If you are looking for value,
superlative customer service and the highest quality available in audio, video
and software data, then Audio Dynamix is the multimedia provider for you. We are
a small company that is experiencing consistent growth because we treat every
client like they are our only client. Having been on the cutting edge of CD
manufacturing, we are taking our experience and know how into the 21st century
by offering the same quality in DVD production. We keep our overhead low and our
quality high, all the while passing the savings on to you. At Audio Dynamix, we
have the latest equipment available, and provide services that include:
- Replication
- Disc Printing
- Packaging
The manufacturing process involved in CD
production is a complicated one, and more so with DVD. We would like to take
this opportunity to give you an overview of the history of CD and DVD
manufacturing, as well as present the technology that we have available.
CD's became available in the 1980's,
when it was discovered that music could be stored digitally on an optical disc
known as CD-A or CD-Audio. The signals were put on the discs in a series of pits
that correlated to 0's and 1's that a computer understands as binary digits (the
foundation for all computer operations). Those signals are interpreted and used
to recreate the information in a format that we understand.. From there, the
newly developed formats CD-ROM (Read Only Memory) for data storage, CD-I
(Interactive) and CD-V (Video) emerged. These formats used the same technology,
but the way that the binary signals were interpreted was adjusted to fit what
ever type of information was present; be it data, video or music. These formats
provided the ideal storage medium for large quantities of data, pictures and
multimedia applications. New production and coating technologies led to the
advent of recordable and erasable formats by the mid 1980's (CD-R and CD-RW).
CD-A has a storage capacity of
approximately 680 Mbytes, which allows for the reproduction of ~74 minutes of
MPEG 1 video and sound. CD-ROM is the medium that has the same capacity for data
storage, but unfortunately, today’s applications have grown much bigger than
the capacity that it offers. At one time, it was thought that 680 Mbytes would
be enough to meet all demands, but that assumption has proven to be shortsighted
as the demand for a higher quality product has become mainstream in the
commercial and consumer market place. The limitations of the CD format were
removed by "gluing" two thinner discs together (the two discs are the
same thickness as one CD disc) and refining the data compression technique to
make a product known as DVD. With these advancements in technology, DVD's can
store anywhere between 4.5 - 18 Gigabytes of information, depending on the
format (which will be discussed shortly). What this advancement in technology
allows for is the placement of up to 133 minutes of full motion MPEG-2 video, in
a choice of 3 different viewing modes, up to 32 different subtitles and 8
different soundtracks. There are other features that DVD affords, such as rating
control for children, different viewing angles and highly advanced copyright
protection. You will have the choice of watching movies in pan-and-scan mode,
letterbox mode and anamorphic format. Pan-and-scan mode provides a full screen
experience on a conventional TV, letterbox mode is for big screen TV's and
anamorphic format provides full screen display on widescreen TV's.
As mentioned before, there are 4
different formats for DVD manufacturing. DVD 5,9,10 and 18. The number indicates
how much data the disc can hold, and whether it is 1 sided or 2 sided; with 1
layer or 2 layers. The number of sides that a disc plays on is important, for it
affects the labeling of the disc itself. Single sided DVD's (5 & 9) can have
full sized labels (similar to a CD), while double sided DVD's (10 & 18) can
only have a small label attached.
In the past, particularly with video
tapes, several formats have been utilized, which served to split the market
based on hardware. The good news is that Phillips, Sony, Toshiba and Time Warner
have agreed on one standard format for worldwide production. This agreement has
created a more unified marketplace for your product. DVD's are also backwards
compatible with current CD's so as not to make the current technology obsolete
for many years to come. DVD's designated for computer usage is being designated
as DVD-ROM. DVD-Recordable (write once) and DVD-RAM (re-writable) discs and
players will soon be in high demand.
In summary, DVD's hold seven times the
amount of information that CD's hold. They are capable of providing full motion,
high-resolution digital video, surround sound Dolby AC-3 / MPEG-2 audio,
interactive programming, and multiple language subtitles all on a simple
high-density optical disc. Some of the emerging markets that exist are within
the movie industry, amongst electronic & media manufacturers, software
publishers and musicians. At Audio Dynamix, we are fully prepared to help you
meet the increasing demand for these new technologies and products. If you would
like technical information on the manufacturing process, it would be our
pleasure to provide it for you.
