another blank into the burner, costing about 90 seconds in burn time while the disc printed. Burn and print time for 10 full DVD-R discs was 55:03, while burn-only time for the same number of discs was 44:30. Seems like the unit could have shaved a good portion of the 10:30 differential by replacing a disc before printing.

Printer Usability and Performance

The SureThing labeling software is almost ubiquitous in this class of product, and it generally works well. However, I found its operation confusing when it came to printing in the hub area of the disc, which is the printable area on some discs between about 22 and 35 mm. MF Digital has a helpful tutorial on the subject that I received once I raised the issue, but I never fully got it to work from within ScribePC.

Specifically, when printing from ScribePC, you can print a SureThing project file (.STD), a .PRN file, or a .PDF file. Though I was able to create a .PRN file that printed on the hub from within ScribePC, I never could get it to work from an .STD file.

The PicoJet printer is based on an HP Deskjet 5650 engine, with an added tray for disc printing and hardware to attach to the main duplication system. Print quality was very good, comparable to Bravo Pro in my testing and a touch behind my Epson Stylus Photo 380, though you'd have to see up-close, side-by-side comparisons to tell them apart, making the differences commercially irrelevant.

The default printing mode is 600x600, and I could see little difference between that setting and the highest setting of 4800x1200, even when using an 8-megapixel image from a digital camera on the label. I tested down to 6-point text at 600x600 resolution, which looked very good in black against white, though a bit fuzzy in white on black. Ink cartridges are relatively inexpensive at $30 for a black cartridge and $48 for color. I printed about 125 full-color labels during my tests, and the black cartridge has 68% remaining and the color cartridge 58%. Ink consumption varies wildly depending upon the label type, but the cost of printing should be on par with Bravo Pro.

One very cool feature is the ability to input merge fields into a label and then merge a .CSV file with serial numbers, names, or some other unique identifier during printing, in essence producing custom labels. This is a standard feature of the SureThing program; MF Digital's value-add is the ability to integrate the dynamic labels into a duplication/print job.

Bottom Line

ScribePC is ideal for networked, high-volume shops with DVD-only or mixed CD/DVD duplication and printing jobs, especially those needing to serialize or otherwise customize their disc labels. The only significant deficit is the lack of a Mac client, so if you're a Mac shop, this probably isn't for you.

Source: Thank you EMediaLive for the Scribe 9000 Series product review.

MF Digital March Madness Special

2007-03-06T13:02:00.000-05:00

Let March Madness begin! During March 2007, MF Digital is offering one outstanding deal. Purchase a Scribe 9602 and PicoJet inkjet printer (part # DP3-9602-PCJ) and MF Digital will upgrade your order from a two drive system to a four drive system (DP3-9604-PCJ) at no additional cost.

This is one outrageous deal that saves you $1,000. But hurry, because this is a limited time offer.

The Scribe 9000 Series offers the most advanced features for DVD CD duplicating and printing in the marketing today. Simply connect the monitor, keyboard and mouse and your new 4 Drive Scribe System is ready to go. Here are some more noteworthy features:

Network ready with license free client software
Asynchronous duplicating (each drive works independently)
Auto detecting CD or DVD media from input spindle
Industrial robotics with proven picker mechanism
Photo realistic direct-to-disc printing
Unlimited job queue which is great for network job submission
much more...

To find out more about the Scribe Series please visit the Scribe 9000 web page, or better yet, Contact Us today and ask about the March Madness Special.

Press Release: Backup for Single PC, FTP Server or Local Area Network Solution

2007-01-15T18:32:00.000-05:00

East Farmingdale, NY January 15, 2007 -- MF Digital, an industry leader in CD/DVD copier production equipment, now offers an optional automatic disc loading backup solution to CD-R or DVD-R for your single PC, FTP Server or Local Area Network.

The MF Digital backup solution is a fully automatic disc loading backup solution eliminating the need for human intervention during the backup process. The bundled solution allows for critical data to be permanently stored on CD-R/W or DVD±R/RW media and offers scheduling for reoccurring automated backup activity. "Never before have CD DVD duplication solutions provided such an in-depth and user controlled backup solution as what MF Digital offers today," says Mark Hulswit, West Coast Sales Manager. "The turn-key solution MF Digital provides make it a tough act to follow. Beyond auto-detect disc spanning, MF Digital offers criteria filters, backups to self-restorable executable files, include/exclude synchronized items and backup access permissions."

Hulswit continues, "The program uses a Wizard to define the automated activity set of what, where, when and how to backup. MF Digital equipment makes this backup process an unattended operation via robotic disc loader pick mechanism. Our backup solutions are in-line for single PC archive, FTP Server archive and complete Local Area Network backups."

MF Digital's fully automated backup solutions are available now with any Scribe PC CD/DVD duplication model. MF Digital products are available through a world-wide network of authorized resellers.

