Copies, Copies Everywhere.

By Ben Crosbie

Ok, so you’ve finished your masterpiece – color corrected until your eyes watered and sound edited until your dog could no longer hear that slight hiss in the audio – but finally your life’s greatest work is complete. All that remains is producing a bunch of copies of the DVD to send off to film festival — err, wait a minute, what is the difference between DVD replication and duplication? What are all these websites touting the best/fastest/prettiest/will also ship with a Ronco Showtime Rotisserie oven-DVD replication/duplication services? Can I just order 50 DVDs – or do I have to order 1000 of these things, and use the remaining 950 to build that sick DVD fort I’ve always wanted? All these questions are natural when you’re sitting bleary eyed at 3 AM, trying to completely wrap up your latest film. So, go get some rest and come back in the morning and we’ll give you the answers you so desperately seek.

Enough to feed myself, or an army (AKA: DVD Duplication vs. Replication)

There is more than one way to skin a cat, and so the independent filmmaker has two options when it comes to mass producing DVDs – replication and duplication. But just as with skinning cats, it all depends on your budget and the final number of copies you want.

DVD replication is generally only used for runs of 1000 copies or more. Replication lends itself to higher runs because of the longer and more complicated manufacturing process involved. Replicated DVDs look exactly like the DVD you would rent from Blockbuster (if anyone actually went to Blockbuster anymore for any other reason than to look at those weird people who still don’t use Netflix). This type of DVD is called a DVD-5 or DVD-9 (single layer/dual layer). They are made from a glass master, which is then used to stamp the data on to blank media (the whole process is more detailed, but you get the idea). This is very different to what happens inside your home computer when burning a DVD, which uses a laser to “burn” the data on the blank DVD-R. If you don’t believe me, grab a burned DVD and compare it to a rented DVD. You can easily see the difference on the data side. One is blue and has a darker area where your data was burned, and the other is a solid shiny silver. That is the magic of the glass master stamping process.

DVD Duplication is generally used for runs under 1,000, and works like your home DVD burner, just on a much larger scale. Because no glass master needs to be made, the duplicating process is quicker and cheaper. Most vendors won’t even require a minimum order, with some allowing just 1 copy to be made. Of course, most vendors do offer price breaks for higher quantities, but duplication is cheaper than replication for anything under 500 discs. Once you cross 500, duplication might get more expensive than replication, and then you have to ask yourself if you want those extra 500 discs. The turnaround time for duplication is also shorter than replication, sometimes only taking a day to produce and ship.

Both replication and duplication provide the same result in the end – an exact copy of your master. Nearly all vendors that replicate/duplicate DVDs will say on their websites that the two are equal in terms of quality. I’ll have take them at their word for it.

Disc Makers, Pacific Disc, Kunaki?

One quick Google search of “DVD duplication” will yield a host of websites offering their services. Most appear to provide the same general service in the same price range – full color disc and packaging nicely wrapped up in cellophane, ranging from $2-3 per disc (without shipping) for duplicated DVDs, and $1-1.25 per disc (1000 minimum order) for replicated DVDs. I haven’t had the chance to use all of these services, so I can’t speak to their quality. Disc Makers and Pacific Disc are both very good options (no affiliation with either, just thought their pricing and services looked the nicest), but we used Kunaki for our duplication needs.

Kunaki is quite the opposite of Disc Makers and Pacific Disc. They barely have a website to speak of, and offer only one product – a single full color DVD in an amaray style case, with a full color case wrap and the option for a one page insert – all for $1.75 per disc. Kunaki offers one of the cheapest duplication services around, yet their product is superb. Before you run out and start throwing 7 quarters at Kunaki, realize that Kunaki is not for everyone. If you want anything outside of what they offer, you’ll have to shop elsewhere. Additionally, if you want lots of help getting through the designing and production process, or need customer service, you might also want to look at using a different vendor.

Kunaki has a unique interface that allows you to build the DVD packaging, preview it, and upload your data directly to their facility (another limitation: the interface is Windows only). Your DVD label and cover have to be designed prior to uploading, because Kunaki doesn’t offer robust free designing software like Disc Makers does. Once you have mastered and uploaded your final disc, you can order as many as you would like, as many times as you want. Kunaki keeps your project on their servers indefinitely as long as you place an order from it every 180 days.

Kunaki perfectly met the needs for the DVD duplication of our film Making Mothers. If Kunaki can meet your needs, it’s by far the cheapest, easiest and quickest way to duplicate small runs of DVDs. Otherwise go with another vendor like Disc Makers or Pacific Disc. But in the end, you can’t really go wrong with any of them, just make sure to pick one and go with it, or your pièce de résistance may never be seen by the masses!