Author Archives: Kevin

Rimage Announces Price Increases on Ribbons, Media Kits, Duplicators & Printers:

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Rimage Price Increases – Effective January 1, 2012, Rimage equipment and Everest ribbon consumable prices will increase. The price changes are directly related to cost increases Rimage has incurred from worldwide suppliers (mainly in Japan).

List of the Price Increases:

Producer (7100N and 8100N) Up 4%
Professional (3400 and 5400N) Up 4%
Desktop (2000i) Up 4%
Printers (Prism and Everest 600) Up 4%
Ribbons (Everest II, III, 400 & 600) Up 4 1/2%
Media Kits Up 1%

Customers interested in purchasing new Rimage printers or publishers should act quickly to save!

**Current Rimage programs that end soon.

$2,000 off a  Professional™ 5400N or 3400 System – Through December 16, 2011.

Everest III AutoPrinters for $4,950 through Dec 31, 2011.

Call Techware at 1-800-395-0083 for more details

 

Sony Continues Manufacturing Magneto Optical Disks

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I just read an interesting press release from earlier this week from GE Medical and Avnet from the 2011 RSNA show in Chicago.

The press release states that GE will be offering a new DICOM hard disk / Blu-ray appliance into hospitals and imaging centers that currently use magneto optical disc storage. The reason, as stated in the press release, is that magneto optical drives are no longer being manufactured.

It is true that MO drives are no longer being made. But fully functioning Sony, HP, and Maxoptix drives are still widely available from my system integrators as well as niche resellers. However, as I read through the full article I found a miss-statement. There was a quote about half-way into the releases that stated “Current users of the discontinued magneto-optical discs….”

MO discs are still be manufactured by Sony and sold under varies brands names – Sony, HP, Maxoptix, and Medical Grade to name a few. Don’t worry, magneto optical discs will continue to be available for many years to come.

Let me know your thoughts or comments. Also contact Techware at 1-800-295-0083 (952.944.0083 locally) if you need any help sourcing MO drives or MO media.

Rimage Auto-Everest 3 Printers for $4950

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That is right. For a limited time Rimage is offering their tried and true Everest III Auto-Printer for $5000 off the MSRP of $9950. The price of $4950 is good while supplies last.

Techware has used, sold, rented and serviced Rimage Auto Everest 3 printers for over 10 years. Nobody has printed more discs on Rimage equipment, and has more experience with Rimage thermal printers than Techwaredist.com. Take advantage of our knowledge.

We are here to help you with all your disc printing, duplicating, replication and packaging needs. Call us today at 1-800-295-0083, local at 952-944-0083, or email at info at techwaredist.com

GE Marches Towards 500GB Optical Discs

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News in the form of a press release sent out by the General touts:

… another major breakthrough in the development of next generation optical storage technology. GE’s research team has successfully demonstrated a micro-holographic material that can support data recording at the same speed as Blu-ray discs. This result builds upon the April 2009 demonstration of a threshold micro-holographic storage material that can support 500 gigabytes of storage capacity in a standard DVD-size disc.

Read more about this new technology; the full press release and how GE intends to use the technology at:

http://www.engadget.com/2011/07/20/ge-holographic-storage-burns-500gb-discs-at-the-speed-of-a-blu-r/

At Techwaredist we’re keeping track of all the new technologies as they emerge and are excited to offer them to our loyal customers as soon as they are commercially viable.  Thanks for stopping by and please visit this blog again for the latest breaking news and information on the optical disc market.

Time it Takes to Burn a DVD-r or DVD Dual Layer Disc

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Have you ever looked at the packaging on a new spindle of blank recordable DVD-r discs and wondered what the numbers “8X” or “16X” mean?

Those numbers indicate the maximum recordable or “write” speed of the discs. But the numbers do not tell you how many seconds or minutes it will take to burn your DVD disc.

Two Factors Affect Burning Time

First, is amount of data to be written in megabytes or gigabytes. And Secondly, the maximum speed of the discs themselves as well as the speed you choose in your burning software (4x, 8x, 12x, 16x, etc).

Editing and Rendering

For most people, creating a master DVD means editing their video. Using either a PC or a Mac, the process is essentially the same: edit the video, export to MPEG-2, and burn to a disc. Editing and rendering can add hours to a project such as a training video or a highlight film.