To find out more about Backup Platinum 3.0 or find a dealer in your area, contact MF Digital: + 631 249 9393 x 205 or sales@mfdigital.com

About MF Digital

MF Digital, based in East Farmingdale, NY and a division of Formats Unlimited, has been developing duplication solutions for over a decade. The company's extensive line of high quality manual and auto-loading CD-R and DVD-R/+R duplicators are used throughout the A/V, graphic arts and data/enterprise networking industries. MF Digital CD/DVD duplication systems employ Microsoft’s ® Windows XP platform to provide ease of use and scalability.

For more information, visit www.mfdigital.com or contact Greg Morris at gregm@mfdigital.com for further marketing information.

DVD CD Backup Solution Now Ships with Platinum Version 3.0

2006-12-19T11:29:00.000-05:00

MF Digital's DVD CD Duplicator Backup Solutions Now Ship with Backup Platinum Version 3.0
The advanced DVD CD Duplicator backup solutions from MF Digital continue to improve and remain the industry leader for in-line, automated disc backup systems. Now shipping with all MF Digital backup solutions is Backup Platinum Version 3.0. The advanced features and improved utilities of this most recent version include:

Backup to self-restorable executable files;
Option to specify alternative destination for backup;
Additional criteria to filter files by creation and modification date;
Ability to specify include/exclude masks for synchronization items;
Ability to divide backup archive to several volumes with specified size;
Option to exclude empty folders from backup;
Option to add file or folder to an existing backup item from Windows Explorer;
Ability to include/exclude subtrees of registry keys as usual folders;
Automatic search and backup for: Explorer favorites, history and cookies; Windows Settings;
Backup of access permissions and alternate streams for files and folders on NTFS drives;
Option to avoid file splitting between spanned discs due to insufficient space;
Option to close CD tray after writing;
Volume labels for CD/DVD;
Validity check for saved backup data.
Safe write option to remove the previous backup only after saving a new one;
Option to hide program icon in the system tray;
Ability to execute items from the right click menu on system tray icon;
Option to shutdown, logoff or hibernate after backup completion.

Director PRO (model 2604) Updated With 2600 Loader System

2006-12-01T13:27:00.000-05:00

The Director PRO (2604) has long been the flagship disc publishing product from MF Digital and most recently was updated with our new 2600 Series loader system. With proven robotic design the Director PRO is an ideal solution for mission critical disc publishing applications. Included with the Director Series is MF Digital's exclusive API (Application Programming Interface) for seamless integration into custom applications. The Series also provides full Asynchronous burning and printing of media while supporting unique disc burning to each drive in real-time. Intelligent spindle select is another feature touted by MF Digital - this allows the publishing system to hold both CD-R and DVD-R media while the robotics know which media type to pick and when. Visit DVD CD Publisher 2000 page for more information.

Press Release: MF Digital Introduces Data Ripping

2006-11-14T18:23:00.000-05:00

East Farmingdale, NY November 14, 2006 -- MF Digital, an industry leader in CD/DVD Copier Production Equipment, introduces Data Ripping, an advanced software utility to extract disc content from the original file and folder structure of a CD or DVD to hard disc.

"Users can now extract data and keep the original file and folder structure of the CD or DVD. Typically a disc archive would create a global disc image, or a single .ISO file eliminating the ability to view a specific file after the archive. However, the MF Digital Data Ripping utility gives the user a way to view individual files after the archive process," says John McGrath, MF Digital Sales Manager. "Many companies are struggling with how to migrate their data from disc and old juke box devices to newer, high capacity storage platforms such as high density optical disc, storage area networks, or other network attached storage devices."

Couple the Data Ripping feature with MF Digital's award winning disc robotics hardware, users now have an automated way to extract disc content in bulk. Include the MP3 Ripping utility software and MF Digital provides a full turn-key ripping station for Data and Audio. "These are exciting times for MF Digital" says Morris, Marketing Manager "we see a trend of companies synchronizing their off-line storage to more accessible, on-line storage - all the while still distributing information via CDR and DVDR. MF Digital has positioned itself as the premier industry leader for disc duplicating, disc printing and disc ripping, for audio and data, while maintaining a product line easy to use and with equipment configurations fit for any budget."

MF Digital products are available through a world-wide network of authorized resellers. To find out more about Data Ripping or find a dealer in your area, contact MF Digital: + 631 249 9393 x 205 or sales@mfdigital.com.

About MF Digital

MF Digital, based in East Farmingdale, NY and a division of Formats Unlimited, has been developing duplication solutions for over a decade. The company's extensive line of high quality manual and auto-loading CD-R and DVD-R/+R duplicators are used throughout the A/V, graphic arts and data/enterprise networking industries. MF Digital CD/DVD duplication systems employ Microsoft’s ® Windows XP platform to provide ease of use and scalability.

For more information, visit www.mfdigital.com or contact Greg Morris at gregm@mfdigital.com for further marketing information..

Demystifying Blu-Ray Duplicators

2006-10-06T18:21:00.000-04:00

The CD/DVD duplication industry is generate some buzz around blu-ray technology but all that buzz might get you into something you don't need. Lets demystify the blu-ray duplicator.

