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Professional DVD Authoring Services

Designed For - DVD Producers / Content Holders, Corporate Media Depts. Indie Film Makers, etc.

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DVD Studio Pro® Project Proofing Service

AVOID Becoming A Statistic...

Be Sure to Have Trai Look Over Your Files Before Replication

Trai Forrester is the World's Acknowledged Leading Authority on DVD Studio Pro®

Trai got his start with DVD Studio Pro in the spring of 1999 when the program was known as Astarte DVDirector. Trai became the world's leading Astarte Dealer/Distributor by fall of 1999, traveling throughout the country, installing and training on the new system, helping bring in scores of early adopting studios into DVD Production.

Apple hires Trai Forrester as a private consultant in April, 2001, to help introduce DVD Studio Pro 1.0, at NAB. Photo credit: Lou Skriba

Trai introduces the first (and still only) comprehensive DVD Studio Pro Scripting Tutorials disc in July, 2001.

"Trai's scripting disc taught me how to 'think DVD' - Marc McCoy

Trai Founded TFDVD.com a DVD Studio Pro support site, in 2001.

"I'm beginning to understand. All DVD Studio Pro roads lead to Trai" - A Poster on 2-Pop, Spring, 2002

Unsolicited comments from TFDVD.com members, during 2002/2003

Trai collaborates with John Brisbin Releasing the "TFDVDSP Engine",the first and still only, professional DVD Studio Pro Advanced Play List Project Templates - early 2002

Trai released the "TFDVD-9 Maker" the workaround to DVD SP's DVD-9 formatting bug - summer 2002'. For almost 2 years afterwards, it's the only way to guarantee a spec compliant DVD-9 in DVD Studio Pro®.

Trai led the development of DVDAfterEdit, beginning in Fall, 2002. The program was originally designed to extend DVD Studio Pro's capabilities.

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Home | Services | DVD Check Disc Proofing

DVD Check Disc Proofing

Having your DVD Check Discs tested and the run cleared for release into the market by New Constellation Technologies, is one of the most important decisions you and your client can make.

Introduction

What is a DVD Check Disc?

Check Discs are a small sampling of your replication run, usually around 10 or 20 or so DVDs, that have not had their label printed on them yet, and have not been placed in the final packaging. The Check Discs are ordered from the replicator prior to the delivery of your DDP Image to the plant. All replicators offer to provide check discs, at no or minimal charge.

The replicator will hold up the completion of your order, usually after having produced the entire amount of DVDs (on smaller runs), until you approve the Check Discs. The idea is, if an error(s) is found during testing, or changes are deemed to need to be made; then at least the expense of printing the labels on the discs and the costs of having the discs placed in packaging and shrink-wrapped, will have been saved - just the cost of a new glass-master(s) will need to be engaged for the eventual redo of the run.

The main purpose of Check Disc Proofing, is to make sure your replicator manufactured good discs and that they play without a hitch in all players. The discs need to be checked for manufacturing integrity because the replicator is not going to do it. Please see this article about Trai's original research on this issue, and how he has developed a fast, and no extra cost, way to proof the manufacturers work.

Of course, authoring mistakes, and other issues can be found at the Check Disc Proofing stage, as well. But this can be minimized and even completely eliminated as a possibility, if full-scale "DVD-R Release Candidate Proofing" is engaged prior to sending in the Image to be mastered.

Fact: Very few medium size and smaller DVD production enterprises and authoring studios are ordering Check Discs from the replicator, or even advising their clients of the recommended practice. By contrast, All Hollywood and medium to larger Content Distributors order Check Discs of their productions for testing, before the DVDs release into market.

Proofing Actions Performed on your Check Discs:

Preparatory Procedures Before Testing Your Check Discs, for Viability in the Player Bank

1) New Constellation Technologies is unique in our standard "Pre-DVD Player Bank Testing Flight" tests. Disc Navigation Command and Structural Domain asset placement and routing Inspection, is the first thing we do. How a disc has been authored affects absolutely, the DVDs navigation performance. We'll know, precisely, any potential 'weaknesses' in the navigation on the disc, and will zero in on any noted areas as we go through the Player Bank, to make sure playback holds up in the players. Note: Of course, if we've been involved in the project at some point earlier in production before receiving your client's Check Discs, there won't be any weaknesses, in this regard.

Again, New Constellation Technologies highly recommends that we see the project before the DVD Check Disc stage, as we will almost always find important issues that need correcting on discs we see for the first time, or at the bare minimum will find ways to improve the performance of your disc that will be easy to implement (again, please see the "DVD-R Release Candidate Proofing Package").

 

Included with all our player testing packages is the MEI DVD-Video Verifier® testing. Before we place your client's Check Disc in a single DVD player, we will know if there is anything out of DVD specification. Neither the replicator, nor any of the "West Coast' DVD player testing entities will run this test on your disc. This is just one of the reasons discs are released into the market with serious errors.

Also, again before the discs are put through the Player Bank, we run an Eclipse Image Analysis® test on the Image residing on the Check Disc, which includes the crucial Eclipse Disc Read Performance Scan of the DVD Check Disc (have you checked out this article yet?).

This substantial preparatory work before Player Bank testing begins is exclusive to New Constellation Technologies and vital to protect you and your client. We will have an complete map of your DVD so all potential areas of weakness are tested when we get to the Player Bank.

New Constellation Technologies currently maintains 168 players, including 20 Blu-ray players, a portion or all are used in the Check Disc Proofing, with all the major brands and years of manufacture, representing a high percentage of players currently in use on the market today - Check out the List.

The Importance of Performing an Eclipse ImageAnalysis© Test on the Check Disc before player Bank Testing

While not the equivalent of a CATS physical test of the disc, the Eclipse ImageAnalysis® Disc Read Performance Scan tab of the Check Disc (on properly calibrated optical drive and computer) will show any areas of the disc that players might have a tough time reading. Any drops in Disc Read Performance (DRP) are noted by NCT staff, and these locations are checked for stuttering or other playback anomalies as the discs are tested in our banks of DVD players.

 

This is what your DVD Check disc's Eclipse Read Performance profile should look like. Perfect Disc Read Performance.

 

Above is an example of a perfect Eclipse® Disc Read Performance test. The disc is first read by Eclipse Image Analysis on New Constellation Technologies' proprietary hardware, starting at the inner hub of the disc at around 6,000Kbps and steadily increases read speed as the laser moves towards the outer edge of the disc. Any major interruptions (see below) in the steadily increasing pattern can translate into playback problems of the disc on DVD players

 

This Check Discs showed all kinds of decoding artifacts in players, starting at around 2/3's of the way through the first layer of this DVD-9.

 

Send in those Check Discs

Have your replication facility overnight us at least 10 of your stamped DVD Check Discs, and we'll run a sampling through the gauntlet that is our 'pre-flight' tests, as described above. Then we'll test several of the Check Discs in our battery of DVD players and computer configurations. We will check any features you specify, as well as test the areas based on our findings from the preparatory procedures.

A full written report of all of our findings, and any needed actions, are included. With a "passed" report, years of experience has shown, your DVD will play well in the market, and not become a tech support 'nightmare' for you, your client and their customers.

Please contact Trai Forrester with any questions and for great pricing. Or, call: 610-924-9204.