But we are interested in the actual burn time once your DVD is edited and rendered. DVD-r and DVD+r discs carry speed ratings designated by a number followed by the letter “X,” the “X” represents speed of the burning. An 8X rated DVD disc can be burned at twice the speed as a 4X rated disc, and a 16X disc can reach twice the speed of an 8X disc.

DVD-R & DVD+r Discs

In general, a regular single-layer 4.7GB DVD-R disc with a 16X speed rating (that is full = 4.6gb) will take about 6 minutes to copy in a duplicator machine such as Microboards HCL-8000. These machines are equipped with drives that can write discs at up to 22X, but DVD recordable discs with such a high speed rating are currently not available.

Reducing the write speed from 16x to 8X does not double the time needed to record your disc. In reality it only adds about 2 minutes for a total recording time of around 8 minutes. This is because DVD writers are not recording at maximum speed during the entire burn. They ramp up starting with a slower speed in the beginning of the burn and increasing until it hits your maximum selected speed or the disc maximum of 16x.

We recommend lowering the burn speed to 8x in order to give the laser more time to make a good impression on the organic dye recordable layer of the disc, resulting in a burn with fewer errors compared to a disc written at a higher speed. This does not affect the picture or sound quality of the DVD disc, but it will reduce the amount of error correction the DVD drive or DVD player has to do when the DVD is being viewed.

Dual Layer Recordable DVDs

When burning dual-layer DVDs, the write speed makes a significant difference in the overall burn time. Recording a dual layer DVD at 2.4X will takes 30 to 40 minutes depending on the amount of information or data being burned. When the burn speed is increased to 8X, the time drops to 15 to 20 minutes.

An important point – we have found time and time again that burning dual layer DVDs above 4x causes a much higher yield which means more bad or failed burns.

Please contact techwaredist.com (800-295-0083 or 952-944-0083) with any questions as we are committed to this industry and are here to help our current and new prospective customers in any way that we can.

Good Demand, Increased Prices Make CD / DVD Recordable Discs a Sellers Market

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Thanks to higher demand, profit margins for optical disc makers have increased so far in 2011. CD-R and DVD-r disc prices are expected to rise by 20% in the second half of this year, according to CMC Magnetics chairman Robert Wong, quoted in CENS.com

Ritek, another major optical disc maker in Taiwan, also says that disc prices have been rising this year due to rising material prices. CD-r and DVD-r disc prices are expected to rise further in the third quarter.

Wong said that many Chinese and Taiwanese optical disc makers have been withdrawing from the business, while some Japanese (JVC / Taiyo Yuden) disc makers also stopped production after the massive earthquake in March.

CMC has raised all its disc prices by an average 30% since March.

The supply shortage of CD-R discs has pushed up prices by about 40% since early this year, the first since 2009, Wong said, pointing out that the optical-disc sector has turned into a sellers’ market, a move that will benefit CMC’s future operation.

“Flooding orders are filling production lines throughout the year-end. Fourth quarter operations will turn profitable.”

This is big news for CD-r and DVD-r disc manufacturers like CMC which have posted losses the past couple of years.

Good Demand, Increased Prices Make CD / DVD Recordable Discs a Sellers Market

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Thanks to higher demand, profit margins for optical disc makers have increased so far in 2011. CD-R and DVD-r disc prices are expected to rise by 20% in the second half of this year, according to CMC Magnetics chairman Robert Wong, quoted in CENS.com

Ritek, another major optical disc maker in Taiwan, also says that disc prices have been rising this year due to rising material prices. CD-r and DVD-r disc prices are expected to rise further in the third quarter.

Wong said that many Chinese and Taiwanese optical disc makers have been withdrawing from the business, while some Japanese (JVC / Taiyo Yuden) disc makers also stopped production after the massive earthquake in March.

CMC has raised all its disc prices by an average 30% since March.

The supply shortage of CD-R discs has pushed up prices by about 40% since early this year, the first since 2009, Wong said, pointing out that the optical-disc sector has turned into a sellers’ market, a move that will benefit CMC’s future operation. “Flooding orders are filling production lines throughout the year-end. Fourth quarter operations will turn profitable.”

This is big news for CD-r and DVD-r disc manufacturers like CMC which have posted losses the past couple of years.

 

Blu-ray Disc Regional Codes Explained

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DVD and Blu-ray disc media make it very easy to play, store, and transport movies. Unfortunately, this convenience also makes optical discs a popular format for movie piracy. In an attempt to prevent Hollywood movies from being illegally distributed, region codes, were built into the DVD and Blu-ray disc formats.