For starters lets take a look at what blu-ray is: The blu-ray disc (BD) is an optical disc format designed for higher density storage applications. With digital content becoming bigger in file size, the industry is trying new and creative ways to store data without significant cost increases or increase in physical disc size. Blu-ray is a big step in that direction.

The name blu-ray is derived from the blue-violet laser used during the read and write process. A blu-ray disc can store more data than a DVD because of the shorter wavelength (405 nm). DVDs use a 650-nm-wavelength red laser and CDs use an infrared 780 nm laser. This shorter blue-violet wave length yields a higher optical disc capacity; for example, a typical CDR is 700MBs, and DVD is 4.7GBs and a blu-ray DVD is 25GBs. **There is test media which breaks the 200GB range!

So far everything sounds great but lets put the blu-ray technology into a duplicator environment. The first question we must ask our self is how long does it take to burn a blu-ray disc? It takes about 45 minutes for a single drive to burn 25GBs at the maximum speed of 2X. The question now becomes can we maintain a 2X burning speed with multiple blu-ray drives in a duplicator?

The next item for consideration is the blu-ray media. At the time of this article several dealers where out of blu-ray media and expected ship times where undetermined. The cost was high at $20 dollars per unit and that was in larger quantities. Another important point with blu-ray media is the disc style. As of right now, there is no inkjet printable blu-ray media and most of what is available is "branded" - meaning the manufacture logo is silk-screened on the disc making it very hard to use a custom label. Since duplication applications generally use custom print labels this becomes a big problem if printing to disc is needed.

The final consideration when thinking about blu-ray duplicators is the battle between blu-ray drive technology and HD DVD drive technology. There is a current battle going on between the major corporations backing the drive technologies. A battle similar to the videotape format war between VHS and Betamax. As of 2006 neither format of blu-ray or HD DVD has succeeded in supplementing the present home video DVD standard - a win that will set the stage for high capacity DVDR storage standards and more importantly the high capacity DVD duplicators.

As for some final thoughts - if you are the select few that require high capacity DVDs and cannot wait for the technology battle to settle then blu-ray might be for you. Until then, it's probably smarter and more economical to stick with DVD-R/+R duplicators and maintain the flexible printing options with the available thermal, dye-sublimation and inkjet printable media types.

MF Digital Offers Mulitlingual User Interface to it's PC based Duplication Systems

2006-09-11T18:18:00.000-04:00

The Multilingual User Interface or "MUI" are additional file resources found on MF Digital PC based duplicators giving the user an ability to change the language interface on the operating system according to their preference. There are now 33 supported languages for the MF Digital Scribe PC and Director Series operating systems.

This new feature allows resellers to provide a clear selling advantage over their competition with local language support. Further, this allows large corporations to roll out purchasing strategies for duplication equipment on a global scale. Local users can select the user interface language while corporate can focus on a single supplier, MF Digital.

MUI also allows different language users to share the same workstation or roaming users to take their localized user interface from one workstation to another. For instance, one user might choose to see system menus, dialogs and other text in Japanese, while another user logging onto the same system might prefer to see the corresponding text in French.

MF Digital believes this new feature will provide unique opportunities for resellers to succeed in their own market while providing the highest level of service and experience to the end-user.

Press Release: Director PRO Publishing Program

2006-08-01T14:14:00.000-04:00

East Farmingdale, NY August 1, 2006 -- MF Digital, an industry leader in CD/DVD Copier Production Equipment, introduces their DirectorPRO Publishing Partner Program to it's global channel of resellers. This program certifies qualified dealers to represent MF Digital's flagship product, The DirectorPRO Disc Publishing System, and elevates the dealer to that of a premier MF Digital value added reseller.

To head the program, MF Digital brought in industry expert Mark Hulswit who carries 15 years experience in the disc duplicating and publishing industry to facilitate the program. "This program holds unique values such as Lead Registrations to protection opportunities created by the dealer;" says Hulswit, "MF Digital believes we must incorporate tools to maintain reseller profitability and protect the dealer from internet portals who feed off low margins."

Hulswit continues, "MF Digital also developed a generous Bounty Program for dealers not certified who uncover disc publishing applications and turn those leads over to MF Digital." John McGrath, Channel Sales Manager, "I like this program because it allows none specialty resellers to see a piece of the action without substantial time invested in the sales process. It's a win-win for both parties."

MF Digital paid particular attention to the demonstration equipment used in the DirectorPRO Publishing Program. "This program gave us a unique opportunity to create something the industry has never seen before; a demo unit which shows the unique disc burning of the DirectorPRO in conjunction with the Scribe PC - a PC based duplication system, the Scribe SA - a standalone duplication system and the 5000 Series copier module;" Hulswit explains, "for a minimal investment the dealer acquires a true asset, a demonstration unit for the entire line card, not just the disc publishing system."

To find out more about the DirectorPRO Publishing Program contact Mark Hulswit: (484) 467-4327 or markh@mfdigital.com

About MF Digital

MF Digital, based in E. Farmingdale, NY and a division of Formats Unlimited, has been developing duplication solutions for over a decade. The company's extensive line of high quality manual and auto-loading CD-R and DVD-R/+R duplicators are used throughout the A/V, graphic arts and data/enterprise networking industries. MF Digital CD/DVD duplication systems employ Microsoft’s ® Windows XP platform to provide ease of use and scalability.

For more information, visit www.mfdigital.com or contact Greg Morris at gregm@mfdigital.com for further information.

MF Digital Introduces New Marketing Manager

2006-07-25T00:13:00.000-04:00

Press Release:

East Farmingdale, NY July 24, 2006 -- MF Digital, an industry leader in CD/DVD Copier Production Equipment, announced today that Greg Morris will become their new Marketing Director of global sales. Currently serving as Director of Sales for the Western US, Asia and Pacific Rim Mr. Morris brings significant industry experience and expertise to the marketing management position.

As an organization that values solid business principles MF Digital is looking forward to this transition and the additional level of professional services MF Digital will offer to their Dealer Network and Publishing Partners. During this transition Rob De Rita will oversee Western US and Asia channel sales for MF Digital and may be contacted at the corporate office of (631) 249-9393 ext 205 or robd<@>mfdigital.com.

Mr. Morris has held a variety of positions with in the disc duplication industry over the past 11 years, including panel positions with the IDDA and Media-Tech trade shows, Sales Manager for a channel reseller, Sales Director for MediaFORM and Sales Director for MF Digital. "Drawing from my wide range of industry experience I understand the needs of both channel resellers and equipment manufacturers," says Morris. "Today's duplication market is vastly more competitive and MF Digital will execute marketing methods to show channel resellers they can uncover new opportunities and grow their business."

Director of Channel Sales, John McGrath states, "manufacturer's have a unique perspective on the industry and our channel dealers can profit from this knowledge, having Morris transition into Marketing will allow MF Digital to become more aggressive in our growth strategies."

About MF Digital

MF Digital, based in E. Farmingdale, NY and a division of Formats Unlimited, has been developing duplication solutions for over a decade. The company's extensive line of high quality manual and auto-loading CD-R and DVD-R/+R duplicators are used throughout the A/V, graphic arts and data/enterprise networking industries. MF Digital CD/DVD duplication systems employ Microsoft s Windows XP platform to provide ease of use and scalability.

For more information, visit www.mfdigital.com or contact Greg Morris at gregm<@>mfdigital.com

Ten Valuable Tips on How To Choose a Duplicator

2006-07-05T14:00:00.000-04:00

With this being the age of information, we figured to take a moment and provide 10 valuable tips on how to choose a duplicator. Since knowledge is power and CD/DVD duplication equipment is expensive, we hope you find this article useful and employ these tips in your decision making process. While reading this article it is best to consider our points and discuss them with a professional sales person. Our goal is to get your wheels turning so that all the key questions are answered. With duplication equipment the small details do make a big difference and reading this article and preparing yourself to discuss your requirements in-depth will insure a better buying decision and company investment.