The region code system requires the cooperation of hardware manufacturers worldwide as well as the cooperation of movie studios and disc production facilities. The original system for DVD replicated discs divided the world into 6 geographically-oriented groups of countries. Discs produced in one region would not work on hardware in a different region, and players would not be able to read discs from more than one region.

The reasons behind the region code system are primarily economic. Movie studios needed to be able to control the release of films at different times in different markets throughout the world. A movie might be released to video in North America at a time when it is not even in theaters in another country elsewhere in the world. Region coded-DVDs help keep movies from being shipped to another country and sold at a discount rate – or at a vastly inflated price.

Blu-ray discs also have a system of region codes, although it is much simpler than the system used for DVDs. All Blu-ray Replication discs contain a code for Region 1, 2, or 3 that determines which hardware it is compatible with. The corresponding hardware such as a Blu-ray player, computer disc drive, or video game console, will identify the disc as invalid or valid for its correct region.

One interesting thing about region codes is that they only apply to manufactured discs – those which are stamped or pressed in a disc replication factory. Duplicated Blu-ray and DVD discs that are duplicated are free of regional coding, which means they are able to be played on any machine worldwide.

This is good news for home users who transfer their own home movies to DVD and Blu-ray discs for safe keeping. Their DVD-R and Blu-ray media will play back on set-top players, computers, and video game systems in virtually every country.

Unfortunately, region codes also have some drawbacks as well. Frequent travelers, students trying to learn a new language, people who enjoy movies from their native country, and foreign film fans must all live with or work around region coded movies. Thankfully, the new system in place for Blu-ray discs is much more forgiving.

Please contact us with any Blu-ray duplication, replication or printing questions that you may have.

Rimage Plans to Play in the Clouds

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I read this weekend in the Minneapolis Star and Tribune an interesting article about one of our important vendors – Rimage Corporation of Edina, Minnesota. I have used and sold Rimage thermal disc printers and duplicators for over 10 years.

The article talks about Rimage’s plan to grow their business into “the cloud.” It also states that some of Rimage’s shareholders are not impressed with these plans as many prominent companies are already in this space – IBM, HP, VMware, Amazon, SalesForce.com, etc. These same investors want Rimage to return a large part of the $109 million in cash to their shareholders in the form of a special dividend.

Rimage management has other ideas like using this large cash position to invest and diversifying away from physical disc media into secure digital publishing in the cloud.

It will be interesting to see how this new direction plays out. We wish them the best.

Techware specializes in using, repairing, selling and renting Rimage Everest auto-printers, PrismPlus printers, 8100 and 7100 disc duplicators.

Rimage 8100n – New Copy Disc Station(TM)

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Rimage, the industry-leading provider of on-demand CD / DVD / Blu-ray disc duplicating and printing systems, has recently introduced the Rimage 8100N Disc Copy Station(TM). The new 8100n is designed to copy CDs, DVDs and Blu-ray Discs with the ease of a paper copier. The new 8100N Disc Copy Station follows the release of the smaller Rimage 5400N Disc Copy Station in Q4 2010. The much larger 8100N Disc has the same core capabilities of the 5400N system, but adds more robust capacity for higher production capabilities (300-disc capacity vs. 100-disc). The 8100n also has faster and more robust robotics which increases the amount of CDs and DVDs that can be produced per hour, per day, etc. Rimage 8100n

The version 2.0 release has some new features – bulk copy mode, improved photo and image quality,watermarking, and adjustable angle touch screen. As CD, DVD, and high capacity BD discs continue to replace paper documents, organizations need copies of the original discs for archiving and distribution. How it works differently than a standard Rimage 8100n system? The newer Disc Copy Station(TM) takes a photograph of the artwork label on the top of the original disc, then reads the contents on the original disc, records the exact contents onto a new blank disc and then prints the photo of the original disc artwork on top of the new disc. Of course you can make as many working copies (1 or 5000) of the original as you need, all in one
easy step. This new fully automatic feature eliminates the time consuming needs of locating the disc contents and creating, or handwriting the label onto your disc copies. Fast, easy and professional looking discs.

Key market niches for the 8100n and 5400n copy stations: education, training, video work flows, retail, medical and law enforcement.

Contact Techware Distribution if you have interest in any new, used, or rental Rimage printers or disc duplicators.