The first thing you need to determine when purchasing a duplicator is what size unit best fits your needs. To determine this you will need to ask yourself how many discs you burn in a single session. You may consider a session just one duplication job, or a full days production; either way having a good estimate of the production needs will point you in the right direction. In conjunction with disc quantity be sure to ask yourself how many megabytes are being burned to the disc. Since time for disc burning is relative to the amount of data burned, it's important to know this requirement to get a true idea of what duplicator size is best for you.
Next, determine the general direction for the type of duplicator you require, the two primary categories are Towers or Autoloaders. As you probably know, the tower configuration will burn multiple discs simultaneously but requires the human touch to swap discs in-and-out. With automation, a picker mechanism does this work for you. The best question to ask yourself to determine if a tower or autoloader is best for you, is: "Do you plan to print directly to the disc?" This question alone will send you in the direction of automation - maybe not in all cases, but since a printer can only print a single disc at a time it would be more cost effective to have a robotic arm moving the discs then paying a person to do that same task.
Now that you've determined the type of duplicator you need, lets take a look at the type of printer you need. If you are not printing, or using labels (which we do not recommend) then a tower duplicator is probably the item for you. Side Note: You still need to ask yourself if the tower duplicator will be a network resource or not...yes there are tower duplicators which are network able and should be a serious consideration for small and medium sized business'. MF Digital provides a 6 drive network tower model number DP3-5906. Going back to the printer you have two general directions as well. In general terms, you may choose an inkjet printer technology or a thermal printer technology. View or previous article, Paper or Plastic for pros-and-cons on printer technologies. To quickly recap; the inkjet printer is best for general applications with medium to high resolution labeling. The thermal printer is best for low resolution and high volume production. Again, visit our previous article as this is a very important topic.
OK, with a general idea of the requirements we can take a closer look at the duplicator systems itself. Provided you are going with automation (because of the printing requirement) you then have to determine the best sized unit for your application. There are a wide range of automated duplicator configurations out there and the two biggest factors are disc capacity and the number of drives. Typically the more drives in a system means the larger capacity and for obvious reasons. However, we have seen many situations where the duplication session is not large, i.e. quantity burned is not high, but the customer still gets a large duplicator. The reason for this is quick turn-around times. If you require a quick turn time then more drives equals faster throughput and should be your product of choice. In our experience the size autoloaders are 1 drive / 25-50 discs, 2 drive / 100-250 discs, 4 drive / 300-600 discs and even 6 drives but those typically don't include printers. Side Note: To have more then 4 drives to 1 printer is not an optimal ratio for production efficiency and should be a red-flag when presented with that configuration.
We receive a lot of questions from non-technical people, sometimes it's best to get none technical duplicators. With automation you can pick between PC based systems and standalone systems. The standalone systems are designed more for ease-of-use. It's a great product for those not technical who want to push only a single button. Another advantage with standalone is that a monitor, keyboard and mouse are not required and in many instances there is limited real-estate in the production room. PC systems make for great turn-key production stations. Since a PC system will run off a monitor, keyboard and mouse it also means you can use that same workstation to create the label file for the printer. In addition, some PC systems are network-able and become a network resource, much like your office laser printer. Side Note: Some standalone duplicators are also network able like the MF Digital Scribe 3000 Series. A product like the MF Digital scribe can also queue an unlimited number of jobs. This becomes a valuable feature for medium and large size corporations who may share the equipment with an arsenal of employees.
So what does Asynchronous mean? With automation a system will burn either in asynchronous mode or synchronous mode. A synchronous automated unit will use the loader to place a disc into each drive, then burn all drives/media at once. An asynchronous system will load each drive and begin burning as each drive is loaded. I guess you could say staggered start times. In today's market and with today's technology we feel if you buy automation it should be a system that support asynchronous burning. Be sure to ask for this feature because it will improve your throughput numbers by at least 30%. We did a full write up about Asynchronous burning earlier.
So now things are getting clear on what equipment best fits your need. The one question you must always ask yourself, with any product, is; "How's the reliability?" Be sure to do some digging around to find the answers you need. This is where knowledgeable sales people can really help. Many dealers carry multiple brands of duplicators, ask them which manufacturer ships a more consistent product. Is the duplicator made of plastic or metal...plastic would be small volume, entry level or limited use type duplicator and the metal would be more durable for heavier production. The entry level units generally have a shorter life cycle. Side Note: low volume would be 50 or less in one week.
So you buy a duplicator but what if you have a question or need help after the fact. Technical support is the biggest factor in the buying decision. Make sure you feel comfortable with the manufacturer and the people who stand behind the product. There are two key things you can do to get what you need. First, talk with the manufacturer sales agent and discuss some of these points and get a feel for how they respond. Second, make a quick call to the tech support department. If you get voice mail, write down the time you called and record how long it takes for them to call back. Last, speak with a dealer about which manufacturer is easier to deal on the sales side as this is a good indicator of how the support department is ran and how the company is ran as a whole.
Warranty policy and software support is another important area you need to investigate. Typically the warranty offered is a 1 year warranty but we feel it also important to ask if extended warranties are also available. This is an indication that the company is thorough and methodical in their business model and provide additional options to the buyer. In addition, ask about software support or firmware upgrades. There is a trend right now for manufacturers to grab more profit by charging for software support after the original 1 year warranty. We feel this is absurd. Spending thousands of dollars on production equipment to be left holding the ticket only 1 year later is not acceptable - so ask about software support for the life of the product and what expenses are associated with that support. We still know of manufacturers, such as MF Digital, which offer free lifetime firmware upgrades and software support.
To wrap things up we should talk about price. The first thing you must understand is that CD/DVD duplicators are not commodity products. This means they are not made in such large quantities, like cell phone or MP3 players, that you go to CNET and simply buy off price alone. Rather, take a fresh approach and appreciate this type of equipment as many moving parts and the collection of many makes up the product as a whole. The quality of the many components determines the quality of the product as a whole, thus the price will reflect that quality. For example, in the wood working industry it's well known that Porter-Cable makes one of the best routers available and their product will last for 25 years of hard work, on the flip side Ryobi makes a router which is more-or-less disposable and will burn out after 5 years. If you're in the wood working industry, spending your money once on Porter-Cable is much smarter then spending your money twice on Ryobi...well the same can be said for CD/DVD duplication equipment. Spend a little more upfront on the higher quality gear and your company will save money in the long run with a good investment that provides years of performance.

Since each user application is different and the requirements for purchasing varies be sure to examine each tip listed above and, at the least, discuss them with your manufacturer or dealer. If careful consideration is given to each topic then we are confident you will end-up with the right system for your needs.

Paper or Plastic

2006-05-24T17:18:00.000-04:00

Paper or plastic was the question back in "the day" when checking out from the grocery store. Everyone had their choice and their reasons for one over the other. The majority went with plastic and today you know it's the truth, because when was the last time someone asked you, "paper or plastic?" Well, in the duplication industry the age old question is inkjet or thermal? Again, everyone has their choice and everyone has their reason for one over the other. Today, lets break down some of the pro's and con's of each technology because choosing the right printer for your duplicator is a much bigger decision then paper or plastic, although you'll probably find yourself going the way of plastic.

First, lets do a quick overview of the technology behind inkjet and thermal printers.

Inkjet

Inkjet printers are a type of printer that operates by propelling tiny droplets of liquid ink onto paper. Looking closer, the cartridge carries a series of tiny electrically-heated chambers that have a pulse of current which run through the chamber, creating a mini steam explosion, forming a bubble, which is then propelled as a droplet of ink to the paper, or in our case, a CD.

Thermal

A thermal printer (or direct thermal printer) produces a printed image by selectively heating coated thermo chromic paper. When the paper passes over the thermal print head the coating turns black in the areas where it is heated, producing an image. Tri-color direct thermal printers are capable of printing three additional colors (often Cyan, Magenta and Yellow), by applying heat at three different temperatures. Thermal transfer printing is a transfer method that uses a heat-sensitive ribbon instead of heat-sensitive paper.

With the basic technology definitions behind us, inkjet sprays ink and thermal is a physical transfer process, we can take a closer look at the elements which contribute to your decision making process. To do this, we will summarize the pro's and con's in a conversation monolog for each technology, then you decide which conversation best fits your needs.

Inkjet Printer Summary:

Inkjet printers are nice because the cost of equipment is much less, about a quarter of a thermal printer. Along with the low cost of entry for equipment, the inkjet printer also provides a wide range of colors for creating that exact label you want. For example, the PicoJet from MF Digital has a spectrum of 16.7 million colors, which is enough to give the user the ability to make their perfect label. In addition to the deep color spectrum, inkjet printers have a great ability to print fine text, graphics and logos. Using the same printer as a reference, the PicoJet, the droplet size is 4.5 Pico Liters. A Pico Liter is one trillionth the size of a liter or one millionth of a million of a liter, either way a Pico Liter is extremely small and 4.5 Pico Liters is the size of the ink drop being placed on your label. This is why you see printers with claims of resolution of up to 4800 dpi. On the flip side, you do have some considerations. As you have probably guessed, inkjet is not waterproof, the cost per label will (generally) be higher and the speed to create that label will be longer. However, if you noticed we used the term "consideration" for these points - we do not feel these are true negatives. Here's why:

True, inkjet is not waterproof by itself, but things are different today then they where two years ago. For example, there is now inkjet printable media which is waterproof. This new technology allows the ink to dry and become permanently attached to the disc media by "locking in the ink" to the surface of the media. Major manufacturers are producing this media today, such as Imation, TDK and Verbatim. True, the cost per print is higher then thermal, but in comparison your ability to create vibrant, colorful labels which are near photo quality take some extra effort. Last, the speed is slower then thermal, but it takes time to make detailed labels with full color output.

Finally, some inkjet printers are manufactured to only take their specifically branded ink cartridges where others are derived from larger OEMs where a common ink cartridge can be used. Our suggestion is do some home work and ask if the printer uses "keyed" ink cartridges. A "keyed" ink cartridge is one that has a bar code on the print cartridge itself and before a print begins the system will scan the ink cartridge looking for the bar code, if no bar code, then no printing. Again, looking at the PicoJet printer we know it's derived from an HP print engine so we know the ink cartridges are readily available whereas a Primera printer is a proprietary system with "keyed" ink cartridges and will not function unless their cartridge is recognized.

Thermal Printer Summary:

Thermal printers definitely have their place in the CD production environment. They are true work horses, thermal printers are designed for heavy use and best fit high volume production environments. They print extremely quick, produce a very professional look and can run for many hours before refills are required. Typically, a thermal printer is used in situations where the disc can be labeled with a monochrome color and the label image doesn't need to be flashy, colorful or photorealistic. Another great application for thermal printers are those situations where a disc needs to be permanently archived or cannot risk being rubbed off. A good example would be government agencies, military, enterprise storage, back-up applications, or mission critical data which must be labeled. It's fair to say that removing a thermal label from a disc would involve, more or less, ruining the disc before the label came off.

A thermal printer is about 4 times more expensive then inkjet printers. List price is around $5,000 for a printer such as the Prism Plus printer from Rimage. The thermal print process is a physical transfer process - from heated print head - to monochrome ribbon - to disc surface; and to perform this process takes a very durable, well engineered printer. Manufacturing a thermal printer requires materials that are much more expensive to obtain then that of inkjet printers, and thus the large delta in price. The thermal printer, such as the Prism Plus, is very quick. The Prism Plus will print a near full label in around 10 seconds whereas it would take an inkjet printer about 3 times that amount of time. Of course we are talking about a monochrome color on thermal verse full color for that of inkjet, but if speed is your need, then a thermal printer is your best fit.

The cost per print when using thermal printers is far less then that of inkjet. Again, the difference between monochrome and full color, but if cost savings per print is a requirement then thermal is a smart decision. To give you an idea a thermal ribbon for the Prism Plus runs about $50 and the length of the ribbon is 750 feet. Now taking the size of a disc 5.25 inches and divide that into the ribbon you get about 1,700 prints. Take the $50 (MSRP) for the ribbon and divide that by the 1,700 prints and you get a cost per print of about $0.03. With inkjet cartridges you have a black ink cartridge and color cartridge which has a bundled cost of $78 (MSRP) and that combination will produce at least 500 prints so the cost per print is about $0.15 per print. However, to get a full color label from a selection of 16.7 million colors for only $0.15 is not a bad deal what-so-ever.

As you can see, there are needs for each printer technology in today's production environment. You will probably agree that a thermal printer application is more niche then that of inkjet and thus, we've seen sales for inkjet printers out perform that of thermal. With changing technologies that make inkjet waterproof, low cost of entry for equipment and the flexibility in label output for both color and design, printers like the PicoJet become the majority of consumer's choices as did the plastic bag from the grocery store. But as with grocery stores that stocks paper bags, so to are the thermal printers ready to be integrated into your duplication solution. The selection of one print technology over another is an important business decision so be sure to speak with a professional who is knowledgeable and experienced to help you get the right gear for the job.

Live Event Recording and CD DVD Duplication

2006-04-12T14:46:00.000-04:00

If there is one hot topic in the CD DVD duplication industry it's the Live Event Recording topic. As of late, the church market is exploding with live event recording requests, "how to's," and product inquiries. Most notably, these requests come from people trying to capture spoken word and put it to CD, but now a transition is occurring to not only record the audio, but the video as well. This article should get you going in the right direction.

Video becomes much more difficult than simple audio for live event recording applications. With audio, it's fairly simple to record dual channel (stereo) to a system HHD or 1x recorder and burn on the fly. Inserting the track IDs with the click of a button is about the extent of "editing" the audio. All other aspects of the recorded audio are controlled through the console which is accepting the live feed, aspects such as equalization, balance, fade etc. Once the audio master is done, it's inserted into a duplicator for small runs of production (there are systems which have it all such as the MF Digital 5906LIVE), however video is a little more involved.

With live event recording to video you have many factors at play. First, you must capture the video, then you must render the video (if transitions or effects are inserted), menus and chapters must be created and finally the raw video must be compressed to MPEG4 or VCD, all of which is not a quick process. After all the video editing and output is complete then it's off to the duplicator for production. So how does one do this? Well, there are many options to accomplish this, but in general terms there are two main directions, plus a third with a BIG astric.

First Solution: Create your own editing station (PC) to produce the master, then duplicate. This method means you must build a PC designed for video editing and has 4 basic components: (1) Within this system you will have a video capturing device, generally a video card which puts the raw video onto the hard drive. (2) Next some editing software which allows you to insert a standard intro clip (popular), make cuts to clip out unwanted video, effects such as transitions from one scene to another and, for more advanced users, special effects such as fade-in text, multiple views of video on the same time-line etc. (3) Next, one will need authoring software which gives you the tools to create menus, buttons, and chapters to easily navigate the DVD and encode the raw video into MPEG4 or VCD so it will all fit onto a DVDR or Video CDR. (4) Finally, burning software to take all of the above work and ACTUALLY burn it to media. Many times the burning engine will also be included with the encoding software.

Second Solution: Purchase an editing station which is specifically designed for live event recording applications. There are not many out there, but currently the most notable is the Pioneer PRV-LX1. This equipment is feature rich and provides all the tools for the job, the capturing card, the editing software, the encoding software and burning engine to put it all on disc. The engineering team at Pioneer designed the PRV-LX1 with both the novice and professional user in mind. The system is sophisticated enough to create great effects, but also simple enough to directly record video and insert chapters as they happen. The unit can also record the video directly to disc, live, but this feature eliminates all editing functions (for obvious reasons). The PRV-LX1 comes in a rack mount enclosure for portable mobile studios or video editors on the go. As a bonus feature for the PRV-LX1, Pioneer has teamed up with third party vendors such as MF Digital to allow the authoring unit to talk directly with the duplicator so a DVD master is not even created. Just off-load the project to the DVD duplicator and begin production.

Third Solution: Buy a standalone hardware encoder product such as the Plextor PX-TV402 which will convert the raw video to MPEG4 on the fly. ***WARNING: The problem with this system (when burning a DVD live) is limited control over the compression quality, no editing capability and no menu or chapter capability. So this means a DVD will be created that simply plays when inserted into a DVD set-top-box or player and from our experience this is to raw or bare-bones for a solution. This product is more ideal for archiving the family videos or recording TV shows where the viewer doesn't care about presentation, but rather wants just the core content on DVD R.

The first option mentioned above is generally a money saving route and would be good for those on a tight budget. But as with anything, you get what you pay for. In many cases the learning curve is much higher and the initial process to create that first DVD takes a very long time and a lot of training will be required if made a departmental responsibility. However, the second option is geared more towards non-editing types and will provide a smoother and quicker transition into the editing world of video. The price is higher, but who can put a price tag on time?

Asynchronous Duplication via Multi Drive Duplicators

2006-03-06T20:31:00.000-05:00

In general terms asynchronous duplication means multiple devices are working independently within the same duplication system. In specific terms, asynchronous duplication means a duplicator has the ability for each recorder to burn independently and print independently. This finer point is all the trend in duplication equipment these days.

Traditionally, duplication machines where designed as a three step process. 1) Load media into drives. 2) Burn media in all drives. 3) Unload media to output spindle/printer. Well, anyone who spends even a small amount of time around a system like that, will quickly realize there is a great deal of time wasted. The time is wasted when each drive is waiting for the others to be loaded before the burning even begins.

Asynchronous duplicators solve this problem. An asynchronous unit will immediately start burning media in the first drive after being loaded, meanwhile the robotic arm returns to the input spindle to pick up another blank disc for the next drive. Once the next drive is loaded, it begins to burn so on-and-so forth. This staggering of start times of each individual recorder has a significant impact on overall throughput of the duplicator. About a 35% impact of increased production!

Not only do the drives burn while the loader is moving and picking and placing, this also means the first completed disc will move into the disc printer (assuming system is configured with a printer) that much faster. This too is important because when you have a 2 or 4 drive duplicator and only 1 printer, it s important to move the media out of the drive and into the printer to keep an efficiency of work flow.
As you can see, there are many great benefits to using an asynchronous duplicator. However, not all systems are created equal. Here are a couple important questions you should ask:

Is the system truly asynchronous? We have found not all companies use the term asynchronous the same way. We have found some multi-drive system, when in asynchronous mode, only use the #1 drive and printer - that s it - the other drives are idle during the duplication process.
Is the asynchronous burning a standard feature for the model? If the asynchronous feature is an upgrade then watch out, this is a red flag for a me too feature from the manufacturer which can forever be on back order.
Does the duplicator use a controller card? If so, then a true asynchronous environment is not possible. Note: A controller card system is a duplicator which runs from a proprietary controller card designed for simple duplication such as towers. If you see an automated duplicator with LCD display and 4 push buttons, then chances are it s a controller card system.
Will the system always run in asynchronous mode? Be sure you get a system that will always run in asynchronous mode as there is no benefit to getting a synchronous system for a multi-drive duplicator. The last thing you need is a slow duplicator because the setup and configuration wasn t done properly. If a manufacturer knows what they re doing, asynchronous is always running and they are confident about the solution.

Lastly, take a close look at the price of an asynchronous system verse a synchronous system. You will find the little extra money for a 35% faster machine will far outweigh the additional cost. After all, the return on investment for a duplicator is how often it is running and how fast it can accomplish the job. Asynchronous systems will maximize your return.

Check out MF Digital's full line of Asynchronous CD and DVD Duplicators.

Press Release: MF Digital Offers Dye Sublimation Re-Transfer Printer

2006-01-29T18:35:00.000-05:00

East Farmingdale, NY January 29, 2007 - MF Digital, an industry leader in CD/DVD copier production equipment, partners with Teac to offer the P55 Dye Sublimation Re-Transfer CD DVD Printer with MF Digital's Automated Duplication Systems.

(PRWeb) January 29, 2007 -- "We are pleased to announce the partnership with Teac as the Teac P55 printer provides unparalleled CD DVD print quality for those needing high resolution, color prints without the worry of fading or scratching over time," explains Greg Morris, marketing manager. "The award-winning robotics of MF Digital coupled with the Teac Dye Sublimation printer result in the highest performing, automated direct-to-disc labeling system available."

John McGrath, MF Digital sales manager explains, "The resolution is 400DPI which is equivalent to 290LPI - the highest in the industry. This allows the print quality to hold more detail then even silk-screen solutions. In addition, the P55 printer does not bleed between colors, is smudge proof, waterproof, scratch resistant and very stable under UV light, making it the ideal print solution for professional looking, permanent labels."

McGrath continues, "One of the compelling reasons for partnering with Teac is their use of black ink cartridges rather then using Cyan, Magenta and Yellow to produce a composite black. This benefits the user in several ways; most importantly it produces a "true" black, but it also reduces the cost per print. These are important considerations for the consumer and MF Digital is confident the Teac/MF Digital bundle offers the lowest cost-per-print solution in the market."

MF Digital's automated printing solutions are available with all Scribe PC DVD CD duplication system and Director DVD CD Publishing solution. MF Digital products are available through a world-wide network of authorized resellers.

To find out more about MF Digital's Dye Sublimation Re-Transfer print solutions or find a dealer in your area, contact MF Digital: + 631 249 9393 x 205 or email robd@mfdigital.com or online at www.mfdigital.com/teac_P55.html

About MF Digital

MF Digital, based in E. Farmingdale, NY and a division of Formats Unlimited, has been developing duplication solutions for over a decade. The company's extensive line of high quality manual and auto-loading CD-R and DVD±R duplicators are used throughout the A/V, graphic arts and data/enterprise networking industries. MF Digital CD/DVD duplication systems employ Microsoft's ® Windows XP platform to provide ease of use and scalability.

For more information, visit www.mfdigital.com or contact Greg Morris.